 [07-10-2011]
NEW CAREER HIGHLIGHT FOR FRANCK MAILLEUX WITH ILMC CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
[Full Article]
 [07-10-2011]
PIERRE RAGUES CONTINUES POSITIVE MOMENTUM FOR OAK RACING WITH ATLANTA POINTS
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 [02-10-2011]
FFSA RALLY TEAM FRANCE – RALLYE DE FRANCE-ALSACE REVIEW - PIERRE CAMPANA REGISTERS DEBUT WRC POINTS
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 [02-10-2011]
PIERRE RAGUES FIGHTS TO THE END TO CLAIM SOLID POINTS FINISH AT TOUGH PETIT LE MANS
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 [02-10-2011]
FRANCK MAILLEUX AND SIGNATECH-NISSAN CLINCH ILMC TITLE WITH LMP2 PODIUM AFTER THRILLING PETIT LE MANS
[Full Article]
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[07-10-2011]
NEW CAREER HIGHLIGHT FOR FRANCK MAILLEUX WITH ILMC CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
 Franck Mailleux is still in jubilant mood following Signatech-Nissan’s title-winning performance at last weekend’s Petit Le Mans 1000-mile race. A class podium was all that was required for the team, in its third season in endurance racing and debut with a Nissan engine and Oreca 03 chassis, to claim the LMP2 title, meaning that Franck and the team head to the season finale in China next month with the title already in the bag. Back on European soil, Franck believes that the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup title is the highlight of his racing career so far.
Quick Q+A with Franck Mailleux
Franck, has the result from Road Atlanta sunk in yet…?
“Now that we have flown back to Europe, we have had plenty of time for the result to sink in, but it doesn’t make it any less pleasing to think about! We have achieved something fantastic and it really is the highlight of my career so far. We have only been in endurance racing for three years following two seasons in LMP1 and this debut season in LMP2, so I think we have accomplished something to be very proud of.”
The car has always seemed to be fast, if not the fastest in LMP2, at all races – was that also the case during Petit Le Mans?
“It is true that we have always been among the favourites in LMP2 at each race but we have tried not to raise our expectations too much. We know what the Nissan engine, Oreca chassis and Dunlop tyres are capable of, and I was able to set the fastest lap of the race at Road Atlanta, demonstrating the full performance potential of the car and myself. We have unfortunately not been able to translate the pace into a race win but I hope we can rectify that in China next month. We were fighting for the win at Petit Le Mans but we suffered a power steering problem that kept us in the pits for about half an hour and when you lose that much time it is hard to catch up again, although I did my very best to make up the lost positions. In the end, we salvaged third place and that was what we needed for the championship!”
How does this result affect the next phase of your career?
“We have to conclude this season first before we can think about 2012. I have had another fantastic year with Signature, racing under the special Signatech-Nissan name, and I have had an excellent working relationship with my team-mates - Lucas, Jean-Karl and, not forgetting Soheil – and the team has been superb throughout, as they always are. Signature is like a second family to me and with my sponsors Sojasun, we have always got the best out of each other. Our immediate focus and motivation, though, is set on claiming that elusive win, which we hope to do in China.”
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