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FRANCK MAILLEUX TAKES LMP2 PODIUM AFTER HARD-FOUGHT COMEBACK AT SEBRING
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[20-03-2011]
FRANCK MAILLEUX TAKES LMP2 PODIUM AFTER HARD-FOUGHT COMEBACK AT SEBRING
 Signatech-Nissan driver Franck Mailleux spearheaded a valiant comeback for the team to register a debut podium in the LMP2 class with a competitive second place.
The team had been in completely dominant form throughout the pre-event test session at the gruelling Sebring International Raceway and took a triumphant LMP2 pole position on Friday. However, two separate problems with pneumatic gear selection during the 12 hour race prevented the team from capitalising on its performance advantage by the chequered flag.
With his team-mates, Soheil Ayari and Lucas Ordonez, Franck worked diligently in practice and almost effortlessly set a searing pace in the Florida sun. On the opening day of official practice, carried out in daylight hours, the Signatech-Nissan dominated, with all teams preparations hampered by lots of red flag periods.
The night-time practice enabled the team to evaluate aerodynamics, tyres, as well as lights, with no problems. The team ended up second in class and 11th overall heading into qualifying day. The final practice before qualifying saw Franck and the team continue race preparations but also gave them the chance to prepare for qualifying. Soheil Ayari was on qualifying duty for the team and he enjoyed a positive session to take Signatech-Nissan to a debut ILMC pole position in LMP2 (1m53.815s), from where Franck was to start his first Sebring 12 hour race.
Leading the race from LMP2 pole position, and 11th overall, Franck took charge in the opening part of the race to retain the team’s position at the head of LMP2. He completed two hours in the cockpit of the Signature-Nissan Oreca 03 and was in very competitive shape, retaining the class lead and 10th overall.
Unfortunately, shortly before half distance, with Soheil Ayari driving, the team experienced pneumatic gear selection problems which warranted a lengthy trip to the pits. The Signatech-Nissan team worked extremely efficiently to identify the problem quickly and to minimise disruption to the race, but by the time Franck took the car back out, the team had a 13 lap deficit to the leader and were only third in LMP2. Franck, however, was on impressive form and helped to recover a lot of the lost ground with an effective and competitive double stint.
With just over two hours of the 12 hour race remaining, the problem hit again, forcing the team to change the power box, this time in the pitlane. Again, the team worked wonders to keep the stoppage to just 15 minutes, which maintained their second position in LMP2 until the chequered flag. The result was still an excellent achievement for the team with a new car, new engine and a new driver line-up for 2011, having demonstrated their clear potential in practice and qualifying.
Since the overall winners of the LMP2 class at Sebring were part of the American Le Mans Series, Signatech-Nissan, in their first race as a partnership, assume the lead position of LMP2 in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, which the next event scheduled to take place at Spa-Francorchamps in May. Prior to that, however, there will be official tests for the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans towards the end of April.
Franck Mailleux said: “For our first race in LMP2 and our first trip to Sebring, I think we can be massively proud of our achievements. The car is very competitive and we have shown our strength against adversity by tackling problems in a very professional manner. The gearbox problems were really a shame but the team did an outstanding job to get us back out on track. I am sure without these issues, we would have fought for the LMP2 win, but I am satisfied with second, which is a great platform to improve upon at the next race. We took an emphatic pole position with the car which shows what we are capable of. I had a good start to the race and drove well after the first gearbox problem to catch up our lost positions. For that reason, the second problem was really difficult to take but thanks to the team, we were able to keep our second place and lead LMP2 in the ILMC after the first race. That gives me confidence for the coming events. I’d like to say a big thank you to Nissan for such a great engine, as well as to the whole Signatech-Nissan team and my team-mates for such fantastic work this weekend. Also to my sponsors Sojasun for their support.”
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