French endurance ace Pierre Ragues will begin his 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign next weekend as he takes part in the popular 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

 

Pierre is joining the reigning LMP2 Champions Signatech Alpine Matmut to drive in the No. 35 Alpine A470 alongside Nelson Panciatici and André Negrão. 

 

For Ragues, it is a return to the competitive LMP2 class, which has brand new regulations for the 2017 season, and also to the Signatech squad, with whom he secured the ELMS title in 2013. 

 

Pierre got his first taste of the A470 at the traditional pre-season Prologue. Over five sessions, the team completed 242 laps of trouble-free running setting an important baseline for their car ahead of their first event of the season at Spa.

 

The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will act as an important prelude to the highlight of the season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which takes place in June. It will offer Pierre and the team an opportunity to assess their technical package on the demanding, high-speed 7.004km, 20-turn Spa circuit and to iron out any issues ahead of Le Mans. 

 

A raft of new technical regulations, including a more powerful engine, has made LMP2 an even-more competitive spectacle this season. Pierre and the Signatech Alpine Matmut squad will be aiming to make an immediate, positive impression against the opposition.

 

Pierre said: “I can’t wait to get my 2017 WEC campaign underway properly after our positive test at the Prologue earlier this month. The A470 felt competitive and I was immediately at ease with the car. It was a valuable experience to reacquaint myself with the team, and my teammates Nelson and André; everything ran very smoothly.  Although I wasn’t racing at Silverstone, I was fortunate to be with the team to see how the operation works and to follow progress from inside the garage. There were definite signs of competitive pace, which we hope will translate well for Spa. It is a circuit at which I enjoy racing massively. I have finished on the podium there in the past two seasons, in GTE-Am last year and in LMP2 in 2015, so I want to continue that streak! We never know what to expect from the weather, but I am confident in our abilities to get a good result. I have been working hard physically to prepare for the event, as well as training on the simulator with my partners Ellip6. All in all, it promises to be another fascinating WEC event, and I just hope we can play a key role in the race.”