Franck Mailleux and the Signatech-Nissan team are today celebrating a fantastic podium finish in the 6 Hours of Bahrain after an outstanding performance by the team. It was a brilliant performance from Franck throughout the race but particularly in the final stages when he magnificently defended his second position in a thrilling battle. Signatech-Nissan finished seventh overall in the race with the #23 car and tenth with the G-Drive backed #26 car.  

Having qualified ninth in class yesterday, Franck and his team-mates Jordan Tresson and Olivier Lombard deliberately focussed on race set-up and tyre management ahead of today’s tough six hour race. It was a strategy that paid off with tyre management in the intense Bahrain heat proving decisive.

Tyre degradation, due to track and air temperature conditions, was a big issue from the very opening practice sessions so the team worked closely with Dunlop to maximise performance during stints. Nonetheless, the rate of wear combined with the sweltering conditions resulted in teams adopting single stint strategies for much of the race.

Jordan Tresson started the race for the team, having been the driver to qualify the car on Friday, and handed over to Lombard before Franck took over around 90 minutes into the race. The handover was delayed slightly as the team was required to change the rear end of the #23 car due to a broken rear light. Once Franck was released, he put in a typically strong performance to keep the team’s podium chase alive.

At the midway point of the race, the team was homing in on the front-runners. Franck’s second stint came into the fourth hour of the race as the team was in fourth in LMP2 but the Frenchman leapt into third, and a podium place by the end of his run.

A safety car in the fifth hour caused by an LMP1 retirement helped the team to retain their podium dream while a problem for their closest LMP2 rival in the closing stages of the race enhanced their charge yet further as Franck, in his final stint, moved into second place in class. The race was far from over, however, as Franck became embroiled in an incredibly tight battle for second with a fast charging rival. Franck used his guile and experience to defend his position superbly, even through traffic, and fully deserves his and the team’s second place, setting also some of the quickest sector times in the race.  

Franck Mailleux commented: “I am completely over the moon at this result. It has been a long time coming and it feels amazing to be on the LMP2 podium for the first time this year. This is the result that we know we have been capable of and finally we have done it. A huge thanks to the Signatech-Nissan team, to Dunlop, to my partners Sojasun and to the mechanics who have carried out a fantastic job this season and again here in Bahrain. It has not been a straight-forward event. The hot weather has made tyre management critical so our work with Dunlop in free practice was really important. Our focus on race set-up was absolutely the right strategic approach and this result justifies our decision. We dealt efficiently with an issue early in the race with the rear light that required the mechanics to change the rear end, but the car was competitive, as we could see in the final stages of the race when I was defending my position. To finish seventh overall and second in class, with the #26 car in the top ten also, is great for the team and I am pleased with our team effort this week. Bring on Japan!”