24h Le Mans
In 2016, Alpine reached a new stage in its rebirth. Like Porsche in LM P1, the French team achieved a one-two in the 2016 World Endurance Championship (WEC) with the win in LM P2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA Endurance Trophy in the class.
Since the inception of the Signatech Alpine program in early 2013, Philippe Sinault's team has made methodical and steady progress. After two consecutive titles in the European Le Mans Series (2013 and 2014) and an LM P2 podium finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2014), in 2015 Signatech Alpine began competing in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
And the move was punctuated again with relentless advancement. Paul-Loup Chatin, Nelson Panciatici and Tom Dillman won the French team's first victory in the World Championship at the next-to-last round of the season at Shanghai. But this year, Alpine reached new heights. Nicolas Lapierre's stunning overtaking of Pipo Derani in the final five minutes of the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps for the win in LM P2 marked the beginning of the French outfit's domination of the 2016 season. With his young teammates Gustavo Menezes and Stéphane Richelmi, the French driver won his second consecutive class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, after a race during which Signatech Alpine's supremacy was never called into question.
Two additional wins followed at the Nürburgring and the Circuit of the Americas. This domination meant Signatech Alpine and its drivers had clinched the world title as early as the 6 Hours of Shanghai, at the circuit of its very first victory, with a race still left on the calendar. Signatech Alpine's feat was all the more impressive given the LM P2 class has never been as competitive as it was this year. The team had to stave off attacks by the new Mexican team RGR Sport (two wins), its main rival for the title, and deal with the spectacular return of G-Drive Racing (three victories in the last three races), which could have upset everything between Signatech Alpine and RGR Sport.
But, once again, the remarkable balance between performance and reliablity which Signatech Alpine is known for was the key to its success, with six titles in the last four seasons. Will Alpine reach even higher summits in 2017? Time will tell, the team will be going up against fiercer competition than ever in the LM P2 class...
Photo: In 2016, the Signatech team and its drivers Nicolas Lapierre, Gustavo Menezes and Stéphane Richelmi added to Alpine's win record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
