Le Mans 24 Hours 2014 Thursday: final qualifying
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Lotterer sets the best first sector of today in the #2 Audi. The Audi has been rapid in that sector throughout practice.
There's been a change at the front in LMP2. Chatin has taken provisional pole in the Signatech-run Alpine-badged ORECA. That relegates the #26 OAK Racing Morgan to second.
Quote
Although the #26 OAK car was fastest in LMP2 yesterday, lead driver Olivier Pla was not especially happy.
"Things went pretty well, but I cannot say that I was totally happy because I didn’t do a lap in free practice because of the red flags," said Pla. "Then I went out at 10 in the evening, first to qualify in the night and I could do a decent lap I had traffic, I had a yellow flag, so it was far from what we could do."
"Things went pretty well, but I cannot say that I was totally happy because I didn’t do a lap in free practice because of the red flags," said Pla. "Then I went out at 10 in the evening, first to qualify in the night and I could do a decent lap I had traffic, I had a yellow flag, so it was far from what we could do."
Yellow flag
The #29 Pegasus Morgan has spun on the approach to Tertre Rouge. He is reversing and trying to get back going.
Twitter
Edging closer to a landmark?
@NissanZEODRC: "@SatoshiMotoyama just blasted down the Mulsanne on electric only and topped 300km/h"
However, as GARY WATKINS discovered, the car will not attempt an all-electric lap until during the race:
ZEOD won't try electric lap until race
It was Leutwiler who spun the Pegasus car. The French team is back at Le Mans for a second time this year after running a Norma in 2010.
The '27 AF Corse ORECA has been reported for speeding in the pitlane.
Driver change for the #91 Manthey Porsche as Briton Nick Tandy gets his first lap of the week!
Tandy's had something of a tumultuous season, through no fault of his own. He didn't even fly out to the Prologue test at Paul Ricard after his car written off in a crash, and missed the Test Day because of the same reason.
Even an attempt to take part in a GT Cup round at Brands Hatch back in Britain failed because his co-driver shunted!
Tandy's had something of a tumultuous season, through no fault of his own. He didn't even fly out to the Prologue test at Paul Ricard after his car written off in a crash, and missed the Test Day because of the same reason.
Even an attempt to take part in a GT Cup round at Brands Hatch back in Britain failed because his co-driver shunted!
Wurz brings the #7 Toyota into the pits, jumps out and the car is wheeled back into the garage.
Yellow flag
There's a yellow at the Porsche Curves.
The #95 Aston Martin has popped up into third in GTE Am in the hands of Kristian Poulsen.
Red flag
Red flag.
Crash
James Calado has gone off in the GTE Pro-class #71 AF Corse Ferrari. Contact at the Porsche Curves.
Race control informs us it has stopped on the right-hand side of the track.
The only class that has produced a change of hands of pole position is LMP2, where Chatin has gone fastest in the Signatech ORECA.
LMP2 positions:
1 #36 Signatech Alpine ORECA, 3m38.769s
2 #26 OAK Racing Morgan, 3m38.843s
3 #47 KCMG ORECA, 3m39.586s
LMP2 positions:
1 #36 Signatech Alpine ORECA, 3m38.769s
2 #26 OAK Racing Morgan, 3m38.843s
3 #47 KCMG ORECA, 3m39.586s
We've not seen anything of that Calado crash or the recovery, but will bring you information as soon as we have it.
Here's how it looks at the front:
Overall positions:
1 #20 Porsche, 3m23.157s
2 #14 Porsche, 3m23.928s
3 #8 Toyota, 3m23.963s
4 #7 Toyota, 3m24.420s
5 #2 Audi, 3m25.415s
6 #3 Audi, 3m26.445s
7 #12 Rebellion, 3m31.180s
8 #13 Rebellion, 3m32.556s
Twitter
Here's what caused the brief fire for the #77 Dempsey/Proton Porsche in the pits earlier. @GoDempseyRacing: "All ok. Just a little fuel leakage. All cleaned up and back out for laps."
No change in the main GT class.
Leading GTE Pro times:
1 #51 AF Corse Ferrari, 3m.54.754s
2 #97 Aston Martin, 3m55.067s
3 #92 Manthey Porsche, 3m55.516s
But a mild tweak to the top three in the other.
Leading GTE Am times:
1 #72 SMP Ferrari 3m56.787s
2 #61 AF Corse Ferrari, 3m56.919s
3 #95 Aston Martin, 3m56.994s
Leading GTE Pro times:
1 #51 AF Corse Ferrari, 3m.54.754s
2 #97 Aston Martin, 3m55.067s
3 #92 Manthey Porsche, 3m55.516s
But a mild tweak to the top three in the other.
Leading GTE Am times:
1 #72 SMP Ferrari 3m56.787s
2 #61 AF Corse Ferrari, 3m56.919s
3 #95 Aston Martin, 3m56.994s
"Red flag estimate will be given shortly."
Thanks, race control.
Thanks, race control.
Estimated restart is 2010, so a couple of minutes.
That wasn't really that short a wait, was it? AUTOSPORT expects a maximum of five minutes when someone says "shortly".
Twitter
Porsche's Twitter feed suggest that's the last we will see of Webber before Saturday. @PorscheRaces: "@AussieGrit did only 2 fast laps, car felt good, prepared for #TimoBernhard . Next time in the car will be in race."
That said, he would be happy to have a little more running in darkness later on should there be time, as getting used to driving in the night is proving to be a challenge.
"It is different and that's an area which I am learning probably the most, to be honest, just getting calibrated to that," said Webber.
That said, he would be happy to have a little more running in darkness later on should there be time, as getting used to driving in the night is proving to be a challenge.
"It is different and that's an area which I am learning probably the most, to be honest, just getting calibrated to that," said Webber.
Green flag
We've got 50 minutes left on the clock as the green flag signals the resumption of the session.
In simpler terms: green flags wave, 50 minutes to go.
In simpler terms: green flags wave, 50 minutes to go.
A big train of cars snakes out of the pits. After yesterday's disrupted session, a 25-minute stoppage is far from ideal in terms of the teams' programmes.
Yellow flag
Yellow flags at the first Mulsanne chicane.
It's the #24 Sebastien Loeb Racing ORECA that has stopped.
the #1 Audi has joined the scrap up front. Di Grassi has put in a 3m26.490s to go seventh fastest.
Pole changes hands in LMP2. Berthon has gone quickest in the #48 Murphy Prototypes ORECA.
Dumas has improved in the #14 Porsche. He's done a 3m23.322s. Meanwhile, Lotterer has done the fastest sector 1 of today in the #2 Audi.
The #20 Porsche, in the hands of Bernard, is also lapping rapidly.
Antonio Garcia improves the best time of the #73 Corvette but it doesn't move up from fifth in class.
The two Imsa Ferraris and #90 8Star car (both GTE Am) are the only entries without a time.
The two Imsa Ferraris and #90 8Star car (both GTE Am) are the only entries without a time.
Berthon has increased the advantage for the #48 Murphy ORECA in LMP2, improving to a 3m38.207s.
Yellow flag
The #1 Audi has crashed.
Crash
Di Grassi lost the rear of the car at the exit of Indianapolis and nosed into the barriers. The damage isn't massive and di Grassi is currently rolling slowly back to the pits.
The #79 ProSpeed Porsche has gone off at Dunlop so the yellows are still out.
Crash
The Porsche has hit the tyres at Dunlop.
Crash
Big accident for the #29 Pegasus car, which went wide onto the grass going around di Grassi.
Red flag
Red flags are out.
Race control says debris and a partially blocked pit entry road is the cause.
By: Scott Mitchell, Edd Straw, Glenn Freeman, Gary Watkins
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