MG Lola might not have won, but there is no doubt that the team can consider its Le Mans debut a success. Rob Oldaker, managing director of MG Sport and Racing, was celebrating MG’s impressive debut in the small hours of Sunday, the EX257 surprising everyone not just with its pace and handling, but with its longevity too. Said Oldaker, ‘We knew it was quick and we knew it handled, but we also knew that it was unreliable’, the car having benefitted from far less development time than most of its competitors. So Oldaker was absolutely delighted that car 33 had driven well into the night. ‘We are immensely proud to have brought MG back to Le Mans and frankly it has been beyond our expectations to have been running as high as third and to have completed more than half the race time.’ Many commentators reckoned the MGs would be lucky to last much more than an hour - but it was not until the 13th hour that car 33 finally retired. ‘This has always been our learning year and we are now confident that we will have the right package to make MG even more successful next year’, added Oldaker. Just as pleasing for MG Lola was the support for the team, not only among the spectators around the track, but from supporters who rang in to congratulate them on their efforts. It looks like MG Lola have really started something - and there will be plenty of fans who can’t wait to see the green and graphite team race again.