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24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans 24 Hours 2014 Wednesday: Practice and qualifying
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...Thus rendering our update immediately out of date! For LMP1 anyway. Darn it, Fassler.
Stopwatch
Fassler has split the Toyotas, banging in a 3m23.976s lap to go second fastest. That's 0.324s off the #8 Toyota.
There's an hour left on the clock, and this is the order:
LMP1:
1. #8 Toyota 3m23.652s
2. #7 Toyota +0.639s
3. #1 Audi +1.077s
4. #2 Audi +1.188s
5. #3 Audi +1.490s
LMP2:
1. #35 OAK Ligier-Nissan 3m40.611s
2. #48 Murphy ORECA-Nissan +0.126s
3. #37 SMP ORECA-Nissan +0.462s
GTE Pro:
1. #97 Aston Martin 3m57.086s
2. #51 AF Corse Ferrari
3. #71 AF Corse Ferrari
GTE Am:
1. #95 Aston Martin 3m57.015s
2. #88 Proton Porsche
3. #81 AF Corse Ferrari
LMP1:
1. #8 Toyota 3m23.652s
2. #7 Toyota +0.639s
3. #1 Audi +1.077s
4. #2 Audi +1.188s
5. #3 Audi +1.490s
LMP2:
1. #35 OAK Ligier-Nissan 3m40.611s
2. #48 Murphy ORECA-Nissan +0.126s
3. #37 SMP ORECA-Nissan +0.462s
GTE Pro:
1. #97 Aston Martin 3m57.086s
2. #51 AF Corse Ferrari
3. #71 AF Corse Ferrari
GTE Am:
1. #95 Aston Martin 3m57.015s
2. #88 Proton Porsche
3. #81 AF Corse Ferrari
Stopwatch
Bernhard improves again, setting a 3m26.602s. He remains sixth fastest.
Dyson improves his time in the #42 Greaves Zytek. But still down in 15th in LMP2.
Thiim is flying – he usurps Turner's GT-best effort and puts the Am-entered #95 Vantage top of the tree full stop on a 3m57.015s.
Thiim's hardly an Am, though, being the Porsche Supercup champion.
Thiim's hardly an Am, though, being the Porsche Supercup champion.
Bernhard improves again in the #20 Porsche. He stays sixth overall but lowers his time to a 2m26.705s
Another Aston on the move is the #97 car currently pedalled by Darren Turner...who goes quickest! Brilliant first and final sector and the GTE Pro benchmark is now a 3m57.086s.
MacDowall also improves the fastest time of the #99 car, which is now sixth fastest in class. Jordan Taylor sets the quickest lap for the #73 Corvette but remains bottom of the Pro ladder, with 2.4s covering the nine cars now.
MacDowall also improves the fastest time of the #99 car, which is now sixth fastest in class. Jordan Taylor sets the quickest lap for the #73 Corvette but remains bottom of the Pro ladder, with 2.4s covering the nine cars now.
This lap looks even better by Thiim – while fellow GTE Am Vantage driver Christoffer Nygaard also improves in the #98 car. The Astons are improving with just over an hour remaining.
Bernhard improves the #20 Porsche's best with a 3m26.976s. He stays sixth, though, and needs to find another 1.9s to get on terms with the slowest of the Audis at this stage.
Fabulous effort from Nicki Thiim in the #95 Aston Martin Vantage to go comfortably quickest in GTE Am on a 3m58.672s, a time that's bested only by three of the GTE Pro entries.
Beche finds a chunk of time in the Rebellion. His 3m31.2s gets the leading R-One down to 7.5s off the pace of the leading Toyota, and just 2.6s adrift of the #14 Porsche in P7.
Talking of the #14 car, Dumas has just handed it over to Jani.
Talking of the #14 car, Dumas has just handed it over to Jani.
Holzer sets two personal best sectors again and though he loses time again in the final part of the lap he does shave a fraction off the #92 Manthey Porsche's best – down to a 3m58.728s now.
Yellow flag
The #41 Greaves Zytek has come to a stop off the track towards the end of the Porsche curves. The car is reasonably out of the way so the yellow flag period is short-lived.
Stefan Mucke's improving in the #97 Aston Martin Vantage, which is having a very quiet session near the foot of the GTE Pro times.
Mucke's just done a 4m00.236s, that car's fastest lap so far, but it is almost 3s off the pace-setting #51 AF Ferrari.
Mucke's just done a 4m00.236s, that car's fastest lap so far, but it is almost 3s off the pace-setting #51 AF Ferrari.
Nakajima crosses the line with a new overall best time through the final sector, but his laptime of 3m25.8s is 1.6s shy of the #7 car's best at this stage, and it remains second.
Klaus Bachler propels the #88 Proton Porsche to top spot in GTE Am. His 3m59.461s is 0.038s faster than Bird's best in the #81 AF Ferrari.
Oliver Jarvis moves the #3 Audi briefly into fourth place at the expense of the #2 R18, but Marcel Fassler responds with his next lap to re-take the position with a 3m24.840s.
Seth Neiman in the #66 JMW Ferrari has a near miss with the #20 Porsche 919 Hybrid as both enter their respective pit boxes. Bit of a bizarre one, but no harm done.
Breaking news
Race organisers have released a statement about Duval's accident. It confirms that the Audi driver was conscious when he was extracted from the car, and it adds "his condition is encouraging".
Lamy jumps to third in GTE Am on a 3m59.811s and the #98 Aston Martin Vantage driver is already on another personal best lap.
Nakajima makes it a Toyota one-two by going second with a 3m24.291s. That leaves the #7 car 0.639s down on its fellow TS040.
The #50 Morgan-Judd is touring slowly with a left-rear puncture. Ricky Taylor has been able to nurse the Larbre-run car back to the pits.
Twitter
@Toyota_Hybrid: Talking after first run @Steph_Sarrazin: "We started with a long run. We are happy with the car; it's going well so far."
Two personal bests in a row for Gavin closes the gap to the leading Ferraris, Porsches and #99 Aston but the top Corvette remains sixth.
The pace-setting #8 Toyota is in the garage and the front bodywork is quickly removed as the mechanics get to work.
Green flag
There we go, debris removed.
The session was coming alive before the stoppage for Duval's crash, but things have been quieter on the timing screens since we restarted. The leading #8 Toyota is lapping in the 3m27s, while the #7 car is doing 3m25s and the Audis have been in and out of the pits.
Yellow flag
Yellows for debris down by the first Mulsanne chicane. Should be cleared quickly and easily.
Holzer looked set to make a move further up the GTE Pro order but lost time in the final sector, presumably getting out of the way of a P2 car.
Chandhok moves the Murphy Prototypes ORECA up to second in LMP2.
Dumas sets a new personal best for the #14 Porsche, which is still the slowest of the seven works LMP1 cars and sits 4.9s off the pace.
First we see of the #92 Manthey Porsche and Marco Holzer's leapt to fourth in GTE Pro on a 3m58.905s. Rees looked set to improve in the #99 Aston but pit after two personal-best sectors.
What of the Corvettes in GTE Pro? They are line astern in class, sixth (#73) and seventh (#74) respectively.
Well, Lamy was fourth in GTE Am. Paolo Ruberti has just nipped ahead in the #90 8Star...Ferrari. The 458s look quick early doors.
A new benchmark for Beche puts the lead Rebellion 10.3s adrift of the leading #8 Toyota.
The Astons have yet to feature at the sharp end of either GTE class so far, but its best Pro and Am representatives have both just improved to fourth in each category.
Fernando Rees' 3m59.041s and Pedro Lamy's 4m00.729s are the best respective times for the #99 and #98 Aston Martin Vantages.
Fernando Rees' 3m59.041s and Pedro Lamy's 4m00.729s are the best respective times for the #99 and #98 Aston Martin Vantages.
A change at the top of GTE Pro now, but still an AF Corse Ferrari leads the way.
Toni Vilander has put the #51 car ahead of its #71-badged sibling, and by some distance too – a 3m57.322s. That's only a tenth shy of the best class time from the Test Day.
Toni Vilander has put the #51 car ahead of its #71-badged sibling, and by some distance too – a 3m57.322s. That's only a tenth shy of the best class time from the Test Day.
Nakajima improves in the #7 Toyota, but he stays third and is now 1.7s off the sister TS040 HYBRID at the front.
Nicolas Minassian moves into second in LMP2 in the #37 SMP Racing Oreca, moving ahead of Signatech Alpine's Paul-Loup Chatin, who had improved just a few seconds prior.
By: Glenn Freeman, Edd Straw, Scott Mitchell, Gary Watkins
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