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LOOKING BACK AND AHEAD WITH JONNY COCKER


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Braselton, GA. October 31, 2008: Jonny Cocker recently completed his first year driving against the teams and racing on the circuits of the American Le Mans Series. Reflecting on the speed and performance of his and co-pilot Paul Drayson's 007 Aston Martin Vantage GT2, the pairing scored four top-10 finishes in GT2 including a season-best seventh to close the year at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Cocker takes a moment to echo the emotions behind his 2008 season and what he hopes is an active 2009.

The Introduction: "I always heard how amazing and how fun it was to race all the different circuits of the American Le Mans Series. When Paul Drayson decided to compete, we did not know much of what to expect, except that we would be entering a championship with a high level of racing. As a driver, I knew it was a great opportunity for me to test and race against the best drivers in the world."

365 Days of Revere: "Sebring was one my biggest races and my first race with the Series. It was a massive event to kick off the year and for the team with its steep learning curve. What I found as we got further into the season was that I really liked St. Petersburg because of its surroundings and the atmosphere of it. But my favorite circuit to drive was Mosport. Mosport was a different circuit on the calendar because it reminded me of a UK circuit - Thruxton. It had the high slopes and alternating slow and fast sweeping curves from back home. It was also the one circuit that showed a turn in performance for our team. We were a lot closer to the pace than we had been up to that point."

A Keepsake in my Memory: "The entire year was memorable. Our experience this year proved to hold many almost-great results. But the whole year has been fantastic. What made it for me was the learning experience of this past year. For next year, it would be ideal to get on pole."

Forging ahead with Aspirations: "From what happens now, here in Europe, everything slows down. The weather changes and the circuits close. So we are going to start to sort things out and begin to place drives. My fingers are crossed to come back to the Series. We really would like to apply what we learned in 2008 and have a good step forward for 2009. Until then, I would like to compete in Daytona, the European circuits and get a drive in 2009 at Le Mans, plus return to Sebring, back in the car and testing again."