Le Mans 24 Hours, Free Practice - 16.00-20.00

Wednesday June 13, 2012

15:32 We're just under 30 minutes from green flag here at Le Mans. Grandstands and media centre are filling up. Everyone is ready to get it going.

15:48 First cars are on pit lane - last adjustments being made before the start of the session.

15:56 4 minutes and counting...

15:59 Cars rolling towards the end of the pit. 30 seconds before the lights go green.

16:00 GREEN FLAG!

16:02 Of course we're also live on Twitter via @dscracelive and if you want to know what livery a car has, check www.spotterguides.com for Andy Blackmore's brilliant Simraceway 24 Hours of Le Mans 2012 Spotter Guide.

16:07 Many cars on installation lap and back into the pits. The engine cover on on the #46 has come off.

16:07 Looks like a regular check...nothing serious.

16:08 Dindo is the first one with a full timed lap - Capello, followed by the other Audi's. 3:36 the fastest time by Duval.

16:08 As the Extreme Limite ARIC Norma stopped in the pit and is now pushed down pitlane.

16:12 Loïc Duval has gone quickest - a 3:3.506 for the #3 Audi. As the DeltaWing Nissan is out on track. Brendon Hartley to the top in LMP2 for Murphy (3:51.565).

16:19 3:30.914 for Loïc Duval already - this ist just 20 minutes into the first session. What was that target laptime again?

16:20 Norma is having electronic battery troubles - says our source in the pits.

16:21 The #99 Aston Martin is on its way out - meaning all cars have been out now.

16:22 Olivier Lombard now quickest in LMP2 - 3:47.252.

16:23 Wurz now second fastest in the #7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid - and setting fastest sector times.

16:24 Reports that the Greaves Motorsport Zytek Nissan has gone straight at the Michelin chicane (2nd Mulsanne chicane)

16:27 Three Oreca's now on top in LMP2 - Christophe Tinseau in the #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing car quickest (3:44.944). Makowiecki quickest in GTE Pro (4:00.576)

16:28 Toyota is playing the Audi game it seems. Fastest sector times in sectors 1 and 2 - before pitting or aborting a lap.

16:29 And then Anthony Davidson completes a lap - 3:30.162! 0.752s quicker than the Audi of Duval.

16:30 Improvement by Tinseau - 3:43.582. Nygaard, last weekends ADAC GT Masters Race 2 winner, takes the #99 Aston Martin Vantage to first in GTE Am.

16:30 Yellow flags as the Davidson Toyota has stopped on the Mulsanne Straight!

16:31 Stopped between first and second chicane.

16:32 And we're back to green flag - not sure if that means it's behind the barrier or that it has continued under its own power.

16:33 Treluyer pops up into third.

16:36 Dindo Capello pops up into second position - 0.458s behind Davidson's lap time.

16:36 #8 Toyota now shown with an S on the timing screen - so that is confirmed as stopped on track.

16:37 And Tréluyer has just broken into the 3:29s! 3:29.635 for the Frenchman in the #1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro.

16:39 Yellow flags at the Forza Chicane (first Mulsanne chicane) - and gone already.

16:40 Larbre Corvette #70 taking a detour through the gravel there.

16:40 The Toyota #8 apparently suffered a minor fire on the Mulsanne - hence it's stopped.

16:41 Capello and Tréluyer are now both in the 3:28s. #2 leads the pack - 3:28.787.

16:42 Power train issue for the #8 Toyota - team hoping to get it back in before the end of the session.

16:43 Ryan Dalziel goes quickest in LMP2 - 3:41.953 for the Starworks Motorsport HPD.

16:43 The Norma is out on the track as well - battery issue sorted then. As the #51 AF Corse Ferrari goes quickest in GTE Pro (Vilander - 3:58.933)

16:44 Duval goes quickest in sector 3 - and we're back to an Audi 1-2-3-4 again at the moment. And still no rain ;-)

16:46 Aston Martin now fourth in GTE Pro and second in GTE Am - as Sean Edwards goes quickest in GTE Am.

16:47 Tinseau 3:41.899 - quickest in LMP2 for TDS Racing by Thiriet again.

16:48 Alex Wurz goes quickest - 3:28.459 for the Austrian in the #7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid.

16:49 Duval two tenths quicker in sector 1 than Wurz on his previous lap, but Wurz goes another two tenths quicker in that sector.

16:50 Sean Edwards improves to 4:01.721 and is now the fifth fastest GTE driver on the track. As Duval is about to improve his laptime.

16:51 A 94.5s last sector and Loïc Duval and he has put the #3 Audi R18 e-tron quattro on top.

16:52 AF Corse's Cadei has gone through the gravel trap as the Ford chicane.

16:53 Brief yellows at the Forza Chicane - Tracy Krohn spun his Ferrari and then rejoined.

16:55 AF Corse #71 (Bertolini) has also spun - and rejoined at the second Mulsanne chicane. As we get reports that Audi are preparing a gearbox in the pit.

16:55 Felbermayr-Proton #88 gone off at the Porsche Curves - and we have yellow flags!

16:56 Green flags again all around the circuit.

16:57 DeltaWing reported very slow at Tertre Rouge - on its outlap. And we now have the #28 Gulf Racing Middle East car straight at the second chicane.

16:58 Meanwhile we have had Duval going quickest in 3:27.833.

17:03 Marino Franchitti is in the pit lane - one thing is sure, the DeltaWing turns ;-)

17:06 Pierre Kaffer 3:41.181 - and quickest in LMP2. Allan Simonsen has gone quickest in GTE Am, as Lieb puts the #77 Felbermayr-Proton in second in the GTE Pro class.

17:07 Just two cars have not set a proper lap time, the DeltaWing (in after slow lap) and the #66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari (we're checking out what is going on there).

17:12 The #8 Toyota is back in the pit - that exhaust pipe didn't look good.

17:15 Aston Martin Vantage of Allan Simonsen is now second quickest GTE on track.

17:16 Spins for the #83 JMB Racing Ferrari and the #74 Corvette Racing USA Corvette. Both cars have continued and only lost time...

17:19 Murphy Prototypes Oreca 03 Nissan has also gone straight at the second chicane. And we're now hearing the #29 Gulf Racing Middle East Lola Nissan slow at Tertre Rouge - gearbox issues expected.

Next up - Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan in trouble at 2nd Mulsanne chicane - but continued after brief yellows.

17:22 Yellow flags at the second Mulsanne chicane as the #26 Signatech Nissan and #57 Krohn Racing cars are in the gravel trap there - possible incident?

17:22 Car 57 under investigation by race director!

17:25 Update on DeltaWing: "All kind of electrical issues going on at the moment that we're just working through. One of which is it keeps getting stuck in gear."

Update on JMW: Have race engine and gearbox in and today is the first day with a new paddle shift system. There is a gearbox issue that they are working through to be ulta sure before heading out there in case it caused damage.

17:27 Krohn car is back in the pits - Signatech Nissan #26 slow on the Mulsanne Straight - but also out of the gravel.

17:30 Loïc Duval has improved the fastest lap time - 3:27.671 for the #3 Audi.

17:31 "No further action regarding investigation of car 57"

17:32 3:40.809 for the #45 Boutsen Ginion Racing Oreca 03 Nissan is now the fastest lap time in the LMP2 class.

17:35 Car #81 (Perazzini) in the gravel - and now we have yellow flags at Mulsanne Corner for the #23 Signatech Nissan in the gravel there. Signatech Nissan team collecting gravel at the moment....

17:38 Norma slow on its way to the Porsche Curves - as Olivier Lombard is trying to get back on track.

17:38 Treluyer now quickest in 3:27.230. Audi 1-2 again.

17:39 Lombard using the roundabout at the Mulsanne Corner to get rid of the gravel instead of throwing it all over the track. Smart thinking there!

17:44 Bastien Brière wasn't on the top in LMP2 for long - Olivier Pla has gone quicker (3:40.727) before pitting.

17:45 Good news. The Nissan DeltaWing is back on track!

17:51 Impovement in time from Mathias Beche - but remains in fourth place. As Franchitti is onto his first proper lap in the Nissan DeltaWing. Should see the first time from that car coming up on the screens soon.

17:52 First timed lap for the #0 DeltaWing puts it in 39th overall - 3:59.373.

17:57 Improvement by Marino Franchitti - 3:53.646. 34th overall now.

18:00 Two hours gone, two hours left!

18:03 Kristian Poulsen spun the #99 Aston Martin Racing Vantage at the "S" de la Foret. Clipped the curbstones and spun, but continued his lap.

Nakajima just improved - 0.038s quicker than the previous fastest lap time of the #7 Toyota.

18:04 AF Corse-Waltrip Ferrari #61 has gone through the gravel trap at the Forza Chicane. Brian Vickers has managed to clear the gravel trap though and has continued his lap.

18:05 And now we have Perazzini going straight at the second chicane on the Mulsanne straight - not the best of sessions for the AF Corse drivers so far.

18:06 To add to that....#71 AF Corse Ferrari through the gravel trap at.....the first Mulsanne chicane. Marco Cioci behind the wheel of that car.

18:08 Luis Perez Companc has just come to a stop on the pit entry - not what he wanted. Pit entry now partially blocked by the #49 Pecom Racing Oreca 03 Nissan.

18:10 The #49 is pushed down pit lane by Pecom Racing mechanics. Pit lane entry clear again.

18:15 Capello just went second fastest overall with a lap time of 3:27.582. All Audi Sport Team Joest Audi's are in the 3:27's now.

18:17 For the first time today we have all LMP1 cars ahead of all LMP2 cars - as Collard puts the #16 Pescarolo Team Pescarolo #16 Pescarolo 03 Judd in 13th  - only a second ahead of the fastest LMP2 car though.

18:19 JMB Racing #83 has spun at the Ford chicane....and continue.

18:26 Danny Watts improved to 3:33.130 - seventh overall and first non-factory car. Melo meanwhile pops up into second in GTE, making it a GTE Pro top three again.

18:26 JMW Motorsport Ferrari is out on the track! As we have another spin for the #71 AF Corse Ferrari at the Forza Chicane...

18:27 Pierre Ragues second quickest in LMP2 - 3:40.734, just .007s slower than Olivier Pla!

18:29 Melo improving - and goes quicker in first two sectors - but runs a bit wide at Karting. Still takes first place in GTE Pro - 3:57.478!

The #77 Felbermayr-Proton Porsche is now reported slow on the Mulsanne straight.

18:33 It has just started raining here at Le Mans.

18:38 Jonny Cocker has spun the JMW Motorsport Ferrari - and has rejoined. As we have another AF Corse car straight on one of the Mulsanne chicanes (the #61 this time).

18:40 DeltaWing also gone straight - but continued at the Michelin Chicane. Currently 33rd overall.

18:42 Oliver Jarvis just set the fastest sector time of all in sector 2 - after Nakajima improved his fastest sector in sector 1.

18:43 And less than five minutes after going straight at the 2nd Mulsanne chicane - the #61 goes straight at 1st chicane.

18:44 The #61 AF Corse-Waltrip Ferrari and the #22 JRM HPD are now reported as being slow at the exit of the first Mulsanne chicane. No sign of that rain anymore though - which is good!

18:46 Danny Watts improves to a 3:31.651 in the other HPD - as we now have onboard shots of the #22 JRM car indeed being very slow.

18:46 AF Corse #51 has 'made contact and stopped' at the Porsche Curves - yellow flags out. Contact and Porsche Curves in one sentence is not good!

18:48 Karun Chandhok in the #22 has made it to the pits.

18:49 Yellows gone - back to green flag again all around the track.

18:50 Darren Turner has spun the #97 Aston at the Mulsanne corner it seems - nothing serious and the Vantage is back on its way.

18:53 Race control reports gravel on track "exit left hand side" of the Porsche Curves at MP115.

Oliver Jarvis into fourth overall - 3:27.885. All four Audi's are now in the 3:27s.

18:56 Race control now wants to see the team manager of Pescarolo Team #16. immediately!

19:06 Oliver Gavin has just gone third quickest in the GTE Pro class - 3:58.130.

19:08 JRM Update: Chandhok returned to the pit slowly after having a trip through the gravel - no suggestion anything broke in the car, just checking it over.

The Luxury Racing #58 has gone straight at the first Mulsanne chicane - continued.

Oliver Gavin takes second place in GTE Pro - 3:57.518!

19:12 Update on AF Corse #51: Car got hit at Porsche Curves - team doesn't know who hit them.

Yellow flags at Mulsanne corner - Christophe Bouchut #33 in the gravel.

Yellow flags at Indianapolis - Signatech-Nissan #23 contact.

19:13 Gavin improves...from 3:57.518 to 3:57.508.

19:20 Three faster sector times for Darren Turner puts the #97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage on top in LM GTE Pro.

19:21 Disturbing images of the #51 Ferrari coming into Parc Fermé...lot of damage to the rear end.

19:27 Mishaps for the #43 Norma and the #71 Ferrari. As the #4 Audi R18 ultra hammers the curbstones in the Ford Chicane.

19:28 3:43.995 for Satoshi Motoyama!!! Puts him into 29th.

Tracy Krohn has spun the #57 Ferrari 458 Italia at the Dunlop chicane.

19:32 Bourdais goes second fastest petrol - 3:34.035. Motoyama goes quicker in the DeltaWing - 3:34.576!

19:33 Tom Kimber-Smith (Starworks HPD) tops LMP2 - 3:40.596! As André Lotterer puts in a fastest sector 2 time.

19:35 Lotterer goes quickest with 26 minutes left in this session - 3:26.310!

19:36 As Kimber-Smith improves once more - 3:39.869. Over a second quicker than the #24 OAK Racing Morgan-Judd.

Darren Turner went straight at the 2nd Mulsanne chicane - on his outlap.

19:38 Thiriet by TDS Racing #46 through the gravel at the first Mulsanne chicane....followed by the Luxury Racing #58 at the second Mulsanne chicane.

All classes, except for LMP1, have beaten qualifying times from 2011.

19:40 Audi #2 in the pit - mechanics checking the hybrid system - and push the car back into the box.

19:43 André Lotterer has gone straight at the second chicane - no improvement there then ;-)

19:46 Tyre change for the Nissan DeltaWing...that's unusual ;-)

19:47 Pescarolo 03 Judd stopped at the second Mulsanne chicane - yellow flags.

19:53 McNish through the gravel at the "Ralentisseur Forza"

19:55 Yellow flags in first chicane right now - Larbre Corvette #50 in the gravel.

19:57 Sam Hancock moves up into second in LMP2 - 3:40.167.

19:58 Smoke from the #7 Toyota? As Lotterer puts in a 79.9 in the second sector - purple times.

20:00 A 3:25.163 with just a couple of seconds left - André Lotterer shows times will be very fast in qualifying later.

20:01 Gené also improves to a 3:27.494. Exactly a second behind the #2 Audi of McNish/Kristensen/Capello.

20:02 Having crossed the line before the chequered came out Lotterer is on a flyer - fastest sector 2 time. But we have a Corvette stalled on track at Ford Chicane.

20:03 Yellow flags withdrawn - can Lotterer improve once more?

20:05 So Audi 1-2-3-4 are 1-2-3-4. (Lotterer: 3:25.163)
Best petrol is the Strakka Racing HPD ARX-03a (Watts: 3:31.651)
LMP2: Starworks Motorsport HPD ARX-03b (Kimber-Smith: 3:39.669)
GTE Pro: Aston Martin Racing Aston Vantage (Turner: 3:57.036
GTE Am: Flying Lizard Porsche (Pilet: 3:58.267)

20:05 That concludes this session - more later tonight!