[23-06-2013]
FRANCK MAILLEUX AND MORAND RACING CHARGE TO SIXTH IN LMP2 CATEGORY AFTER TOUGH LE MANS 24 HOURS
 French racer Franck Mailleux has made a strong finish to this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours as the Morand Racing team concluded the gruelling event in a fighting sixth place in class and 12th place overall.
The team made a cracking start to the race and were up into the top three in LMP2 by the second lap but unfortunately the changeable weather conditions, which played such a key role in the development of the race, caused Franck to spin at Tertre Rouge on the second lap and dropped him down into 21st place overall.
A safety car period followed on that second lap after an accident which sadly resulted in the death of driver Allan Simonsen. Under that extended safety car period, Franck pitted to hand over to Natacha Gachnang with the team resuming the race down in 43rd place and in need of a fight back.
The remainder of the 24 hour race was characterised by ever-evolving, changing and unpredictable weather conditions with occasional rain which was particularly heavy in the final hour of the race. There were also an unusually high number of safety car periods because of the tough conditions which created a staggered and interrupted race. This prevented teams from getting into a consistent rhythm.
Morand Racing, thanks to the determined performances of Mailleux, Gachnang and Olivier Lombard, managed to battle hard to continually improve their position right up to the chequered flag.
Triple stints, even if disrupted by numerous safety car conditions, saw the team make up ground, thanks to the performance of the Morand Racing Morgan Judd LMP2 and the individual strengths of the three drivers. From 43rd in the first hour of the race to 12th by the chequered flag – 6th in LMP2 – was quite an achievement. The only difficulty was a fuel pressure problem in the morning which was fixed efficiently and professionally by the mechanics by changing the engine fuel filter to prevent any loss of position.
Franck said: “What a tough race for everyone. The conditions were hard and it was difficult to get into a consistent rhythm because of the changing weather and the number of safety car periods. After a difficult first hour which dropped us down the classification, we fought back hard with the three drivers – Natacha, Olivier and myself – all performing strong triple stints and getting everything we could out of the car and the Dunlop tyres. I was particularly pleased with my own performance in my final triple stint, which was a good pace. The weather was very unpredictable and really caused confusion in the final hour of the race; the heavy rain caught out a lot of people so it was a testament to our approach that we were able to keep the car going and make it to the end in 12th place overall. In the circumstances, that performance was impressive even if the end result is disappointing. I’d like to thank the Morand Racing team and my team-mates for their efforts this week. It’s been hard work but to get the car to the end of the Le Mans 24 Hours is always an achievement in itself. Finally, I would like to say a word of condolence to the family of Allan Simonsen; sad and truly terrible news for everyone involved in our sport.”
For more information about Franck Mailleux, please visit www.franckmailleux.com or www.quadrasports.com
Morand Racing Partners: Look Prestige Immobilier, Warson Motors, Motorex Oil, Dunlop, Judd, Onroak Morgan
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