European Le Mans Series leader Pierre Ragues is preparing for a thrilling championship decider at next weekend’s 3 Hours of Le Castellet, the fifth and final race of the 2013 season.

 

Following a dominant display in Hungary at the last race, Pierre and the Signatech-Alpine team find themselves in a deserved joint lead of both drivers and team classifications with 73 points after fourth place at Silverstone, two second places at Imola and Austria and the maximum 25 points at the Hungaroring. 

 

Three teams are mathematically still in contention for the 2013 ELMS title but all eyes will be on the battle between Signatech-Alpine and reigning LMP2 champions Thiriet by TDS Racing at Paul Ricard next weekend. The Alpine name has returned to endurance racing this year for the first time in 35 years so the fact that it is embroiled in a title fight is a testament to the work of the team and drivers this season.

 

The 5.791km configuration of the versatile Circuit Paul Ricard will be used for Saturday’s three hour showdown, a track layout that will be familiar to all teams from the pre-season test session that took place back in March. This year’s two day session saw Pierre Ragues and Nelson Panciatici line up for the first time for Signatech-Alpine and quickly assert their authority with the fastest lap time. With such close racing and a prestigious title up for grabs, this weekend’s finale promises to be a thriller.

 

The weather can easily play a decisive role in the outcome of the weekend with the infamous Mistral wind often causing set-up problems for the teams and adding to the driving challenge. Three hours of racing is all that is left between the championship contenders and the 2013 ELMS title. Let battle commence!

 

Pierre Ragues said: “I am overjoyed to be heading to Paul Ricard with a realistic chance of fighting for the championship after our win in Hungary. It is going to be an epic weekend and it is a fitting tribute to this great ELMS championship that everything is still to play for in the final race. We are on equal points at the top of the table but it is still going to require a lot of determination and hard work if we are to fight for the title. We are going to Paul Ricard on the back of a fabulous weekend in Hungary and we will be hoping to keep up the momentum. We have two practice sessions on Friday before the usual qualifying on Saturday. Every point is important this weekend so we will push hard to challenge for pole position but we know that if conditions are favourable we have the car, the Signatech-Alpine A450, and Michelin tyres to compete for the win, as well as the support from my sponsors Group Auto. It’s all or nothing, really, and that’s what racing is about, so bring it on!”