[08-07-2019]
PIERRE RAGUES SET FOR 2019/2020 WEC CAMPAIGN WITH SIGNATECH-ALPINE ELF
 French endurance ace Pierre Ragues has secured a full-season campaign with reigning LMP2 champions Signatech-Alpine for the 2019-20 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Pierre will return to WEC for the first time since 2017, re-joining the team with whom he has contested five endurance campaigns previously. Among many highlights of a successful partnership, Pierre and Signatech-Alpine clinched the European Le Mans Series title in 2013 and scored an LMP2 podium finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans two years ago.
The team itself has two LMP2 titles to its name in the highly competitive World Endurance Championship, having taken honours in two of the past three seasons. They are also three-time Le Mans winners in the category and will enter the 2019/20 season ready to defend their successes with a new driver line-up.
Pierre will join his former team-mate Andre Negrao and new signing Thomas Laurent at the renamed Signatech Alpine Elf squad at the season-opening Prologue, which takes place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya later this month. The eight-race season gets underway with the 4 Hours of Silverstone at the start of September before culminating with the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans next summer.
Pierre will drive the Alpine A470 Gibson with Michelin tyres as he opens a new chapter in his impressive endurance career. He will also fulfil his existing commitment to Duqueine Engineering in the 2019 European Le Mans Series with four rounds left to contest in this season’s championship. Silverstone will be a busy weekend for Pierre as he combines ELMS and WEC duties.
While re-joining the team where he has spent plenty of competitive years in his career, Pierre will also continue to benefit from the support of his personal partners.
Pierre said: “To have the opportunity to re-join Signatech Alpine for a full campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship is fantastic. I am honoured to be named as part of the reigning world champions’ 2019-20 line-up. They are like a family to me and we have shared many seasons racing in top flight endurance series together. WEC has gone from strength to strength; I am looking forward to being part of the paddock again, alongside my ongoing ELMS commitments which I will also fulfil with Duqueine Engineering. It promises to be a busy end to the year for me, but one which I feel privileged to tackle. The Prologue in Barcelona will give me a chance to get up to speed with the Alpine A470, followed by a bumper Silverstone weekend for me at the start of September, a joint ELMS and WEC event. Thanks to Philippe for his continued trust in me; I am hopeful that the 2019/20 WEC season will allow us to add more celebrations and memories to those that have been before.”
2019 EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES – REMAINING ROUNDS
20 July 4 Hours of Barcelona
31 August 4 Hours of Silverstone
22 September 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
27 October 4 Hours of Portimao
2019-2020 FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR
23 July 2019 Prologue – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
1 September 2019 4 Hours of Silverstone
6 October 2019 6 Hours of Fuji
10 November 2019 4 Hours of Shanghai
14 December 2019 8 Hours of Bahrain
1 February 2020 6 Hours of Sao Paulo
March 2020 1000 Miles of Sebring
2 May 2020 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
13-14 June 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans
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