Kristensen on top after practice

The eight-time Le Mans winner put in a fast lap in the closing minutes of the session, which initially put him four tenths of a second clear of anyone else.

Mercedes drivers Bruno Spengler and Bernd Schneider closed that gap with their own strong laps at the end, as the teams honed their qualifying setups.

Jamie Green, who was fastest for a long time before Kristensen's effort, finished the session fourth quickest, just ahead of the 2008 Audis of championship leader Timo Scheider and Martin Tomczyk, who had a bizarre spin at the first corner after the chequered flag.

Mike Rockenfeller was the fastest of the 2007 cars in seventh place ahead of Mattias Ekstrom, while Christijan Albers put his 2006 Audi ninth, just ahead of Paul di Resta.

The two manufacturers have been pretty close throughout the weekend so far. Spengler had set fastest time overall on Friday, while Scheider - who missed out on some running in the afternoon with a differential problem - had been quickest in the morning.

The session was run mid-afternoon because qualifying will take place at 18:50 local time, as organisers are keen to avoid a clash on TV with the Tour de France.

Pos Driver                Car            Time         Gap
 1. Tom Kristensen        Audi           1:24.176
 2. Bruno Spengler        Mercedes       1:24.331  +0.155
 3. Bernd Schneider       Mercedes       1:24.405  +0.229
 4. Jamie Green           Mercedes       1:24.619  +0.443
 5. Timo Scheider         Audi           1:24.622  +0.446
 6. Martin Tomczyk        Audi           1:24.651  +0.475
 7. Mike Rockenfeller     Audi           1:24.653  +0.477
 8. Mattias Ekstrom       Audi           1:24.696  +0.520
 9. Christijan Albers     Audi           1:24.815  +0.639
10. Paul di Resta         Mercedes       1:24.852  +0.676
11. Ralf Schumacher       Mercedes       1:24.925  +0.749
12. Markus Winkelhock     Audi           1:24.976  +0.800
13. Maro Engel            Mercedes       1:25.023  +0.847
14. Alexandre Premat      Audi           1:25.055  +0.879
15. Gary Paffett          Mercedes       1:25.116  +0.940
16. Oliver Jarvis         Audi           1:25.185  +1.009
17. Katherine Legge       Audi           1:25.714  +1.538
18. Susie Stoddart        Mercedes       1:25.957  +1.781
19. Mathias Lauda         Mercedes       1:26.012  +1.836