Alpine goes down a storm in their return to motorsport in general and to Le Mans in particular.

Le Mans, Place de la République, 5pm - In its blue - same as the French flag - livery, the A450 Alpine has been one of the most photographed cars of the day. Drivers, who signed lots of autographs, have been too. The company from Dieppe hired three French drivers and  betting that French fans would cheer for them. Well done! "I witnessed the victory of Pironi-Jaussaud with an Alpine-Renault back in 1978," André, a die-hard race-fan from Charente present at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1974. "They won't be able to beat Audi and Toyota this time, but a win in the LM P2 class would be awesome."

To win an 8th class victory is what No.36 car's driver are aiming to. "We posted consistent lap times during the Test Day," Tristan Gommendy said before he moderated his speech. "The track was damp and it won't be the case on the up coming weekend. The strength of our line up comes from its unity. Whatever spot we clinch on the grid, we will have to run consistently." But the driver from the Paris area is now enjoying his last relaxed moments. "There is a keen interest in Alpine from the crowd. We are all proud of wearing the marque colours and we will do our best to meet our fans' expectations."

Alpine sell merchandise to race-fans on a dedicated stand close to the scrutineering area: flags, Tee shirts, caps, teddy bears... There is something for everyone!

L'Alpine arrive au pesage.	Tristan Gommendy, pilote.	La boutique Alpine.

Translation by Cécile Bonardel / ACO

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