Live text
WEC
24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans 24 Hours 2015 Wednesday: Practice and qualifying
Live Standings
presented by
Stopped
Summary
Live Text
Sort by
Force India F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg is out in the #19 Porsche for the first time today. Here's what he has to say about Le Mans.
"I got my first taste of the track during the pre-test and I found it really cool," says Hulkenberg. "You can get yourself in a great rhythm. I'm looking forward to the long stints in the race.
"I feel comfy in the Porsche 919 Hybrid, but I’ll learn a lot more during the race week."
"I got my first taste of the track during the pre-test and I found it really cool," says Hulkenberg. "You can get yourself in a great rhythm. I'm looking forward to the long stints in the race.
"I feel comfy in the Porsche 919 Hybrid, but I’ll learn a lot more during the race week."
Dumas dives down the inside of Davidson into the final chicane as they scrap for track position to start their flying laps. Both cars bounce across the first part of the chicane having gone in too hot.
Twitter
@Audi__Sport: "Track conditions look the best they have been so far today – but a lot of traffic now."
Davidson's on-board shows just how powerful the Porsche is as Dumas becomes a dot on the horizon down the Mulsanne straight.
The Toyota driver then nearly runs into trouble at the end of the Mulsanne, very nearly running into the back of an LMP2 car and having to run wide to avoid contact.
The Toyota driver then nearly runs into trouble at the end of the Mulsanne, very nearly running into the back of an LMP2 car and having to run wide to avoid contact.
Peter Mann has a quick spin in the #61 GTE Am AF Corse Ferrari. In more interesting (and quicker) news, there are a few personal best sectors being set. Drivers getting on with things with an hour to go.
Audi's tweet about traffic is very accurate - all but five of the 56 cars in action have taken to the track since the restart, and we're now into the final hour of free practice.
Oliver Turvey is out for the first time this week Jota Sport's Gibson-Nissan 015S. This time last year he wasn't even in Le Mans, but ended the weekend as an LMP2 winner.
The McLaren F1 test driver was set to drive the ADR-Delta-run Millennium Racing entry, which eventually withdrew. However, when Loic Duval crashed on Wednesday and Audi reserve Marc Gene was summoned from Jota, Turvey received a call.
He took the class lead in the final hour and was joined on the top step of the podium by Harry Tincknell and Simon Dolan.
"Last year was amazing, especially getting called up at the last minute and then ending up on the top step of the podium as a Le Mans LMP2 winner," he said.
"It was one of the greatest moments in my career."
The McLaren F1 test driver was set to drive the ADR-Delta-run Millennium Racing entry, which eventually withdrew. However, when Loic Duval crashed on Wednesday and Audi reserve Marc Gene was summoned from Jota, Turvey received a call.
He took the class lead in the final hour and was joined on the top step of the podium by Harry Tincknell and Simon Dolan.
"Last year was amazing, especially getting called up at the last minute and then ending up on the top step of the podium as a Le Mans LMP2 winner," he said.
"It was one of the greatest moments in my career."
Scott Sharp, the 1996 IndyCar co-champion, is on track in the #30 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ligier. It's his first appearance at Le Mans for 18 years.
Duval's first flying lap gets the #8 Audi among the Porsches. He's up to second, 0.5s adrift of Webber's best from before the most recent red flag.
The #95 Aston improves in the hands of Nicki Thiim, and that makes the top five GTE cars all Pro entries.
Makowiecki has a decent lap in the #92 Porsche but doesn't improve and remains seventh in class.
Makowiecki has a decent lap in the #92 Porsche but doesn't improve and remains seventh in class.
Gary Hirsch is off in the Greaves Motorsport LMP2 entry, handy bit of oversteer coming through the final chicane onto the front straight. He's managing to reverse the car away from the barriers through the gravel.
Rain
Rain is being reported at Arnage corner and in the Porsche Curves.
An improvement for the #63 Corvette as Garcia lowers the lead C7.R's best time to 3m58.501s to go third overall.
Breaking news
The good news is that the monocoque of the Murphy ORECA appears to be okay — and Patterson is fine, too.
The Irish team — from Northamptonshire! — is setting to with repairs, but it's doubtful that we're going to see the car again today.
The Irish team — from Northamptonshire! — is setting to with repairs, but it's doubtful that we're going to see the car again today.
Rain
And now the rain has made it to the pit straight as well. Plenty of cars abandoning their runs and coming in.
With Paul-Loup Chatin at the wheel, the Signatech Alpine ORECA-Nissan 03R has made a trip through one of the chicane escape roads on Mulsanne.
Nakajima is on track at the wheel of the #1 Porsche. His participation at Le Mans was very much in doubt at the start of last month following a crash at Spa.
The #26 G-Drive Racing (OAK) entry has been issued a mechanical black flag. Rusinov is behind the wheel, the car is currently third in LMP2.
Wandering around the paddock is Jonathan Cochet, once a Courage works driver here at Le Mans and a Formula 1 test driver with Renault back in the day.
He hasn't raced this year and revealed that he had a couple of deals in the offing for the World Endurance Championship this year. The problem was he was reclassified from silver to gold at the last minute over the winter, and his deals fell over.
Not a bad little pedaller was Cochet in his day. You might remember him winning the Marlboro Masters of F3 at Zandvoort back in 2000.
He hasn't raced this year and revealed that he had a couple of deals in the offing for the World Endurance Championship this year. The problem was he was reclassified from silver to gold at the last minute over the winter, and his deals fell over.
Not a bad little pedaller was Cochet in his day. You might remember him winning the Marlboro Masters of F3 at Zandvoort back in 2000.
Nothing happening in GTE Pro beyond Davide Rigon briefly emerging in the #71 AF Corse Ferrari.
Here's the sharp end of that class with half an hour left:
1. #99 Aston Martin 3m58.106s
2. #97 Aston Martin 3m58.448s
3. #63 Corvette 3m58.501s
4. #64 Corvette 3m58.880s
5. #91 Porsche 3m59.892s
And in GTE Am:
1. #98 Aston Martin 4m00.307s
2. #88 Abu Dhabi-Proton Porsche 4m02.029s
3. #53 Riley Dodge Viper 4m03.287s
Here's the sharp end of that class with half an hour left:
1. #99 Aston Martin 3m58.106s
2. #97 Aston Martin 3m58.448s
3. #63 Corvette 3m58.501s
4. #64 Corvette 3m58.880s
5. #91 Porsche 3m59.892s
And in GTE Am:
1. #98 Aston Martin 4m00.307s
2. #88 Abu Dhabi-Proton Porsche 4m02.029s
3. #53 Riley Dodge Viper 4m03.287s
Yellow flag
Race control briefly informs us of a yellow flag on the approach to the first chicane on Mulsanne. But the track is now clear.
Stopwatch
Dumas goes fastest on a 3m21.164s in the #18 Porsche, relegating the #17 Porsche to second. But replays show that he cut the chicane while lapping a GTE car.
No change in LMP2 lately, with just over half of the runners currently on track. The KCMG entry is still 1.845 seconds clear at the top of the order, over Thiriet by TDS Racing, the #26 G-Drive Racing (OAK) entry, Extreme Speed Motorsport's #30 and the Strakka Racing entry.
Twitter
@Oreca: "#MurphyMen working hard on the car. Hope to be back before the end of qualifying session."
Dumas returns to the pits in the #18 Porsche.
With just over 15 minutes of the four-hour free practice session remaining, here's how things stand:
1 #18 Porsche, 3m21.164s
2 #17 Porsche, +0.198s
3 #8 Audi, +0.786s
4 #19 Porsche, +1.655s
5 #7 Audi, +1.887s
6 #9 Audi, +2.316s
7 #1 Toyota, +3.599s
8 #2 Toyota, +4.373s
9 #12 Rebellion, +7.277s
10 #13 Rebellion, +14.154s
1 #18 Porsche, 3m21.164s
2 #17 Porsche, +0.198s
3 #8 Audi, +0.786s
4 #19 Porsche, +1.655s
5 #7 Audi, +1.887s
6 #9 Audi, +2.316s
7 #1 Toyota, +3.599s
8 #2 Toyota, +4.373s
9 #12 Rebellion, +7.277s
10 #13 Rebellion, +14.154s
The #18 Porsche is back out on track, with Jani having taken over from Dumas.
Bruni's on track and improving the #51 Ferrari's times. Last year's winner not yet showing its hand, but then it is only practice.
Movement from the #92 Porsche though - Pilet goes fourth on a 3m58.702s.
Movement from the #92 Porsche though - Pilet goes fourth on a 3m58.702s.
And Pedro Lamy has further cemented the #98 Aston Martin's position at the top of GTE Am. He goes fifth overall in GTE on a 3m58.783s.
As the track dries again, we have movement in LMP2. Lancaster has moved Greaves Motorsport up to third, albeit still 2.266 seconds behind KCMG, while the Honda-powered OAK Racing Ligier is now fifth, thanks to Vanthoor.
Stanaway's getting in the groove, and posts the first time in the 3m57s today.
The #99 Vantage's best is now a 3m57.547s atop GTE Pro, that's almost a second clear of the #97.
The #99 Vantage's best is now a 3m57.547s atop GTE Pro, that's almost a second clear of the #97.
Unsurprisingly, the stewards are taking a look at the lap on which Dumas set the fastest time in the #18 Porsche as he cut the chicane while passing a GTE car. There has to be a good chance that lap will be deleted.
Even quicker from Stanaway that time through, personal-best first and second sectors lowering the #99 car's time to a 3m57.302s.
The shuffling continues as the #92 Porsche jumps to third, Pilet setting a 3m58.469s.
Vanthoor has improved again, he's put the OAK Racing Ligier-Honda JSP2 in second place, 1.414s behind Bradley's earlier time in the KCMG entry.
The #64 Corvette improves, Tommy Milner taking the Chevy to second in GTE Pro on a 3m57.539s. That briefly takes him a few tenths off Stanaway...
Yellow flag
Race control informs us there is a yellow flag in the vicinity of Mulsanne corner. No sign of why yet, though.
Yellow flag
Apparently, it's the #27 BRE-Nissan BR01 driven by Markozov that has stopped and caused the yellow.
...in GTE Pro, Stanaway is on fire. His latest lap is a stunning effort - 3m55.895s. Hooked the lap up beautifully.
That's significantly quicker than anything from the test day, although a couple of seconds shy of last year's pole time.
That's significantly quicker than anything from the test day, although a couple of seconds shy of last year's pole time.
The #19 Porsche has stopped early after encountering rim damage. The team doesn't want to eat into the tyres it has allocated for qualifying and parked the car.
By: Glenn Freeman, Edd Straw, Scott Mitchell, Mitchell Adam, AUTOSPORT staff, Gary Watkins
Published:
Page:
