Pierre Ragues has undertaken his first test of 2011 with a two day session at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy in preparation for this season’s Intercontinental Le Mans Cup which starts at Sebring in mid-March.

Although the 2011 ILMC season will be Pierre’s fourth consecutive endurance season and his third in the LMP1 category, the test was an important opportunity for Pierre to reacquaint himself with the OAK Racing team with whom he last joined forces in 2008 and to readjust his driving to an open car after one year of racing in a closed top. It was also a first chance for Pierre to work with his new team-mate Guillaume Moreau.

Over the two day session, Pierre completed over 75 laps alongside Guillaume and the team, conducting initial set-up work with the car in preparation for the season opener in just over six weeks time, and working with Dunlop to evaluate their latest range of tyres.

 “I have spent a lot of time with OAK Racing in the weeks since our announcement and had my first seat fitting earlier in the week,” Pierre commented. “This weekend’s two day test in Vallelunga was a really useful experience for me and the team, mainly to get reacclimatised in preparation for the coming season. I haven’t driven in an open top car for a while so it was good to remind myself how different it feels. It was pretty cold in the morning, but nice during the day so we managed some good running. I did 25 laps on the first day, just getting back into the routine, so we weren’t chasing any particular development items. It was also good to work with Guillaume who is a nice guy and I am sure we will make a good team this season. On Sunday, we had more track time with good conditions and I completed over 50 laps starting to understand the baseline setting of the car and making initial adjustments. It was also a great opportunity to get a feel for Dunlop’s range of tyres. I worked with the Dunlop guys last season and it is a pleasure to continue to benefit from their support in ILMC. Overall, it was a very worthwhile and enjoyable two days for the whole team.”

For more information about Pierre Ragues, please visit www.pierreragues.com or www.quadrasports.com. Media enquiries should be sent to media@quadrasports.com