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Silverstone WEC: Toyota locks out front row for 2019/20 opener

Toyota dominated qualifying for the 2019/20 World Endurance Championship opener at Silverstone despite a double weight penalty imposed ahead of the new season

Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi took the pole aboard the #7 Toyota TS050 HYBRID by exactly three tenths of a second from the sister car qualified by Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi.

The best of the privateers, which have benefited from a 28kg increase in the minimum weight of the Toyotas for 2019/20, was the #1 Rebellion-Gibson R-13 a further two tenths back in the hands of Bruno Senna and Gustavo Menezes.

Conway paid credit to the Toyota team after qualifying, revealing that the car had been rebuilt around a new monocoque overnight.

The TS050 he and Kobayashi share with Jose Maria Lopez was found to have sustained chassis damage after Kobayashi spun across the kerbs at Becketts as the result of minor contact with one of the Rebellions in second practice.

"Thanks to the team for their work overnight," said Conway.

"All in all it was a decent lap from me and then a great lap from Kamui to secure the pole."

Conway headed the times after the first runs with a 1m36.038s, before Kobayashi set the fast time of the session with a 1m35.992s.

That gave them a 1m36.015s average, which compared with the 1m36.315s from Nakajima and Buemi.

Menezes set the fastest time by a privateer with the 1m36.521s, which shaded Senna's best by just seven hundredths.

They ended up on a 1m36.560s average, which was half a second quicker than the 1m37.024s from team-mates Nathanael Berthon and Pipo Derani in the sister Rebellion.

The two Ginetta-AER G60-LT-P1s ended up fifth and sixth.

Mike Simpson and Oliver Jarvis were only two tenths behind the second Rebellion with a 1m37.220s average.

Ben Hanley set the fastest Ginetta lap in the second of the G60s in which he and Robertson ended up on 1m37.464s.

Racing Team Nederland drivers Giedo van der Garde and Job van Uitert look pole in LMP2 aboard their TDS Racing-run ORECA-Gibson 07 on Michelin tyres.

Their 1m40.948s average put them seven tenths up on United Autosports ORECA drivers Paul di Resta and Phil Hanson.

The Jota-run Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA qualified by Will Stevens and Gabriel Aubry was the first Goodyear runner in third place.

Ferrari blocked out the top two positions in GTE Pro, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi taking the pole from team-mates Davide Rigon and Miguel Molina by a shade over a tenth.

Calado was just behind Molina after the first runs before Pier Guidi set the fastest lap of the GTE session, which gave them a 1m54.171s average in their AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo.

That compared with Rigon and Molina's 1m54.302s.

Alex Lynn and and Maxime Martin took third for Aston Martin with a 1m54.992s average in their Vantage GTE.

Gianmaria Bruni, who had a spin at Abbey halfway through the session as the result of a puncture, and Richard Lietz took third in the second-generation Porsche 911 RSR on 1m55.067s.

Reigning champions Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen brought up the rear of the six-car GTE Pro field in their Porsche.

Charlie Eastwood and Salih Yoluc took GTE Am qualifying honours in the TF Sport Aston.

Qualifying result

Pos Class Driver Team Car Gap
1 LMP1 M.Conway, K.Kobayashi, J.M.Lopez Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota 1m36.015s
2 LMP1 S.Buemi, K.Nakajima, B.Hartley Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota 0.300s
3 LMP1 B.Senna, G.Menezes, N.Nato Rebellion Racing Rebellion/Gibson 0.545s
4 LMP1 N.Berthon, P.Derani, L.Duval Rebellion Racing Rebellion/Gibson 1.009s
5 LMP1 M.Simpson, O.Jarvis, G.Smith Team LNT Ginetta/AER 1.205s
6 LMP1 C.Robertson, B.Hanley, E.Orudzhev Team LNT Ginetta/AER 1.449s
7 LMP2 F.van Eerd, G.van der Garde, J.van Uitert Racing Team Nederland ORECA/Gibson 4.933s
8 LMP2 P.Hanson, F.Albuquerque, P.Di Resta United Autosports ORECA/Gibson 5.668s
9 LMP2 H-Pin Tung, G.Aubry, W.Stevens Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA/Gibson 5.961s
10 LMP2 N.Lapierre, A.Borga, A.Coigny COOL Racing ORECA/Gibson 6.002s
11 LMP2 T.Laurent, A.Negrao, P.Ragues Signatech Alpine Elf Alpine/Gibson 6.201s
12 LMP2 M.Patterson, K.Yamashita, A.Fjordbach High Class Racing ORECA/Gibson 6.399s
13 LMP2 R.Gonzalez, A.Davidson, A.F.da Costa JOTA ORECA/Gibson 6.870s
14 LMP2 R.Lacorte, A.Belicchi, G.Sernagiotto Cetilar Racing Dallara/Gibson 7.348s
15 GTE Pro J.Calado, A.P.Guidi AF Corse Ferrari 18.156s
16 GTE Pro D.Rigon, M.Molina AF Corse Ferrari 18.287s
17 GTE Pro A.Lynn, M.Martin Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin 18.977s
18 GTE Pro G.Bruni, R.Lietz Porsche GT Team Porsche 19.052s
19 GTE Pro M.Sorensen, N.Thiim Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin 19.134s
20 GTE Pro M.Christensen, K.Estre Porsche GT Team Porsche 19.478s
21 GTE Am S.Yoluc, C.Eastwood, J.Adam TF Sport Aston Martin 20.019s
22 GTE Am E.Perfetti, D.Kolkmann, M.Cairoli Team Project 1 Porsche 20.356s
23 GTE Am P.D.Lana, D.Turner, R.Gunn Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin 20.454s
24 GTE Am F.Perrodo, E.Collard, N.Nielsen AF Corse Ferrari 20.474s
25 GTE Am T.Flohr, F.Castellacci, G.Fisichella AF Corse Ferrari 20.727s
26 GTE Am C.Ried, M.Campbell, R.Pera Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 21.336s
27 GTE Am T.Preining, G.Giraudi, R.Sanchez Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 21.492s
28 GTE Am B.Grimes, J.Mowlem, C.Hollings Red River Sport Ferrari 21.919s
29 GTE Am M.Wainwright, A.Watson, B.Barker Gulf Racing Porsche 22.184s
30 GTE Am M.Ishikawa, O.Beretta, K.Cozzolino MR Racing Ferrari 22.321s
31 GTE Am B.Keating, F.Fraga, J.Bleekemolen Team Project 1 Porsche -


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