A day in the life...

The 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona is over and for Derek Johnston, winner of the 2010 Sunoco Rolex 24 At Daytona Challenge, it was a more than just another 24 hours of his life.

After the struggle to beat 97 other drivers to win the chance to drive a Daytona Prototype at the Rolex 24 and the mental and physical effort to bring himself literally up to speed, the race itself was a titanic struggle.

He came through with flying colours and honour intact.

If you’re into coincidences, the team, which actually came 10^th in class, came 24^th overall after the requisite 24 hours, and Johnston hits 48 in this the year that North America’s most prestigious endurance race hit the big four-eight.

Johnston was no slouch given an easy ride. He he had to perform and he did. His best unofficial time was 1.45.6. The best time Memo Gidley, another of Doran Racing’s drivers, set was 1.43.018 in the McDondald's-liveried Ford Dallara.

Johnston was unstinting in his praise and gratitude of and for his team.

“I’ve got to hand it to Kevin [Doran], Memo, Fabrizio Gollin and Brad Jaeger [drivers] for all they did. I won’t say they made it look easy, because it isn’t, but they pulled the best performance out of me.

“I didn’t have it so hard, though. I felt sorry for the crew. At least we [drivers] could go and get some kip in a nice, warm motorhome. Those guys were up all night in pretty cold conditions, and without them, we’d’ve been in a right state, so a big thank you to those guys. It’s funny, but I complain about being cold outside [during the Rolex 24], but all I had to do to warm up was jump into a Daytona Prototype and drive around at a mental speed.

“And a big thank you to everyone at GRAND-AM, Daytona International Speedway, Sunoco and Anglo American [Oil Company Ltd] for making this happen. 

“I’ve said it before, but it really is a chance of a lifetime, and if you’re a driver, then you should try to win the chance to do what I did. The people over here will love you for it. Great bunch of people in Florida.

“Yes, I suppose I’m a bit disappointed that we didn’t do better. Bad bloody luck, really. A brand new gearbox packed in just before my first stint last night, which was the first time I’d raced in the dark, though it’s not really dark because of the massive floodlights. Man, they’re bright, especially when you’re coming off the banking at nearly 190mph.

“Another thing, which I wasn’t expecting, were all the flash guns and campfires. Thousands of fans camp in the infield and I could see the smoke drifting across the track. Sometimes you’d get the smell of sausages coming into the car. Pretty weird for that to happen.

“I’ll never forget what I’ve done, which is something that I never thought I’d get the chance to, but thanks to the 2010 Sunoco Rolex 24 At Daytona Challenge, I did get the chance. Give it a go; it’s a blast.”

Image by Jakob Ebrey.