Photo : Jean Philippe BOYER - ACO/Nikon

Having recovered from concussion after his accident at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nigel Mansell will be back at the wheel this weekend, in the Autosport 1000 km of Silverstone.

After a brief test last year with Team LNT, Nigel created his own team this winter with his two sons Greg and Leo. The Ginetta Zytek is emblazoned with the legendary red 5, and painted in the colours of the Union Jack. It began the Le Mans Series at the 8 Hours of Le Castellet. Aerodynamic problems persuaded the former F1 world champion it was best to pass on the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps, to be better prepared for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

On Monday, 7th of June 7, 2010 at scrutineering, Nigel was greeted as a hero by the French public who have not forgotten his success with Renault engines in Grand Prix. During testing, Greg and Leo made every effort to ensure that everything went well, The Beechdean Mansell team is fused by the spirit and passion of this project, and that is the most important quality for an endurance team. In direct contradiction to the reputation he once had, Nigel is deeply involved in technical decisions, and communicates constantly with his engineers. Everything looked set for the best, but on Saturday, 12th June after only 17 minutes of racing, Nigel hada flat tyre that sent sent him violently into the wall.

After suffering a concussion, Nigel was out of the running for a few months. His Ginetta Zytek, suffered from damage that could not be repaired for the 1000 km of the Algarve, but Greg and Leo were back in Hungary. Nigel, was present but not driving, however, when strains of "God Save the Queen" struck-up after the victory of his sons in LM P1 , the 'Lion' was invited to the podium to celebrate the achievement.

Now fully recovered from his nightmare at Le Mans, Nigel returns to the driving seat on the old wartime RAF base that is now Silverstone!

Julien Hergault – Translated by Dave Davies