TROPHÉE ANDROS – LANS EN VERCORS – Race 2 January 16, 2010

ALAIN PROST AND BACK IN THE FRAME AT LANS EN VERCORS

Alain Prost steered his Dacia Duster to second place on the second day of the Trophée Andros round at Lans en Vercors. The result puts Team Dacia back in the frame and confirms the upturn in performance detected the previous day.

It was dark by the time the second day's competitive action began at Lans en Vercors. The temperature was above zero, however, which meant that the track conditions had shifted compared with those of the previous evening and several patches of bare asphalt had started to appear. Team Dacia profited from the day to work on Duster's settings with a view to matching its set-up to the terrain, focusing notably on the anti-roll bars.

The warm-up session gave Alain Prost a chance to validate the various changes, while the first qualifying heat kept the large, enthusiastic crowd entertained as the drivers improved their times with practically every lap.

Alain Prost was the last driver to take to the track, alongside Jean-Philippe Dayraut. His first lap was perfect, while the second was even better, producing a 46m870s, the first time to get beneath the 47-second barrier. The last two laps passed off just as well, with the Dacia Duster driver emerging at the top of the timesheet. "It's a good start," observed Alain Prost. "Tyre strategy is going to be important, and we will need to make the right call for the second heat. We're competitive, but we can't afford to take anything for granted."

The second four-lap qualifying session saw even more patches of asphalt become exposed, and Alain Prost decided to fit the same tyres he had used for the previous evening's finale. "The session began well, and I was on target to perhaps win and beat Romain Grosjean who put in a first class performance. I got caught out, though, by the first turn which has proved to be my bugbear here. In free practice, I swiped the snow bank through that corner in free practice, and I hit the same spot again at the beginning of the last qualifying lap. That cost me a a few tenths of a second and probably the fastest qualifying time, too…"

Alain Prost's aggregate time over the two heats handed him second place. He consequently started his finale from pole position, before going on to take the win despite incessant pressure from Olivier Panis. That success enabled the Dacia Duster to wrap up the second day at Lans en Vercors in second place overall.

"Our steady, hard work has enabled us to make progress with the Dacia Duster's set-up. This is only a first step, however, because there is still scope for improvement. We are competitive again, and consistent, too, while the is more uniformly responsive. It shouldn't be forgotten that we started out from a clean sheet, and we are learning more and more about the each time out. We're back in the frame, and that's very promising for the four races that are still to come. Our aim is to keep on moving forward and put in a strong end to the season," promised the four-time Formula 1 World Champion.

Lans en Vercors – final positions (Race 2) : 1, Romain Grosjean ( Clio). 2, Alain Prost (Dacia Duster). 3, Jean-Philippe Dayraut (Skoda Fabia). 4, Olivier Panis (Skoda Fabia). 5, Pierre Llorac (BMW 1 Series). 6, Jean-Baptiste Dubourg (). 7, Bertrand Balas (Toyota Auris). 8, Benjamin Rivière (Fiat Stilo). 9, Franck Lagorce (Renault Clio). 10, Paul Belmondo (Skoda Fabia). Etc.

Trophée Andros – provisional standings : 1, Dayraut (773 points). 2, Prost (743). 3, Panis (714). 4, Lagorce (706). 5, Dubourg (703). 6, Balas (697). 7, Thoral (666). 8, Llorach (650). 9, Rivière (645). 10, Pernaut (594). Etc.

Team Dacia press : Jérôme Roussel +33 (0)6 62 15 53 61 Dacia press : Freddy Cholière +33 (0)1 76 84 63 36

Photos and media information available on-line on the Monday following the race in the motor sport section of Renault's media website: http://www.media.renault.com