French racer Pierre Ragues has enjoyed his first competitive taste of the brand new LMP2 regulations at the traditional FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Prologue.
Joining the Signatech Alpine Matmut team for the first event of the season at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Pierre took part in all five sessions, which ran over a total of 14 hours, and enjoyed a trouble-free and positive start to his 2017 campaign.
The weekend started in dry and sunny conditions as the #35 crew completed 58 laps in the morning working on base set-up, brakes and initial checks. An additional 43 laps in the afternoon saw them carry out runs on new and used tyres. As the clouds appeared, the evening’s night session was hampered by heavy rain, as the team added 20 more laps to their total.
Drier conditions greeted teams on Sunday morning but with the track still damp, initial running started on Dunlop intermediate tyres. Conditions dried sufficiently for the use of slick tyres midway through the morning session. Completing 63 laps, Pierre finished fifth in LMP2 showing promising signs.
Pierre used the final three-hour session to complete full stint simulation. The team covered 58 laps more and finished the final session second on the LMP2 timesheets. It was a fruitful way to end a productive weekend for the Frenchman.
Pierre said: “It’s been a very useful two days of testing for me, as I settle back into the Signatech Alpine Matmut team – and also learn about the new Alpine 470. We have had a real mix of weather conditions, which allowed us to evaluate many types of Dunlop tyre. We were able to complete many laps on both days, proving the new car to be encouragingly competitive and reliable. Lap times were not our main focus, as we had to look at baseline settings and initial checks, but I felt immediately comfortable in the car and encouraged by our pace. We were also able to complete some longer runs on Sunday afternoon, which gives us a lot of important information. Monza is a great circuit, perfect to unleash the extra power from the new regulations, and we had great support from the impressive crowds. We have acquired a lot of data from which we can now prepare for the 6 Hours of Spa in May. Thanks to my personal sponsors, as well as to Alpine and Signatech for the opportunity to compete once again in the incredible WEC.”