Zoom Battling back following an off in the night hours

The Signature Team crew of Pierre Ragues and Franck Mailleux have finished 11th in the 77th Le Mans 24 Hours after a strong run to the finish of the endurance classic.

The team's Courage-Judd V10 qualified in 22nd place, as Signature was aiming firmly for a strong race set-up in its debut Le Mans. With free practice having been affected by heavy rain and no Le Mans test day this year, qualifying was the only opportunity to find a dry race set-up.

Pierre Ragues started the race, and made consistent progress during the first half of the 24 Hours, handing over to Didier Andre and then Franck Mailleux. From the start of the race to the midway point the team made consistent progress, holding between 14th and 16th places.

But during Ragues' first stint in the middle of the night, Pierre had some contact whilst overtaking a slower car and ended up in the gravel trap. He managed to get back on the track and into the pits but lost the equivalent of around 10 laps or 40 minutes.

The teams' mechanics did a great job to make the car as good as new again. Having dropped all the way back to 20th place, the drivers then stage a determined fight back to battle back to 14th.

During the 17th hour, when Didier Andre was driving, he picked up a slow puncture and lost a few minutes getting back to the pits for a tyre change. Eight laps later he was back in the pits with a driveshaft failure, which needed another 30 minutes to repair. The Signature Team mechanics did another great job but the crew dropped time to 19th. With four hours to go the drivers had recovered to 17th and in the end they were classified 11th.

Pierre Ragues
"Once more, it was another thrilling Le Mans 24 Hours, which I really enjoyed. Conditions were tough, but I think we all performed to the best of our abilities. It was a pity that we had a couple of problems as without them we could have been right up there amongst the top petrol-powered cars. But this is Le Mans, where anything can happen, and that forms part of the unique challenge of the 24 Hours. I have to say a big thank you to the team who did a fantastic job, they have been very professional."

Franck Mailleux
"This was my very first Le Mans 24 Hours and it will be something that I remember for the rest of my life. There was a magical atmosphere, which I have never experienced before at a race. This is such a demanding challenge that just getting to the finish is an achievement in itself. I'm very pleased with our performance and I'm delighted to have reached the end without making mistakes. To drive for Signature Plus is obviously such a great experience. I would like also to thank Sojasun my long time partner."

Philippe Sinault, Team Principal
"Doing Le Mans has been a personal ambition of mine for as long as I can remember, because it is a human adventure just as much as a sporting achievement. On our first participation in this legendary event, we were not disappointed, I would like to congratulate my team and the drivers for delivering something just special which took us to this fantastic result. Le Mans was everything we expected it to be and more, and I'd like to sincerely thank our drivers, our partners and everyone else who helped us to achieve this solid finish in the world's toughest race."

© CAPSIS International