The official Porsches set the pace for this day of testing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Unsurprisingly, Toyota and Ferrari also seem at ease. The Alpine and the Peugeot were discreet on the clock side.
Six hours is the time the 62 competitors had this Sunday to conduct their tests before the first official session on Wednesday. No time to waste: beginner drivers must be qualified (they have ten laps to complete), it’s time to solve the last technical problems, to carry out consumption tests and to fine-tune the car’s settings. It’s a lot of work to do while giving the three drivers who make up the crew time to run, juggling safety procedure tests planned by the sporting authorities, and possible session interruptions.
Rahel Frey (Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 Evo2 #85 Iron Dames)
Former Formula 1 driver Brendon Hartley started the afternoon at a strong pace (3’27”921 from his first flying lap) at the wheel of the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid. Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6) set the provisional best time two laps later in 3’26”907. Oliver Jarvis placed the #22 Oreca at the front of the LMP2 field in 3’34”704. In the LMGT3, the 4-minute lap mark was crossed by a few competitors at the very start of the session.
The red flag was waved at 4:16 p.m. following Stéphane Richelmi’s exit from the track in the Indianapolis corner (Oreca 07-Gibson #10 Vector Sport). Meanwhile, the Akkodis ASP Team was working on the #78 Lexus, which was plagued with clutch problems. It is even more serious for the BMW Hypercar #15 which spent the first two hours of testing immobilized for a change of the Bavarian brand’s P66/3 V8, before taking to the track at the start of the last hour.
The top 5 in the general classification at the end of the second session:
1. Porsche 963 #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport – Kévin Estre / André Lotterer / Laurens Vanthoor – 3’26”907
2. Porsche 963 #4 Porsche Penske Motorsport – Mathieu Jaminet / Felipe Nasr / Nick Tandy – 3’27”142
3. Toyota GR010 Hybrid #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing – Sébastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa – 3’27”615
4. Porsche 963 #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport – Matt Campbell / Michael Christensen / Frédéric Makowiecki – 3’27”773
5. Ferrari 499P #50 Ferrari AF Corse – Antonio Fuoco / Miguel Molina / Nicklas Nielsen – 3’28”014
The best times in the other two categories:
- LMP2: Oreca 07-Gibson #22 United Autosports – Oliver Jarvis / Bijoy Garg / Nolan Siegel – 3’34”704
- LMGT3: Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R #82 TF Sport – Hiroshi Koizumi / Sébastien Baud / Daniel Juncadella – 3’59”883
The cars will only return to the track on Wednesday, but you will be able to admire them up close from Tuesday during the pit visit (2 p.m. – 6 p.m., signing session from 2 to 3 p.m.). Accessible with a simple General Enclosure ticket.
Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota #7) went off the track at the end of the day this Sunday.
Prudencio CASALES (ACO)
