Pierre Ragues and the G-Drive by Signatech-Nissan team showed competitive pace around the challenging Interlagos circuit this afternoon but ultimately finished seventh in LMP2 at the conclusion of the six hour race despite being in contention for a podium finish. 

The team’s race was affected from the very start of the race when Nelson Panciatici, starting from an impressive third in class on the grid, was hit from behind by another car who had failed to slow sufficiently before the rolling start. Panciatici’s #26 Oreca 03 was damaged on the rear-right hand side which necessitated a stop in the pits to carry out repairs. The lost time saw the team drop to tenth in class and facing an uphill battle for the remainder of the race.

Thankfully, some excellent driving from Panciatici, Pierre and Roman Rusinov helped the team claw back some of the lost positions but the damage was already done from that initial incident. Pierre was on particularly impressive form with a brilliant double stint that saw the G-Drive by Signatech-Nissan team make it into the top six in class. It was a strong performance for the Frenchman following equally impressive drives at Le Mans and Silverstone.

Pierre handed over to Roman Rusinov but the Russian experienced a problem with the front left brake disc that forced him to stop for repairs that cost the team four minutes and forty seconds and the chance to fight for a podium. Nonetheless, Nelson Panciatici took over from Rusinov for the end of the race and secured seventh place for the team.

Pierre Ragues said: “We have to be pleased with our overall performance today because the Signatech-Nissan Oreca 03 performed exceptionally and the team has done a great job. We were hurt from the very start of the race when another car hit the back of Nelson after failing to slow down into the final corner before the rolling start. It completely negated our efforts today when we know we had the car and competitiveness to fight for the class podium and overall top ten. Roman also had a problem with the front left brake disc that cost us a lot of time but the team did well to get us back out and minimise our lost time. I was really pleased with my own pace in my double stint, getting the most out of the car and tyres to set some quick lap times and to make up positions. This is a very positive aspect of the race that we can take to Bahrain in the hope of scoring another good result there. We pushed as hard as we could today and had excellent pace, as shown by the fact we had the second quickest lap in LMP2. Although the result does not reflect where we should have been, the team performed well and we gave absolutely everything and should be proud of our results. Thanks to my team-mates, G-Drive by Signatech-Nissan and my personal partners Group Auto Union. It’s been an enjoyable week in Brazil."