[26-06-2013]
PIERRE RAGUES FINDS POSITIVES FROM IMPRESSIVE LE MANS COMEBACK AND SHIFTS FOCUS BACK TO ELMS
 Signatech-Alpine provided one of the standout performances of the recent Le Mans 24 Hours race with an impressive comeback from 51st place to 15th overall, competing against one of the most competitive LMP2 line-ups ever fielded at Le Mans.
The performances of the three drivers, including Pierre Ragues, helped to overturn the deficits of the first six hours of the race and some truly exceptional work by the Signatech-Alpine crew won them the ESCRA award for best technical assistance.
A number of incidents in the first quarter of the race left the popular Signatech-Alpine team, who had generated significant buzz in the week leading up to the race, well down the classification but the performance of the Michelin-shod A450 race car was demonstrated overnight and into the morning, even as the team battled against tough weather conditions and a large number of safety car periods.
Q+A with Pierre Ragues
Pierre, how did that Le Mans compare to your previous six participations in the event?
“It was definitely one of the most difficult and complicated Le Mans 24 Hours that I have taken part in. This was my seventh Le Mans and I don’t recall one with such tricky weather and track conditions. We had to really dig into our combined experience of Le Mans to cope with the number of difficult situations we encountered but as a team I think we fought back hard and showed some strong pace at times.”
How do you keep motivated when you are down in 51st place?
“The beauty of Le Mans is that it is a race of reliability and determination so even from a low position, it is always possible to regain some places. We had come into the week hoping to achieve a podium but we had a number of key issues in the first quarter of the race that halted our progress. The weather conditions played a big role and we unfortunately suffered an ‘off’ that required a lot of repairs in the garage. The team did an outstanding job and I was really pleased that they were awarded the ESCRA prize for best technical support. It was absolutely deserved because without their work we would not have been able to make as much improvement.”
How do you rate your own performance?
“It was difficult to get into a rhythm because of the intermittent rain and safety cars but I felt that I put in some good stints and had some competitive times. The final hour of the race was perhaps the toughest of all, as the rain got so heavy that it required complete effort just to keep going, and as we saw there were a lot of people who got caught out in the conditions. I was quite satisfied to bring the car home and to register a finish in 15th, which was certainly an improvement on 51st! I cannot thank enough the Signatech-Alpine team, and my personal sponsors Group Auto, and my team-mates for their efforts in what was a tough race.”
What is next on your schedule?
“We return next to European Le Mans Series action in a few weeks’ time, so there is not much time for a rest. Firstly, we will have the usual post-event debriefs, taking all of the positive aspects of our Le Mans week forward. We take a lot of encouragement from the support we had from the fans at Le Mans and there is definitely a lot of appreciation for the Signatech-Alpine team which is fantastic to experience. We will also have a full session in the Ellip6 simulator to prepare for the next ELMS race at Red Bull Ring.”
|
)