Endurance Ace Pierre Ragues Signes For Signatech-Nissan In FIA-WEC.
French racer Pierre Ragues has today announced he is to compete with the Signatech-Nissan team in at least three events during the 2012 World Endurance Championship, including the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans event, spearheading a second car for the reigning LMP2 champions.
He will also race for the team at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 6 Hours of Silverstone with the possibility of further events as the season progresses.
Ragues has been part of endurance racing since 2006 and returns to Signature, the team with which he competed in LMP1 for the 2009 and 2010 season. He helped the team to the Vice-Champion title in LMP1 just two seasons ago.
As an established endurance racer, Ragues brings back to Signatech-Nissan a wealth of knowledge from many of this year’s WEC circuit line-up, as well as vital experience from LMP2 in which he finished on the Le Mans podium in 2008.
A change of team for Ragues means a renewed motivation for success and although his team-mates for the second Signatech-Nissan Oreca O3 chassis are not yet known, it is clear that having the opportunity to drive a competitive and reliable piece of machinery will set Pierre in good stead for 2012.
Pierre Ragues said: “I am delighted to be joining the Signatech-Nissan team for 2012 and coming back to my friends at Signature with whom we shared many happy memories in 2009 and 2010. I look forward to proving my worth and repaying their faith in me at the three events I am currently scheduled to take part in – Spa, Silverstone and Le Mans. The 24 Hours of Le Mans has been such a big part of my career so I am particularly excited to be taking part in my sixth Le Mans 24 Hours event. To be associated with a manufacturer like Nissan is also a great honour for me, and I am particularly proud to be joining a championship-winning team in this debut season for the World Endurance Championship. I hope that the three events I am lined up for could lead to more opportunities in the second part of the season. I am also grateful for the continued support of my personal sponsors Group Auto Union into this season, and I look forward to sharing more success with them.”
Philippe Sinault: “We are very pleased to be welcoming Pierre back to the team and to benefitting from his immense talent and experience in top-line endurance racing. We will have a second Signatech-Nissan for selected events and have already confirmed Spa, Silverstone and the Le Mans 24 Hours race. Pierre is the ideal man to join this second car with his experience and success in LMP2 from past years. We shared good times together in LMP1 in 2009 and 2010, so I am sure that he will help us form a competitive two-car team for these three events. After that, we will see what direction we take for the final events of the season.”
Pierre Ragues PR