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24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans 24 Hours 2015 Wednesday: Practice and qualifying
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Stopwatch
Lotterer smashes Jarvis's benchmark by 6.9s to move the #7 Audi out front with a 3m26.241s.
Buemi slots the #1 Toyota into second, with the track clearly starting to come to the drivers now.
Rees lowers the GTE best as well, dropping to a 4m06.368s in the Aston.
While the focus of attention in LMP1 will be on the works entries from Toyota, Audi, Porsche and Nissan, don't forget about the three privateer entries. Rebellion has two of its R-Ones, which have switched from Toyota to AER power this year, while the ByKolles team runs a CLM. Remember, Rebellion finished fourth overall in 2014.
Mathias Lauda, three-time Formula 1 champion Niki's boy, briefly goes top of the GTE pile in his #98 GTE Am-class Aston.
But Pro stable-mate Mucke (#97 Aston) blitzes the Austrian's time by 2.6s to lower the GTE benchmark to a 4m03.339s.
But Pro stable-mate Mucke (#97 Aston) blitzes the Austrian's time by 2.6s to lower the GTE benchmark to a 4m03.339s.
Stopwatch
Bernhard goes fastest in the #17 Porsche - 3m26.215s, just 0.026s faster than Lotterer's previous best.
Times are tumbling. Oliver Gavin puts Corvette top on a 4m01.609s in the #64 C7.R.
Who will be first to dip below the 4m barrier in GTE?
Who will be first to dip below the 4m barrier in GTE?
Early LMP1 order:
1 #17 Porsche
2 #7 Audi
3 #9 Audi
4 #1 Toyota
5 #18 Porsche
6 #8 Audi
7 #2 Toyota
8 #19 Porsche
1 #17 Porsche
2 #7 Audi
3 #9 Audi
4 #1 Toyota
5 #18 Porsche
6 #8 Audi
7 #2 Toyota
8 #19 Porsche
As with LMP1 and GTE, times are improving in LMP2. Kevin Estre and Tristian Gommendy have traded times over recent laps.
Estre currently leads the way with a 3m48.108s, just under a second ahead of Gommendy.
Estre currently leads the way with a 3m48.108s, just under a second ahead of Gommendy.
As that was being typed, Gommendy improved to a 3m47.512s, to sit atop LMP2 briefly, but he was bumped quickly by Gary Hirsch in the Greaves Motorsport Gibson-Nissan 015S.
Hirsch's new benchmark is 3m46.599s.
Hirsch's new benchmark is 3m46.599s.
GARY WATKINS: Attention is being paid to the #22 Nissan's brakes in the garage.
Nissan tried three different configurations across its cars at the Le Mans Test Day, but then confirmed a specification in which all three FT-R LMs will run this week at last Tuesday's roll-out test on the Bugatti circuit.
"We were trying a mixture of specs at the test day on the material side and the hydraulic side," Nissan global motorsport boss Darren Cox told AUTOSPORT earlier today.
Nissan tried three different configurations across its cars at the Le Mans Test Day, but then confirmed a specification in which all three FT-R LMs will run this week at last Tuesday's roll-out test on the Bugatti circuit.
"We were trying a mixture of specs at the test day on the material side and the hydraulic side," Nissan global motorsport boss Darren Cox told AUTOSPORT earlier today.
Stopwatch
Albuquerque takes his latest turn at the top in the #9 Audi, posting a 3m24.673s to go fastest despite not setting a single fastest sector time on that lap.
Gavin improves to a 3m58.880s in the Chevy – then pushes too hard and spins exiting the Esses. The Briton continues without damage.
Lauda falls about half a second short of breaking the 4m barrier. He goes quickest though, and is a couple of seconds quicker than Mucke even after the Pro driver improved.
Lauda falls about half a second short of breaking the 4m barrier. He goes quickest though, and is a couple of seconds quicker than Mucke even after the Pro driver improved.
Twitter
@Audi__Sport: "@Andre_Lotterer on team radio: 'The track is improving lap by lap'"
It's now an SMP Racing 1-2 in LMP2. In the new, Russian-built BRE-Nissan BR01s, Mikhail Aleshin is on top with a 3m44.482s, 0.751s seconds clear of Maurizio Mediani.
GARY WATKINS: Good progress being made by SMP Racing's BR Engineering LMP2 coupe.
Aleshin's 3m44.4s is more than three seconds faster than the best of the BR01s managed at the Test Day and only 2.5s shy of the best P2 time from the test.
Aleshin's 3m44.4s is more than three seconds faster than the best of the BR01s managed at the Test Day and only 2.5s shy of the best P2 time from the test.
Vilander posts AF Corse's first proper time in the #51 458 Italia, but is only third-fastest in the GTE ranks. Still Am-class Lauda remains P2.
We should see the Manthey-run Porsches soon. It seemed the 911 RSRs were being held until the track dried properly.
We should see the Manthey-run Porsches soon. It seemed the 911 RSRs were being held until the track dried properly.
Twitter
@PorscheRaces: "16.47 driver change car 17 after 9 laps: @Timo_Bernhard hands over to @BrendonHartley. Car inside, set-up work"
Aleshin has a spin in his BR01 coming onto Mulsanne. He's resumed without any real visible damage, as Hirsch goes second-fastest in LMP2.
The constant changing of positions at the top of the order has cooled off somewhat, but plenty of cars in the LMP1 mix are still improving:
1 #9 Audi
2 #17 Porsche
3 #7 Audi
4 #1 Toyota
5 #2 Toyota
6 #8 Audi
7 #18 Porsche
8 #12 Rebellion
1 #9 Audi
2 #17 Porsche
3 #7 Audi
4 #1 Toyota
5 #2 Toyota
6 #8 Audi
7 #18 Porsche
8 #12 Rebellion
Makowiecki puts the #92 Manthey Porsche third in GTE, second of the Pro cars. Remarkably, he's 0.001s slower than Lauda.
That gap is very, very rare around the Circuit de la Sarthe!
That gap is very, very rare around the Circuit de la Sarthe!
Buemi receives a track limits warning in the #1 Toyota for abusing the white lines in the final chicane.
Rain
According to race control, there are reports of rain somewhere on the far side of the circuit.
The #12 Rebellion receives the black and orange 'mechanical' flag.
Twitter
@Audi__Sport: "Team radio to @AlbuquerqueFil: 'It's still too slippery for slicks.'"
While there seems to be plenty of time to get on top of the track before the race, with this four-hour free practice session followed by six hours of qualifying and a 45-minute warm-up, it doesn't add up to that much running for each drive when they are sharing three-to-a-car. In total, there are 44 drivers here looking to make their Le Mans 24 Hours race debuts.
Albuquerque - currently fastest - starts his latest lap with a new fastest sector 1, but the lap trails off and he crosses the line 16 seconds down on his benchmark. He had plenty of traffic towards the end, but perhaps a tell-tale sign was the fact that his windscreen wipers were on as well when he returned from the far end of the circuit.
Twitter
@Audi__Sport: "No. 8 @LucasdiGrassi goes straight in first chicane, rejoins."
Rain
We have rain on the pit straight as well now.
All of the GTE Pro entries have appeared, but Gavin's benchmark in the Corvette remains the class's only sub-4m lap thus far.
Behind the #64 Corvette is the #98 Aston, the #92 Porsche, the #51 Ferrari and the #63 Corvette. Obviously we expect significant improvements from most, and it's the Pro-class Astons who will likely jump up the class order when they come.
Behind the #64 Corvette is the #98 Aston, the #92 Porsche, the #51 Ferrari and the #63 Corvette. Obviously we expect significant improvements from most, and it's the Pro-class Astons who will likely jump up the class order when they come.
No surprise to see seemingly every car returning to the pits at the moment. The wind has picked up, and it's bringing more rain with it as we enter the second hour of free practice.
GARY WATKINS: Buemi has already bettered Toyota's test day best in the #1 car.
That backs up TMG boss Pascal Vasselon's claims that they've found a few things back home in Cologne since they were comprehensively outpaced by Porsche and Audi back at the start of the month.
That backs up TMG boss Pascal Vasselon's claims that they've found a few things back home in Cologne since they were comprehensively outpaced by Porsche and Audi back at the start of the month.
With an hour in the books and rain having returned, here's how it looks at the top of LMP2:
1. #37 SMP Racing 3m44.482s
2. #41 Greaves Motorsport 3m45.194s
3. #27 SMP Racing 3m45.233s
4. #26 G-Drive Racing (OAK) 3m45.849s
5. #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing 3m47.512s
Other than the KCMG entry that stopped on its first lap, the Murphy Prototypes ORECA-Nissan 03R is the only car yet to record a time.
With Minassian currently behind the wheel, the #27 SMP BRE-Nissan BR01 has been reported to the stewards for speeding in pitlane.
1. #37 SMP Racing 3m44.482s
2. #41 Greaves Motorsport 3m45.194s
3. #27 SMP Racing 3m45.233s
4. #26 G-Drive Racing (OAK) 3m45.849s
5. #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing 3m47.512s
Other than the KCMG entry that stopped on its first lap, the Murphy Prototypes ORECA-Nissan 03R is the only car yet to record a time.
With Minassian currently behind the wheel, the #27 SMP BRE-Nissan BR01 has been reported to the stewards for speeding in pitlane.
On-board shots from the #7 Audi shows that we've had plenty of rain down the Mulsanne straight as well.
We've already seen the most experienced Le Mans 24 Hours driver in the field have a run in practice. Emmanuel Collard is set to make his 21st start this year in the #83 Ferrari 458 Italia run by AF Corse in the GTE Am class. His best overall result is second in 2005 for the Pescarolo team, although he has won his class a couple of times. If he makes the start, only nine drivers will have started this race more times.
Lotterer slips and slides his way around for a flying lap in the wet, crossing the line 20 seconds down on his best from earlier when the conditions were at their best.
GTE laptimes can significantly improve, but that rain has extended the timeframe a bit.
These are the times so far, with an interloping GTE Am entry:
1. #64 Corvette 3m58.880s
2. #98 Aston Martin (Am) 4m00.307s
3. #92 Porsche 4m00.308s
4. #51 Ferrari 4m00.451s
5. #63 Corvette 4m01.236s
These are the times so far, with an interloping GTE Am entry:
1. #64 Corvette 3m58.880s
2. #98 Aston Martin (Am) 4m00.307s
3. #92 Porsche 4m00.308s
4. #51 Ferrari 4m00.451s
5. #63 Corvette 4m01.236s
Of the three LMP2 cars on track at the moment, team owner Tracy Krohn is out in the Krohn Racing Ligier-Judd/BMW JPS2.
Krohn and Nic Jonsson will set a new record for the most starts together in the 24 Hours, their 10th moving past Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello’s nine. They’re joined in the entry by current United SportsCar Championship leader Joao Barbosa.
Krohn and Nic Jonsson will set a new record for the most starts together in the 24 Hours, their 10th moving past Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello’s nine. They’re joined in the entry by current United SportsCar Championship leader Joao Barbosa.
Black and orange flag for the #13 Rebellion, which is yet to join the cluster of LMP1 cars at the top of the field, and sits behind five LMP2 cars in 15th overall.
Nissan watch: The only one of its LMP1s to have set a time (the #21) sits 24th overall. The #22 and #23 cars both have three laps to their name and no flying lap yet - but Mardenborough has just taken the #23 back out.
By: Glenn Freeman, Edd Straw, Scott Mitchell, Mitchell Adam, AUTOSPORT staff, Gary Watkins
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