Le Mans 24 Hours - Final Thursday Qualifying

And away we go - it's still dry and the cars are out on track for the final 2 hours of track action before Saturday.

The Peugeot boys looked set to bang heads for pole - Audi looked disinterested or unable to respond

The P2 pole battle is about to get very serious 

In GT1 Leinders looks set to challenge 5 times GT1 polesetter Tomas Enge's mark and in GT2 literally anything could happen - Game on!

McNish is in the #7 Audi on track ahead of the three factory 908s

Risi though will not be taking part in any Thursday evening shenanigans - the #83 car is done and the #82 will not be posting any hero times tonight with its race engine and gearbox already installed.

Simonsen is the first improver - the #89 Ferrari up into 11th in GT2

The JMW Aston is out on track for this session after missing the earlier 2 hours with an engine/ gearbox change

The Corvette Racing boys are the first of the top runners to mount a challenge - Gavin takes the #64 car up to third in GT2, pipping the sister car.

Danny Watts grabs provisional pole for Strakka - 3:33.975 14th fastest overall - What has Highcroft got in response?  

Erdos makes it an HPD powered 1,2,3 in LMP2 with a 3:41.677

Simonsen improves again - 9th in class now for the #89 Hankook Farnbachr Ferrari

The Corvettes both pop under 4 minutes and grab second and third in GT2 as a result - Gavin ahead of Magnussen - Gavins time a 3:59.435 - 2 tenths off Brunis mark from yesterday

Pla improves his time but not on his 4th in LMP2 - 21st overall grid position.

Audi starts a run? Marcel Fassler in the #8 Audi - 3:23.605 is the first improvement in time from any of the top 10. And fassler set the fastest third sector of the day in doing it.

McNish is going quickly - not quick enough for pole but 3:22.814 pops him ahead of the other two R15s 5th fastest

McNish continues onto another lap - it looks quicker again

Grosjean pops up in third in GT1 in the #60 Matech Ford - 3:56.041

3:22.176 - much faster from McNish but no improvement on his 5th fastest slot

Danny Watts stretches his LMP2 advantage - 3:33.079is around 1.5 seconds up on the Highcroft HPD

Cocker splits the HPDs in the Drayson Lola - 15th fastest

Grosjean closer still to GT1 pole - 3:55.583 - half a second down now.

Erdos improves too - under 3:40 as Lahaye (#35 Oak Pescarolo) leapfrogs Pla to grab 4th in LMP2

Audi are changing the front nosecone on the #7 Audi - and they do the same for Fassler in #8

Cocker makes another big improvement to move ahead of both HPDs - 14th now with a 3:31.862

Still dry - still fast - and 90 minutes remaining

Pla goes back to 4th in LMP2 - 3:40.532

Oliver Gavin tells RLM that its still damp in places at the Ford Chicane.

Konopka spins the #88 Felbermayr Porsche harmlessly at the Dunlop Bridge

We have a little bit of rain on the pit straight - That may be it as far as truly fast times are concerned.

Kristensen into the #7 car as heavier rain is beginning to fall

Hideki Noda improves the time for the KSM Lola Judd - its climbing up the order - No harm no foul for either - Careful Hideki! He improves again but gets a bit of air over the kerbs at the Ford Chicane - Really careful Hideki! 25th overall and 7th in LMP2

There are spins for Bryce Miller in the JMW Aston at the Dunlop Chicane and for Jean Alesi in the #95 AF Corse Ferrari at the Ford Chicane - No harm no foul for either.

We won't see the #13 Rebellion Lola again this evening, the accident earlier for Bouillon has left the tub with a small hole which will need to be fixed before Saturday's race

A big improvement from Karim Ojjeh in the #41 Bruichladdich Zytek 3:53 lifts it up to 27th - The WR improves time but not position too.

Further ahead though the #12 Rebellion Lola has an Andretti besting Mansell, 3:34 for Marco up to 17th overall.

The #24 Oak Pescarolo has stopped on circuit, no power apparently availabld - Ryan Dalziel meanwhile has improved the time for the still dead last Jaguar - 4:12.902, The Prospeed Porsche though extends its advantage with a 4:10.2  - Dalziel pops in a 4:12.4 - Nope, no matter how hard I try It's just not that exciting is it?

Alesi spins luridly under braking into the Dunlop Chicane - That GT2 pole looks out of his reach.

The #15 Kolles Aud pits with most of its left rar wheel missing.

Rockenfeller is on a quick one as we get into the final 30 minutes - the #9 Audi falls short of improving though.

Kariim Ojjeh does improve though up to seventh in class, 3:51.1 for the Bruichladdich man.

The Prospeed Porsche has gone faster again - and ahead of the #88 Felbermayr Porsche into 53rd

Rockenfeller pops in with a 3:21.981 - fastest Audi time so far and ahead of McNish for fifth - this session may not be done yet

Nicolas Prost improves in the #12 Rebellion - splitting the HPDs - 16th overall.

The Strakka HPD is packed away for the night as Minassian starts another very quick run - 3:21.379 isn't quite good enough though.

Now it's Bourdais's turn - as Oreca put a set of new rubber on Lapierre's 908.

3:20.212 is the fastest time of the day as Bourdais scores the first and second fastest time of the meeting with 7 minutes remaining - He's the Papa at present.

Minassian is very quick too at the moment  - its a 3:20.961 - no improvement for Quick Nic  

Ayari picks up a place - up to 10th overall, leapfrogging the #008 Lola Aston 3:29.506.

4 minutes and its a duel between Lapierre and Bourdais - Lapierre sets the fastest time of the meeting in the first sector but drops time in the second - Bourdais though is absolutely flying - his second sector is the best of the meeting - Lapierre bales on that lap and continues around - Bourdais almost bins it into the Ford Chicane but goes through the gravel and pits on that lap.

Davidson and Lapierre are both still flying though - They'll need to find time in the final sector though where the 908s have been weakest - They boith pit - It seems the story Peugeot want is a local boy on pole!

Dindo Capello hopped out after the chequered flag and was straight into a discussion with Tom, Allan and H on the pitwall, well away from the Audi garage interestingly.  "The track was quite OK at the end, actually it was fast.  We were doing long runs with the tyres and on a full tank and old tyres the balance stayed really good.  We were not going to chase the Peugeots, we had got to finish our work.  I think Allan set our best final sector tonight.  We are much closer now and we are much more confident that we can push the Peugeots now."

Peugeot have been mighty  - They end up with a 1,2,3,4 - But Audi are reasonably close.

In LMP2 the HPD pair end the session 1,2 (with the RML Lola HPD 3rd - Strakka and Danny Watts will be delighted with their class pole.

Tomas Enge scores the last ever GT1 pole position - His sixth ahead of a pair of Ford GTs

Risi start their defence well with Bruni scoring pole for the #52 squad - But the Corvettes are proving to be very fast too - This will be a battle to watch from the off.

Lots of food for thought for the race ahead - Peugeot are very, very fast - But Audi are canny!

HPD are very fast too - But can they do the distance?

Its old vs new in GT1 - The new boys might have the speed - but do they have the endurance?

And you could throw a blanket over the GT2 pack - 2010's Le mans 24 Hours could still throw up a classic.