 [14-03-2011]
ELLIP6 GEARS UP FOR JUNIOR RALLY PROGRAMME DEBUT AT RALLYE LE TOUQUET
[Full Article]
 [11-03-2011]
FRANCK MAILLEUX LOOKS FORWARD TO FIRST TASTE OF SEBRING
[Full Article]
 [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]
INAUGURAL SHAKEDOWN FOR FRANCK MAILLEUX AS SEASON OPENER APPROACHES
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[11-03-2011]
FRANCK MAILLEUX LOOKS FORWARD TO FIRST TASTE OF SEBRING
 Franck Mailleux is set to experience his first ever stateside endurance race next week as the first round of the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) gets underway at the legendary Sebring International Raceway in Central Florida.
The event will see Franck represent the newly named Signatech-Nissan squad, after the Signature team signed a two-year technical and commercial agreement with Nissan Europe earlier this year. 2011 will be Franck’s third consecutive year in sports car racing with Signature, but it will be his and the team’s first in the LMP2 class, having finished as vice champions in LMP1 in last year’s Le Mans Series championship.
ILMC will consist of seven rounds across the range of endurance series combining the best of American, European and Asian events, including the jewel in the crown, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The ILMC series is set to be a technically demanding and physically challenging one for all participants with the Sebring 12 Hours setting the scene for the year to come.
The 2011 event will be the 59th running of one of America’s greatest sports car races with drivers tackling the tough 3.7-mile / 5.96-kilometre Sebring track. Having hosted a championship event every year since 1952 (with the sole exception of 1974), the Sebring International Raceway was formerly a US Army Air Force training base and, as such, still incorporates many traits of the original air field, including a concrete runway.
The unique combination of asphalt and concrete track has resulted in an extremely rough and bumpy surface overall, something that characterises the demands of the 12 hour race. The 17-turn layout includes some long straights, slower technical corners, as well as a number of high-speed corners, including the infamous turn 17 – a long, bumpy and fast right-hander than can see cars three abreast heading onto the main straight.
The demands from the track configuration and surface will also be coupled with the expected Florida heat, all of which combine to place cars under an extreme test of reliability – a tough start to a new racing season!
Thankfully, a two-day test is scheduled on Monday and Tuesday to allow teams and Sebring debutantes like Franck to get up to speed before the race weekend itself. Some 3,360 cars have started the 12 Hours of Sebring over the 58 events that have taken place so far, so Franck and the Signatech-Nissan team are on the verge of joining some very illustrious company in motorsport history.
Franck Mailleux said: “I am extremely excited to be starting the ILMC season with Signatech-Nissan, and to be taking part in my first ever 12 Hours of Sebring. The races there always look spectacular and the atmosphere seems amazing. It is definitely not going to be an easy start to the season because we have to learn the many nuances of the track from a driver and team perspective as well as from the car, engine and tyres point of view too, so the test will be important for us. We had a useful shakedown at Paul Ricard but there will be a big checklist to carry out once we are at Sebring. I am fortunate to be participating in this year’s ILMC series with the continued backing of my sponsors Sojasun who will be following progress during the year. The technical support from Nissan and Dunlop will also be a great asset to the team as we embark on this new adventure together.”
For more information, please visit www.franckmailleux.com or www.quadrasports.com. Media enquiries should be sent to media@quadrasports.com in the first instance.
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