After four rounds in Europe, the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) moves on to Austin, Texas, USA, for the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
• Entered in the LM P2 class, the N°36 Alpine A450b will be shared by Nelson Panciatici, Paul-Loup Chatin and Vincent Capillaire.
• Saturday’s race will mark the French make’s competitive comeback to the USA.
More than 50 years after Alpine’s first competitive appearance in the United States (Mauro Bianchi/José Rosinski, Alpine M63, 1964 12 Hours of Sebring), the brand returns to the United States of America as part of its FIA WEC programme with the Alpine A450b.
The event is sure to rekindle the passion of Alpine’s many stateside fans who saw the Dieppe-built factory cars compete in the country over a period of several years.
That said, this will be Signatech-Alpine’s first visit to the undulating 5.513km Circuit of the Americas where its intention will be to add to its points tally in the LM P2 Teams FIA Endurance Trophy.
Thirty-one cars have been entered for the 6 Hours of COTA, including eight in the LM P2 class. Once again, Signatech-Alpine will be the only all-French squad.
Philippe Sinault (Team Principal, Signatech-Alpine): “The trip to Texas is an important first for Signatech-Alpine. It will be the Alpine A450b’s maiden race outside of Europe and the entire team is really fired up for the occasion. The drivers are looking forward to the chance to race in Austin where the circuit enjoys a strong reputation, which is unusual for recently-built venues. It will be a whole new experience for us, but our rivals raced here in 2014. We are consequently looking forward to the start of free practice in order to build on the preparation work we have done on our Ellip6 simulator. We have set our sights high, since our target is a podium finish.”
Nelson Panciatici: “I’m thrilled at the idea of discovering a new circuit. I liked what I saw on the simulator and we have high hopes after our qualifying and race performances at the Nürburgring. The speedy warm-up of our tyres and the way they function on the Alpine A450b could play in our favour. The team has worked very hard since Germany and a top-three finish would be a great reward for them. Personally, I want to do well in the USA because it’s a country I adore.”
Paul-Loup Chatin: “I can’t wait to get started. The first race outside of Europe marks the beginning of a fresh phase in the 2015 WEC. Austin is also one of the best of the recently-built circuits. I think we have a real chance. The layout facilitates overtaking thanks to its sweeping corners and heavy braking zones. We have prepared extremely thoroughly and everyone in the team is targeting a podium finish.”
Vincent Capillaire: “For Round 5, we have the added excitement of racing for the first time this year outside of Europe. Motor racing is highly popular in the USA where they love to put on a show. The same fervour has driven the Alpine project and we saw the fruit of our hard work at the Nürburgring. Tyre management will be a key parameter once again and we should be in a position to challenge for a podium finish.”
Time-table (UTC -5 hours)Thursday, September 17, 2:45pm; Free Practice 1 (90 minutes)Thursday, September 17, 8pm: Free Practice 2 (90 minutes)Friday, September 18, 10:30am: Free Practice 3 (60 minutes)Friday, September 18, 6:15pm – LMP Qualifying (20 minutes)Saturday, September 19, 5:00pm: 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas
