 [05-06-2011]
PIERRE RAGUES LOOKING TO MAKE HIS MARK ON LMP1 IN LE MANS 24 HOURS
[Full Article]
 [01-06-2011]
FRANCK MAILLEUX GETTING READY FOR THIRD TIME LUCKY AT LE MANS
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 [27-05-2011]
PIERRE RAGUES GETS BACK ON TRACK WITH LE MANS PREPARATIONS
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 [25-05-2011]
TONY KART’S ALL STAR SQUAD TRAINS WITH QUADRA
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 [18-05-2011]
PIERRE CAMPANA'S STAR RISES AFTER PROVING HIS WORTH AT TOUR DE CORSE
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[27-05-2011]
PIERRE RAGUES GETS BACK ON TRACK WITH LE MANS PREPARATIONS
 Pierre Ragues has begun preparations for next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with a two day test at the Magny-Cours circuit in France this week. The test was the first time that Pierre had returned to the cockpit of his LMP1 Oak-Pescarolo following the disappointment of the previous Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) race at Spa-Francorchamps which took place earlier in May.
The OAK Racing team were forced to withdraw from the Spa 1000kms race after a terrible accident in qualifying that left team driver Matthieu Lahaye in hospital. The French driver is recovering well but will not be fit to join OAK Racing in Le Mans, so the team has drafted in former Formula One driver Tiago Monteiro to partner Pierre and Guillaume Moreau.
Pierre looks back on his two days of testing this week in a positive frame of mind and is determined to put in a strong showing at Le Mans, the unquestionable highlight of the endurance racing season.
QUICK Q+A WITH PIERRE RAGUES
Pierre, how is the situation after the disappointment of Spa?
“The whole OAK Racing team is determined to put the disappointment of the Spa weekend behind us, and we are looking forward to bouncing back at Le Mans in a few weeks from now. The most important thing is that Matthieu’s recovery is going well. It was a bad accident but we are all thankful that he was not too badly injured. He had surgery on his hand and knee last week but we are looking forward to welcoming him back in the team as soon as possible. In the meantime, we are preparing for Le Mans where we will do all we can to do him and the entire team proud.”
How have preparations for Le Mans been going?
“We had a two day test at Magny-Cours this week with the OAK-Pescarolo and carried out some important preparation work. I completed around 60 laps in the car over the two days and we were able to drive until midnight on the second day, testing the most important night-time elements of endurance racing – lights. We also checked and validated the backlight of the various buttons on the steering wheel. We ran an aero configuration similar to what we will run in Le Mans in order to find the right balance on the car, but we also worked on the mechanical grip and traction in the slower turns. All in all it was a good test.”
How will a new team-mate change your approach to Le Mans?
“Obviously, we are going to miss Matthieu for Le Mans, but we could not have asked for a better, more experienced replacement than Tiago Monteiro. I met him for the first time during the test at Magny-Cours and we will all benefit from his input. We already had a good base to build on after the first two race weekends of the season, even if the results have so far been missing. The OAK-Pescaralo and Dunlop tyres are competitive, our team works well together and we have a hunger to deliver a good result. It will be my fifth participation in the Le Mans 24 Hours and it’s sure to be another exciting week, so it can’t come quickly enough for me.”
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