You couldn't make this up: Drayson resigns to race cars

London's Guardian newspaper reports:

Lord Drayson, the businessman turned defence minister, has quit his government position to follow his motor-racing "dream" of competing in the American Le Mans series, Downing Street said today.

The peer - who has been a minister since 2005 - has asked Gordon Brown for a leave of absence to take up this "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity".

In a letter to the prime minister, Lord Drayson said that the move was "a key step towards my eventual dream of success in the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race".