The 25-year-old was a member of the FCC TSA Honda France side that scored a milestone victory last Sunday. Hook teamed with Freddy Foray and Alan Techer to take line honours in front of nearly 80,000 spectators, describing it as the biggest win of his career so far.

However, he had domestic duties to attend at home.

“I’m building a house at Old Bar and the slab was to be poured this week. I wanted to be be here for that,’’ Hook explained yesterday.

So still bleary-eyed and aching from the race, Hook jumped on a jet to head back to Australia on Monday. Then fate intervened.

  SUBHEAD

“They had to call the pour off because of the weather,’’ Hook said.

“So I came all this way for nothing.’’

Hook understands it is going to take a few days yet before he’s over the 24 hour marathon.

“I’m still buggered,’’ he said.

“Our next race is in Slovakia in a couple of weeks, so I’ll be right by then.’’

His team is now five points clear in the world championship after two rounds. After Slovakia the championship heads to Germany before finishing at the Suzuka 8 hour in Japan, an event where Hook has met with success in the past.

“We’re pretty well placed to win the championship, that’s our aim now,’’ he said.

Hook admits he’s still coming to terms with the performance at Le Mans.

“That’s the biggest race in our championship and racing in front of that crowd – it's incredible,’’ he said.

“It’s a great win for the manufacture and for our sponsor.

Hook said the team clicked in practice, where they were among the fastest, although their form in qualifying wasn’t as impressive. The three riders had one hour shifts on the track. When he was off the bike, Hook said he tried to get some sleep.

“The race is so physically and mentally demanding that I had to try and get some shut eye,’’ he said.

“Even getting 20 minutes (sleep) here and there does make a difference.’’

Consistency was the key, he said, and the three riders managed to maintain a quick pace throughout, while also staying out of trouble.

“We hit the lead with about four hours remaining and we managed to nurse it home from there,’’ he said.

This was the first time a Japanese-backed team has won the race, so Hook and co can claim a sliceof history.

This is his second year in the endurance championship. Unless there’s an offer out of left field, Hook thinks this will be his home for the foreseeable future. He had a brief and ultimately unsuccessful stint in the World Superbikes with the Grillini team in 2016 before they parted ways in acrimonious circumstances.

“Racing in the MotoGP is a goal, but I think with the finance needed to get a ride it’s an unrealistic one,’’ he said.

“I’m happy in the endurance championship – it’s a world championship and it’s getting bigger all the time – it allows me to make a living riding motor cycles.’’

Hook won’t be leaving the Manning any time soon either.

“But I’ll be pleased when that slab’s done,’’ he laughed.