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WEC 24 Hours of Le Mans

Le Mans 24 Hours 2014 Thursday: final qualifying

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Green flag
The track is open again, and plenty of cars are heading straight back out.
It's still light, the sun is going down, so expect some quick times pretty much straightaway.
The top three cars from the last session have all kept the same drivers on board for what is likely to be the pole position shootout over the next few laps. Here's who is in the factory cars right now:

#7 Toyota - Nakajima
#14 Porsche - Dumas
#20 Porsche - Bernhard
#3 Audi - Bonanomi
#8 Toyota - Buemi
#2 Audi - Treluyer
#1 Audi - Kristensen
Breaking news
This could be a fascinating conclusion to qualifying – set up by a thrilling end to the second segment.

Get yourself in-the-know with our comprehensive report of second qualifying:

Toyota steals provisional pole from Porsche
Stopwatch
Tincknell goes fastest in P2 for the Jota Zytek with a 3m37.674s. Not bad for a rookie.
Lots of action in the GT ranks. Bruni has gone faster at the front of GTE Pro in the #51 Ferrari, and Bird has slotted the #81 GTE Am Ferrari just behind him, getting well and truly amongst the Pro runners.
Frustration for Chandhok in the #48 Murphy ORECA late in today's earlier qualifying session. He hit yellow flags in the final sector while on course for a lap that would likely have been good enough for LMP2 pole position.
Stopwatch
Bruni goes even quicker at the front of the GTE battle, putting himself nearly one second faster than the Am car of Bird - who remains his closest challenger.
Stopwatch
Provisional poleman Nakajima improves his time in the #7 Toyota with a 3m21.789s. Dumas goes quicker, too, with a 3m22.146s
The Nissan ZEOD has got itself clear of the GTE cars, as Reip logs a 3m50.402s. That's faster than the car managed at the test day, but he's got more than three seconds to find to get ahead of the slowest LMP2 car.
The #14 Porsche has been reported to the stewards for speeding in the pitlane.
Buemi improves the #8 Toyota's time by a tenth to 3m23.271s
Pilet has pulled off in front of the end of the pitwall at the pit exit in the #91 Porsche - having toured down the start/finish straight. His mechanics are running (from the opposite end of the pits) to collect the car, which is being wheeled into a safer place by the marshals.
Looks like the #91 car's session is over. The Porsche was originally moved to the right of the pit exit, but it has now been wheeled into parc ferme at the instruction of race control. It currently sits sixth in GTE Pro, and seventh out of the GTE cars thanks to Bird's lap in the #81 Am Ferrari.
The ZEOD's hopes of beating an LMP2 car have just taken a hit, as Ragues improves the #50 Larbre's time to move it up the order. The slowest LMP2 is now the #37 SMP ORECA, which is six seconds clear of the 'Garage 56' ZEOD.
Crash
Parente has crashed the #52 Ram Ferrari at the Ford Chicane. He lost the car on the way into the first part of the chicane, then had a tank-slapper as he tried to hold onto it, but it eventually got away from him and slammed into the tyres.
Yellow flag
Slick work from the marshals - the car is already being craned out of harm's way.
We've just passed 10pm here at Le Mans. This is traditionally when the final qualifying session kicks off, with the sun about to set. Let's see if that means we still have more action to come at the top.
Gommendy moves latecomer Turvey off of LMP2 pole, putting the #46 Ligier on top spot by less than a tenth of a second.
Buemi jumps to third in the #8 Toyota with a 3m22.146s, seven tenths off team-mate Nakajima's pole mark at the moment.
Gavin moves the #74 Corvette into fourth in the GTE Pro standings with a 3m55.1s.
The GTE order at the moment: #51 Ferrari; #81 Ferrari (Am); #73 Corvette; #97 Aston Martin; #74 Corvette; #52 Ferrari; #92 Porsche; #91 Porsche.
A Rebellion has finally broken the 3m30m mark. Beche has posted a 3m29.763s in the #12 car.
Vilander has gone straight on at the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight in the #51 Ferrari.
Lamy has moved the #98 Aston Martin up to second in GTE Am, but 1.8 seconds and six Pro cars sit between him and the #81 Ferrari which leads the Am class.
Pla has just set a time six thousandths slower than his best lap and remains sixth in P2 in the G-Drive/OAK Morgan.
Panciatici improves to 3m38.179s and is now fourth in P2 aboard the Signatech Alpine ORECA.
The top four in P1 are all in the pits. Getting new tyres for a pole shot perhaps?
Yellow flag
Roda spins the #90 Ferrari at the Dunlop Chicane. It looks like he might be stuck - and a tractor is on its way to retrieve him.
Another decentish time from the ZEOD. Motoyama does a 3m51.842s, only a 1.4s off its previous best.
Lamy picks off another GTE Pro car, moving his #98 Am Aston Martin above the #91 Porsche - which will not run again in the session after it stopped on the pit straight and was pushed straight into parc ferme.
The engine cover is off the #35 OAK Ligier, which lies third in class. Much peering into the engine bay.
That could be it for the qualifying excitement in all four classes - at the moment nobody is setting any improved sector times.
Mucke proves us wrong, moving the #97 Aston Martin into third in GTE (and second in Pro).
Panciatici improves again in the Signatech Alpine ORECA. He finds a tenth, but stays fourth in P2. Frustration!
Audi points out on Twitter that it has left Duval's name on the #1 car, despite the Frenchman being withdrawn from racing this weekend after his big accident on Wednesday and replaced by Marc Gene.
Doesn't look like Webber will be back in action any time soon - he's swapped his race suit for some team clothing and is at the back of the Porsche garage.
Garcia improves in the #73 Corvette. He's second in GTE Pro, but has closed to one tenth behind the #81 Am Ferrari that sits between his Chevrolet and the pole-sitting #51 Ferrari.
Very little going on with the big guns at the front. Here's the LMP1 order: #7 Toyota; #14 Porsche; #8 Toyota; #20 Porsche; #3 Audi; #2 Audi; #1 Audi

By: Scott Mitchell, Edd Straw, Glenn Freeman, Gary Watkins

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