24h Le Mans
Today’s first qualifying session (19:00-21:00) has brought no major change to the provisional grid positions set yesterday evening. It rained for almost the entire duration, putting a damper on any intentions of bettering times. Porsche therefore still ranks one and two.
At 19:00 when the green light showed, a queue formed to get out on the track. Sébastien Buemi in the #5 Toyota TS050 was first out and set 03:26.320 then 03:24.662. The Toyotas were the only LM P1s out for a long while. The Audis and Porsches went out for reconnaissance laps but returned to the pit afterwards. Nobody seemed to be trying to better yesterday’s performance.
Thirty minutes into the session, there were flashes of lightning over the track. The rain started at Tertre Rouge and gradually set in over the whole circuit. Race officials demanded that drivers switch on their lights to improve visibility.
In LM P2, René Rast still holds the best time of 03:36.605 he set yesterday but several cars in the class improved their ranking. Nathanaël Berthon in the #41 Greaves Motorsport Ligier JS P2 was the first to better his time (03:42.570). Pegasus Racing also went from 03:42.049 to 03:41.285, Algarve Pro Racing from 03:44.185 to 03:42.088 and So24! by Lombard Racing cancelled out their 03:48.585 with a 03:44.347.
No change in LM GTE Pro: the #68 and #69 Ford GTs remain in the lead. Clearwater Racing’s #61 Ferrari 458 Italia still heads LM GTE Am. The #88 and #89 Porsche 911 RSRs improved their times, setting 03:57.513 and 04.00.107 respectively.
