Le Mans 2013 Thursday qualifying
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Yellow flag
Jonny Kane has had an incident at the second Mulsanne chicane and dumped a load of debris on the track. It's being covered by waved yellows at the moment.
Times tumbling in LMP2 now, as Brendon Hartley, Oliver Turvey, Michel Frey, Alexandre Imperatori and Michael Krumm all set personal bests for third qualifying. The latter's time, a 3m46.243s, is a new overall best for the #42 Greaves Motorsport car.
The Toyotas are on the move too. And this one's even more significant as Stephane Sarrazin in the #8 car sets his overall best qualifying time and moves ahead of the #12 Rebellion Lola-Toyota into fifth place overall.
This is it then; We're going to see some seriously quick laps from now on. And we still have 43 minutes to go!
This is it then; We're going to see some seriously quick laps from now on. And we still have 43 minutes to go!
Stopwatch
Oliver Jarvis heads to the top of the timesheets; the Brit taking the #3 Audi around in 3m27.2. That's just 3s off that car's overall best from Q1.
The #39 DKR Lola-Judd spins exiting the Ford chicane, grabbing a bit of gravel on the exit kerb and dragging it across the track. Mercifully, Romain Brandela did not collect the wall.
Green flag
We're underway again.
Stopwatch
Prior to the stoppage we had a change at the top of the GTE Am standings in the session as Pat Long produced a 4m16.9s lap in the Dempsey-Del Piero Porsche. That's still 18 seconds off the class pole held by the #96 Aston Martin.
Session will restart at 2305 local time. That's four minutes from now.
Crash
The car looks pretty totalled. The right-rear wheel is missing, and the machine is being towed away already by the fantastically efficient marshals. The big problem is the debris in the middle of the track.
With any luck the barriers will be OK and we'll be set to resume shortly.
With any luck the barriers will be OK and we'll be set to resume shortly.
Red flag
Le Mans 2013
Red flags for a car in the gravel at the first Mulsanne chicane. It's the GTE Am #76 Imsa Porsche with Christophe Bourret at the wheel.
That car, in case you missed it, didn't compete in the dry first qualifying session following Eric Lux's off in practice.
Good news for the Caterham-supported #41 Greaves car - Tom Kimber-Smith has just set his best time of the session to vault the car into 18th overall, and 10th in class. He now tops the LMP2 class of this session, incidentally.
On a total side note, a man with the most perfectly-coiffured side hair (he's bald in the middle) has just walked past. If AUTOSPORT can grab a picture without detection, we'll publish it right here.
Both Rebellion Lola-Toyotas have now taken a trip through the gravel recently. This time it's the #13 with Andrea Belicchi at the wheel. He continues.
Stuart Hall rejoins in the #96 Aston Martin, while Brendon Hartley runs straight on at the second Mulsanne chicane in the #48 Murphy Prototypes ORECA-Nissan.
And now we have yellows at the Porsche Curves, for a slow GTE Am Chevrolet Corvette...
It's the #50 Larbre car raced by Le Mans regulars Julien Canal, Patrick Bornhauser and Ricky Taylor - son of two-time Daytona 24 Hours winner Wayne.
It's the #50 Larbre car raced by Le Mans regulars Julien Canal, Patrick Bornhauser and Ricky Taylor - son of two-time Daytona 24 Hours winner Wayne.
A very close call through Tertre Rouge between Nelson Panciatici's #36 Signatech Alpine ORECA-Nissan and one of the Lotus-Pragas.
The LMP2 pair get a little close on the exit of the turn and avoid contact by inches.
The LMP2 pair get a little close on the exit of the turn and avoid contact by inches.
That's the #96 GTE Am car of Jamie Campbell-Walter, Stuart Hall - who was driving - and Roald Goethe. The car is currently being towed from the gravel, while yellow flags are covering the incident.
We have an Aston off at Mulsanne Corner.
Stopwatch
A new pace-setter emerges in the shape of Fassler's Audi. His 3m32.2s is 0.8s faster than Buemi.
Ooh. A bit of a close call at Mulsanne corner between one of the Toyotas, Heidfeld's Rebellion Lola and a slow Porsche.
Crash
Nick Heidfeld is in the gravel at the second Mulsanne chicane. The #12 Rebellion has got itself free and continued.
As they do, Lucas Ordonez gets down to a 3m50.111s - that's less than one second slower than his yesterday best.
Peter Dumbreck in the #97 Aston Martin and Manuel Rodrigues in the #70 Larbre Chevrolet run straight on at the second Mulsanne Chicane. Yellow flags are briefly aired.
Stopwatch
Toyota WEC Le Mans 2013
Stonking time from Buemi as the Swiss ex-F1 man pumps in a 3m33.0s lap. We might yet see some improvers tonight.
Stopwatch
The times are really tumbling among the factory LMP1s now. Fassler knocks another two seconds from the session best to net a 3m35.2s. Buemi is matching him blow-for-blow in 3m35.8s.
The #32 Lotus T128 sets its first competitive time of this year's Le Mans, a 3m56.503s - enough to go 34th overall, and 19th in class. Jan Charouz is at the wheel.
Stopwatch
Kristensen's spell at the top doesn't last long as Marcel Fassler in the #1 car pops in a 3m37.4s lap.
Sebastien Buemi splits the two R18 e-tron quattros immediatley with a 3m38.6s effort.
Sebastien Buemi splits the two R18 e-tron quattros immediatley with a 3m38.6s effort.
Stopwatch
Kristensen goes faster again, becoming the first man today to crack the 3m40s barrier. That was a 3m39.987s lap, meaning he's now 17s off the time Loic Duval set to take what remains provisional pole yesterday.
You can read yesterday's Q1 report here.
You can read yesterday's Q1 report here.
Alex Brundle is also going well in the #24 OAK Racing Morgan-Nissan, clocking a 3m54.169s which is enough to put his squad third for this session. That's also where the team is provisionally due to start Saturday's race.
Stopwatch
And while we're talking about pace-setters, Tom Kristensen tops the timesheets in 3m40.3s.
Two more interesting faces spotted in the paddock, great drivers who would surely deserve a place on the grid today. Franck Lagorce and Ralf Kelleners are in front of the TV camera today, working for Motors TV and Eurosport respectively. Shame.
There's a new pace-setter in GTE Am. It's Darryl O'Young in the #55 AF Corse Ferrari. His 4m22.0s is 19s off his best dry time.
Le Mans 2013
Ordonez also bears out the fact track conditions are improving - he's just posted a 3m53.942s, little more than four seconds down on the team's Wednesday-best.
An eagle-eyed member of the AUTOSPORT team has just suggested there's no engine in the Krohn Ferrari - he was actually looking at the front of the car. Must have thought it was a Porsche!
We understood the track was drying, and now we have confirmation - the #74 Corvette crew are switching to slicks.
Bill Auberlen spins the #98 Aston Martin Vantage at the second Mulsanne Chicane, but is able to continue.
Stopwatch
Kazuki Nakajima has gone to the top of the timesheets in the #7 Toyota. His 3m42.0s lap is stiill 15s off his car's best.
Alexander Rossi is doing a sterling job in the Caterham-supported Greaves Zytek-Nissan, which missed first qualifying - so far the only dry session - due to a crash.
The American, making his first Le Mans bow, has worked his way up to 29th overall with a 3m55.941s.
The American, making his first Le Mans bow, has worked his way up to 29th overall with a 3m55.941s.
Just one car yet to set a time in qualifying - the #57 Krohn Racing Ferrari, which crashed heavily at the Dunlop Esses yesterday.
If you missed it earlier, the team was aiming to have its re-chassised 458 in action at 10pm (ie seven minutes ago). The car arrived in the team's garage at 2:15pm, which means the Krohn boys had just under eight hours to attempt a rebuild that would normally take two and a half weeks...
If you missed it earlier, the team was aiming to have its re-chassised 458 in action at 10pm (ie seven minutes ago). The car arrived in the team's garage at 2:15pm, which means the Krohn boys had just under eight hours to attempt a rebuild that would normally take two and a half weeks...
By: Jamie O'Leary, Scott Mitchell, Gary Watkins, Sam Tremayne
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