 [09-04-2008]
Mortara geared up for season start at Hockenheim
[Full Article]
 [08-04-2008]
RAGUES ENJOYS COMPETITIVE SEASON-OPENER AT BARCELONA
[Full Article]
 [07-04-2008]
Mortara sets promising pace in Magny-Cours test
[Full Article]
 [03-04-2008]
RAGUES KICKS OFF 2008 CAMPAIGN
[Full Article]
 [25-03-2008]
Pierre Ragues gets to grips with new LMP2 Pescarolo at Magny-Cours
[Full Article]
|
[25-03-2008]
Pierre Ragues gets to grips with new LMP2 Pescarolo at Magny-Cours
 Frenchman Pierre Ragues, who is managed by Quadra Sports, has had his first taste of the Pescarolo LMP2 that he will use on the Le Mans Series this year – as well as at the actual Le Mans 24 Hour race itself.
The 22 year-old tested for two days along with his team mate Matthieu Lahaye at the Magny-Cours circuit in central France: the current home of the French Grand Prix. Nonetheless, this was only an initial shakedown test as the brand new car was not completed at the Pescarolo workshops until 02:00 in the morning of the test! Experienced Frenchman Jean-Christophe Bouillon carried out the initial runs, in order to de-bug the new car of any potential problems.
Luckily it was a remarkably drama-free debut, and Bouillon was soon setting competitive times in the region of 1m29.1s after only the first 60 laps of the new prototype’s career. Next it was Pierre’s turn to take the wheel: the Frenchman was told to be careful by team owner – and Le Mans legend – Henri Pescarolo, as replacement parts are extremely limited for the time being. Pierre completed five trouble-free laps before handing over to his team mate, who was only able to run in the afternoon because of a starter motor problem.
The team then planned to change the engine and run again the following day. However, the weather conditions in central France scuppered these plans. With a severe weather warning in place for the Nievre region – which affected most of Europe as well – the Pescarolo team decided that discretion was the better part of valour and elected not to run. A new test session will be organised for March 27 instead.
“That’s life sometimes,” said Pierre philosophically. “We have a brand new car so you can expect to have some teething problems, but it’s a lot harder to predict the weather! From my very brief experience of the car so far it seems to be born well: it gives me the impression of being fast and stable. Jean-Christophe Bouillon was able to complete quite a number of laps with no problems, and his feedback has been extremely positive as well. I’m very much looking forward to getting back behind the wheel now and increasing my knowledge of our new challenger for this season – which should be very exciting.”
The first race of this year’s Le Mans Series takes place at the Monza 1000km in Italy from April 26-27.
|
)