Alpine out in force at the 2016 Le Mans Classic

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• Three Official Renault Classic Alpines will compete in the 8th running of the Le Mans Classic July 8th, 9th and 10th
• Several Alpine’s Le Mans-winning models will be present at the legendary circuit
• The Signatech-Alpine team will be there with its World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) contender, the A460 that scored an LMP2 victory at Le Mans on June 19
  
• The #alpine Vision concept car will also be on show, alongside its illustrious forebears

From day one, motor sport has been in Alpine’s genes. Before launching the marque to develop, build and sell sports cars, founder Jean Rédélé had been a driver of some distinction.

Sixty-one years after its creation, the #alpine marque is still ready to take on a competitive challenge – and will underline as much from tomorrow when it takes part in the 8th running of the sumptuous automotive gathering that is the Le Mans Classic.

For the 2016 edition, Renault Classic is entering three factory Alpines. They will be entrusted to top-class drivers who have previously competed for the marque in the Le Mans 24 Hours or else are well known within the motor sport industry.

M65 (Grid 4), drivers: David Cheng/Stéphane Richelmi
A110 (Grid 5), drivers: Christian Chambord/Jean-Pierre Prévost
A443 (Grid 6), drivers Jean Ragnotti/Alain Serpaggi

These three Alpines will be accompanied by other models that have been privately entered.

Alpine’s Le Mans history

Alpine contested the Le Mans 24 Hours 11 times between 1963 and 1978, entering 55 works cars during that period. Apart from its victories in the Index of Thermal Efficiency in 1964, 1966 and 1968, and those in the Index of Performance in 1968 and 1969, #alpine scored seven class wins and – most notably – an outright victory in 1978 with the Renault #alpine A442B shared by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud and Didier Pironi.

The very first Le Mans 24 Hours appearance by one of Jean Rédélé’s creations dates back to 1963. That year, three #alpine M63s took the start – the beginning of a great adventure in three parts.

From 1963 to 1969, the diminutive Alpines chased class victories in the Indices of Performance, Thermal Efficiency, and even overall ranking for the A220 – the marque’s Blue Period.

From 1973, when the marque was taken over by Renault, a new set of targets allowed to pursue outright victories. In 1976, the first Renault-Alpine of the Yellow Period qualified on pole position and set the fastest race lap. Two years later, the mission was accomplished with a landmark win in the 1978 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Thirty-five years on, in 2013, #alpine returned to Le Mans with the A450. As in the early years, the cars raced with magnificent blue bodywork and tempered ambitions, in the LMP2 category. After a learning year, the team finished seventh overall and took a class podium in 2014. In 2015, the #alpine A450b retired after an off-track excursion during the night, although it had been running third at the time.

On June 19, 2016, #alpine scored one of the finest victories in its history by finishing first in a field of 22 in the LMP2 class at Le Mans. Nicolas Lapierre, Stéphane Richelmi and Gustavo Menezes stood on top of the podium after sharing Signatech-Alpine’s N°36 A460.

Alpine at the Classic

Here are the cars entered in the different sections:

Grid 4 (cars built from 1962 to 1965): #alpine M65 

• For the fourth consecutive Le Mans Classic, this Renault Classic-owned #alpine M65 will be present on the grid.
• This is one of two #alpine M65s that took part in the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours. Driven back then by Mauro Bianchi and Henri Grandsire, it retired after 32 laps.
• Converted into an A210, this same chassis also took part in 1966. Shared by Pauli Toivonen and Bengt Jansson, it managed 217 laps before dropping out.
• At the 2016 Le Mans Classic, this historic #alpine will be driven by two of the Signatech-Alpine team’s current drivers: Stéphane Richelmi, recent Le Mans 24 Hours winner in LMP2, and David Cheng, who raced the N°35 A460.
• Two privately run #alpine M63s will also be taking part in this section of the #event.

Grid 5 (cars built from 1966 to 1971): Alpine-Renault A110 1300S

• While #alpine regularly entered its sports-prototypes in the Le Mans 24 Hours, many privateers also contested the #event at the wheel of some of the Dieppe firm’s signature models. The #alpine A110 Berlinette was one of the sport’s star cars during the second half of the 1960s.
• The 115bhp A110 1300S Berlinette contesting the Le Mans Classic belongs to Jean-Pierre Prévost, a specialist collector of Alpines and sporting Renaults who has previously represented the marque in the #event. He will share the car with Christian Chambord, another car enthusiast who owns a number of A110s.
• Several A110 were entered for Le Mans in 1965 (a GT4 1100) and 1968 (two 1300s).
• An #alpine A210 and two A220s will also be participating in the same sector.

Grid 6 (cars built from 1972 to 1981): Renault-Alpine A443

• The most successful Renault-Alpine is coming back to the Circuit de la Sarthe. An evolution of the A422 and A442B, it was the ultimate creation of the marque’s Yellow Period.
• After qualifying on the front row in 1978, Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Patrick Depailler took the lead during the seventh hour after overcoming vibration problems. In front of 180,000 spectators, the most powerful Renault-Alpine (with a 2.2-litre V6 turbo developing 530bhp) steadily increased its lead until the 18th hour.
• At two-thirds distance, the Renault-Alpine A443 led from the Renault-Alpine A442B and the Porsches were several laps in arrears. At the heart of the team, a decision was taken to lower the boost pressure on the leading car. At 9.21am, the Renault-Alpine A443 left the pits once again. At the wheel, Patrick Depailler had been advised to conserve his position… but 32 minutes later he brought the car to a halt on the Mulsanne Straight with a seized engine. The Renault-Alpine A443 ceded first position, and victory, to the Renault-Alpine A442B of Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud.
• For the 8th edition of the Le Mans Classic, this Renault-Alpine A443 will be driven by Jean Ragnotti and Alain Serpaggi, both of whom previously drove for #alpine in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

In addition to the Alpines entered in the different sections of the race, several Alpines and one Renault will be exhibited in the #alpine Paddock, located close to the circuit in an area known as Le Raccordement.

Cars on display:

Renault type AK

Renault won motor racing’s very first grand prix which took place at Le Mans on June 26-27 1906. The circuit measured 103.18 kilometres (64.11 miles) and essentially comprised asphalt roads on which competitors had to complete six laps per day – a total race distance of 1,238.16km (769.32 miles). The 32 cars started this pioneering race at 90-second intervals and Renault entered a team of three. Number 3A was driven by Ferenc Szisz, numbers 3B and 3C by Edmond and Richez respectively. Szisz emerged in the lead at the end of the opening day, during which Edmond was forced to retire. Only 17 cars were able to take the start on day two, when Szisz led all the way without major incident. He was totally dominant and finished the race in 12h 14m, 32 minutes clear of his closest rival.

Alpine M64

Alpine first entered the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1963, targeting wins in the Indices of Performance and Thermal Efficiency rather than outright victory. Powered by small Gordini engines, the Alpines were able to star thanks to their cutting-edge aerodynamics. The marque took its first class win in 1964, with the M64 of Morrogh and Delageneste. The #alpine M64 on show belongs to the Jean-Charles Rédélé collection.

Renault #alpine A442B

This is the model that brought #alpine its first outright Le Mans 24 Hours success, thanks to Jean-Pierre Jaussaud and Didier Pironi in 1978. The fruit of a five-year development programme, the A442B evolved from the naturally aspirated A440 via the turbocharged A441 and A442. It scored five major victories in the World Sports Car Championship, although there were also several disappointments before its final crowning glory in 1978.

With its 2.1-litre V6 turbo, the A442B was capable of 352kph (218.7mph) on the Mulsanne Straight. During the evening after Renault Alpine’s victory, Renault president and CEO Bernard Hanon – who had set the company’s Le Mans-winning goal – announced that Alpine’s endurance #racing programme would be brought to an end. The next project? Formula One...

Alpine A450

In homage to the Alpines that competed at Le Mans during the 1970s, Signatech-Alpine’s LMP2 prototype was christened the #alpine A450. Even if #alpine had its eye resolutely on the future, the marque wasn’t about to forget its glorious past.

This #alpine was entered in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), which it won in 2013 and 2014 (A450b). In 2015, Signatech-Alpine took on a fresh challenge in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), scoring a victory in Shanghai and taking fourth in the championship with the A450b.

Alpine A460

The name of this new prototype was chosen to follow the line that began with the A440 during the 1970s and also to reflect the marque’s 60th anniversary, celebrated last year. Looking ahead to new LMP2 regulations that come into force in 2017, the #alpine A460 is built around an FIA-homologated chassis. For #alpine, it is also the first sports-prototype with closed bodywork since the A220 of 1969.

The A460’s 4.5-litre V8 has been carried over from that of the A450b. Produced by the Renault-Nissan Alliance, it generates more than 550bhp and is mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox.

Signatech-Alpine has two cars competing in the 2016 World Endurance Championship. The first, carrying N°36, tops the standings after back-to-back victories in the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and at Le Mans. It is driven by Nicolas Lapierre, Stéphane Richelmi and Gustavo Menezes.

Running under the Baxi DC #racing #alpine banner, the N°35 car is shared by Frenchman Nelson Panciatici – a pillar of the #alpine programme since it resumed in 2013 – and Chinese duo David Cheng and Ho-Pin Tung.

Alpine Vision

Unveiled by Mr Carlos Ghosn on February 16 in Monaco, the #alpine Vision concept car returns to Le Mans after making its first public appearance there during the 24 Hours in June. It represents about 80 per cent of the production car that will be built in Dieppe. This will be launched before the end of the year and sales are scheduled to start in 2017.

With this strong line-up of #racing legends, #alpine is emphasising its commitment to motor sport and its willingness to take on new challenges – an approach true to the spirit of founder Jean Rédélé when he introduced the marque in 1955.

Alpine’s managing director Michael van der Sande and deputy managing director Bernard Ollivier will be present at Le Mans to cheer on the #alpine teams, chat to collectors and meet marque enthusiasts.