Patron Highcroft team a mirror image of team owner

The Highcroft Team

Patr¢n Highcroft Racing’s early success in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patr¢n may have caught some by surprise. But not the man who has been the lead driver for Duncan Dayton’s team since its first full-season effort in 2007.

“If you look at the team underneath Duncan, it represents him – professional, open and very easy to get on with but very much business-like and get-on-with-the-job," said David Brabham, who shared the Series’ 2009 LMP1 championship with teammate Scott Sharp. “The entire team is like that, and full credit to him for putting this team together."

Brabham told WFOradio.com’s Joe Castello that Patr¢n Highcroft is well-positioned for another championship run in the Series’ combined LMP class for 2010 with a Honda Performance Development ARX-01c. Young French star Simon Pagenaud will partner Brabham in the full season with Marino Franchitti on board for the team’s endurance events including the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, the American Le Mans Series Monterey presented by Patr¢n and Petit Le Mans.

“The last couple of years, he (Pagenaud) and I have had some titanic battles on the race track," said Brabham, who also won overall at Le Mans in 2009 with Peugeot. “He’s a very tough competitor and one of the top young stars coming through motorsport right now. Both he and Marino are so young and enthusiastic, and they bring a whole new energy to the team.

“Duncan is a fantastic boss," Brabham added. “He has a real passion for the sport and was a very, very good driver in his time. When you look at our team, it’s absolutely spotless. It’s come quite a long way from even five years ago when he started Highcroft as a historic racing team."