In the initial Hyperpole session for the LMGT3 and LMP2 cars, Porsche factory driver Laurin Heinrich, racing for #4 Crowdstrike by APR Oreca this weekend, was quickest for the opening part of the session in the LMP2 class.
The German duked it out for top honours with Oliver Gray in the #29 Forestier Racing by Panis Oreca, with Gray initially setting the fastest two sectors but falling away in the final sector allowing Heinrich to be quickest.
However, Tom Dillmann in the #43 Inter Europol Oreca then came through to set the session-topping time of 3:33.762, 0.127 up on Heinrich’s time. Gray, meanwhile, was 0.346 back.
However, importantly in Hyperpole 1 was the cars who wouldn’t progress to Hyperpole 2 to go for pole in both classes. In LMP2, this included Gregoire Saucy in the #22 United Autosports Oreca, plus teammate Oliver Jarvis in the sister United Autosports car, the #222, who had his fastest lap disallowed for track limits.
Also going out was Vladislav Lomko in the #26 Vector Sport Oreca, Theodor Jensen in the #37 CLX Oreca, who crashed mid way through the session at the second chicane causing a brief local yellow, and Kaku Ohta in the #15 Proton Competition Oreca.
In LMGT3 #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin’s Zach Robichon was quickest, with a 3:53.166, followed by Augusto Farfus in the #32 WRT BMW and #91 Manthey Porsche’s Ayhancan Guven.
Going out of the session was former F1 driver Logan Sargeant, Julien Hanses in the #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes, followed by teammate Rui Andrade in the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes, Francesco Castellacci onboard the #54 AF Corse Ferrari, who had a brief spin at Tertre Rouge mid way into the session, and finally Riccardo Pera in the #92 The Bend Manthey Porsche.
In the second Hyperpole session, the shootout for LMGT3 and LMP2 pole, Esteban Masson was top of the times for almost the entire session, onboard the #29 Forestier Racing by Panis Oreca.
The Frenchman initially set a 3:33.107, well over half a second faster than Job van Uitert in the #28 IDEC Sport who had set the first representative lap.
No one was able to beat this time through the session, but Masson wasn’t done. Further into the 10 minutes, he came through to set a further faster lap, a 3:32.855 to go, at the time, more than 3 quarters of a second up.
Jack Doohan, in the #24 Nielsen Racing Oreca, then slotted into second 0.655 off Masson, but he’d slip to third as van Uitert, in the dying moments of the session took second off the Australian, 0.387 adrift of Masson.
Nick Yelloly was fourth fastest in the #43 Inter Europol Oreca, while fifth was Alex Quinn in the #4 Crowdstrike by APR Oreca.
In LMGT3, Mattia Drudi, in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, initially set a 3:52.410 to top the session. However, the lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, meaning the Italian would have to do it all again.
And that he did, crossing the line to set a 3:52.433, beating his own lap record from last year and taking a second consecutive pole at Le Mans.
Second, almost a second adrift of Drudi, was Alessio Rovera in the #21 AF Corse Ferrari. Third, a further 2 tenths off Rovera, was Jose Maria Lopez in the #87 ASP Lexus.
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