1992 (Toyota TS 010 with Geoff Lees and Ukyo Katayama):“My first Le Mans was a baptism of fire. It was quite an experience, because Le Mans is such a big deal for any driver. I was driving for the works Toyota team and I was replacing a driver who had unfortunately been killed died in Japan so it wasn’t the best of circumstances. One of things I remember about that time is that I didn’t get many laps ibefore the race started so I didn’t know the track very well.
We had a crash at the start, in the first lap because of the spray. It was really wet on the Mulsanne Straight and I think it was Yannick Dalmas who hit Geoff Lees. Anyway, he got back to the pits for repairs, but by the time I got in as third driver, it was night time. It was still raining hard and there was thick fog everywhere. On my first flying lap I just couldn’t see. I don’t remember getting out of third gear on that first lap. Interestingly enough, no one passed me either (laughs). And then, I go down the Mulsanne towards the corner, there are the two kinks and I went straight on at the first one because I didn’t know where it was! So I was on the grass, then got back on track. So for the next lap I’m thinking, come on you’ve got to be braver than that. So I’m flat out in the middle of the road in sixth gear, trying to make out where the road is with the white lines and just waiting to see a brake marker on my left. It was terrifying.”

Toyota TS 010 with Toyota Team Tom’s (Geoff Lees and Ulyo Katayama): withdrawal

From 1997 to 2002: "That was the Panoz period. We all knew going to Le Mans we would never win a Le Mans race in that car. But we always went there to go as fast as we could in pre-qualifying. In 1999 I could easily have been quickest, but just to be second was massive. For a front-engine Panoz up against the likes of Toyota, Mercedes and BMW, just to be second was incredible. But when it came to the race we were slow. We were slow and unreliable. During that period we finished a few races, with some top ten finishes - I think I finished 7th twice. But we always knew we never had a car capable of being on a podium. Which was frustrating in a way but there was not much we could have done about it.”

1997: Panoz Esperante GTR-1 with David Price Racing, teamed with Perry McCarthy and Doc Bundy (withdrawal)
1998: Panoz Esperante GTR-1 with Panoz Motorsports, teamed with Andy Wallace and Jamie Davies (7th)
1999: Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S-Ford with Panoz Motorsports, teamed with Éric Bernard and Butch Leitzinger(7th)
2000: Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S-Élan with Panoz Motorsports, teamed with Jan Magnussen and Mario Andretti (15th)
2001: Panoz LMP07-Élan with Panoz Motorsports, teamed with Jan Magnussen and Franck Lagorce (withdrawal)
2002: Panoz LMP01 Evo-Elan from Panoz Motor Sports with Jan Magnussen and Bryan Herta (withdrawal)

David Bristol / ACO - Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, 1992, SCRUTINEERING. The n°7 Toyota was the first car that David Brabham drove at Le Mans.