Alpine continued the development of the A424 with a fourth test session, the first in endurance format at Motorland Aragón, an interesting circuit for its straight where top speeds are comparable to those of Le Mans.

 


The objective - ambitious for a first - was to log 5,400 km in 30 hours. Although not quite reached, the results were largely positive, with 5,027 km covered. After the first eight hours with no problems other than a puncture, turbo issues, oil and water leaks as well as an electrical problem briefly interrupted the A424's fine progress as it completed the 30 hours.

 

 

In addition to assessing the car's reliability, the team continued to work on the general setup, to run in reprensentative race conditions and to improve its understanding of the Michelin tyres, in terms of getting up to speed on cold tracks and multiple stints management.

 

 

At the same time, IMSA official tests took place at the Windshear wind tunnel in North Carolina with a second A424 as the first phase of the homologation process.

 

 

Bruno Famin, VP Alpine Motorsports: "Frankly, all the team is delighted to have achieved this mileage in our first endurance test. It is a satisfaction that rewards the hard work of everyone. The main aim of the session was to test reliability by looking for weak points. We found several of them, which we will now have to address. And quickly as time is running out: there are 100 days until the start of the season in Qatar and we still have a huge amount to do, both in terms of reliability and even more so in terms of performance. We now need to analyse the data and learn everything we can from this session in order to make the most of the next one, which will be in Portimão in mid-December, to keep improving the car."

 

 

Philippe Sinault, Alpine Endurance Team Manager: "We were keen to conduct this initial endurance session for the A424 in conditions as close as possible to what we would experience in a race. We simulated a full series of race sequences, including the start, safety car and FCY, which enabled everyone - drivers, mechanics and engineers - to acquire the operating modes and make them automatic. This type of session is obviously crucial for the car and all the members of the team who have to find their bearings. We're definitely entering the active learning phase. We know there's still a lot to learn when we get to Qatar at the end of February, but we're doing everything we can to be as ready as possible."

 

 

Charles Milesi, Alpine Endurance Team LMP2 driver: "It's been a pleasure to be involved in the car's development for the past few months. It's interesting to see how the car has advanced since its first runs and how much more there is to do. I think we've done a good job on the development so far, with an endurance format, which has been a big job for the whole team and above all an essential step for the future of the project."