[01-05-2015]
PIERRE RAGUES TARGETS PODIUM AFTER CLAIMING 3RD ON SPA LMP2 GRID
 French endurance ace Pierre Ragues has got his first race of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship off to a strong start, as he helped Team SARD Morand take third on the grid for tomorrow’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
Pierre was the second of the two nominated drivers, after Oliver Webb, to lap the 7km Spa circuit as the qualifying time was established from the average of the fastest time set by each driver. Team SARD Morand’s two-lap average was good enough for 12th overall and third in LMP2, putting the team in good shape for a podium charge tomorrow. Pierre personally put in an excellent performance despite limited running for the team in the previous free practice sessions.
The team’s first WEC event of the 2015 season got started in wet conditions on Thursday morning with the opening free practice session. Putting the #43 Morgan Evo SARD through its paces competitively for the first time since the Prologue, Pierre tackled the wet conditions and racked up ten laps before handing over to his team-mates. A red flag caused by an on-track incident halted the session for some time but the team had started some valuable wet weather set-up work.
The second session on Thursday afternoon was held in equally wet conditions but worsened during the practice with many teams opting to remain in the garage for the second half of the 90 minute session. Team SARD Morand added another ten laps heading into Friday’s practice and qualifying day.
The final practice session was held in dry conditions this morning with Pierre contributing to the team’s 15 laps, a total of 43 laps ahead of the qualifying session.
Pierre said: “I am delighted with our qualifying performance this evening, as Oliver and I were able to take third place in LMP2 and a top 12 overall. That puts us in a good position for tomorrow’s race where I think an LMP2 podium is certainly possible. We’ve had some very mixed and at times difficult weather conditions this weekend. Yesterday’s two practices were quite affected by rain so we used the opportunity to develop the car’s wet set-up and got some useful laps in. Spa is known for these conditions so it was good to have some experience of the car in the wet in case it returns tomorrow. I love driving here at Spa and I am looking forward to fighting in the 6 Hour race tomorrow. Oliver, Zoel and myself have a good rapport and the team is working excellently, so I think we’re well placed. I am particularly pleased because it is the first race with the team’s new title sponsor Franck Muller, a great addition to our team, and this is a great start to the new partnership. It’s also great for me to have the support of Group Auto and Sparco this weekend, our first WEC event of the season!”
Photo courtesy of Team SARD Morand Vision Sport Agency.
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