The result in Japan is the first podium finish in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) for the Alpine A450b shared by Nelson Panciatici, Paul-Loup Chatin and Vincent Capillaire.
The next round follows in three weeks’ time at Shanghai, China.
Following its highly encouraging runs since June’s Le Mans 24 Hours, Signatech-Alpine travelled to Japan determined to claim its first world class podium finish.
The Alpine A450b hit the ground running at Fuji to top the timesheet after Free Practice 1 thanks to Nelson Panciatici. The strategy that was decided for the race meant the crew had to settle for fifth place in LM P2 qualifying.
Sunday’s 2015 6 Hours of Fuji started in pouring rain behind the Safety Car. The cars were only green flagged away after 38 minutes when Paul-Loup Chatin soon eased into the class lead despite the appalling track conditions.
A polished display saw him complete three stints on the same tyres before handing over to Nelson Panciatici. As the track dried gradually, Nelson continued to lap strongly on intermediate tyres, thereby preparing the way for the team’s podium finish.
With an hour-and-a-half remaining, it was Vincent Capillaire’s turn to climb aboard the Alpine A450b. With the car now on slick tyres, he rounded off the weekend’s outstanding teamwork by passing from third to second place at the chequered flag, the best result achieved to date by Signatech-Alpine since its FIA WEC debut at the beginning of 2015. It was also Signatech-Alpine’s first top-10 overall finish.
Philippe Sinault (Team Principal Signatech-Alpine): “The entire team produced a perfect job in terms of both performance and strategy this weekend. The weather conditions made the race particularly exciting and second place was a fitting reward for all the work we have done and after the progress we have made in recent races. Paul-Loup got away to a first class start, Nelson was as quick as ever and Vincent finished off the job with panache. It’s very satisfying for everyone to have come second. This podium finish is another landmark date in Alpine’s history.”
Paul-Loup Chatin: “Second place is a great reward for everyone in the team. We knew that if we didn’t make any mistakes a top result was on the cards. It was quite frustrating to start the race behind the Safety Car but there really wasn’t much grip out there. I was very cautious during the opening lap. I managed to pass into the lead without taking any risks, though, and was then able to pull away thanks to the information I was getting from the team. The end of my triple stint became harder as the conditions evolved but I knew I had to stay out in order to give Nelson and Vincent the best chance of finishing off the job the way we wanted.”
Nelson Panciatici: “A big bravo to the whole team. Everyone did a top job. When I took over the car, it took me around 10 laps to get my tyres up to temperature. After that, I managed to close the gap to the two front-runners before handing over to Vincent. He finished off the race in great style. I’m very happy because we really wanted this podium finish.”
Vincent Capillaire: “Everyone is thrilled with this result. I think it was thoroughly deserved. Despite the conditions, I had fun in the Alpine A450b but you had to be very careful not to make any mistakes on slick tyres while the track was still drying. The team got the strategy spot-on and that enabled us to play a front-running role. I was intent on getting the car onto the podium. Coming second is a huge result and I am glad to be able to share it with Alpine and So24!”
6 Hours of Fuji – Final LM P2 standings:1. G-Drive Racing #26, 198 laps2. Signatech-Alpine #36, +32.372s3. G-Drive Racing #28, +1 lap4. Extreme Speed Motorsports #30, +4 laps5. Team Sard Morand #43, +5 laps6. Strakka Racing #42, +6 laps7. Extreme Speed Motorsports #31, +12 laps
FIA LM P2 Trophy after six rounds 1. G-Drive #26, 134 points2. KCMG #47, 122 points3. G-Drive #28, 119 points4. Extreme Speed Motorsports #30, 56 points5. Team Sard Morand #43 50 points6. Signatech-Alpine #36 48 points7. Extreme Speed Motorsports #31 48 points8. Strakka Racing #42 45 points9. Oak Racing #35 34 points
