Following an agonising two month break, the World Endurance Championship resumes this weekend with the 6 Hours of Silverstone, as the legendary British circuit plays host to round four of eight.

A total of 37 cars have been entered into this highly competitive event, making it a busier grid than Sebring or Spa earlier in the season. Of those 37 entries, an impressive 16 of those are in the LMP2 category which Franck will contest once again with the Signatech-Nissan team.

Franck has had a tough start to his 2012 campaign with a DNF in the season-opening event at Sebring followed by incident-affected races at Spa and Le Mans which saw the #23 Signatech-Nissan Oreca 03 car finish down the finishing order. Franck has nonetheless made his presence felt in the new WEC series with a string of competitive personal performances and a professional approach to his racing.

Now in his fourth consecutive season in endurance racing with Signatech, Franck is hoping to use his vast experience to guide the Nissan-powered team to its debut podium finish this weekend at Silverstone, knowing that the driver line-up, car and team has better potential than race results have shown so far.

Although only the fourth event of the season, Silverstone will be the final European round of the WEC as Brazil, Bahrain, Japan and China host the races that make up the second half of this year’s eclectic championship.

Franck has already been getting into the Silverstone spirit having been involved with the Nissan GT Academy Race Camp at the Silverstone circuit last week. Franck was in charge of mentoring the six French drivers who were part of the popular race camp which saw 36 competitors show off their skills. The gruelling programme saw the participants take part in on and off-track challenges to assess their potential to make the switch from PlayStation’s Gran Turismo 5 game to powerful Nissan sports car such as the 370Z and GT-R. Franck’s 2012 team-mate Jordan Tresson is a former winner of the competition.

Quick Q+A with Franck Mailleux

Franck, you must be looking forward to getting back behind the wheel?

“Le Mans seems a long time ago now, so I am really looking forward to getting back in the cockpit of the #23 Signatech-Nissan Oreca 03 with my team-mates Jordan Tresson and Olivier Lombard. It has been over two months since the last race so I have been keeping myself occupied with fitness training and exercise, as well as watching the Olympics on TV. It is important to keep our fitness levels up over the long summer break so that we can return for practice at Silverstone in the best shape possible and with no cobwebs. Thankfully, I have valuable assistance from my friends at Sojasun who continue to provide diet and fitness support.”

What are your expectations for the Silverstone 6 Hours?  

“It’s no secret that we have had a tough start to this WEC season but I take positives from the performance and speed that the car has demonstrated and from my own personal performances. We have had a lot of bad luck with some collisions and some mechanical issues but as a team we have worked hard to make sure that we can fight back hard at Silverstone. It is an extremely competitive field with 16 cars in LMP2 so we have to be at the top of our game to fight for the podium positions, but I am hopeful that we can do that. The weather might play its part, as often happens in Britain, but we will be prepared for any eventuality.”

You have already been at Silverstone with the Nissan GT Academy, tell us about that.

“Yes, I have been fortunate to have been working with the Nissan GT Academy at Silverstone in my role as coach for the French team. I was responsible for advising the six members of the French team on what characteristics make a good driver and to be part of the selection process for 2013 as to who will follow in the footsteps of Jordan. It’s a real honour for me to be a part of it and to get a flavour of Silverstone before this weekend’s race.”