ELMS – Alpine can now think about the future

Signatech-Alpine won his duel against Thiriet by TDS Racing without really fighting at the Castellet circuit. The Oreca 03-Nissan n°1 of Pierre Thiriet and Mathias Beche lost its hopes of victory by losing its wheel, forcing the champion team of the 2012 season to carry out long minutes of repairs. If Pierre Ragues seemed to be in difficulty at the wheel of the A450, the Frenchman sought above all to avoid any contact to offer his teammate Nelson Panciatici an LMP2 in perfect condition in order to take part in the event.

The fourth place won by the A450 n°36 was therefore sufficient forAlpine celebrates its title with an eight-point lead over Thiriet by TDS Racing. This result now allows the team to focus on the next season with optimism. « Alpine is back ", enthuses Philippe Sinault, Team Principal of Signatech-Alpine. “This team is a family. A family that worked a lot, that worked well. Everything was not easy because the program started late. It took time to implement everything. But this title already tells a story full of emotions. I would also like to salute the performances of Paul-Loup Chatin who is titled in his category. He believed in our project and I hope to see him in our LM P2 next year. It is still early to talk about 2014 but we are working on the commitment of two Alpine A450 to 24 Hours of Le Mans accompanied by a global program. » Following the victory acquired at the 3 Hours of the Hungaroring on September 14, Philippe Sinault admitted in the columns of AUTOhebdo (see Ah n°1927): “For 2014, we are working a lot with Bernard (Ollivier. Editor's note) on more ambitious projects in terms of scale and results. The idea would be to have two cars at Le Mans. We would also like to give a slightly more international side to the rebirth of the brand. As a sports platform, the idea would be to go to the United States, Asia, South America… » To the question “A commitment to WEC would it be under study? », he replied to us “The WEC, in effect, responds to this. That would be the logical next step. »

The joy was also palpable for Pierre Ragues and Nelson Panciatici who had achieved a great success by winning at the Hungaroring. “There were a lot of twists and turns during this race. It was particularly difficult,” comments the latter. “I attacked during my first stint to move up the rankings. The end of the race was quieter. We may have had a little success today but the title was the only objective. Everyone worked extremely hard on the project. It’s a great reward. »

Discover the report of the final of theELMS at Paul Ricard produced by our special correspondent in issue 1929 of AUTOhebdo, available from Tuesday in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.