Le Mans 24 Hours 2015 Thursday: final qualifying
Live Text
Sort by
Hello and welcome to the second day of AUTOSPORT's Live coverage from the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours.
After free practice and the first qualifying session on Wednesday, today's all about finalising the grid for the 83rd running of this famous French enduro.
After free practice and the first qualifying session on Wednesday, today's all about finalising the grid for the 83rd running of this famous French enduro.
Twitter
Some of the LMP1 teams are confirming their start drivers for this session:
@Audi__Sport: "@Andre_Lotterer, @LucasdiGrassi and @ReneRastRacing will begin Q2 for #Audi."
@NISMO: "First men in tonight will be @Lucas_Ordonez 23, @al_buncombe 22 and @TsugioMatsuda."
@Audi__Sport: "@Andre_Lotterer, @LucasdiGrassi and @ReneRastRacing will begin Q2 for #Audi."
@NISMO: "First men in tonight will be @Lucas_Ordonez 23, @al_buncombe 22 and @TsugioMatsuda."
The second qualifying session kicks off in 10 minutes. If you missed yesterday's action, that means you missed Porsche's hugely impressive benchmark.
Read more about that here.
Read more about that here.
Neel Jani, #19 Porsche, Le Mans 2015
One of the interesting questions of today's qualifying running is whether Porsche can improve on its current pole-position time, Jani's 3m16.887s from last night.
That's already the sixth-fastest pole in terms of laptime on any configuration of the track in Le Mans 24 Hours history and the quickest since the chicanes were introduced on Mulsanne.
Were Porsche to dip under a 3m14.843s, that would break the record for fastest average speed for a qualifying lap, set by Hans-Joachim Stuck in a Porsche 962C in 1985.
But is there potentially more pace in the Porsche? Jani certainly believes so.
That's already the sixth-fastest pole in terms of laptime on any configuration of the track in Le Mans 24 Hours history and the quickest since the chicanes were introduced on Mulsanne.
Were Porsche to dip under a 3m14.843s, that would break the record for fastest average speed for a qualifying lap, set by Hans-Joachim Stuck in a Porsche 962C in 1985.
But is there potentially more pace in the Porsche? Jani certainly believes so.
A note from race control says second qualifying might be delayed "to ensure track is prepared properly".
Twitter
It's currently warm and sunny, but rain could be on the way...
@TDSRacing_live: "Qualy two @ 7 PM Track is clean and dry . We expect rain around 8 o clock."
@TDSRacing_live: "Qualy two @ 7 PM Track is clean and dry . We expect rain around 8 o clock."
We will start on time after all, and cars are making their way to the end of the pits.
Twitter
@JamesCalado: "Qualifying about to start. If the rain holds off we should see some fast times later on."
Here's the current top three in LMP2, based on last night's opening session. It was tight, with the top three covered by one second, and 2.5s across the top seven.
1 #47 KCMG ORECA-Nissan, 3m38.032s
2 #41 Greaves Motorsport Gibson-Nissan, 3m38.958s
3 #38 Jota Sport Gibson-Nissan, 3m39.004s
Going by the timing screens, Howson, Hirsch and Dolan will start the session in those entries.
1 #47 KCMG ORECA-Nissan, 3m38.032s
2 #41 Greaves Motorsport Gibson-Nissan, 3m38.958s
3 #38 Jota Sport Gibson-Nissan, 3m39.004s
Going by the timing screens, Howson, Hirsch and Dolan will start the session in those entries.
Green flag
This evening's first session is up and running, and the cars head out in scorching sunshine.
Aston Martin Racing Vantages topped GTE Pro and Am in the opening qualifying session – actually AMR cars locked out the top four.
1. #99 Aston 3m54.928s
2. #98 Aston 3m55.102s
3. #97 Aston 3m55.466s
4. #95 Aston 3m55.783s
The #51 Ferrari was actually third quickest but lost its best time – a 3m55.306s – after the session, presumably due to track limits naughtiness. The same fate befell the sister #71 car, but that lost its times earlier in Q1 - which meant James Calado was able to get out late on and post the eighth best time in GTE and sixth of the Pros.
1. #99 Aston 3m54.928s
2. #98 Aston 3m55.102s
3. #97 Aston 3m55.466s
4. #95 Aston 3m55.783s
The #51 Ferrari was actually third quickest but lost its best time – a 3m55.306s – after the session, presumably due to track limits naughtiness. The same fate befell the sister #71 car, but that lost its times earlier in Q1 - which meant James Calado was able to get out late on and post the eighth best time in GTE and sixth of the Pros.
It will be interesting to see how Nissan gets on today. The lead car qualified 12th overall yesterday in the hands of Mardenborough, 21.581s off pole-position pace.
That puts it just 0.436s behind the leading LMP2 car, the #47 ORECA run by KCMG. Nissan was very confident of being ahead of all the LMP2 cars a few weeks ago, so expect to see an improvement tonight.
That puts it just 0.436s behind the leading LMP2 car, the #47 ORECA run by KCMG. Nissan was very confident of being ahead of all the LMP2 cars a few weeks ago, so expect to see an improvement tonight.
Among the LMP1 cars, the one that completed the most running yesterday was the #8 Audi, which logged 46 laps. The #21 Nissan completed the fewest, with 24.
We're already seeing some warnings for exceeding track limits coming onto Mulsanne. Tandy in the #19 Porsche is among those to have been warned.
Tandy improves to a 3m18.862s on that lap. That makes no difference to the #19 Porsche's position, as it's still in third. Tandy was warned about track limits on that lap, so possible that it might not be considered valid by stewards if they look at it.
The #92 Porsche (Makowiecki) and #98 Aston (Lauda) are told off for track limits at Tertre Rouge.
The #83 AF Corse GTE Am Ferrari, currently in the hands of Francois Perrodo, reportedly has its door open. Not ideal.
Another warning for Tandy in the #19 Porsche, who is now getting a black and white flag for exceeding track limits coming onto Mulsanne.
Gommendy in the Thiriet by TDS Racing ORECA has set the fastest LMP2 time so far, a 3m40.441s. It's not enough to improve on the car's overnight time, and still more than two seconds off pole. About half of the 19-strong field is out on track.
The two Ferraris get a telling off for track limits at Tertre Rouge. Have they not learned their lessons? Davide Rigon and Giancarlo Fisichella are in the #71 and #51 respectively.
Makowiecki gets another warning for the same offence in the #92 Porsche.
Makowiecki gets another warning for the same offence in the #92 Porsche.
The #21 Nissan has moved up to 22nd, with Matsuda setting a 3m41.593s, 24.706s off the pace. It's right behind the #22 car now.
Buemi gets a track limits warning.
It's good to see a stronger LMP1 contingent at Le Mans this year. In 2014, there were only nine cars in the class. This year, there are 14 thanks to the addition of an extra Porsche, the Nissans and the ByKolles CLM.
Jani is lapping in the #18 Porsche that currently sits on pole. He's just done a 3m23.056s, so doing preparatory work for the race.
Gommendy, still in the Thiriet by TDS entry, is the latest driver to earn a black and white flag for exceeding the track limits.
Replays show Conway in the #2 Toyota looking spectacular in the final chicane. He's lapping in the mid-3m27s bracket at the moment, four seconds off that car's current qualifying pace.
Warnings for both Lotterer (#7 Audi) and di Grassi (#8 Audi) for exceeding track limits.
Twitter
@PorscheRaces: "Pit stop #Porsche919Hybrid no 19. Fuel, tires, set-up work. @earlbamber in."
width="583"
And a black-and-white warning flag for Buemi for exceeding track limits.
Berton also receives a track limits warning. He's in the repaired Murphy Prototypes ORECA, that the team managed to get out with about 20 minutes remaining in first qualifying last night after Patterson's practice crash.
The team's main focus last night was to get out and record a time that ensured it wouldn't start behind the GT cars, if it rained tonight. It managed that, and is currently 14th in the LMP2 standings.
The team's main focus last night was to get out and record a time that ensured it wouldn't start behind the GT cars, if it rained tonight. It managed that, and is currently 14th in the LMP2 standings.
The Rebellion R-One has shown well so far this weekend. The #12 car sits in 12th place, only three seconds of the slower of the two Toyotas.
The ORECA-designed car has switched from Toyota to AER engines for this year, with the package only starting testing last month.
The ORECA-designed car has switched from Toyota to AER engines for this year, with the package only starting testing last month.
Lotterer puts the #7 Audi ahead of the #9 car into fifth place with a lap of 3m20.561s.
Gommendy has pitted to hand over the Thiriet by TDS Racing entry to Badey, but he hasn't escaped the attention of the stewards. They want to see him for abusing the track limits.
Berthon has improved to a 3m41.827s in the Murphy entry, moving it up to ninth in LMP2.
Brown in the #31 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ligier has spun at the penultimate chicane, and continues, without too many dramas.
The #4 CLM improves again to a 3m40.209s in the hands of Kaffer.. That's 12th in the LMP2 class and 18th overall.
GTE track limits alert. Lauda gets a black and white flag for his latest Tertre Rouge faux pas.
Buemi has been reported to the stewards for abusing track limits. Seems that whoever is on duty at the exit of Tertre Rouge is watching very closely, given the number of warnings.
Yellow flag
Yellow flag in the first chicane on Mulsanne. No sign of why as yet...
Yellow flag
It's the #13 Rebellion driven by Kraihamer that is off. Not yet clear why.
By: Scott Mitchell, AUTOSPORT staff, Edd Straw, Glenn Freeman, Mitchell Adam, Gary Watkins
Published:
Page:
