Le Mans 24 Hours 2015 Wednesday: Practice and qualifying

Welcome to AUTOSPORT's live coverage of the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours.

We've got less than 15 minutes until free practice kicks off race week in La Sarthe. So that's four hours of track action, followed by the first qualifying session of the week at 22:00 local time.

At the Le Mans 24 Hours test day two weeks ago, the pace was set by Hartley in the #17 Porsche 919 Hybrid on a 3m21.061s, nine-tenths faster than the #18 sister car of Jani. For full story, click here

Porsche, Le Mans test 2015

Leading times
1 Hartley (#17 Porsche), 3m21.061s
2 Jani (#18 Porsche), 3m21.945s
3 Bonanomi (#9 Audi), 3m22.307s
4 Tandy (#19 Porsche), 3m22.322s
5 Treluyer (#7 Audi), 3m22.556s
6 Duval (#8 Audi), 3m23.002s
7 Nakajima (#1 Toyota), 3m25.321s
8 Sarrazin (#2 Toyota), 3m26.929s
9 Beche (#12 Rebellion), 3m30.508s
10 Kafer (#4 CLM), 3m38.904s

LMP2 top times
1 Vanthoor (#34 Ligier), 3m41.919s
2 Chatin (#36 Chatin), 3m42.273s
3 Chandhok (#48 ORECA), 3m42.405s
4 Howson (#47 ORECA), 3m42.453s
5 Evans (#38 Gibson), 3m42.547s
6 Gommendy (#46 ORECA), 3m43.344s

GTE Pro top times
1 Turner (#97 Aston Martin), 3m58.069s
2 Gavin (#64 Corvette), 3m58.162s
3 Bruni (#51 Ferrari), 3m58.616s
4 Makowiecki (#92 Porsche), 3m59.043s
5 Calado (#71 Ferrari), 3m59.420s
6 Lietz (#91 Porsche), 4m00.272s

GTE Am top times
1 Lamy (#98 Aston Martin), 3m59.338s
2 Giammaria (#61 Ferrari), 4m00.677s
3 Carroll (#86 Porsche), 4m01.208s (reserve entry)
4 Griffin (#55 Ferrari), 4m01.221s
5 Bertolini (#72 Ferrari), 4m01.303s
6 Giermaziak (#66 Ferrari), 4m02.212s

Weather watch - it's been drizzling all afternoon, although the sky is starting to brighten. The track is going to be damp to begin with, but if we don't get any more rain it should dry quickly.

EDD STRAW: "It will be interesting to see how Tincknell gets on in the Nissan. His pace in the Jota car that won LMP2 at Le Mans last year was massively impressive, and he's continued to fly in the team's Gibson-Nissan this year in both the ELMS and on the car's appearance in the Spa 6 Hours. A high-quality performer in prototypes."

Cars are heading to the end of the pits for the start of practice.

The #23 Nissan was at the head of the queue, but it was slow away, so marshals ushered the cars behind in the pits to pull around it and head out on track.

The LMP1 cars are making their way through the final part of the lap, and they're kicking up a decent amount of spray through the Porsche Curves in particular.

Prior to that red flag, nobody managed to set a laptime.

Replays show Buemi went straight on in the #1 Toyota at Arnage, briefly running down the escape road and bringing out the yellow flags before the session was stopped for the stranded KCMG car.

Given that most of the LMP1 cars have only just been pushed back into their garages and taken apart for checks, there's not quite the same rush from the major players to head straight back out. So far we've got one Porsche, one Audi and one Nissan in action.

It was over 90 minutes into free practice before we saw the first red flag during the Le Mans 24 Hours event last year. This year, it came after just five minutes. Coincidentally, the car that stopped on track in 2014, the IMSA GTE Am Porsche of Erik Maris, parked up at the same corner as the KCMG car did this year.

As Lotterer's Audi passes the Nissan of Matsuda, the radical front-engined racer is spitting out plenty of sparks down the Mulsanne straight.

Mike Conway is currently on track in the #2 Toyota. While it's his first visit as a factory driver, it's actually his second time at Le Mans. He raced an OAK-run G-Drive ORECA here in the LMP2 class in 2013, but failed to finish.

Times are going to tumble at this rate, the skies are still relatively bright and the track is going to dry with every lap completed.

The #19 Porsche has been given the black and orange flag, meaning it's being called into the pits for a mechanical reason.

Tandy pulls the #19 Porsche into the pits and the crew gets to work in the pitlane rather than wheeling it into the garage.

Replays show the #9 Audi has been off at the first Mulsanne chicane, with Albuquerque at the wheel.

In the equivalent session last year, the fastest lap was a 3m23.653s, set by Davidson in the Toyota. Still some way off that kind of pace, and understandably so given the track is damp.

Race control reminds the #23 Nissan it must have its rear lights on, and the same message goes to the #4 ByKolles entry.

Porsche has decided to take the #19 car into the garage following that black and orange flag from the officials.

Minimal activity in the first half hour among the GTE runners.

Only three drivers – all in GTE Am entries – have set times, with Al Faisal the quickest with a 4m19.519s aboard the #66 JMW Ferrari 458 Italia.

The #22 Nissan has stopped at the pit entry, with a bit of smoke coming out of the front wheel arches.

Patrick Long puts the GTE Am #77 Dempsey-Proton Porsche 911 RSR quickest of the GT runners with a 4m18.170s.

Looks like we might see the first of the GTE Pro flying laps soon - Vilander (#51 AF Corse Ferrari) and Mucke (#97 'art car' Aston Martin) are both on track.

Other than the KCMG stoppage, the 19-strong LMP2 contingent has had a quiet opening 30 minutes.

Eight cars have logged a lap, with Kevin Estre - in the the OAK Racing Ligier-Honda JSP2 - the best of them so far with a 3m56.264s.

After a long wait and a lot of standing around for the marshals, the Nissan is pushed into the weighbridge area.

Daniel Abt, 22, is on track in the #13 Rebellion-AER. He is making his Le Mans 24 Hours debut this year. He follows in the footsteps of father Christian Abt, who started the 1999 and 2000 races, finishing third overall alongside Michele Alboreto and Rinaldo Capello in an Audi R8 on his final appearance.

Beating Vilander/Mucke to the GTE Pro punch is Fernando Rees.

The Brazilian sets a 4m08.733s in the #99 Aston Martin Vantage, and goes quickest of the GT brigade.