In building upon its performance from the previous day, Signatech-Alpine will line up fifth on the starting grid amongst the LMP2 class contenders for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Paul-Loup Chatin posted the fastest lap time behind the wheel of the team’s Alpine A450b in 3m39.699s.
Chatin, Vincent Capillaire and Nelson Panciatici will compete in the 83rd edition of the legendary round-the-clock race, due to get underway at 3pm on Saturday, June 13.
With all eyes fixed on the sky, there was concern throughout the paddock that the second day’s qualifying would be disrupted by rain, but the track remained dry right the way to the end, with the air temperature still as high as 23°C at midnight.
At 7pm, the Alpine A450b took to the iconic circuit for the second qualifying session and, after completing 20 laps – more than any of its LMP2 rivals, Signatech-Alpine wound up with the third-fastest time in-class.
In the following night-time session, the objective was to secure a strong starting position for the race. Paul-Loup Chatin benefitted from a clear lap to lower his own benchmark from the previous day to 3m39.699s. Nelson Panciatici subsequently posted a 3m39.936s effort before being slowed by yellow flags.
Vincent Capillaire concluded the running, as the team’s Alpine A450b placed fifth-quickest overall in LMP2.
The next on-track action will be at 9am on Saturday with the pre-race warm-up, ahead of the start of the 83rd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours at 3pm.
Philippe Sinault, Signatech-Alpine Team Manager: “We are pleased with our performance during this second day of qualifying. We took advantage of the conditions to work on the durability of the tyres, with very encouraging results. Nelson and Paul-Loup both ably demonstrated their pace, and although Vincent’s efforts were interrupted by red flags and slow zones, I’m sure his experience will enable him to hit the ground running when the race comes around. Fifth represents a very solid position from which to start and leaves us in positive mood, and the fact that our drivers are all so evenly-matched and work so well together cannot be underestimated over the course of a race like this.”
Paul-Loup Chatin: “I felt very comfortable in the Alpine A450b. The car is well-balanced and competitive, the outcome of qualifying is positive and I’m satisfied with my own performance. Our opposition has clearly taken a step forward – but so have we!”
Nelson Panciatici: “I was only able to get in one good lap. We had a little more left to come performance-wise, but fifth place is nonetheless promising. The car felt excellent and I was very confident in the dry conditions. We can be very happy with the work we have done today.”
Vincent Capillaire: “My ambition was for us to qualify inside the top five in-class – and that is exactly what we have done! We were able to carry out some more valuable preparation ahead of the race. I had to contend with a series of red flags and slow zones which was a bit frustrating, but that’s all part-and-parcel of the challenge of Le Mans. Now it’s up to us to ensure we perform well all the way through the race, because what really matters is our position come 3pm on Sunday!”
Final Qualifying Classification – LMP21 KCMG N°47 (Howson / Lapierre / Bradley) 3m38.032s2 G-Drive Racing N°26 (Rusinov / Canal / Bird) +0.907s3 Greaves Motorsport N°41 (Hirsch / Lancaster / Paletou) +0.926s4 Jota Sport N°38 (Dolan / Evans / Turvey) +0.972s5 Signatech-Alpine N°36 (Panciatici / Chatin / Capillaire) +1.667s6 Thiriet by TDS Racing N°46 (Thiriet / Gommendy / Badey) +1.773s7 OAK Racing N°34 (Cumming / Vanthoor / Estre) +2.026s19 competitors
TimetableFriday, June 12, 17:30 - 19:30 – Drivers’ ParadeSaturday, June 13, 09:00 - 09:45 – Warm-upSaturday, June 13, 15:00 – Start of the Le Mans 24 Hours
