Toyota takes pole position for the 24h of Le Mans
Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Kamui Kobayashi lit up the crowd at the Circuit de la Sarthe on Thursday evening during the second 24 Hours of Le Man qualifying session with an epic lap of 3:14.791 (251.882km/h average) in the #7 Toyota Hybrid.
The new overall lap record was set shortly after green flag conditions resumed on the course following a 51-minute red flag period to repair the barrier at the first Mulsanne chicane. The #33 Ligier driven by Erik Maris went off in that chicane shortly after the session began.
As a result of the extended red flag period, race control added 30 minutes onto the session, which was scheduled to end at 21:00.
The #8 Toyota had an oil pressure problem before the red flag. Sébastien Buemi was able to get the car back to the pits. The team opted to change the engine as a precautionary measure and did not return to the track until the very end of the session.
This left the #1 and #2 Porsche 919 Hybrids to take up the second and third quickest spots in LMP1. A 3:17.259 from Neel Jani put the #1 second in class, followed by Timo Bernhard, who turned a 3:18.067 in the #2.
Vitaly Petrov set a new LMP2 lap record in the #25 CEFC Manor TRS Racing ORECA. The Russian entered a 3:25.549 not long after Kobayashi’s record lap.
The #38 ORECA from Jackie Chan DC Racing split the CEFC Manor TRS Racing teammates by setting the second quickest lap, a 3:26.776. The #24 ORECA was third, having set a time of 3:26.871.
Jonny Adam was responsible for the quickest time in LMGTE Pro. His #97 Aston Martin sits at the top of the class with a 3:51.860.
AF Corse continues to be Aston Martin’s biggest challenger. The #51 Ferrari set the second quickest time (3:52.087).
The #95 Aston Martin completed the top three with a 3:52.117, which was set in yesterday’s qualifying session.
Ferrari got the best of Aston Martin in LMGTE Am, however. Will Stevens set a new lap record for the category. The #84 Ferrari entered by JMW Motorsport stopped the clocks at 3:53.981.
This came just before the session ended 10 minutes early for the #23 Ligier in the gravel at Tertre Rouge.
Yesterday’s quickest LMGTE Am car, the #90 TF Sport Aston Martin, ended the session in second thanks to Dries Vanthoor and his lap of 3:54.319.
A factory Aston Martin, the #98 driven by Pedro Lamy, was third. His best was a 3:54.456.
| 1 | #7 | Pit | Toyota Gazoo Racing | KOBAYASHI Kamui | 3:14.791 | P1 | |
| 2 | #8 | Run | Toyota Gazoo Racing | NAKAJIMA Kazuki | 3:17.128 | 2.337 | P1 |
| 3 | #1 | Run | Porsche LMP Team | LOTTERER André | 3:17.259 | 2.468 | P1 |
| 4 | #2 | Run | Porsche LMP Team | HARTLEY Brendon | 3:18.067 | 3.276 | P1 |
| 5 | #9 | Run | Toyota Gazoo Racing | LAPIERRE Nicolas | 3:18.625 | 3.834 | P1 |
Source:http://www.lemans.org
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