Le Mans 2017: Wednesday
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Race control assured us that there will be an update on when the session will start about seven minutes ago. That went well.
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Some people, of course, believe that time is not a linear process.
LMP2
Well, the number #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA is sat at the pit exit. Looks like Tung is at the wheel of that one. There's another car in front of him, but can't see which one.
LMP2
The #22 TDS-run G-Drive car is also queuing at the pit exit.
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We should be 11 minutes into first qualifying, but we're yet to get underway. There's various drivers hanging around the place, some in cars at the pit entry. Wonder if they are getting the race control start-time updates that we aren't?
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End of the pitlane now resembling that moment, when waiting for an EasyJet flight, in which sundry folk nonchalantly - and yet with a hidden touch of desperation - begin to form a queue at the gate in spite of the fact that the inbound plane has yet to arrive.
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Of course, some are probably just eager to ensure that they get overhead luggage space to avoid having to put their laptop bags where their feet should be...
Good news: Gary Watkins has found his tea bags and served up some Earl Grey tea for the Autosport team. A good use of a delay to on-track action.
LMP1
The #9 Toyota heads up the pitlane to join the queue, which now has just over half-a-dozen cars in it.
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Gary posed the question "Do you want milk?" with that slight curl of the lip Earl Grey drinkers reserve for those who commit the infra dig act of adding cow juice to the beverage in question.
Like all good commentators, gaps in action can be filled with statistics. So here are the most experienced Le Mans drivers competing this year: 1 Jan Lammers, 29; 2 Emmanuel Collard, 22; 3 Olivier Beretta, 20; 4 Pedro Lamy & Jan Magnussen, 17.
Gary Watkins has confirmed that he never spills tea, only coffee. The rest of the Autosport team is not convinced by this claim.
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There's no official update, but we do seem to be inching closer to getting going. A few more cars are joining the queue.
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Race control advises that we should get a start in just under a minute. Looking more likely now.
Green flag
And first qualifying for Le Mans 2017 is under way!
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Traffic control at the end of the pitlane every bit as joined up as its equivalent at media accreditation earlier on.
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LMP1
Now that proceedings have got underway here's a rundown of who is in each car. In the Porsches are Jani (#1) and Bernhard (#2) and in the Toyotas are Conway (#7), Buemi (#8) and Lapierre (#9). Oh and for all of those on the edge of your seat wondering who is in the ByKolles, it's Webb.
LMP2
Among the more fancied runners, we have Piquet out in the #13 Rebellion ORECA, Prost in the #31 Rebellion ORECA, Dumas in the #36 Signatech ORECA, Tung in the #38 Jackie Chan DC OREAC.
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This session will finish at midnight, so it's going to be just under 100 minutes rather than 120.
The glorious sight of headlights over the yellow gravel around the Dunlop bridge as day turns to night.
A busy queue of cars head out for the delayed start to qualifying
Straw is the tea-spiiller. There is a stain on the livingroom carpet chez @gazzasportscars to prove it.
GTE AM
Looking like Fernando Rees got himself first in the GTE queue in that #50 Larbre Corvette, clearly looking to go for a quick time in these opening minutes.
LMP2
Hedman is warned about exceeding track limits in the #21 DragonSpeed ORECA.
Stopwatch
Tung goes fastest in LMP2 with a 3m31.794s in the #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA.
GTE PRO
In terms of track position, Calado got out just behind Rees and has a bunch of Am cars separating himself from the next Pro runners, Magnussen and Gavin, then there's another Am car – Nielsen's Ferrari – separating them from Mucke, Priaulx, Hand, Briscoe, Rigon and Ried.
LMP2
So the LMP2 pole time so far is already five seconds faster than last year's!
Stopwatch
All five leading cars have set a time now and fastest is the Porsche of Bernhard on a 3m19.710s - just 0.034s faster than Buemi's Toyota. Then it's Conway, Lapierre and finally Jani, 3.5s back.
LMP1
That time from Bernhard just sneaks ahead of last year's pole lap of 3m19.733s and this is just the first flying laps of qualifying...
LMP2
Graves is second in the #24 Manor ORECA, with Rojas third in the #22 G-Drive ORECA (run by DragonSpeed).
GTE PRO
Some proper jockeying for track position going on during that out-lap. Thiim and Calado now leading the GTE Pro bunch, followed by Lietz and Hand.
LMP2
Panciatici goes second on a 3m31.439s.
LMP1
Seems like the timing screens have got something else wrong this qualifying session, with it being Nakajima and Kobayashi in the Toyotas not Buemi and Conway.
LMP2
The order: 1 #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA; 2 #35 Signatech ORECA; 3 #25 Manor ORECA; 4 #24 Manor ORECA; 5 #36 Signatech ORECA; 6 #22 G-Drive ORECA.
Stopwatch
Laurent has taken over the #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA and has done a 3m31.024s to consolidate its lead at the top of the timesheets.
Crash
The #47 Dallara, driven by Belicchi, has ground to a halt.
GTE PRO
Sorensen currently fastest on 3m52.117s in the #95 Aston from Bird on 3m52.235s in the #71 Ferrari and Calado on 3m53.123s in the #51 Ferrari.
By: Matt Beer
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