The big week of the 24 Hours of Le Mans begun with the traditional technical and administrative checks.
Signatech Alpine Matmut went through Scrutineering on Sunday afternoon in front of a large crowd.
Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão and Pierre Thiriet will be back behind the wheel of the Alpine A470 n°36 for the first free-practice and qualifying sessions.
Scrutineering is a very popular happening at the Place de la République du Mans and mandatory for all competitors in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Summoned like all the competitors, the Signatech Alpine Matmut team saw its Alpine A470 scrutinized by the FFSA marshals: dimensions, weight, floor-board, safety elements and electronic sensors were scrupulously inspected.
Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão and Pierre Thiriet were also on hand to be weighed with their driver uniforms on and helmets.
After getting the green light at the conclusion of the administrative and technical checks, the French team has immediately switched focus to the next order of business: free practice. The four-hour session will begin Wednesday at 16:00 followed by the first qualifying session at 22:00.
Quotes
Philippe Sinault, Team principal Signatech Alpine Matmut
“We are as ready as we can be for an event like the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This race requires a huge amount of humility. This will be truer than ever this season with a higher level of competitors. The times in LMP2 are impressive and the level of the category has gone up a notch. However, this is what makes this event so fascinating and we are ready for the challenge!”
Nicolas Lapierre
“With its unique atmosphere, Scrutineering really kicks off this week in Le Mans. From our side, everything is ready. We are well prepared after a productive test day and we have had the time to analyse in detail all the data collected. We are keeping an eye on the weather forecast. The weather has been a little unpredictable, but the outlook for the end of the week is optimistic.”
André Négrão
“I am really eager to get in the car. These past weeks have been very productive and we are beginning to feel all the fervour of the event. We all know the potential of the Alpine A470 and we can count on a solid and experienced technical team. We will now use the free-practice session to prepare for qualifying.”
Pierre Thiriet
“I am really looking forward to getting back on the track to confirm the Test Day sensations. Since these tests, we have been focused on what comes next. We know the competition will be fierce and I expect a terrific battle. We all know this race very well, but we will have to avoid the hazards. It would be great to win 40 years after the legendary victory of the A442B.”
Timetable
Wednesday, June 13
16:00-20:00 Free practice
22:00-00:00 Qualifying 1
Thursday, June 14
19:00-21:00 Qualifying 2
22:00-00:00 Qualifying 3
Saturday, June 16
9:00-9:45 Warm-up
15:00 24 Hours of Le Mans Race Start
