Silverstone WEC: Toyota locks out front row for 2019/20 opener
Toyota dominated qualifying for the 2019/20 World Endurance Championship opener at Silverstone despite a double weight penalty imposed ahead of the new season
Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi took the pole aboard the #7 Toyota TS050 HYBRID by exactly three tenths of a second from the sister car qualified by Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi.
The best of the privateers, which have benefited from a 28kg increase in the minimum weight of the Toyotas for 2019/20, was the #1 Rebellion-Gibson R-13 a further two tenths back in the hands of Bruno Senna and Gustavo Menezes.
Conway paid credit to the Toyota team after qualifying, revealing that the car had been rebuilt around a new monocoque overnight.
The TS050 he and Kobayashi share with Jose Maria Lopez was found to have sustained chassis damage after Kobayashi spun across the kerbs at Becketts as the result of minor contact with one of the Rebellions in second practice.
"Thanks to the team for their work overnight," said Conway.
"All in all it was a decent lap from me and then a great lap from Kamui to secure the pole."
Conway headed the times after the first runs with a 1m36.038s, before Kobayashi set the fast time of the session with a 1m35.992s.
That gave them a 1m36.015s average, which compared with the 1m36.315s from Nakajima and Buemi.
Menezes set the fastest time by a privateer with the 1m36.521s, which shaded Senna's best by just seven hundredths.
They ended up on a 1m36.560s average, which was half a second quicker than the 1m37.024s from team-mates Nathanael Berthon and Pipo Derani in the sister Rebellion.
The two Ginetta-AER G60-LT-P1s ended up fifth and sixth.
Mike Simpson and Oliver Jarvis were only two tenths behind the second Rebellion with a 1m37.220s average.
Ben Hanley set the fastest Ginetta lap in the second of the G60s in which he and Robertson ended up on 1m37.464s.
Racing Team Nederland drivers Giedo van der Garde and Job van Uitert look pole in LMP2 aboard their TDS Racing-run ORECA-Gibson 07 on Michelin tyres.
Their 1m40.948s average put them seven tenths up on United Autosports ORECA drivers Paul di Resta and Phil Hanson.
The Jota-run Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA qualified by Will Stevens and Gabriel Aubry was the first Goodyear runner in third place.
Ferrari blocked out the top two positions in GTE Pro, James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi taking the pole from team-mates Davide Rigon and Miguel Molina by a shade over a tenth.
Calado was just behind Molina after the first runs before Pier Guidi set the fastest lap of the GTE session, which gave them a 1m54.171s average in their AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo.
That compared with Rigon and Molina's 1m54.302s.
Alex Lynn and and Maxime Martin took third for Aston Martin with a 1m54.992s average in their Vantage GTE.
Gianmaria Bruni, who had a spin at Abbey halfway through the session as the result of a puncture, and Richard Lietz took third in the second-generation Porsche 911 RSR on 1m55.067s.
Reigning champions Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen brought up the rear of the six-car GTE Pro field in their Porsche.
Charlie Eastwood and Salih Yoluc took GTE Am qualifying honours in the TF Sport Aston.
Qualifying result
Pos | Class | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | LMP1 | M.Conway, K.Kobayashi, J.M.Lopez | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota | 1m36.015s |
2 | LMP1 | S.Buemi, K.Nakajima, B.Hartley | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota | 0.300s |
3 | LMP1 | B.Senna, G.Menezes, N.Nato | Rebellion Racing | Rebellion/Gibson | 0.545s |
4 | LMP1 | N.Berthon, P.Derani, L.Duval | Rebellion Racing | Rebellion/Gibson | 1.009s |
5 | LMP1 | M.Simpson, O.Jarvis, G.Smith | Team LNT | Ginetta/AER | 1.205s |
6 | LMP1 | C.Robertson, B.Hanley, E.Orudzhev | Team LNT | Ginetta/AER | 1.449s |
7 | LMP2 | F.van Eerd, G.van der Garde, J.van Uitert | Racing Team Nederland | ORECA/Gibson | 4.933s |
8 | LMP2 | P.Hanson, F.Albuquerque, P.Di Resta | United Autosports | ORECA/Gibson | 5.668s |
9 | LMP2 | H-Pin Tung, G.Aubry, W.Stevens | Jackie Chan DC Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 5.961s |
10 | LMP2 | N.Lapierre, A.Borga, A.Coigny | COOL Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 6.002s |
11 | LMP2 | T.Laurent, A.Negrao, P.Ragues | Signatech Alpine Elf | Alpine/Gibson | 6.201s |
12 | LMP2 | M.Patterson, K.Yamashita, A.Fjordbach | High Class Racing | ORECA/Gibson | 6.399s |
13 | LMP2 | R.Gonzalez, A.Davidson, A.F.da Costa | JOTA | ORECA/Gibson | 6.870s |
14 | LMP2 | R.Lacorte, A.Belicchi, G.Sernagiotto | Cetilar Racing | Dallara/Gibson | 7.348s |
15 | GTE Pro | J.Calado, A.P.Guidi | AF Corse | Ferrari | 18.156s |
16 | GTE Pro | D.Rigon, M.Molina | AF Corse | Ferrari | 18.287s |
17 | GTE Pro | A.Lynn, M.Martin | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 18.977s |
18 | GTE Pro | G.Bruni, R.Lietz | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 19.052s |
19 | GTE Pro | M.Sorensen, N.Thiim | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 19.134s |
20 | GTE Pro | M.Christensen, K.Estre | Porsche GT Team | Porsche | 19.478s |
21 | GTE Am | S.Yoluc, C.Eastwood, J.Adam | TF Sport | Aston Martin | 20.019s |
22 | GTE Am | E.Perfetti, D.Kolkmann, M.Cairoli | Team Project 1 | Porsche | 20.356s |
23 | GTE Am | P.D.Lana, D.Turner, R.Gunn | Aston Martin Racing | Aston Martin | 20.454s |
24 | GTE Am | F.Perrodo, E.Collard, N.Nielsen | AF Corse | Ferrari | 20.474s |
25 | GTE Am | T.Flohr, F.Castellacci, G.Fisichella | AF Corse | Ferrari | 20.727s |
26 | GTE Am | C.Ried, M.Campbell, R.Pera | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche | 21.336s |
27 | GTE Am | T.Preining, G.Giraudi, R.Sanchez | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche | 21.492s |
28 | GTE Am | B.Grimes, J.Mowlem, C.Hollings | Red River Sport | Ferrari | 21.919s |
29 | GTE Am | M.Wainwright, A.Watson, B.Barker | Gulf Racing | Porsche | 22.184s |
30 | GTE Am | M.Ishikawa, O.Beretta, K.Cozzolino | MR Racing | Ferrari | 22.321s |
31 | GTE Am | B.Keating, F.Fraga, J.Bleekemolen | Team Project 1 | Porsche | - |
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