Pierre Ragues and Signatech-Alpine will be starting this afternoon’s 3 Hours of Le Castellet from the second row of the grid after this morning’s qualifying session at Circuit Paul Ricard.

 

The French squad’s best qualifying time of 1m49.102, set by Nelson Panciatici, was good enough for fourth place, just a fraction off the best lap of their nearest championship challengers Thiriet by TDS Racing, who will line up in third place this afternoon. 

 

Mathematically, three teams are in contention for the 2013 European Le Mans Series title, so this morning’s qualifying result sets up a thrilling prospect of endurance racing this afternoon in front of a bumper crowd of spectators at the Paul Ricard track.

 

The Signatech-Alpine A450 equipped with Michelin tyres has shown good competitive pace in all four rounds of the ELMS season to date, which bodes well for Pierre Ragues and the team this afternoon, but there are no illusions as to how tough this final three hours of racing will be against tough opposition.

 

Starting from the second row of the grid, the team will be looking for a clean start and to make up positions in the opening laps. With warm conditions and the traditional Paul Ricard wind, the scene is set for a fantastic culmination of the 2013 season.

 

Pierre Ragues commented: “It has been a solid weekend for us so far and we have concentrated firmly on our own programme and race preparations. We were quick in first practice when we topped the timesheets but we have missed a bit of pace since then. Obviously, we would have liked to have been a bit higher up the grid but starting from the second row puts us in a good position to fight. This afternoon’s race will be about solid team-work and getting the performance out of the car throughout all stints, so it promises to be an exciting but tough three hours of racing. The championship is still wide open so there is all to play for this afternoon and, as a team, we will put up the best challenge that we can.”