Signatech Alpine Elf ready for the battle 18.09.2020: • The 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans began Thursday and Friday with four free-practice sessions and qualifying. • The Signatech Alpine Elf team completed its preparation in running 95 laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe, or nearly 1,300 kilometres.

•    The 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans began Thursday and Friday with four free-practice sessions and qualifying.


•    The Signatech Alpine Elf team completed its preparation in running 95 laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe, or nearly 1,300 kilometres.


•    Tomorrow, André Negrão, Thomas Laurent Laurent and Pierre Ragues will start in the top ten of the LMP2 category after missing out on the Hyperpole by just 0.183s


 


The action got underway Thursday morning with two three-hour sessions on the Circuit de la Sarthe in June summer-like conditions.



Focusing on the standard checks of the different systems and running-in of mechanical and electronic components, the opening session also allowed the drivers to find their bearings on the legendary French circuit.



Free of the requirement to complete ten laps each due to their Le Mans experience, André Negrão, Thomas Laurent and Pierre Ragues took turns in the car to fine-tune the balance of their prototype. In the afternoon, Philippe Sinault’s squad continued their programme of perfecting the setup for qualifying and the race while gradually improving their times.



Following a brief 15-minute break, the tension rose for qualifying. To inaugurate this new short and intense 45-minute format, Thomas Laurent was at the wheel of the n°36 Alpine A470.



With nearly 60 cars looking for the best position on a track at more than 40°C, the Frenchman first put in two fast laps before heading back out to improve his time after a few adjustments.



In his second stint, Thomas Laurent pushed hard and lowered his fastest lap three times. Despite an advantage of 0.7s before the final sector on his final attempt, a minor error cost him a few precious tenths and he had to settle for a best lap of 3:27.794s, just 0.183s from a place in the Hyperpole session.



The action continued in the evening with the lone night session before the race. After a precautionary alternator change, André Negrão, Thomas Laurent and Pierre Ragues resumed their preparations in the darkness in a session interrupted by several red flags. The team had a last straightforward practice session Friday morning during which they finished getting ready for the race while continuing to improve performance.



Tomorrow, the warm-up will run from 10h30 to 10h45 ahead of the start of the 88th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at 14h30. André Negrão will start from the 15th place on the grid – tenth in the LMP2 category – to begin a race that promises to be totally unpredictable.


 


Quotes



Philippe Sinault, Team principal Signatech Alpine Elf



"After what was a busy Thursday, the most important thing for us is that the performance is there. Qualifying is never the real challenge of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and it is even less so this year with only one 45-minute session with 60 cars on track. We had two clear laps, but the gaps were so close that the slightest mistake could cost a place in Hyperpole.



This is what happened to us, but we are satisfied with tenth place, just six tenths off the top three and we haven’t forgot that there are still 24 hours of racing ahead of us.”


 

André Negrão



"Thursday was really intense and very different from everything we have experienced in the past at Le Mans. We had some issues, especially with the traffic and the alternator change which cost us an hour of night running. Despite this, the car felt good and Thomas had the opportunity to make it into the Hyperpole.



Unfortunately, he just barely missed out, but tenth place is far from being a bad result and I am convinced that the car has the potential to be on the podium on Sunday. There are also serious risks of rain tomorrow that could change everything so the most important thing will be to survive, stay on the track and never give up!”




 

Pierre Ragues



"These two days have been intense, but I think we are ready! We are very lucky to have a team with a lot of experience in this race. This has allowed us to save time and to be quickly confident and comfortable behind the wheel.



Even though we found our bearings, Le Mans is a special track and this morning I found a pace more in line with my expectations. What's more, the car remained intact and that was one of the main objectives before the race. We did a good job so that everything goes as well as possible and that we are ready tomorrow at 14h30!”


 



Thomas Laurent



"There was very little in it in qualifying, but the Hyperpole was never the ultimate goal of the team. We worked more on the car in race conditions just until Friday morning and we are very happy and confident with the setup we found.


The only thing that could destabilize us would be rain, because we will have to adapt quickly, not get trapped and stay on the same lap as the leaders. The race promises to be very complicated if the weather forecast is confirmed and the primary goal will be to finish. If we succeed, the podium and victory should be a real possibility!”


 




 
Christophe Deville-