European Le Mans Series - 3 Hours of Paul Ricard - September 28-29, 2013
MATCH BALL FOR THE ALPINE A450
- This year’s European Le Mans Series has set up an exciting finale for the Alpine A450 at Circuit Paul Ricard (Le Castellet), France, where Signatech-Alpine will challenge for the 2013 ELMS title.
- Thanks to a score of 73 points and one race-win so far this season, Signatech-Alpine shares first place in the provisional standings ahead of the last round.
- After their recent victory in Hungary, Nelson Panciatici and Pierre Ragues will share the Alpine A450 in the south of France determined to repeat Alpine-Renault’s European crown of 1974.
It was 50 years ago that the Alpine brand’s founder Jean Rédélé competed in endurance racing with the Alpine M63. The brand enjoyed success at a long list of European circuits, and took ‘Energy Index’ and ‘Performance Index’ prizes at Le Mans.
Forty years ago, shortly after Alpine-Renault had just wrapped up the inaugural World Rally Championship title and won the single-seater classic in the streets of Pau, Alpine made a return to endurance racing. The following year, the Alpine A441 went on to win every round of the 1974 European Sportscar Championship, including the encounter at Paul Ricard. The brand’s first international racing title at the end of the year would lay the foundations for its triumph in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1978…
Today, the renaissance of the Alpine brand led naturally to a return to endurance racing at the beginning of 2013. This weekend, the new Alpine A450, which was presented at the beginning of the year, will contest the last round of the European Le Mans Series – the 3 Hours of Paul Ricard – with a chance of winning another international crown.
The 2013 ELMS’s early visits to Great Britain, Italy and Austria enabled Signatech-Alpine’s bid to gain momentum and its recent win Hungary saw it emerge as one of the three teams that can still hope to clinch the title at the final showdown which takes place on home ground for the French outfit.
Signatech-Alpine is currently on an upward spiral and, less than two weeks after the team’s maiden success, the squad is extremely motivated…
“As far as the title is concerned, we know we face a real fight,” acknowledges Signatech-Alpine’s Team Principal Philippe Sinault. “To stack up as many cards in our favour as possible, we have prepared meticulously for the final race of the year.
“I am never 100 percent confident before any race, and especially not one as crucial as this weekend’s round. Perhaps that’s what drives us forward. We know what we need to do and our philosophy is ‘may the best team win’. I just want to be sure that everyone in the team can look themselves in the mirror on Saturday evening knowing that they gave it their very best shot, even if things don’t go our way…”
Nelson Panciatici, who hails from nearby Marseilles, will be practically on home soil at Le Castellet: “It was a great moment for the whole team to win in Hungary but it was just one step in the overall plan. We now want to win in France, too, especially as I will be in my own back garden at Circuit Paul Ricard. It’s MY race and I will have lots of friends and family watching from the grandstands.”
The championship’s official pre-season test at the French venue saw Nelson Panciatici, Pierre Ragues and Tristan Gommendy emerge at the top of the timesheets... “The Alpine A450 was competitive out of its box,” recalls Nelson. “On top of that, it’s a great track for these LM P2 cars. Taking ‘Signes’ flat at the end of the long ‘Mistral’ straight and then feeding into ‘Beausset’ is one of the big thrills of being a racing driver.
“I don’t want to focus solely on the ELMS title. We will concentrate on the race itself, without worrying about the different sums before the start. We will be able to adjust our strategy as the race unfolds and Signatech-Alpine has already shown its ability to manage this sort of situation.”
Normandy-based Pierre Ragues is just as motivated: “We are always fired up when we arrive at a circuit, but our victory in Hungary has given us an extra boost. The team really wants to do well and everyone is behind this programme with Alpine.
“Since our last visit to Circuit Paul Ricard, we have worked hard and learnt a great deal. The experience we now have of our Michelin tyres will also be a big help. The practice sessions will be crucial and qualifying will probably be one of the weekend’s highlights, because starting from pole position earns an extra ‘bonus’ point. Our objective is to win the European Le Mans Series with panache and we will do all we can to finish on the top step of the podium. The way the race goes will dictate the strategy we adopt.”
Alpine’s ‘Junior’ driver Paul-Loup Chatin will also be competing in the 3 Hours of Paul Ricard in an LM PC car and his personal goal will be to sew up the class’s title.
The final round of the season, which forms part of the weekend’s World Series by Renault meeting, has attracted an entry of 26 cars, including eight LM P2 prototypes.
Timetable:
Friday, September 2710:20am – Free Practice 1 (60 minutes)3:40pm – Free Practice 2 (60 minutes)
Saturday, September 2810:50am – LMP2 and LMPC Qualifying Practice (20 minutes)4:30pm – Race (3 hours)
