 [15-09-2011]
PIERRE RAGUES UNLOCKS REAL POTENTIAL AND IMPRESSES WITH SILVERSTONE SUCCESS
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 [15-09-2011]
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PIERRE RAGUES TAKES FANTASTIC FIFTH AT SILVERSTONE AS OAK RACING SHINES
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[15-09-2011]
PIERRE RAGUES UNLOCKS REAL POTENTIAL AND IMPRESSES WITH SILVERSTONE SUCCESS
 The Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone marked an important turnaround in fortunes for OAK Racing and Pierre Ragues as the team concluded their most competitive performance of the season so far.
Pierre, along with team-mates Matthieu Lahaye and Guillaume Moreau, stormed to fifth place in their LMP1 OAK-Pescarolo in spite of a turbulent start to the race that saw Pierre pushed off the track and down to 13th position.
Pierre, who showed tremendous form around Silverstone, now hopes to use this positive result as the catalyst for a strong end of season with two rounds of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup remaining at Petit Le Mans and in China.
Quick Q+A with Pierre Ragues
You must be relieved to get some championship points on the board?
“The entire team has worked hard over the summer with tests in Barcelona and at the Bugatti circuit to get our season back on track, so the Silverstone result was well deserved and a big satisfaction for all of us. We demonstrated an impressive pace right from the very first practice session and, most importantly, the car performed reliably for the complete six hours, which allowed us to show our real potential.”
What problems did you encounter during the race?
“We had an extra formation lap at the start of the race which meant we got underway with a safety car. As soon as the race got started properly, I was caught up with a number of cars jostling for position and I was pushed wide which lost me several places. I had an immediate job to catch up the lost places but I felt really good in the car and I was able to make up places quite easily, showing a very strong pace. After that, we were genuinely chasing a podium place in third but a stop-go penalty later in the race lost us some time and we had to settle for the top five, which was still a great result for us. Personally, I think I drove an incredible final stint and overall our pace was worthy of a podium finish.”
Will this result give you and the team the impetus to fight for the podium in the final races?
“The result from Silverstone has certainly given us a renewed optimism to fight at the front of the field, even if we are realistic in the challenges that Petit Le Mans and China will present. The team has worked tirelessly to improve the reliability of the car, so we are ready to face this challenge in a positive frame of mind. The OAK Pescarolo has always been quick so if we can minimise our issues during the race, I am confident we can mix with the best of LMP1 in the final two events of the season.”
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