Nelson Panciatici tells us what is in store for Alpine
Alpine comes to the 24 Hours of Le Mans Test Day boosted by an excellent result at the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps where Nicolas Lapierre, Gustavo Menezes and Stéphane Richelmi grabbed an LMP2 class win with the No.36 Signatech Alpine A460.
The team therefore has firm ambitions for Le Mans and Nelson Panciatici, driver of sister No.35 Alpine A460 of Baxi DC Racing, tells us about their plans for Sunday.
“We’ll need to find our bearings as quickly as possible, then we’ll be able to focus on the set-up of the car. This is a unique opportunity to work at the Circuit de la Sarthe, which is very different from any other circuit. We’ll also be concentrating on the tyres, now we’re starting to understand their subtleties. They are a key component, especially at Le Mans!”
It looks like Alpine has an industrious weekend in store, as it is fielding two cars this year. The team really hopes the two-car strategy will pay off, because the six drivers and the technical staff all work very closely together. “Even though the track will still be ‘green’ [in other words, it is messy after being used by regular traffic for the rest of the year], the data we collect will be crucial for the race and with two cars, we have the edge on our rivals. It’s down to us to capitalise on that.”
Panciatici and his Chinese team-mates, David Cheng and Ho-Pin Tung finished seventh in LMP2 at Silverstone but were forced to retire in Belgium after tagging another car. The start of the season might have been tougher than hoped, but there is clearly potential. At the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Prologue in March, David Cheng proved that he could be fast, achieving the fourth best time in class, just ahead of Bruno Senna. “With David Cheng and Ho Pin Tung, we’ve forged a really strong team spirit, and that’s important for this race. I'm really looking forward to the race and the thrills that parts of the track deliver, such as the Porsche Curves. It’s a magical race, and I’ve been looking forward to it for most of the past year!”
Things kick off for Nelson Panciatici, the Alpine team and fans of the world’s greatest endurance race this Sunday! The cars will be out on the track from 09h00.
Quotes from Nelson Panciatici press release
News courtesy of Geoffroy Barre / ACO
