24h Le Mans
The 85th 24 Hours of Le Mans is all set to start tomorrow at 15:00. Before the 60 competitors are released for 24 hours of exciting endurance action, let’s take a closer look at some of the key facts and figures from free practice and the qualifiers.
Kamui Kobayashi (#7) made the most of a clean lap when the second qualifying session resumed on Thursday evening, smashing the previous best and claiming the pole position for Toyota. The Japanese driver was constantly on the front foot from the start of the Mulsanne Straight through to the Porsche curves, and finished with a flourish through the Ford chicanes. He pulverised the previous lap record on the current track layout, held by Neel Jani since the 2015 qualifiers (3:16.887). He also eclipsed the fastest average speed over a lap, regardless of layout, clocked by Hans Stuck in a Porsche 962 back in 1985. Kobayashi covered the 13.629 km at an average of 251.882 kph!
The fastest qualifying lap was not the only record that fell on the day. Every class saw a new benchmark set! In LMP2, G-Drive Racing’s Alex Lynn (#26 Oreca 07) shattered the lap time (3:30.363) set by Jos Verstappen with the RS Spyder for the Van Merksteijn outfit nine years ago. The Englishman went around in 3:25.352, lopping more than five seconds off the old mark.
In LMGTE Pro, the previous record was set by Dirk Müller in a Ford GT just last year (3:51.185). Aston Martin’s Darren Turner completed a lap in 3:50.837! No Ford driver, however, managed to better last year’s time, even if the #69 crew went close in 3:51.232.
The Circuit de la Sarthe is a dream circuit for many drivers with its long straights where lightning-fast speeds can be achieved. During Wednesday and Thursday’s sessions, the #4 Enso CLM P1/01 with its Nismo engine from the 2015 Nissan GT-R LM clocked the highest speed at the checkpoint. 340.2 kph for Oliver Webb.
The next fastest LMP1 driver was André Lotterer at 334.9 kph in the #1 Porsche, but four LMP2 drivers went even quicker. Why do LMP2s clock faster speeds than hybrid LMP1s? Read here! In LMGTE Pro, three Fords topped the speed standings. The #66 and #68 Ford GTs even topped the 300 kph barrier (300.5 kph for Stefan Mücke and Joey Hand).
This is the gap between the fastest qualifier, the #7 Toyota TS050, and the backmarker in the LMP1 class, the Enso CLM P1/01. In LMP2, 22 cars went around within ten seconds per lap of each other. The gaps are even tinier in LMGTE Pro, with six cars within one second, and all 13 cars entered within two seconds of each other. The same applies to LMGTE Am with five cars inside the same second. Note that we shall have a “perfect” grid for the 85th 24 Hours of Le Mans with all the competitors following each other in class order. All the LMP1s will be at the front, ahead of the LMP2s which will be followed in turn by the LMGTE Pros and, finally, the LMGTE Ams bringing up the rear.
Photo: The battle promises to be fierce in LMGTE Pro where the new Porsche 911 (pictured) will surely be in the mix.
