 [14-03-2011]
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 [11-03-2011]
FRANCK MAILLEUX LOOKS FORWARD TO FIRST TASTE OF SEBRING
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 [11-03-2011]
PIERRE RAGUES BEGINS ILMC CAMPAIGN WITH AMERICAN ADVENTURE
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 [04-03-2011]
PIERRE RAGUES BEGINS FINAL CHECKLIST FOR SEBRING
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 [04-03-2011]
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[11-03-2011]
PIERRE RAGUES BEGINS ILMC CAMPAIGN WITH AMERICAN ADVENTURE
 The 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) begins in earnest next week as the Sebring International Raceway plays host to one of the world’s greatest sports car races, the 12 Hours of Sebring. For Pierre Ragues, the race will be the culmination of a lot of pre-season preparations with the OAK Racing team who he rejoins to contest this season’s ILMC championship in the LMP1 category.
Pierre has already carried out a productive two-day test at Italy’s Vallelunga circuit in February to get a first understanding of the petrol-powered Dunlop-shod OAK-Pescarolo LMP1 car, as well as a short shakedown of the car at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit in preparation for Sebring.
The challenges of Sebring will, however, give Pierre and the team a clearer indication of their comparative performance against the rest of the competitive LMP1 field. Sebring is the first of seven events on this year’s expanded ILMC calendar, which takes in the best of American, European and Asian sports car events, including the renowned highlight of the endurance season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The Sebring International Raceway has hosted the 12 Hours of Sebring since 1952 and this year’s event will be the 59th running of the legendary race. The event has been hosted annually apart from 1974 and is a firm and popular fixture on the US racing calendar. A former air field for the US Air Force, the 3.7-mile / 5.96-kilometre circuit still includes a concrete runway alongside asphalt course, which makes the track surface extremely bumpy and tough on cars and tyres.
The circuit configuration is made up of long straights, slow technical corners and very high-speed corners. One of the standout challenges of the track is the bumpy, high speed right-hand turn 17 which can see cars racing three abreast at the end of the lap. Carrying speed through this final long corner of the lap is critical in maximising speed down the main straight.
Being one of the oldest permanent race tracks in America gives Sebring added kudos while the weather is typically very hot in central Florida, adding a further dimension to the challenges that Pierre and OAK Racing will face. A two-day test on Monday and Tuesday will give them valuable track time to fine-tune the set-up of the OAK-Pescarolo in preparation for the big event. Pierre’s initial aim has to be to fight for leading petrol car position but the technical demands of the gruelling race will make the chequered flag a welcome sight in itself after 12 hours of racing.
Pierre Ragues said: “Sebring is a fantastic venue to be starting a new season in the ILMC series. There have been a few changes for me since last year by returning to race with my OAK family once again. We have had a good period of re-acquaintance in the first months of this year and begun to understand the performance of the OAK-Pescarolo and the Dunlop tyres. We have another two days at the start of Sebring week to test the car around this great circuit, to work on set-up and baseline settings in general. It will be my first time driving around Sebring, so I am looking forward to learning the track. With the fantastic support from my personal sponsors Group Auto Union and the excellent help from within OAK Racing and the team partners, I am sure we will acquit ourselves professionally, but the test is our immediate focus.”
For more information, please visit www.pierreragues.com or www.quadrasports.com. Media enquiries should be sent to media@quadrasports.com in the first instance.
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