Lord Drayson, president of the Motorsport Industry Association

The ex-minister and motor enthusiast says the engineering industry must stay optimistic in order to survive

Need for speed: Drayson has secured a deal to develop an all-electric prototype

As cars hurtled around the Road Atlanta race track at speeds of up to 200mph, Lord Paul Drayson was concerned with just one thing- achieving a decent time in the night qualifying practice at the 2008 Petit Le Mans. With a last look over his 007-numbered Aston Martin, Drayson was ready to get in the car when his phone started flashing with a call from the then prime minister, Gordon Brown.

The call was to invite Drayson back into government as minister of state for science and innovation. A year earlier he had left his position as defence procurement minister to pursue his dream of competing in the Le Mans 24-hour race. The prime minister, however, believed that the country had lost one of its most valuable politicians. Brown offered Drayson a position on the cabinet as science minister and agreed that he could continue racing.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of premium content. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our premium content, as well as the latest technology news, industry opinion and special reports. 

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox