Trophée Andros title success for Dacia Lodgy Glace and Alain Prost!
January 30, 2012 | ID: 31334

The thrilling last clash of the 2011/2012 Trophée Andros saw Dacia clinch its first title in motorsport thanks to Alain Prost, who was in stunning form, and team-mates Evens Stievenart and Nicolas Prost. By taking his personal score in the French competition to three crowns, Alain Prost enabled Dacia Lodgy Glace to become the first MPV to win a title in ice racing, just weeks ahead of the production version’s unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show.

With three drivers in contention for the 2011/2012 title, there was plenty of suspense ahead of the Trophée Andros’s visit to France’s Auvergne region for the final encounter of what has been a thrilling season. For Team Dacia, the tactics if Alain Prost was to clinch the crown were very simple: he had to win!

The organisers did everything in their power to produce icy racing conditions, but bare asphalt prevailed despite the ambient snow.

After a polished performance during free practice, Alain Prost, Evens Stievenart and Nicolas Prost went into the first qualifying session intent on claiming a psychological advantage over their rivals. Nicolas was first to go out and four perfect laps sent him straight to the top of the order. Evens followed soon afterwards and took over the provisional lead after his four consistent laps.

That sent out a clear message that the Dacia Lodgy Glace was competitive and none of the drivers who followed – with the exception of Jean-Philippe Dayraut, who was second-last to go out – succeeded in bettering the runs of Evens and Nicolas.

Alain Prost, who was equal first in the provisional championship standings before the trip to Super Besse, went out in the last group. He pulled out all the stops to post the quickest lap, almost eight-tenths of a second quicker than Dayraut. Evens ended up in third spot, with Nicolas following in fourth position. “It was a faultless team effort,” acknowledged Alain Prost. “It was vital that Benjamin Rivière didn’t win here, otherwise we were beaten. But Evens and Nico did a superb job by relegating him to fifth overall. When my team-mates do well, it’s always a sign that the Dacia is competitive, and that meant I could focus on my driving.”

The second qualifying session called for an identical result, so Alain Prost, Evens Stievenart and Nicolas Prost knew that another impeccable performance would be needed if they were to secure the championship. Once again, Nicolas and Evens accomplished their mission to the latter. Even so, there was significant pressure on Alain’s shoulders as he prepared to go out after Jean-Philippe Dayraut had established the benchmark time. “When I was told Jean-Philippe’s time, I knew that my only option was to give it everything I had!” The former F1 driver stepped up to the mark to produce four emphatic laps, however, including the fastest time of the session, more than a second faster than the next best effort. It put the N°2 Dacia Lodgy Glace at the top of the qualifying timesheet, with Evens Stievenart and Nicolas Prost following in third and fifth places respectively.

The finales eventually brought the exciting 2011/2012 championship to a close, but the show was slightly spoiled by some of the on-track antics. Alain Prost’s Dacia was punted by a rival car and that could have seen all the team’s efforts go to waste had it not been for the swift work of the mechanics who succeeded in repairing in a matter of minutes. Alain Prost went on to secure his third Trophée Andros title by claiming his finale and picking up his third win – and Dacia’s fourth – of this winter’s championship.

It took Dacia just three Trophée Andros campaigns to claim the supreme prize, an ideal result to kick start the career of the new Dacia Lodgy which is due to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Alain Prost: “I had no choice but to win today. I had a good feeling with my car and the team’s hard work enabled us to perform strongly in qualifying. We couldn’t afford to put a foot wrong this weekend but we coped with everything very well. The way the finales unfolded nearly ruined everything, but that merely mirrored the behaviour that some of our rivals have shown this season. Winning for Dacia was important and we pulled it off with an MPV, which was no easy challenge. I would like to thank everyone in the team, especially Evens and Nicolas. Had we not had a second car, we wouldn’t have won this winter’s Trophée Andros which proved extremely close right up the end.”

Evens Stievenart:”It’s been an emotional day. Once again, we all focused on the same objective and today, more than at any other time, it was important to provide Alain with perfect feedback. His title was made possible by the work of everybody in the team. Personally, I learnt a great deal this winter thanks to Alain and the rest of the squad. I’m even a little sad that it has come to a close because I felt more and more competitive. I end the series with some podium finishes under my belt, one race win and fifth place in the final standings. That’s all extremely positive and I will try to put this year’s experience to profit next winter.”

Nicolas Prost: “This winter has been a real learning curve for me, but it’s all been very positive. I played my part in my father’s title and I also came away with the ‘Trophée des Indépendants’, for the best rookie. I’ve learnt so much, and working with the team was an intense, successful and rewarding experience. We gave it everything we had in the finale to take the title. It’s a prize for the three of us and I hope I will get a chance to challenge for the crown myself sometime soon…”

Super Besse – final positions:1, Alain Prost (Dacia Lodgy Glace). 2, Jean-Philippe Dayraut (Mini Countryman). 3, Evens Stievenart (Dacia Lodgy Glace). 4, Benjamin Rivière (Skoda Fabia). 5, Nicolas Bernardi (Ford Fiesta RS). 6, Nicolas Prost (Dacia Lodgy Glace). 7, Jean-Baptiste Dubourg (Renault Clio). 8, Jacques Villeneuve (Skoda Fabia). 9, Andréa Dubourg. 10. Olivier Pernaut. Etc.

F2012: new single-seater presentation

The F2012 is the fifty eighth car built by Ferrari with the express purpose of taking part in the Formula 1 World Championship. It adopts a well established tradition of being named after its year of manufacture.

The project, which goes by the internal code number of 663, constitutes the Scuderia’s interpretation of the technical and sporting regulations that apply this year: the main changes when compared to 2011 concern the height of the front section of the chassis, the position of the exhaust pipes and the mapping for the electronic engine management. Practically every area of the car has been fundamentally revised, starting with the suspension layout: both the front and rear feature pull-rods, aimed at favouring aerodynamic performance and lowering the centre of gravity. The front wing is derived from the one introduced on the 150º Italia in the final part of its racing life and has been evolved from there. Further evolutions are planned in this area for the opening races of the season. The nose has a step in it that is not aesthetically pleasing: with the requirement from the regulations to lower the front part, this was a way of raising the bottom part of the chassis as much as possible for aerodynamic reasons. The sides have been redesigned, through modifications to the side impact structures, the repositioning of the radiators and revisions to all aerodynamic elements. The lower part of the rear of the car is much narrower and more tapered, a feature achieved partly through a new gearbox casing and a relocation of some mechanical components. In recent years, the area of exhausts has been crucial in terms of car performance and much effort was expended on this front, based on changes to the regulations introduced this year. The rear wing is conceptually similar to the one used in 2011, but every detail of it has been revised and it is now more efficient. Naturally, it is still fitted with DRS (a drag reduction system,) which is operated hydraulically. The front and rear air intakes for the brakes have been redesigned and work was carried out in collaboration with Brembo to optimise the braking system.

The engine in the F2012 is an evolution of the one that powered last year’s car, which is inevitable given that the technical regulations forbid any modification to internal components aimed at increasing performance. Furthermore, much effort has gone into improving its installation in the new chassis, so as not to penalise the aerodynamics of the car. Another area on which the Maranello engine specialists have been working is performance drop off, with the aim of maintaining the highest possible performance level throughout each engine’s cycle of use, which has now reached an average life of three races. The electronic management of the engine has been revised based on the modifications to the rules regarding the use of exhaust gases, a task that has required a great deal of attention and many hours on the test bed. The kinetic energy recovery system maintains its low central location in the car – a choice also aimed at maximising safety – and has undergone an update directed mainly at reducing its weight and at improving the efficiency of some of its components. Several decades of technical collaboration with Shell has seen further progress on the fuel and lubricants front, revolving around improving performance in absolute terms and on durability over the life cycle of the engines, as well as reducing consumption. As usual, great attention has been paid to the electronics on the car, especially in terms of reducing weight and, obviously, reliability.

As always at Ferrari, a great deal of time has been devoted to the performance and optimisation of the materials used, right from the design stage of each of around six thousand components that make up the car. In part, this is done to ensure that all operations carried out at the race track are as efficient and effective as possible. Obviously, quality control remains a crucial aspect, as does the goal of reaching maximum levels of performance and reliability, while maintaining the highest possible safety standards.

Markku Alen tests the FF on a snow-covered forest stage

Maranello, 2 February 2012 – What happens when a former World Rally Champion gets behind the wheel of an FF for a challenge on a forest track completely covered in snow? This exceptional event was captured on camera of Ferrari.com, who followed this very special day for Markku Alen on the Arjeplog track, in Northern Sweden, about 100 km South of the Artic Circle. The track is probably the most challenging surface for Ferrari’s latest 12-cylinder which features an innovative 4RM four-wheel drive system that has fascinated the international press and clients, and was highly praised by Markku, the Finnish ice track specialist and winner of the World Rally Championship in 1978.