French endurance racer Franck Mailleux remains optimistic that Signatech-Nissan will enjoy a revival of fortune in the second half of the World Endurance Series after suffering more bad luck at Silverstone eight days ago. 

Mailleux was unable to complete the Silverstone 6 Hours after his team-mate Jordan Tresson picked up a puncture that forced the team into retirement with a quarter of the race remaining. However, the ever positive Frenchman finds consolation from the competitive performance of the #23 Signatech-Nissan Oreca 03 in the four races of the season so far.

Quick Q+A with Franck Mailleux

Franck, what conclusions can you draw from the Silverstone 6 Hours race?

“It is very easy to become despondent after the run of bad luck and results that we have had as a team this season. However, it is clear that we have the package to fight for good results so we have to keep pushing and believing that our time will come soon. Silverstone was another good example. We had a good performance in practice, a good qualifying session and competitive pace in the race. We were just caught out by misfortune with a puncture that ended our race early. That sort of thing can happen in endurance racing, so we have to focus on the positives.”

Were you pleased with your own performance?

“Yes, I was pleased with my contribution to the weekend, but actually as a team we worked well over all three days from practice to the race. Silverstone is a tough track and often throws up unpredictable weather, as we saw on qualifying day. We coped with that well and adapted well for my qualifying runs. I got a good start to the race and enjoyed my early stints in a car that was well balanced and quick, so I was quite satisfied from that point of view.”

There are four races to go this season, what do you think the Signatech-Nissan team can achieve?

“I think we have demonstrated that we are capable of challenging for the LMP2 podium at every race, so if everything goes smoothly this has to be our target. We have a great team and I get on very well with my team-mates Jordan and Olivier, so we are definitely working well as a unit. The technical package is good with Nissan engine and Dunlop tyres, so all the elements are there. We just need to get through this tough phase and I hope the second half of the year will unlock the potential that we have shown so far.”