Alpine marked its 60th anniversary by unveiling the new Alpine Celebration show car, prepared especially for the 83rd edition of the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours.During its birthday week, Alpine also received a visit from French President François Hollande to the Signatech-Alpine pit garage. Crewed by Vincent Capillaire, Paul-Loup Chatin and Nelson Panciatici, the Alpine A450b lay third in the LMP2 class standings until it was forced into retirement after seven hours of racing.
Less than an hour-and-a-half before the start of the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours, Alpine stole the spotlight in front of the 250,000 spectators that had crowded into the famous La Sarthe circuit as the new Alpine Celebration show car – the latest phase of a revival that began in 2012 – took to the track in the slipstream of an iconic Alpine A110.
Sixty years on from the foundation of the company by Jean Rédélé, the Alpine Celebration embraces the brand’s timeless look while injecting it with a thoroughly modern appeal. This model follows in the wheel tracks of the A110-50 and Alpine Vision Gran Turismo – not to mention the Alpine A450b that lined up on the starting grid for the Le Mans 24 Hours – in taking the next step in a quest for the ultimate in performance, agility, style and driving enjoyment.
The visit from François Hollande was another of the day’s undisputed highlights. Having been invited into the Signatech-Alpine team’s pit garage, the first French President to attend the Le Mans 24 Hours since 1972 was particularly interested by Alpine’s project.
At the heart of the event, Alpine showcased its core valuesAfter lining up fifth on the grid amongst the LMP2 class contenders, Signatech-Alpine benefitted from a good start by Paul-Loup Chatin to settle into the leading group. The team’s strategy was subsequently adapted to manage the various incidents early on in the race.
A long neutralisation period prompted a quintuple stint for Nelson Panciatici. Having intended to make just one refuelling stop while staying on the same tyres, he was able to take advantage of the appearance of the safety car to fill up, bolt on a fresh set of rubber and head out again for three further stints.
This decision meant that the Alpine A450b had advanced to third in-class when Vincent Capillaire took over behind the wheel. Following a consistently quick run, he handed back over to Chatin just before 10pm Saturday, with the prototype still occupying a provisional podium position.
Unfortunately, 28 minutes after re-joining the track, Paul-Loup went off at Mulsanne. After receiving advice from the team’s technicians, he spent more than two hours valiantly endeavouring to re-start. With his efforts ultimately unsuccessful, Signatech-Alpine elected to officially retire during the race’s 11th hour.
Bernard Ollivier, Alpine Director: “This was an intense day for Alpine, unveiling our vision for the future in the shape of the Alpine Celebration. Sadly, following an exceptional start to the Le Mans 24 Hours for Signatech-Alpine, we found ourselves forced into retirement – but we’ll be back!”
Philippe Sinault, Signatech-Alpine Team Principal: “We made an excellent start to the race. Our objective was to fight for the podium and, with the two class leaders having set off at an extremely fast pace, we were very happy to be heading into the night in third position. The strategy that we had adopted was a crucial element of our battle plan, but Le Mans has always been an unforgiving race. We still don’t know exactly why the car went off, so we will analyse all the data. I must nonetheless pay tribute to the whole team and our three drivers, who all performed superbly through the early hours of the race and truly dug deep during the difficult periods.”
Nelson Panciatici: “To start off with a quintuple stint straightaway was certainly a new experience for me! I really enjoyed driving the Alpine A450b – the car felt fantastic and we were very competitive. Accidents happen in this sport. It’s a shame, because I’m convinced we would have ended up with a strong result.”
Vincent Capillaire: “We began the race really well. Each of us settled into a solid and fast rhythm, and the team’s strategy was perfect. Everything was under control and we were definitely in with a shout. It’s tough not to finish when you consider all the energy, hard work and effort invested by the team and our partners in this project, but that’s motorsport. Let’s try again in 2016!”
Paul-Loup Chatin: “Everything was going to plan. The Alpine A450b was perfect and I felt confident. Then, as I slowed for Mulsanne, I tapped the brakes and instantly lost control before hitting the barriers on the right. I tried everything I could to get going again. Communicating with the team, I must have made 50 changes and tried 100 times to re-start the car over the following two hours, but all in vain. I still don’t know what caused it. The car was performing flawlessly and the whole team was doing an excellent job. It would have been good to get to the end to gain more experience...”
