Le Mans 24 Hours practice and first qualifying
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Good afternoon and welcome to the first practice for the 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours.
There's plenty of questions that will begin to be answered today and most pressing will be how close the non-hybrid LMP1 cars will be to Toyota.
In LMP2, keep an eye out for the #26 G-Drive ORECA with Formula E championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne driving alongside Roman Rusinov and Andrea Pizzitola.
The two races Vergne has done with the squad have been victories in the World Endurance Championship opener at Spa and the European Le Mans Series race at Monza.
The two races Vergne has done with the squad have been victories in the World Endurance Championship opener at Spa and the European Le Mans Series race at Monza.
With GTE, Porsche and Ford looked the favourites at the Le Mans test day.
Autosport
But we've since had everyone's favourite topic rear its head again: Balance of Performance. 
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Autosport
Autosport has previewed the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the latest edition of the podcast: 
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And we have our first engine firing up in the pitlane. We're under five minutes from the session's start.
Cars are making their way down the pitlane.
It's 20 degrees Celsius in Le Mans with a 50% humidity, slightly overcast too.
Green flag
Le Mans practice begins!
LMP1
The two Toyotas and the two Rebellions are some of the first cars on track. Over half the grid is on their first lap.
Yellow flag
We have a yellow flag for the #5 Manor Ginetta, which has stopped on track.
Yellow flag
We also have the #37 Jackie Chan DC ORECA in the LMP2 class stopped on track, Jazeman Jaafar the man at the wheel making his Le Mans debut this year.
Slow Zone
The Ginetta is being pushed by the marshals now, with a yellow through sector one - Tetre Rouge.
LMP2
Jaafar has brought the #37 Jackie Chan DC car back to the pits. The car is being run by the Jota Sport squad, which won the class and finished second outright last year.
LMP1
Not that much should be taken from that time, but the current benchmark time is a 3m24.124s set by #8 Toyota driven by Sebastien Buemi.
GTE PRO
First GTE Pro times are on the board, but they're all currently north of four minutes. Tony Kanaan sets the early pace on board the #67 Ford GT.
Radio Comms
Race control is discussing the stranded Manor Ginetta.
“I have about eight marshals pushing car 5 at the apex of Turn 6 – we are under double yellows there.”
“I have about eight marshals pushing car 5 at the apex of Turn 6 – we are under double yellows there.”
Green flag
Slow zone is now cleared.
LMP1
The non-Toyota LMP1 runners are yet to set a representative time after almost 15 minutes of running.
LMP2
A lot of the quick drivers are in for the very start of practice. Filipe Albuquerque (#22 United Autosports) and 2013 event winner Loic Duval (#28 TDS Racing) are the two that have set times so far, but two-time Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya and 2012 Spanish Grand Prix winner Pastor Maldonado are also out on track.
LMP1
But the second-best Toyota is Mike Conway's 3m26.221s lap in the #7 car, just over two seconds down on Buemi.
LMP1
The two Toyotas are currently circulating one after another.
Race control has confirmed that the slow zone speeds are under investigation.
GTE PRO
First sub-4m lap in GTE Pro comes courtesy of Tommy Milner in the #64 Corvette with a 3m57.549s. Mike Rockenfeller makes it a one-two for the American brand, 2.5s back.
Stopwatch
Buemi's improved to a 3m21.449s in the #8 Toyota, 1.632s ahead of team-mate Conway.
GTE AM
Ex-F1 star Giancarlo Fisichella currently has the fastest time in GTE Am on board the #54 Spirit of Race Ferrari, a 3m58.760s.
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LMP2
Things are getting a little dicey on track, as Loic Duval muscles past the #29 Racing Team Netherland Dallara of Giedo van der Gaarde into the Ford Chicane. Duval, in the #28 TDS Racing ORECA, is currently second of the P2 runners, behind Albuquerque's #22 United Autosport Ligier.
LMP1
We're still waiting on a flying lap from the non-hybrid LMP1 cars, who have yet to do anything beyond installation laps.
LMP1
But now we have one: Lotterer's set a 3m27.848s lap for third in class and overall.
So that makes him 5.435s off the second-placed Toyota driver Conway.
So that makes him 5.435s off the second-placed Toyota driver Conway.
GTE PRO
Porsche takes control of GTE Pro with a 3m55.752s lap from Earl Bamber in the #93 car, Kanaan moves back into second with a time only 0.250s slower in the #67 Ford.
LMP2
Duval has now gone quicker than Albuquerque, but both are usurped for top spot by Tristan Gommendy in the #39 Graff-S024 ORECA, on a 3m28.979s.
LMP1
But Lotterer's improved significantly on his next flying lap with a 3m22.993s lap, he's just 1.544s behind Buemi's benchmark.
LMP1
So that's two Toyotas and the one Rebellion that have set flying laps in LMP1.
GTE PRO
Ford goes back on top in GTE Pro as Ryan Briscoe dips beneath the 3m55s mark for the first time in the #69 car, but it's the #68 machine of Joey Hand that leads now on a 3m53.744s.
GTE AM
In GTE Am, Fisichella has lost out to Project 1 Porsche man Jorg Bergmeister to the tune of a quarter of a second.
LMP1
Le Mans veteran and SMP Racing driver Stephane Sarrazin's first flying lap isn't anything to write home about just yet, his lap of 3m31.378s is 13th best overall.
LMP1
Buemi has returned to the track after a brief stop aboard the #8 Toyota.
By: Matt Beer
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