Franck Mailleux has demonstrated the competitiveness and reliability of the Signatech-Nissan Oreca 03 this weekend but some key moments during the race precluded the team from capitalising on their performance as they ended the race in 16th overall and ninth in LMP2. 

Starting from 25th place on the grid, Franck made one of the most impressive starts of the entire 56 car field as he propelled the #23 car into the top 20 on the first lap. His opening triple stint was strong as he dealt with the slightly green track conditions in the opening phase of the race, a result of the rain that had fallen on Friday and into Saturday morning.

Handing over the reins of the Signatech-Nissan #23 car to his team-mate Olivier Lombard, the team was already dicing with the other extremely competitive LMP2 cars as they sought to make their way up through the field. Both Lombard and Jordan Tresson performed well in their respective stints which also included a lengthy spell under the safety car which was deployed for one hour following a crash involving the Toyota LMP1 and Ferrari GT cars.

The team was fighting for the top 15 overall as Franck took over for a quadruple stint into the night. A very determined performance from Franck took the team up to 11th overall and fifth in class before he handed over to Lombard. Unfortunately an off-track incident for Lombard required significant repairs in the pits which the Signatech-Nissan team performed diligently and quickly to minimise the amount of time lost.

Still, the team was back in 11th in class into the morning hours when Franck took over again. He experienced a small ‘off’ of his own in the first chicane of the Hunaudières straight, heading harmlessly across the gravel bed, but he followed that up with an impressive series of laps as he tried to reclaim some of the lost positions.

Olivier Lombard and Jordan Tresson continued the fight-back with Franck taking over with 45 minutes of the race to go, right up to the chequered flag, but the team had to settle for 16th overall and ninth in class, still finding all the positives of excellent reliability, a competitive car and brilliant team-work throughout the week.

Franck Mailleux commented: "It’s always a result in itself to reach the conclusion of this incredible event. As we have seen from our competitors, just reaching the end is a tough challenge and the Signatech-Nissan team should be commended for that. We had good pace and a great chance to fight for LMP2 podium but unfortunately it wasn’t to be this time. There were a few moments which lost us time but I think as a team we performed strongly and it was great to share this experience with the guys, with Olivier and Jordan, and thanks to Signatech-Nissan. On a personal level, I feel I have performed very strongly in my stints and the ability to quadruple stint in the night at such a competitive level to bring the car back into the top five in class left me very pleased. I had a bit of an off-track moment at the start of my penultimate run but we definitely had a good car underneath us this weekend. The event has not gone exactly to plan but we made it to the end and our sister car, the #26, finished strongly so all in all it is an excellent team result. Thanks to my partners, Sojasun, for their support this week; this is our fourth Le Mans together and I think we can be pleased with our achievements together."