Le Mans 2013 Thursday qualifying
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Mike Conway Le Mans 2013
British IndyCar convert Mike Conway is really on it here. A 3m51.207s is enough to put him five seconds clear of the rest of the P2 class, and sixth overall (in this session at least). He's currently quicker than the #21 Strakka Racing LMP1 HPD.
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@CorvetteRacing: On the track, @janmagnussen still reporting lots of water on-track from 2nd chicane through Arnage. Dries at Porsche Curves #24LM
Jack Gerber has spun the #61 AF Corse Ferrari that he shares in GTE Am with Matt Griffin and Marco Cioci.
We've got a soft spot for that car this weekend as its garage is situated directly below our location in the press room.
We've got a soft spot for that car this weekend as its garage is situated directly below our location in the press room.
The LMP2 drivers are really getting on it. Mike Conway is fastest in this session so far, his best lap just 14 seconds off that car's current benchmark from last night.
By contrast, Fassler, in the fastest of the LMP1 cars tonight, is still over 21s off his car's Wednesday best.
By contrast, Fassler, in the fastest of the LMP1 cars tonight, is still over 21s off his car's Wednesday best.
The times are continuing to come down; Wurz having just done a 3m49.3s lap.
The track temperature is 22.2 C, which is a degree lower than at the same point last night, and there's still a bit of damp about too.
Humidity is 82 per cent; eight higher than at this point 24 hours ago.
The track temperature is 22.2 C, which is a degree lower than at the same point last night, and there's still a bit of damp about too.
Humidity is 82 per cent; eight higher than at this point 24 hours ago.
The #66 JMW Ferrari has spun at Mulsanne corner in the hands of Khaled Al-Qubaisi. The British squad has now got that car ready to go after Abdulaziz Al-Faisal crashed in practice.
The LMP2 #39 DKR Lola-Judd is in the garage with what appears to be a transmission problem.
Meanwhile down at the Boutsen Ginion garage the #40 that was crashed by Matt Downs in Q2 is already repaired and looks set to get back on track very soon.
Meanwhile down at the Boutsen Ginion garage the #40 that was crashed by Matt Downs in Q2 is already repaired and looks set to get back on track very soon.
The start/finish area is dry here at Le Mans, but there's still some spray being churned up down the Mulsanne straight.
And as we say that, we get our first sub-4-minute lap of the session; a 3m52.3 from Fassler in the #1 Audi. Oliver Jarvis sets a 3m52.9s marker in the #3 e-tron quattro.
Fassler and Jarvis are the two drivers that did not complete the requisite five laps in the dark last night. They'll get theirs in the bag nice and early we'd expect.
And as we say that, we get our first sub-4-minute lap of the session; a 3m52.3 from Fassler in the #1 Audi. Oliver Jarvis sets a 3m52.9s marker in the #3 e-tron quattro.
Fassler and Jarvis are the two drivers that did not complete the requisite five laps in the dark last night. They'll get theirs in the bag nice and early we'd expect.
Ho-Pin Tung, in the KCMG Morgan-Nissan, has spun at Arnage, but continued.
Green flag
The green lights come on, and the cars roll out. The third and final part of the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours pole fight is underway.
A reminder that every driver is required to complete at least five night laps before Saturday's race. Around half the grid is still short of that mark heading into this final qualifying session.
Le Mans 2013
We're back and, with four minutes to run, the good news for the entire pitlane is that the rain has stayed away. We still have a wet track, but we also have (surprisingly) light blue skies.
With the third and final qualifying session just 30 minutes away, we're going to break and desperately hunt out news, reaction and food, possibly not in that order. We'll be back at 21:30 local time for the final pole shootout.
So, Toyota goes fastest in the wet, but Audi remains on course for pole position for the 81st running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. Read our full report from a rain-hit second qualifying session here.
Confirmation from the very helpful WEC officials that the early start time for Q3 is indeed to make up for the time lost in Q2. It will finish, as expected, at midnight local time.
Breaking news
Tonight's third qualifying session will begin at 21:30 local time - that's half an hour earlier than scheduled. We'll have to check whether that means it's being extended by half an hour, but when we know, you'll know.
In the meantime, cars are not under parc ferme conditions.
In the meantime, cars are not under parc ferme conditions.
Next up in LMP1 was the #1 R18, provisionally third for Saturday's grid (yesterday's time still stand given the rain today). The #12 Rebellion Lola is next up, just ahead of the second #8 Toyota.
Toyota Audi WEC Le Mans 2013
Incidentally it was Toyota that came out on top of the rain-hit, crash-interrupted session, as the #7 TS030 shaded the lead #3 Audi R18 by just over six hundredths of a second.
It wasn't just the red flag that disrupted proceedings in second qualifying, with a heavy rain shower arriving just before the session commenced. The sky remains ominous, although there's bright sunshine whenever the clouds break.
Blast from the past: Patrick Gonin, he of qualifying heroics aboard WR prototypes in the mid-1990s, is out and about in the paddock. The Frenchman has a hospitality company these days and is working with OAK Racing here. The 56-year-old is eyeing a Le Mans race return - in next year's Classic aboard the Porsche 928S in which he made his first start in the 24 Hours in 1983.
Not ideal then for those new to the track, those playing catch up or indeed anyone with a large programme to try and get through before Saturday's race. Tonight's two-hour session represents the final running before the race kicks off.
Which means we have our third consecutive crash-shortened session.
Checkered flag
Organisers confirm that the session will not restart.
32 cars had set a time before this red, our third in as many sessions here at Le Mans.
Matt Downs, at the wheel of the stricken #40 Boutsen car, is confirmed to be OK following that crash.
Toyota has confirmed to AUTOSPORT that Wurz's current session-topping time did indeed come on slicks.
Breaking news
The ETA of the re-chassised Krohn Ferrari out on track is still 10pm, the start of today's second session. The new car arrived in the team's garage at 2:15pm, which means the Krohn boys are attempting a rebuild that would normally take two and a half weeks in just under eight hours!
Red flag
Red flag after an incident on the run from Mulsanne Corner to Indianapolis, where the track looks very wet. The #40 Boutsen ORECA-Nissan has spun, hit the barrier and stopped. It's left some debris, too.
Rain
That rain was bad news for some of the LMP1 drivers. Reports from the pits were that Wurz had gone out on slicks.
Krumm
In the space of a few minutes Franchitti has been shuffled back to fifth in LMP2. Now at the head of the standings is John Martin in the #26 G-Drive/Delta-ADR ORECA-Nissan.
Tom Kimber-Smith and Michael Krumm are now second and third. Remember these are still damp times and have made no impact on the overall shape of the grid.
Rain
Just now we had a bit of rain reported at Indianapolis and Arnage - now it's at the Porsche Curves, and it looked quite heavy on the on-board camera. There's also word of rain on the Mulsanne straight.
That's s shame, if it continues, because the times had been dropping fast - though with 45 minutes to go, there's still hope of some late dry running.
That's s shame, if it continues, because the times had been dropping fast - though with 45 minutes to go, there's still hope of some late dry running.
Tony Burgess just spun the HVM Status Lola, but continued. The drivers will be pushing harder and harder now, so the odd error is to be expected.
The times are coming down as we speak though. With a dry line emerging in many areas there are plenty of cars - including Lucas di Grassi and Marcel Fassler in the Audis - on intermediates.
Wurz has taken the #7 Toyota back over and lowered the benchmark to a 3m40.924s.
Wurz has taken the #7 Toyota back over and lowered the benchmark to a 3m40.924s.
With an hour gone, here are your class leaders from second qualifying...
LMP1: #7 Toyota (Alex Wurz), 3m43.422s
LMP2: #33 Level 5 HPD (Marino Franchitti), 4m12.964s
GTE Pro: #99 Aston Martin (Frederic Makowiecki), 4m17.862s
GTE Am: #96 Aston Martin (Stuart Hall), 4m18.829s
LMP1: #7 Toyota (Alex Wurz), 3m43.422s
LMP2: #33 Level 5 HPD (Marino Franchitti), 4m12.964s
GTE Pro: #99 Aston Martin (Frederic Makowiecki), 4m17.862s
GTE Am: #96 Aston Martin (Stuart Hall), 4m18.829s
Davidson improves his benchmark time to 3m43.422s in the #8 Toyota. 'Fast Ant' is pushing.
We really don't care that the Audis have only done five laps collectively, Marino Franchitti's third spot on the timesheets - in an LMP2 car, remember - is still very, very impressive.
Franchitti leads the class standings in this session ahead of Tristan Gommendy (Signatech ORECA-Nissan) and John Martin (G-Drive/Delta-ADR ORECA-Nissan).
Franchitti leads the class standings in this session ahead of Tristan Gommendy (Signatech ORECA-Nissan) and John Martin (G-Drive/Delta-ADR ORECA-Nissan).
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@dunlopMsport: Most cars are in the garages - the track is part very wet (too wet for inters) and part completely dry (too dry for full wets) at #LM24
An ultra-quick time for Anthony Davidson, given the conditions. A 3m45.984s lap for the Brit is just the 16 seconds faster than anybody else! Intermediates?
Whatever, he's still 15 seconds off the car's own dry time of yesterday.
Whatever, he's still 15 seconds off the car's own dry time of yesterday.
That photo of an early HANS device reminds us of another sportscar driver to wear one back in the late 1990s - none other than 'Rael', the self-styled 'world's fastest religious leader'.
That lap of Wurz's, which we mentioned earlier, was the fastest of the session in a smidgin over 4m01s. It's still a long way off the dry pace, as you might expect.
By: Jamie O'Leary, Scott Mitchell, Gary Watkins, Sam Tremayne
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