Franck Mailleux and the Signatech-Nissan team will line up for tomorrow’s Six Hours of Shanghai seventh in LMP2 after a tough afternoon at the Shanghai International Circuit this afternoon. 

Franck, who was on qualifying duty for the team today, struggled with the balance of his #23 Oreca 03 following a morning practice session that was interrupted by intermittent rain. Focussing on race strategy, the Frenchman was unable to mount a strong qualifying challenge but he is confident that the team’s concentration on race strategy will help on Sunday afternoon.

The team had completed 74 laps across the two practice sessions on Friday, allowing all three drivers, Franck, Olivier Lombard and Jordan Tresson, to get time in the cockpit at this new circuit for endurance racing. The #23 Signatech-Nissan car was classified fourth in the second session, giving the team encouragement heading into tomorrow’s race.

Franck Mailleux said: “The qualifying result was obviously not what we had expected but we have done a lot of work on our race set-up which will hopefully help us tomorrow. I did not really feel comfortable with the car this afternoon with some uncertainty under braking. The balance of the car seemed to have changed possibly as a result of the track conditions following this morning’s rain. Nonetheless, the race set-up and strategy is most important so it is on this which we will now concentrate. The circuit is very unusual with some very unique corners, which demands a lot from the car and the driver. There is more to come from us in the race, I am sure, as we look to end the season on a high.”