'Le Mans win is box I need to tick' - racer Cullen

Ryan Cullen has experienced a lot in his racing career, but the Somerset-born Irishman believes he has the stamina to reach the top in endurance racing.

Switching his focus away from a journey to Formula 1 has meant longer distances, durations ranging from four hours to 24 hours and a focus on stamina over speed.

Now competing in the European Le Mans Series, Cullen is targeting a win in the most famous endurance race of them all, in which he has competed since 2019.

"[I want] to win Le Mans 24 Hours," he told BBC Radio Somerset. "I haven't won it and not many people can say it. I've won other endurance races but Le Mans is the tick in the box I need.

"I'm pushing to the point where until I do it, I won't stop. It is the whole event; there could be 600,000 people there. The sheer mass of everyone there, the pressure.

"It is pretty electric; it is special to be on the track, on the main roads, with the history of everything with the long straights, the change of weather.

"It brings out the best in drivers and the level is high. There are 60 cars, three drivers each; 180 drivers, there are some really good drivers in there."

The 34-year-old's journey has unorthodox to say the least. While he showed racing prowess as a youngster, he stepped away from the sport in his teens before returning and beginning a journey towards Formula 1.

"My dad took me go-karting when I was four or five; I don't really it," he said.

"He was working in so I would go and see him and race against the workers. Apparently, I was as good as adults at that age, so he thought 'lets buy a go-kart and go club racing'.

"It got serious at 12 or 13; the karts were getting quicker, the professionalism was getting better and you really had to apply yourself.

"Then I took a bit of a break, went to school, did my GCSEs, played other sports and went back at it when I was 20. It is a bit of a jump; I was at a crossroads in my life.

"When I was 20, I did my race license and went straight into British Formula 4, into the championships and did OK as a rookie.

"I shocked myself, and then made another jump to F3. It was enough of a gamble for me to think, 'do I know what I'm doing"Graphic image of, from left to right, Alex Albon, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso and Oliver Bearman. It is on a blue background with 'Fan Q&A' below the drivers " loading="lazy" src="https://image.staticox.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fichef.bbci.co.uk%2Face%2Fstandard%2F480%2Fsprodpb%2F7ff9%2Flive%2Fd42302e0-34b3-11f0-8519-3b5a01ebe413.jpg" width="385" height="216" class="ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950"/>