[08-05-2018]
PIERRE RAGUES AIMS FOR PODIUM ON ELMS RETURN TO MONZA
 Endurance ace Pierre Ragues will target a second consecutive podium of the 2018 European Le Mans Series as he returns to the iconic Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy this weekend.
Ragues and his Duqueine Engineering teammates Nelson Panciatici and Nicolas Jamin established themselves one of the crews to watch this season, as they claimed a competitive third place in the season-opener at Le Castellet in April.
The performance level of their Oreca 07 LMP2 car and its Michelin tyres showed genuine potential and will be aiming to tame the ultra-fast 5.793km Monza circuit, one of the oldest racetracks in international motorsport, with its famous ‘Parabolica’.
For the ELMS, this weekend’s four-hour race will represent the first visit to Monza since 2008, during which it was held as the LMS 1,000km of Monza. Pierre himself took part in that event, jostling for a podium finish.
He has since driven modern LMP2 machinery around the classic Italian circuit, including last year’s World Endurance Championship Prologue. 18 LMP2 competitors are registered for this weekend’s 4 Hours of Monza out of a field of 43 cars in total. The second round of the 2018 season promises to be just as highly contested as at Le Castellet.
Courtesy of their third place finish in the opening round of the year, Pierre and the Duqueine Engineering team hold third place in the drivers’ and team’s classifications on 15 points.
Pierre will continue to receive highly valued support from GroupAuto, Yacco, Spaco and Ellip6 as he extends his impressive endurance career.
Pierre commented: “We had a very positive start to the new European Le Mans Series at Le Castellet, and I am determined to continue that at Monza this weekend. It’s such a fantastic, historic and special circuit, right in the heart of Monza Park and with such legendary status, I can’t help but smile when I think about racing there. I was present when ELMS was last there in 2008, fighting for a podium, but have more recent experience from last year’s Prologue. I was really happy with the performance of our Oreca 07 and Michelin tyres at Paul Ricard, so I am hopeful we can be in the fight for the podium again. The entire Duqueine Engineering team is professional and, as a driver, it’s a motivating place to work. Together with the support of personal partners GroupAuto, Yacco, Sparco and Ellip6, I am pumped for the weekend ahead!”
4 Hours of Monza Schedule
Friday 11 May
11:45-12:45 Free Practice 1
Saturday 12 May
09:15-10:45 Free Practice 2
14:20-14:30 LMP2 Qualifying
Sunday 13 May
12:30-16:30 4 Hours of Monza
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