I thought it was about time for another gratuitous photo opportunity, this time brought to you by PicApp.
Lovely Franck in the Super Aguri during practice in Spain 2006.
Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images
December 9, 2009
A Peek into 2010
Rumour has it that the lovely Franck will be at Autosport International in January, racing in a charity karting event. All the information you need:
David Brabham will be reunited with his Le Mans 24 Hours winning teammate Alex Wurz and fellow Peugeot Sport stars Franck Montagny and Nicolas Minassian as they join the Celebrity Karting Challenge primarily in aid of Malaria No More UK at Autosport International, on Friday 15 January.
On the subject of future plans, Franck has written on his official site about his own:
I know most of you have been following the recent news in the press and on the net… in Wintertime, people talk a lot… and lot of things happen obviously outside of the cockpit!
While I’m writing, I still have no clue what 2010 will be about but one thing I’m sure is that I’ll be at the wheel of a car… no matter what its color is!
He’s also keen to point out that there is no news on the F1 front, and with the talk that Renault are going to be sold, that is one opportunity gone.
November 20, 2009
Renault Rumours
I have been holding off blogging about the Renault talk in the hopes that they might actually announce something, but it doesn’t look like there will be anything forthcoming for a while.
So, the talk is that Franck confirmed he had spoken to Renault about a potential seat with the team next year. Add to that the speculation that the team will want to rebrand and reinforce their French heritage, then it starts to look quite good for our hero.
I refuse to believe any of it or get my hopes up, and the quotes attributed to Franck don’t give that much away. He was talking to Radio Canada and said:
“I did not expect to find myself on the list, but this is a real, we have discussed it a lot of times. I’ve concentrated on my racing programme, although not especially on F1 because I’m not there any more, but surprises can happen. We will see how it goes at the end as it’s still very early.”
Meanwhile, in news that we do know about, Franck was testing for Peugeot and Michelin recently, and having a pretty good time by all accounts:
Needless to say that when it’s about tyres Franck knows what he’s talking about. When he was a test driver for Renault, there was no limitation for the testing sessions and two manufacturers were competing in F1… so he had to carry a lot of tyre testing and he just loves it! It’s all about pure performance! You just test one new set after another and you have to make the most of it… exciting for sure for our FKM!
Another mention of Renault – people will talk! Oh wait, they already are.
November 6, 2009
Back to Le Mans
Franck has returned to Le Mans this weekend, for a Peugeot Sport Meeting. I’ve never heard of this event before, but there’s some more info available. It looks like it’s all different types of Peugeot cars and drivers head to the track to entertain the fans.
Franck won’t be in the 908, but is still happy to drive, and will be sharing the wheel with Minassian and Sarrazin.
If you’re lucky enough to be near Le Mans, here’s a schedule for the weekend:
Friday, Nov 6
9:00 Drivers briefing
13:30 Qualifying session (1 hour)
Saturday, Nov 7
10h45 Signing session at the Peugeot motorhome
11:30 908 Demo
12:30 6 Hour-race start
Keep your eyes peeled for pictures!
October 21, 2009
Autumn Catchup
It’s very quiet in Franckland at the moment – by the way, wouldn’t that be the best theme park ever? The only bit of news doing the rounds is a rumour about a potential 2010 F1 drive with Renault. From what I can see the source is this interview, which was about the Singapore scandal, and doesn’t mention driving for the team at all. My French is not that great though, so perhaps I am wrong.
In much more important news, I had an email from a Sidepodcast listener in the US – Steve – who had been to see Franck in action at Petit Le Mans. The email goes something like this:
While at the track on Friday, the series hosts an autograph session with the drivers. I made my way over to the Peugeot table to get Franck’s signature. When I got up to the table, I asked Franck if he had heard of Christine from Sidepodcast.com. I don’t know if he had been hearing your name from other fans that day, or is a fan of the show himself, but he immediately looked up and with a smile said: “Yes, I know Christine…on the internet right?” The driver next to him (Lamy?) then immediately started teasing him.
As he was preparing to sign the Peugeot poster, I requested that he sign it to you. I’ve attached a photo of the poster showing where he wrote “To Christine, big kiss!”
Steve attached the picture, and then sent the original poster on to me which arrived just a few days ago. It’s awesome!
We’ve just moved house so I haven’t put it on the wall yet, but it will certainly go pride of place in our new abode. Thanks Steve, and of course Franck!
September 28, 2009
Post-Race Thoughts
From the Peugeot press release:
Franck MONTAGNY: “It’s great to have won the Mini Le Mans! It all feels very weird, but I think the organisers were right to stop the race, because the conditions really were dangerous. We had an excellent strategy and our car was very fast once we were able to run on slick tyres.”
I am wondering if mini Le Mans has been translated badly, but I quite like it. I may call it that from now on. Here’s a picture of lovely Franck with added trophy.
How long have we waited to see that?
September 27, 2009
Petit Le Mans Winner
Franck won the race – hoorah!
The Montagny/Sarrazin car was in the lead when the race came to an end, although it wasn’t exactly a stunning victory. The entire race was marred by bad weather, with a lot of the running halted due to lightning concerns.
McNish was dominating up until a serious downpour, when he spun on his cold tyres, and let the lead change hands.
It may not have been a thrilling way to take the trophy, but nevertheless, a win is a win, and it’s all about being in front when it matters. Well done to Franck, he did a fabulous job!
Here’s to many more!
September 24, 2009
Petit Le Mans Preview
The first test day is complete, although Audi finished the day on top just ahead of FKM and Sarrazin’s car. The difference was only about 0.16 seconds, so that is a good start.
One very important thing to note, from the Peugeot press release:
Running in blue and chrome livery, the two Peugeots will be distinguished by:
- white mirrors and wing for the N°07 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Pedro LAMY (Portugal) / Nicolas MINASSIAN (France)
- blue mirrors and wing for the N°08 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Franck MONTAGNY (France) / Stéphane SARRAZIN (France)
It looks like you need to stay tuned to RadioLeMans.com for coverage of all the sessions, including qualifying and the race, and we will be live commenting it over on Sidepodcast.com as well.
Good luck Franck!
September 18, 2009
Franck Photo Friday
It’s all quiet in FKM-World right now, so here’s a quick photo to brighten up your Friday.
Credit: Mark & Jojo Mattox
October 31, 2009
Franck on TF1
FKM will be on TF1 tomorrow in France to talk about the first ever Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. The race will be interesting as it is also the first twilight GP, and looks like it might be an interesting one.
He’ll be on at 13:55 French time. I don’t have access to the channel, but yay for Mr M anyways!
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Tags: Abu Dhabi, Commentary, Frank Montagny, Grand Prix, TF1