For its first outing in the FIA World Endurance Championship the G-Drive by Signatech-Nissan team was racing in the Belgian Ardennes, for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

The nr 26 Oreca 03 Nissan driven by Nelson Panciatici, Pierre Ragues and Roman Rusinov finished the race in 12th position in the LM P2 category. In his first stint, Pierre Ragues spun whilst avoiding a collision with another competitor, and in his second stint, he lost the rear left wheel. The fine performances from Roman Rusinov and Nelson Panciatici should be noted, with Panciatici setting the third-fasted LM P2 lap time in the race.

Philippe SINAULT:" A difficult weekend… with the times set by Nelson in the race and in the third free practice session, we could have done something here in Spa. But the Belgian gods were not kind to us. The Panciatici/Ragues/Rusinov team has found its balance. Spa was their first event, and they have to rehearse before Le Mans… For a first time, the team behaved well and without the – still unexplained – loss of the wheel, we could have hoped for a very good result in our first race. "

Pierre Ragues:"We were 12th in the LM P2 category on the grid, and I was setting a good pace when, while trying to overtake an Audi, I touched the white line and spun. Later I lost the rear left wheel, and managed to get back to the pits on three wheels, which damaged the block and the rear left hub carrier. This meant we were stationary in the pits for over 25 minutes.”

Roman Rusinov:"All three of us did some very good work, as did the team. I am confident for the future, because we will start working for the 24 Hours of Le Mans next Wednesday, with some night testing. We saw that the car was well-balanced, and that each of us can put in a very good performance. “

Nelson Panciatici: "I finished the race, but I was rather frustrated, especially as during my stint I had a clutch problem and couldn’t change gear properly. My job was to bring the car back in one piece at the end of the race, and to get used to driving with so much traffic out there, with GT cars and prototypes. This first weekend was a rite of passage for me, and I don’t think I did too badly. I can’t wait to be at the test days for the 24 Hours of Le Mans."

The next meeting will be on June 3^rd for the test day for the 2012 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

(Source : G-Drive by Signatech-Nissan press release)

Photo : SPA FRANCORCHAMPS (BELGIUM), 6 HOURS OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS WEC, RACE 5TH MAY 2012. The #26 Oreca 03 Nissan finished the race in 12th position in the LM P2 category.