Alpine has announced its FIA World Endurance Championship lineups for its Signatech-run two-car LMP2 campaign for 2023.
In the #35 A470, long-time Alpine driver Andre Negrao will team up with new signings Memo Rojas and Olli Caldwell, the latter of whom comes from the Alpine Academy.
In the #36, an all-French lineup will see Matthieu Vaxiviere joined by Julien Canal and Charles Milesi. Milesi previously raced for Richard Mille Racing in WEC’s LMP2 class last year, another Signatech-run outfit.
This year is a transitional year for Alpine, as it ends its grandfathered LMP1 campaign with the Alpine A480 — a.k.a Rebellion R13 — and switches back to the Alpine A470, which is itself a rebadged Oreca 07. Next year it will move back into the top class, with a two car effort in an unnamed LMDh-rules Hypercar, being built jointly by Oreca and Alpine engineers in Viry-Châtillon.
Alpine had the most successful season in its modern endurance history, since its return to sportscar racing in 2013, with this car, in 2018/2019. Together with drivers Nicolas Lapierre, Pierre Thiriet and Negrao, it took two LMP2 class wins, including one at Le Mans, and finished on the podium a further six times, to take the LMP2 drivers’ and teams’ title.
Speaking of Lapierre, he is still involved with the team, serving as development driver for the new LMDh prototype.
