An outstanding team effort in qualifying saw BRDC Rising Star Luke Stevens start his first international race at the infamous Le Mans race circuit from pole position.A lap time of just over six minutes was fast enough to put the Alta 1937 at the front of the 42 car Le Mans Classic 24 hour grid. This meant the car averaged at 80mph around the lap with a top speed of 140mph – a pretty brave effort from both drivers considering the car has no seatbelts or roll cage!Stevens, joined by team mate Gareth Burnett of Wickhambrook, competed in three 45 minute races over the weekend 23-25 July, having never previously seen the car – let alone driven it!As the cars lined up for the start of the event, every inch of the starting grid was filled with international media, mechanics, team owners and celebrities. Luke was approached by ex-Formula 1 racing driver, Johnny Herbert, who congratulated him and the team for gaining pole position and wished him luck for the event.Luke said: “It was overwhelming at the start of the race. There were so many people around it was quite difficult to stay focussed on the job in hand.”But focussed he was as he led the field away from the start, eventually to finish 40 seconds behind the leader, a German driver in a BMW.As in Hockenheim this weekend, the Germans reigned supreme although with every race Luke and Gareth got closer to beating them.Race two, which took place at midnight, saw Gareth start the race and Luke take over after 25 minutes. After the BMW driver change Luke put in a quick lap and managed to gain the race lead, literally inches ahead of the BMW. Lap after lap Luke held off the challenge from the German driver until sadly, six minutes from the chequered flag, the oil pipe on the Alta fractured and Luke immediately retired the car to prevent any further damage. The BMW team once again took the victory.Ian Polson and his dedicated team worked tirelessly through the night to repair the car, eventually finishing at 7am – just in time to make the third race at 8am!Luke took the race start for the third and final event, dropping down to third position by the first bend. The team were determined to beat the BMW and set about narrowing the gap. At the driver change the BMW had a lead of 16 seconds, however after a determined and impressive drive from Gareth, the team were defeated into second place by only three-hundreths of a second.The event generated massive media coverage and more than 70,000 people flocked to the circuit to witness the second ever Le Mans classic endurance event.Luke said: “The weekend has been amazing, just amazing. Thanks must go to John Rushton who owns the car and also to Iain and his team who put in so much effort. I’m delighted to be the top finishing British driver in the class and hope I get the chance to come back and compete here again.”Luke has been invited to accept the team’s award at a presentation at Silverstone next weekend, hosted by Jackie Stewart. He will also be competing in the classic sports car race at the Northamptonshire circuit on Saturday.