As promised, Alpine has completed the first test with the A424_ß ahead of its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship for the 2024 season.
After tests in the simulator and the ignition of the 3.4-litre V6 turbo engine in July, the LMDh of the French company took its first steps in early August with Nicolas Lapierre at the wheel for a control Shakedown of all systems, to then start the real development work this week.
Still in carbon black livery, another Shakedown was carried out at Le Castellet airport on Monday, while the following day the transalpine prototype went into action at Paul Ricard under the scorching sun for sessions of handfuls of laps useful for checking the condition gearbox, brakes and cooling system.
Alpine A424 Beta
Photo by: Alpine
Finally, the Viry-Châtillon technicians continued their operations on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday to find out also the behavior of the Michelin tyres, putting together a total of over 1000 km over the course of the week and also completing a final stint of 30 consecutive laps with Charles Milesi at the steering wheel, who shared the tasks with Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere.
Now back to the company for data analysis and comparison with those collected in the simulations, then the second test in Aragón is scheduled for September.
“This first session is the culmination of months of work by Alpine Racing and our partners and the initial balance is satisfactory, with a fairly high mileage that has allowed us to conduct our program step by step – underlined Bruno Famin, Vice President of Alpine Motorsports – In these early stages of development, the priorities are the validation of the fundamental systems and the work on reliability, starting with fine-tuning the prototype”.
“The drivers were quite satisfied with the car, even if there were some difficult points, which we are already working on in view of the next tests. But we have to be realistic: the work has only just begun and there is a large amount to be done in an extremely short period of time before the opening match”.
Alpine A424 Beta
Photo by: Alpine
Team Principal Philippe Sinault added: “For the first time in our history, we have the opportunity to be involved in such a large-scale project right from the start. Seeing the A424 take to the track for the first time was “It’s a real thrill. This project also comes with its own set of challenges, as the Alpine Racing and Signatech teams work together to get the most out of the car.”
“The overall first impression is quite positive and the absence of problems from the first few laps has allowed us to familiarize ourselves with the car rather quickly. Our knowledge of it will grow as development testing continues. The next six months will certainly be intense until our first race in Qatar, but all team members are more than motivated to take on the challenge.”
Lamborghini is also present
Lamborghini was also present at Paul Ricard with its brand new SC63, for the first time in official livery after its debut in the Vallelunga Shakedown and the subsequent Imola test.
The LMDh of the Casa del Toro prepared by Iron Lynx had another intense test session scheduled, in a program that included one a week from now to the homologation expected in the winter.
Unfortunately, an accident occurred which not only ended operations on the French track prematurely, but forced the men from Sant’Agata Bolognese to return to base to rebuild some parts and therefore review their test calendar.
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