Buemi improves twice to lead Toyota 1-2 in first Le Mans test day
The two Toyotas were separated by just under a second at the end of the Le Mans 24 Hours test day after Sebastien Buemi found big improvements in the afternoon
Buemi posted a 3m20s.068s lap, four tenths up on team-mate Fernando Alonso's previous best, with just over an hour to go and then improved again to a 3m19s.440s time in the closing minutes of the afternoon session.
That put the #8 Toyota TS050 HYBRID 1.1s up on the sister car in which Kamui Kobayashi set a 3m20.586s at the beginning of a session lasting four hours, before Mike Conway improved to 3m20.249s.
Buemi said: "It was all about making sure you didn't get traffic.
"The times were a tiny bit slower than last year, but the track was getting cooler at the end, so we should have seen similar lap times."
The P1 times were down on this time last year, when the conditions were cooler for much of the test day, which finished with Alonso topping the times on a 3m19.066s lap.
The top privateer 12 months ago was Thomas Laurent, who ended up on a 3m19.680s aboard the #3 Rebellion-Gibson R-13.
This time Andre Lotterer was the quickest of the non-hybrid LMP1s after finding a big improvement in the closing stages to end up on 3m21.323s in the #1 Rebellion.
Stoffel Vandoorne, who undertook his first laps of the full Le Mans circuit during the test, then jumped to fourth ahead of the second Rebellion with a 3m22.061s in the #11 SMP Racing BRE-AER BR1 to go fourth fastest.
Nathanael Berthon took fifth with a 3m22.194s in the #3 Rebellion just ahead of Stephane Sarrazin in the #17 SMP entry.
The Jackie Chan DC Racing squad led the way in LMP2.
Ho-Pin Tung got down to a 3m28.504s lap in the #38 Chan/DC ORECA-Gibson 07 to end up two tenths clear of Pastor Maldonado's 3m28.769s in the DragonSpeed ORECA.
Nicolas Lapierre managed a 3m28.997s in the Signatech Alpine ORECA to take third in class.
Corvette Racing again headed the GTE Pro class with the #63 car, pictured below.
Mike Rockenfeller topped the times with a 3m54.001s to end up just three hundredths faster than the Ganassi Ford GT in which Harry Tincknell posted a 3m54.032s earlier in the four-hour session.
The second Chevrolet Corvette C7.R took third with a late 3m54.036s lap from Tommy Milner.
Davide Rigon was fourth in the best of the factory AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTEs with a 3m54.103s.
The top Porsche was the US-entered #93 car in which Nick Tandy recorded a 3m54.223s. The top 12 GTE Pro car, incorporating entries from Chevrolet, Ford, Ferrari and Aston Martin, were separated by less than a second.
The GTE Pro times were some way off those from qualifying for last year's 24 Hours. Pole position was claimed by Gianmaria Bruni's 3m47.504s.
The Scuderia Corsa-run WeatherTech Racing Ferrari led the way in GTE Am with a 3m56.862s from Toni Vilander.
Result
Pos | Class | Driver | Team | Car | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | LMP1 | Sebastien Buemi | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota | 3m19.440s | 37 |
2 | LMP1 | Mike Conway | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota | 0.809s | 33 |
3 | LMP1 | Fernando Alonso | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota | 0.986s | 29 |
4 | LMP1 | Kamui Kobayashi | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota | 1.146s | 41 |
5 | LMP1 | Jose Maria Lopez | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota | 1.184s | 38 |
6 | LMP1 | Kazuki Nakajima | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota | 1.825s | 37 |
7 | LMP1 | Andre Lotterer | Rebellion Racing | Rebellion/Gibson | 1.883s | 34 |
8 | LMP1 | Stoffel Vandoorne | SMP Racing | BR Engineering/AER | 2.621s | 30 |
9 | LMP1 | Nathanael Berthon | Rebellion Racing | Rebellion/Gibson | 2.754s | 26 |
10 | LMP1 | Stephane Sarrazin | SMP Racing | BR Engineering/AER | 2.759s | 26 |
11 | LMP1 | Thomas Laurent | Rebellion Racing | Rebellion/Gibson | 2.792s | 28 |
12 | LMP1 | Mikhail Aleshin | SMP Racing | BR Engineering/AER | 3.492s | 14 |
13 | LMP1 | Gustavo Menezes | Rebellion Racing | Rebellion/Gibson | 3.641s | 30 |
14 | LMP1 | Egor Orudzhev | SMP Racing | BR Engineering/AER | 3.917s | 24 |
15 | LMP1 | Vitaly Petrov | SMP Racing | BR Engineering/AER | 4.009s | 17 |
16 | LMP1 | Sergey Sirotkin | SMP Racing | BR Engineering/AER | 5.349s | 20 |
17 | LMP1 | Renger van der Zande | DragonSpeed | BR Engineering/Gibson | 5.771s | 7 |
18 | LMP1 | Ben Hanley | DragonSpeed | BR Engineering/Gibson | 6.313s | 9 |
19 | LMP1 | Tom Dillmann | ByKOLLES Racing Team | ENSO CLM/Nissan | 7.551s | 27 |
20 | LMP1 | Neel Jani | Rebellion Racing | Rebellion/Gibson | 7.633s | 18 |
21 | LMP1 | Brendon Hartley | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota | 7.698s | 5 |
22 | LMP1 | Bruno Senna | Rebellion Racing | Rebellion/Gibson | 8.911s | 25 |
23 | LMP2 | Ho-Pin Tung | Jackie Chan DC Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 9.064s | 31 |
24 | LMP2 | Pastor Maldonado | DragonSpeed | ORECA/Gibson | 9.329s | 23 |
25 | LMP2 | Nicolas Lapierre | Signatech Alpine Matmut | Alpine/Gibson | 9.557s | 20 |
26 | LMP2 | Stephane Richelmi | Jackie Chan DC Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 10.022s | 35 |
27 | LMP2 | Tristan Gommendy | Graff-SO24 | ORECA/Gibson | 10.461s | 32 |
28 | LMP2 | Anthony Davidson | DragonSpeed | ORECA/Gibson | 10.775s | 31 |
29 | LMP2 | Loic Duval | TDS Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 10.879s | 20 |
30 | LMP2 | Jean-Eric Vergne | G-Drive Racing | Aurus/Gibson | 11.017s | 29 |
31 | LMP2 | Nyck de Vries | Racing Team Nederland | Dallara/Gibson | 11.234s | 37 |
32 | LMP2 | Nicolas Jamin | Duqueine Engineering | ORECA/Gibson | 11.275s | 34 |
33 | LMP2 | Pierre Ragues | Duqueine Engineering | ORECA/Gibson | 11.387s | 25 |
34 | LMP2 | Alex Brundle | United Autosports | Ligier/Gibson | 11.407s | 29 |
35 | LMP2 | Romain Dumas | Duqueine Engineering | ORECA/Gibson | 11.498s | 20 |
36 | LMP2 | Andrea Pizzitola | Algarve Pro Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 11.634s | 21 |
37 | LMP1 | Henrik Hedman | DragonSpeed | BR Engineering/Gibson | 11.670s | 15 |
38 | LMP2 | Paul-Loup Chatin | Idec Sport Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 11.892s | 26 |
39 | LMP2 | Job van Uitert | G-Drive Racing | Aurus/Gibson | 11.996s | 34 |
40 | LMP2 | David Heinemeier Hansson | Jackie Chan DC Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 12.201s | 19 |
41 | LMP2 | Will Stevens | Panis Barthez Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 12.254s | 22 |
42 | LMP2 | Andre Negrao | Signatech Alpine Matmut | Alpine/Gibson | 12.524s | 25 |
43 | LMP2 | Giedo van der Garde | Racing Team Nederland | Dallara/Gibson | 12.602s | 28 |
44 | LMP2 | Norman Nato | RLR M Sport/Tower Events | ORECA/Gibson | 12.752s | 8 |
45 | LMP2 | Filipe Albuquerque | United Autosports | Ligier/Gibson | 12.802s | 24 |
46 | LMP2 | Jonathan Hirschi | Graff-SO24 | ORECA/Gibson | 12.852s | 26 |
47 | LMP2 | Arjun Maini | RLR M Sport/Tower Events | ORECA/Gibson | 12.956s | 40 |
48 | LMP2 | Giorgio Sernagiotto | Cetilar Villorba Corse | Dallara/Gibson | 13.111s | 24 |
49 | LMP2 | Pierre Thiriet | Signatech Alpine Matmut | Alpine/Gibson | 13.312s | 26 |
50 | LMP2 | Matthieu Vaxiviere | TDS Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 13.485s | 24 |
51 | LMP2 | Vincent Capillaire | Graff-SO24 | ORECA/Gibson | 13.548s | 24 |
52 | LMP2 | Roman Rusinov | G-Drive Racing | Aurus/Gibson | 13.628s | 30 |
53 | LMP2 | Roberto Gonzalez | DragonSpeed | ORECA/Gibson | 13.649s | 30 |
54 | LMP2 | Gabriel Aubry | Jackie Chan DC Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 13.741s | 25 |
55 | LMP2 | Paul Di Resta | United Autosports | Ligier/Gibson | 13.744s | 23 |
56 | LMP2 | Mathias Beche | High Class Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 13.762s | 14 |
57 | LMP2 | Ricky Taylor | Jackie Chan DC Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 13.839s | 10 |
58 | LMP1 | Oliver Webb | ByKOLLES Racing Team | ENSO CLM/Nissan | 14.061s | 10 |
59 | LMP2 | Memo Rojas | Idec Sport Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 14.228s | 21 |
60 | LMP2 | Paul Lafargue | Idec Sport Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 14.726s | 31 |
61 | LMP2 | Jordan King | Jackie Chan DC Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 14.738s | 21 |
62 | LMP2 | Konstantin Tereschenko | ARC Bratislava | Ligier/Gibson | 14.882s | 24 |
63 | LMP2 | Ryan Cullen | United Autosports | Ligier/Gibson | 14.883s | 51 |
64 | LMP2 | Phil Hanson | United Autosports | Ligier/Gibson | 14.915s | 35 |
65 | LMP2 | Anders Fjordbach | High Class Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 14.940s | 28 |
66 | LMP2 | David Zollinger | Algarve Pro Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 15.161s | 26 |
67 | LMP1 | Paolo Ruberti | ByKOLLES Racing Team | ENSO CLM/Nissan | 15.274s | 10 |
68 | LMP2 | Julien Canal | Panis Barthez Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 15.311s | 24 |
69 | LMP2 | Nigel Moore | Inter Europol Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 15.547s | 33 |
70 | LMP2 | Nick Boulle | Larbre Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 16.017s | 29 |
71 | LMP2 | Andrea Belicchi | Cetilar Villorba Corse | Dallara/Gibson | 16.723s | 28 |
72 | LMP2 | Rene Binder | Panis Barthez Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 17.429s | 30 |
73 | LMP2 | Timothe Buret | Panis Barthez Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 18.403s | 10 |
74 | LMP2 | Francois Perrodo | TDS Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 18.616s | 41 |
75 | LMP2 | Erwin Creed | Larbre Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 18.655s | 18 |
76 | LMP2 | Romano Ricci | Larbre Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 18.725s | 20 |
77 | LMP2 | Jakub Smiechowski | Inter Europol Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 18.858s | 19 |
78 | LMP2 | John Falb | Algarve Pro Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 20.087s | 25 |
79 | LMP2 | James Winslow | Inter Europol Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 20.126s | 26 |
80 | LMP2 | Henning Enqvist | ARC Bratislava | Ligier/Gibson | 20.506s | 18 |
81 | LMP2 | Roberto Lacorte | Cetilar Villorba Corse | Dallara/Gibson | 20.638s | 22 |
82 | LMP2 | James French | Algarve Pro Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 21.436s | 10 |
83 | LMP2 | John Farano | RLR M Sport/Tower Events | ORECA/Gibson | 23.308s | 40 |
84 | LMP2 | Frits van Eerd | Racing Team Nederland | Dallara/Gibson | 23.349s | 19 |
85 | LMP2 | Dennis Andersen | High Class Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 23.564s | 42 |
86 | LMP2 | Miro Konopka | ARC Bratislava | Ligier/Gibson | 24.996s | 33 |
87 | GTE Pro | Mike Rockenfeller | Corvette Racing - GM | Chevrolet | 34.561s | 37 |
88 | GTE Pro | Harry Tincknell | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK | Ford | 34.592s | 15 |
89 | GTE Pro | Tommy Milner | Corvette Racing - GM | Chevrolet | 34.596s | 28 |
90 | GTE Pro | Davide Rigon | AF Corse | Ferrari | 34.663s | 18 |
91 | GTE Pro | Nick Tandy | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 34.793s | 30 |
92 | GTE Pro | Gianmaria Bruni | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 34.839s | 27 |
93 | GTE Pro | Andy Priaulx | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK | Ford | 35.017s | 40 |
94 | GTE Pro | Stefan Mucke | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK | Ford | 35.020s | 24 |
95 | GTE Pro | James Calado | AF Corse | Ferrari | 35.057s | 18 |
96 | GTE Pro | Daniel Serra | AF Corse | Ferrari | 35.062s | 25 |
97 | GTE Pro | Antonio Garcia | Corvette Racing - GM | Chevrolet | 35.093s | 27 |
98 | GTE Pro | Earl Bamber | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 35.119s | 28 |
99 | GTE Pro | Alex Lynn | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 35.143s | 17 |
100 | GTE Pro | Jan Magnussen | Corvette Racing - GM | Chevrolet | 35.180s | 27 |
101 | GTE Pro | Sam Bird | AF Corse | Ferrari | 35.212s | 22 |
102 | GTE Pro | Richard Westbrook | Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA | Ford | 35.278s | 39 |
103 | GTE Pro | Dirk Muller | Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA | Ford | 35.344s | 23 |
104 | GTE Pro | Oliver Gavin | Corvette Racing - GM | Chevrolet | 35.398s | 26 |
105 | GTE Pro | Olivier Pla | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK | Ford | 35.543s | 27 |
106 | GTE Pro | Mathieu Jaminet | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 35.556s | 34 |
107 | GTE Pro | Dennis Olsen | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 35.632s | 20 |
108 | GTE Pro | Alessandro Pier Guidi | AF Corse | Ferrari | 35.674s | 35 |
109 | GTE Pro | Michael Christensen | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 35.716s | 15 |
110 | GTE Pro | Ryan Briscoe | Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA | Ford | 35.718s | 33 |
111 | GTE Pro | Joey Hand | Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA | Ford | 35.728s | 27 |
112 | GTE Pro | Jonathan Bomarito | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK | Ford | 35.736s | 35 |
113 | GTE Pro | Richard Lietz | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 35.757s | 21 |
114 | GTE Pro | Marco Sorensen | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 35.797s | 14 |
115 | GTE Pro | Patrick Pilet | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 35.798s | 29 |
116 | GTE Pro | Oliver Jarvis | Risi Competizione | Ferrari | 35.858s | 13 |
117 | GTE Pro | Miguel Molina | AF Corse | Ferrari | 35.926s | 21 |
118 | GTE Pro | Nicki Thiim | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 35.934s | 14 |
119 | GTE Pro | Kevin Estre | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 36.002s | 37 |
120 | GTE Pro | Jules Gounon | Risi Competizione | Ferrari | 36.092s | 15 |
121 | GTE Pro | Jonny Adam | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 36.102s | 30 |
122 | GTE Pro | Billy Johnson | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK | Ford | 36.288s | 21 |
123 | GTE Pro | Maxime Martin | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 36.477s | 24 |
124 | GTE Pro | Pipo Derani | Risi Competizione | Ferrari | 36.522s | 16 |
125 | GTE Pro | Martin Tomczyk | BMW Team MTEK | BMW | 36.975s | 35 |
126 | GTE Pro | Sven Muller | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 37.075s | 20 |
127 | GTE Pro | Laurens Vanthoor | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 37.278s | 26 |
128 | GTE Pro | Antonio Felix da Costa | BMW Team MTEK | BMW | 37.302s | 26 |
129 | GTE Pro | Augusto Farfus | BMW Team MTEK | BMW | 37.331s | 26 |
130 | GTE Pro | Frederic Makowiecki | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 37.360s | 27 |
131 | GTE Am | Toni Vilander | WeatherTech Racing | Ferrari | 37.422s | 16 |
132 | GTE Am | Matt Griffin | Clearwater Racing | Ferrari | 37.483s | 23 |
133 | GTE Am | Giancarlo Fisichella | Spirit of Race | Ferrari | 37.495s | 15 |
134 | GTE Pro | Darren Turner | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 37.503s | 22 |
135 | GTE Pro | Nicky Catsburg | BMW Team MTEK | BMW | 37.513s | 26 |
136 | GTE Am | Francesco Castellacci | Spirit of Race | Ferrari | 37.779s | 26 |
137 | GTE Pro | Marcel Fassler | Corvette Racing - GM | Chevrolet | 37.883s | 21 |
138 | GTE Am | Kei Cozzolino | CarGuy Racing | Ferrari | 37.895s | 34 |
139 | LMP2 | Christian Philippon | Larbre Competition | Ligier/Gibson | 38.076s | 9 |
140 | GTE Pro | Jesse Krohn | BMW Team MTEK | BMW | 38.120s | 26 |
141 | GTE Am | Andrea Piccini | Kessel Racing | Ferrari | 38.293s | 22 |
142 | GTE Pro | Philipp Eng | BMW Team MTEK | BMW | 38.299s | 23 |
143 | GTE Am | Ben Barker | Gulf Racing | Porsche | 38.309s | 25 |
144 | GTE Am | Julien Andlauer | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche | 38.341s | 17 |
145 | GTE Am | Olivier Beretta | MR Racing | Ferrari | 38.608s | 32 |
146 | GTE Am | Michelle Gatting | Kessel Racing | Ferrari | 38.822s | 24 |
147 | GTE Am | Pedro Lamy | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 38.852s | 30 |
148 | GTE Am | Matt Campbell | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche | 38.894s | 24 |
149 | GTE Am | Matteo Cressoni | Clearwater Racing | Ferrari | 38.942s | 31 |
150 | GTE Am | Vincent Abril | Proton Competition | Porsche | 39.084s | 19 |
151 | GTE Am | Mathias Lauda | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 39.352s | 33 |
152 | GTE Am | Euan Hankey | TF Sport | Aston Martin | 39.403s | 25 |
153 | GTE Am | Rodrigo Baptista | JMW Motorsport | Ferrari | 39.415s | 26 |
154 | GTE Am | Matteo Cairoli | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche | 39.426s | 22 |
155 | GTE Am | Eddie Cheever | MR Racing | Ferrari | 39.477s | 15 |
156 | GTE Pro | Ross Gunn | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 39.730s | 26 |
157 | GTE Am | Louis Prette Jr. | Proton Competition | Porsche | 39.976s | 32 |
158 | GTE Am | Jorg Bergmeister | Team Project 1 | Porsche | 39.978s | 19 |
159 | GTE Am | Jeff Segal | JMW Motorsport | Ferrari | 40.015s | 15 |
160 | GTE Am | Sergio Pianezzola | Kessel Racing | Ferrari | 40.047s | 26 |
161 | GTE Am | Egidio Perfetti | Team Project 1 | Porsche | 40.117s | 14 |
162 | GTE Am | Come Ledogar | CarGuy Racing | Ferrari | 40.185s | 15 |
163 | GTE Am | Jeroen Bleekemolen | Keating Motorsports | Ferrari | 40.285s | 20 |
164 | GTE Am | Patrick Long | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche | 40.334s | 12 |
165 | GTE Am | Patrick Lindsey | Team Project 1 | Porsche | 40.675s | 14 |
166 | GTE Am | Charlie Eastwood | TF Sport | Aston Martin | 40.748s | 18 |
167 | GTE Am | Felipe Fraga | Keating Motorsports | Ferrari | 40.751s | 23 |
168 | GTE Am | Thomas Flohr | Spirit of Race | Ferrari | 40.978s | 36 |
169 | GTE Am | Giorgio Roda | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche | 41.095s | 23 |
170 | GTE Am | Luis Perez-Companc | Clearwater Racing | Ferrari | 41.182s | 37 |
171 | GTE Am | Ben Keating | Keating Motorsports | Ferrari | 41.840s | 23 |
172 | GTE Am | Cooper MacNeil | WeatherTech Racing | Ferrari | 41.880s | 15 |
173 | GTE Am | Wei Lu | JMW Motorsport | Ferrari | 42.075s | 25 |
174 | GTE Am | Nic Jonsson | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche | 42.165s | 21 |
175 | GTE Am | Salih Yoluc | TF Sport | Aston Martin | 42.516s | 35 |
176 | GTE Am | Thomas Preining | Gulf Racing | Porsche | 42.763s | 16 |
177 | GTE Am | Paul Dalla Lana | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 43.284s | 34 |
178 | GTE Am | Takeshi Kimura | CarGuy Racing | Ferrari | 43.386s | 42 |
179 | GTE Am | Rahel Frey | Kessel Racing | Ferrari | 43.697s | 26 |
180 | GTE Am | Motoaki Ishikawa | MR Racing | Ferrari | 45.255s | 40 |
181 | GTE Am | Tracy Krohn | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche | 46.884s | 34 |
182 | GTE Am | Philippe Prette | Proton Competition | Porsche | 47.063s | 28 |
183 | GTE Am | Christian Ried | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche | 47.148s | 35 |
184 | GTE Am | Manuela Gostner | Kessel Racing | Ferrari | 47.635s | 31 |
185 | GTE Am | Rob Smith | WeatherTech Racing | Ferrari | 47.812s | 22 |
186 | GTE Am | Mike Wainwright | Gulf Racing | Porsche | 49.064s | 36 |
187 | GTE Am | Claudio Schiavoni | Kessel Racing | Ferrari | 51.044s | 25 |
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