Le Mans 2013 Wednesday practice & qualifying
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Toyota is showing better than it did earlier on (and we're not just saying that because they've been by to drop off some hospitality passes either).
Nicolas Lapierre in the #7 car is 4s off the pace, but is third, significantly ahead of Lotterer's Audi. The second car, currently driven by Anthony Davidson, is sixth.
Nicolas Lapierre in the #7 car is 4s off the pace, but is third, significantly ahead of Lotterer's Audi. The second car, currently driven by Anthony Davidson, is sixth.
Crash
Speaking of Corvettes, the #70 Larbre car currently driven by Hexis Racing boss Philippe Dumas is off at the Ford chicane following a quick spin.
The damage looks minimal as he just grazed the tyre barrier. He's now into the pits.
The damage looks minimal as he just grazed the tyre barrier. He's now into the pits.
Aston Martin loses the top spot in GTE Pro to Bruni; his 3m55.909s lap barely a tenth quicker than Mucke's marker.
The British constructor does still lead GTE Am however thanks to Allan Simonsen in the #95 car. Paolo Ruberti is currently second in the class in the Proton Porsche.
Both Simonsen and Ruberti are both impressively ahead of the GTE Pro class factory Corvettes.
The British constructor does still lead GTE Am however thanks to Allan Simonsen in the #95 car. Paolo Ruberti is currently second in the class in the Proton Porsche.
Both Simonsen and Ruberti are both impressively ahead of the GTE Pro class factory Corvettes.
Stefan Mucke is currently fastest in GTE Pro in the works Prodrive-run Aston Martin; Lietz second despite his spin into the gravel and Gianmaria Bruni in the best of the AF Corse Ferraris, in third.
The Krohn team is stripping down its Ferrari after team boss Tracy K shunted at the end of free practice. No news yet on whether it is repairable, but the damage looks pretty bad.
John Martin is setting the early pace in LMP2 in the #26 G-Drive/Delta-ADR ORECA-Nissan, ahead of Olivier Pla's OAK Morgan-Nissan and Franck Mailleux's Morand Morgan-Judd.
Stopwatch
Duval improves his table-topping time to 3m22.349s - a second quicker than last year's pole time. Marc Gene slots into second in the #3 R18 e-tron quattro, 1.9s slower.
Crash
There's a Porsche in the gravel at the Dunlop chicane and it's the Manthey-run works 911 RSR of Richard Lietz. Not a good way to kick off qualifying.
Stopwatch
First blood goes to practice pacesetter Loic Duval, fastest in 3m23.169s.
We're already wondering if that's a new-tyre, low-fuel run in anticipation of rain later on. He's currently four seconds clear of Kazuki Nakajima's Toyota.
We're already wondering if that's a new-tyre, low-fuel run in anticipation of rain later on. He's currently four seconds clear of Kazuki Nakajima's Toyota.
One car that won't be out tonight is the #41 Greaves Motosport Zytek-Nissan after Eric Lux crashed heavily at the second Mulsanne chicane.
Green flag
The green lights are on at the end of the pitlane and that means qualifying is go.
The AUTOSPORT team is fed and watered (Jamie O'Leary's black angus steak down at Audi a matter of extreme jealousy for Sam Tremayne and Scott Mitchell) and ready to bring you everything that happens from qualifying.
With that, the AUTOSPORT crew is going to break until qualifying. We'll be busying ourselves with paddock news and reaction, and the all-important quest for food and sustenance before tonight's first qualifying session, which kicks off at 22.00 local time. Join us then.
Audi Le Mans WEC 2013
Loic Duval heads an all-Audi top three in a Le Mans 24 Hours practice session that was shortened due to a huge accident for GT driver Tracy Krohn - full report here.
AUTOSPORT has just been given word from Caterham that the #41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan, which is being supported by the now Malaysian-owned constructor this weekend, will not take part in tonight's opening qualifying session.
This comes in the wake of Eric Lux's red flag-inducing crash during the second hour of the session.
This comes in the wake of Eric Lux's red flag-inducing crash during the second hour of the session.
Porsche meanwhile starts brightest in GTE Pro, claiming first and third courtesy of the #92 and #91 Manthey 911s. Splitting them is the #71 AF Corse Ferrari 458.
The lead Aston Martin of Darren Turner, Stefan Mucke and Peter Dumbreck is fourth.
The lead Aston Martin of Darren Turner, Stefan Mucke and Peter Dumbreck is fourth.
Predictably, it's far tighter in LMP2. The #35 OAK Racing Morgan of Bertrand Baguette, Ricardo Gonzalez and Martin Plowman ends top of the pile, but the #46 Thiriet and #26 G-Drive ORECA-Nissans are both within 1.2s.
So, Audi's dominant start to the 2013 season rolls into the first official session at Le Mans, as the German marque locks out the top three. The #2 R18 of Tom Kristensen, Loic Duval and Allan McNish sets the pace with a 3m25.415s, some six tenths clear of the sister #1 car.
Toyota meanwhile claims fourth and fifth, with Anthony Davidson gaining inter-team bragging rights in the #8 TS030, albeit some four seconds down the road from the lead Audi.
Toyota meanwhile claims fourth and fifth, with Anthony Davidson gaining inter-team bragging rights in the #8 TS030, albeit some four seconds down the road from the lead Audi.
Checkered flag
It's a chequered flag of sorts - organisers confirm the session will not restart, as the extent of the damage to the barrier is 'bigger than anticipated'.
A reminder that this session cannot be extended by even one minute, as we have qualifying to follow exactly two hours after it winds down.
Opinion split down the middle in the AUTOSPORT camp as to whether we'll get this session underway again. The Krohn Racing Ferrari will take some fixing if it's to make the race, meanwhile.
Circuit being swept, plenty of frantic work trying to pull and tweak the tyre barrier, but this could be a long one given the impact of that crash. We have 33 minutes to run - technically - of this session.
Replays on our screens show Krohn's car violently turning sharp right as he approaches the left-hand part of the sequence. He spins into the tyre wall, his Ferrari lifted up into the air on impact and coming back down on four wheels.
Scary.
Scary.
Red flag
The session has been red-flagged to allow the Krohn-hit barrier to be rebuilt.
Crash
Another big crash for a GT car; this time for Tracy Krohn, who has narrowly avoided rolling his own GTE Am Ferrari at the Dunlop Esses.
Krohn is out of the car, but that was a big accident.
Krohn is out of the car, but that was a big accident.
Wonderful footwork from one of the Audi pitcrew, as he sidesteps a sliding R18 when Marcel Fassler, complete with disco headlights, heads out.
Stopwatch
The lead of GTE Pro changes again as Richard Lietz goes top in 3m58.547s; a few tenths up on Kobayashi's Ferrari.
That said (see 17:09), the lead #2 Audi is also comfortably clear of its sister R18s - at least it was. Benoit Treluyer closes to within six tenths of a second of the ultimate pace in the #1 machine.
Roald Goethe has a very lucky escape as he spins the #96 Aston Martin at the Porsche curves, missing the barriers. As he rolls back across the track he is very lucky not to be collected by Mark Patterson's Murphy LMP2 machine.
Improvements from both Toyota men. Anthony Davidson puts the #8 on top with a 3m29.573s, just over one second faster than Kazuki Nakajima in the sister #7 TS030. Still some four seconds slower than the lead Audi, though.
Crash
Spin for Rodin Younessi in the #40 Boutsen Ginion ORECA-Nissan, as he loses the rear of his car braking for the Ford chicane. He clips the tyre wall but continues - he was too late to pit so he's headed round for another lap.
Stopwatch
Kamui Kobayashi Le Mans 2013
There's a been a change of leader in GTE Pro as Kamui Kobayashi goes to the head of the timesheets in his #71 AF Corse Ferrari. Pilet and Malucelli lie second and third.
GTE Am also has a new front man. Matt Griffin set the pace - also in an AF Corse car - and has now been relieved behind the wheel by Jack Gerber.
Anthony Davidson's #8 Toyota has been stopped in the pits for a little while now. The Brit had straight-lined the first of the Mulsanne chicanes prior to pitting.
That car, the best of the Japanese machines, is currently fourth, one spot ahead of the sister TS030 HYBRID. They're both over six seconds behind the fastest Audi though.
That car, the best of the Japanese machines, is currently fourth, one spot ahead of the sister TS030 HYBRID. They're both over six seconds behind the fastest Audi though.
Patrick Dempsey has had a moment in the #77 Dempsey-Del Piero Porsche at the PlayStation chicane (that's the first one on the Mulsanne).
The Grey's Anatomy star going again without too much trouble. That car, which he shares with Joe Foster and factory Porsche ace Pat Long, is sixth in the class.
The Grey's Anatomy star going again without too much trouble. That car, which he shares with Joe Foster and factory Porsche ace Pat Long, is sixth in the class.
It's all change in LMP2, as a matter of fact. And this particular update concerns the fastest of the OAK cars; Bertand Baguette having stuck the #35 Morgan-Nissan on top of the class with the first lap into the 3m42s. He's over a second clear of new second-placed man Maxime Martin (TDS ORECA-Nissan).
The #45 OAK Pescarolo is being reported to stewards for speeding in the pitlane. That's the slowest of the three cars, driven by Jacques Nicolet, Jean-Marc Merlin and Philippe Mondolot.
Perhaps Merlin could conjure up a spell and make any impending penalty disappear into thin air?
Perhaps Merlin could conjure up a spell and make any impending penalty disappear into thin air?
This battle at the top of the timesheets between the Audis is getting really interesting. Duval sets the fastest second and third sectors to go top by almost a second.
Yellow flag
The #81 8Star Ferrari is off at the entrance to the Porsche curves. That's the former GTE Am class leader, now with team owner Enzo Potolicchio at the wheel.
Sam Tremayne and Jamie O'Leary are feeling pretty cheery right now. That's the effect of a handful of sweeties, pilfered from the lovely Pippa and James from Dunlop, can have on a pair of AUTOSPORT reporters who have been up since before 4am.
Loic Duval misses the chance to put the #2 Audi back on top after getting baulked by Matteo Malucelli in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari at the Porsche curves. From two seconds up at the second split, he completes the lap 4s off the pace.
By: Jamie O'Leary, Sam Tremayne, Gary Watkins, Scott Mitchell
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