[20-06-2013]
FRANCK MAILLEUX AND MORAND RACING TO START LE MANS 24 HOURS FROM POSITIVE FOURTH IN LMP2
 Franck Mailleux and the Morand Racing team will start this weekend’s 90th anniversary Le Mans 24 Hours race from fourth in LMP2 after another interrupted day of running at the La Sarthe circuit.
More inclement weather conditions met the teams and drivers in the opening qualifying practice session, which prevented anyone from improving lap times compared to yesterday’s dry session. Franck completed just one exploratory lap in today’s first qualifying session as the mixed track conditions, which saw two thirds of the track wet and the other third dry, made for complicated driving conditions.
This evening’s session was extended to 2h30 after a red flag in the first qualifying practice cut short running time. With the 13.6km track drying out all the time, it was looking to be a real fight to the finish for the overall best qualifying time of the week but a combination of yellow flags and traffic affected Franck’s final attempts at pole position. Nonetheless, his impressive lap from Wednesday still stood as the fourth quickest LMP2 time of the three qualifying sessions and the Morand Racing team will be starting Saturday’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with the podium well in their sights.
It has been a disruptive week of Le Mans action so far with a total of six red flag periods over the four timed sessions but it will all be good practice for the Morand Racing team as they look to prepare for any eventuality for this weekend’s race. The lack of dry weather running will be an issue that all teams will have to prepare for but thankfully Morand Racing and Franck Mailleux have plenty of experience of Le Mans which will prove invaluable if conditions continue to be unpredictable. Starting from fourth in class, the team will be hoping to continue their recent strong performances from the European Le Mans Series into the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Franck Mailleux said: “It was another really tricky day here at Le Mans but ultimately I think we can be satisfied with fourth in class and 12th overall. We had a good result yesterday and I am pleased with the performances that I have put in considering the changeable weather conditions. Today’s opening session was a write-off because of the weather and the fact it was cut short because of a red flag. In the extended second session, we were able to get more running but it was still intermittent because of red flags and then lots of traffic later on. As the track dried, everyone was trying to make improvements but there were just too many yellow flags and a lot of traffic which made it impossible to get a clear lap. We tried our hardest but eventually our time from yesterday remained our best and was still good enough for fourth in class. This position gives us a good chance to fight for a class podium but it is an arduous race so we have to work hard to make sure we have the best strategy and to ensure we get everything out of the Morand Racing Morgan Judd LMP2 car and ourselves. We are heading into the final pre-race build-up and we have lots to discuss, although I am confident in our car and the Dunlop tyres, and I am very motivated for the race. We have the drivers’ parade tomorrow which is also something I always look forward to.”
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