[06-05-2019]
PIERRE RAGUES TARGETING REPEAT PERFORMANCE AT MONZA
 A stellar performance at the 2019 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) season-opener at Paul Ricard last month has put Pierre Ragues in a buoyant mood ahead of round two, which takes place at the high-speed Monza circuit next weekend.
Pierre was on sublime form at Le Castellet, helping the Duqueine Engineering team to a debut podium of the new season. The Frenchman, starting from eighth on the grid, put in a series of impressive overtaking manoeuvres to take the outright lead of the race. It was only a subsequent slow puncture that prevented the team from fighting for victory.
Looking ahead to the 4 Hours of Monza, Pierre – alongside his teammates Nicolas Jamin and Richard Bradley – will be aiming for a repeat of that quality performance in the #30 Oreca 07.
The Michelin-equipped LMP2 car showed impressive potential in France but will now tackle one of the most iconic circuits in the world, the high-speed, high-power Autodromo di Monza in Italy.
A fast and furious race awaits all ELMS competitors with 19 LMP2 competitors ready to do battle at the ‘Temple of Speed’. The 5.793km, 11-turn track, which includes the celebrated Parabolica, will put an emphasis on engine power and driver skill as Pierre and his Duqueine colleagues look to improve on their third positions in the drivers’ and team’s classifications.
Pierre commented: “Monza is one of those special circuits that always evoke emotional feelings for drivers. We are heading to the second round of the 2019 ELMS season in an extremely positive frame of mind after our strong performance at Paul Ricard. I was so pleased with my own competitive stints, as well as securing a podium in the opening race; it gives us something solid to build on. Monza is going to offer a different technical challenge, high-speed and with a focus on power. We had a difficult race there last season so I hope we can put a more representative result this time round. Thanks to the hard work of the Duqueine Engineering team, as well as the support of Ellip6, GroupAuto, Sparco and Yacco, let’s hope we can fight at the front once again.”
4 Hours of Monza Schedule
10 May
11:15-12:45 Free Practice 1
11 May
09:00-10:00 Free Practice 2
14:20-14:30 LMP2 Qualifying
12 May
12:00-16:00 4 Hours of Monza
LMP2 Teams’ Classification
1. DragonSpeed – 25 points
2. Idec Sport – 18 points
3. Duqueine Engineering – 15 points
LMP2 Drivers’ Classification
1. Ben Hanley / Henrik Hedman / James Allen – 25 points
2. Memo Rojas / Paul Lafargue / Paul Loup Chatin – 18 points
3. Pierre Ragues / Nicolas Jamin / Richard Bradley – 15 points
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