LMS Barcelona - LMP Qualifying
Watts Powers To Pole For Strakka and Ginetta Zytek - Racing Box In LMP2

After a mildly frustrating GT qualifying session there was more to savour in the immediately following 20 minutes of LMP action.

The opening salvoes were fired by Olivier Panis, immediately into the 1:34s, a 1:34.566 his second effort.

Now we’d find out whether the Kolles Audis had kept anything in reserve? – The answer? Not much, Michael Krumm managing a lap in the mid 1:35s.  That wasn’t going to be nearly good enough.

So is it simply a matter of single seater men struggling in sportscars.  Apparently not, Bruno Senna was next up and he grabbed provisional pole with a 1:34.4.

That lasted mere moments though as Danny Watts powered round in the Strakka Ginetta Zytek – an astounding 1:32.492 gave the rest a mountain to climb.  And not only that, Watts lost a clear half second “trying to brake 23 metres later than ever before into the hairpin.” No real damage done to the pole bid as things turned out but the left front Michelin reportedly has a flat spot, and the car must start the race on the same rubber.

There were still big guns to be fired though, Darren Turner the first of them and he came close, still half a second away from Watts’ mark though in the #009 Lola Aston Martin, DT was looking set to go faster again though, with the fastest time of all thus far in the first sector, as a gaggle of quick men were making their way out on track with just seven minutes remaining of the session.

A mistake from Stuart Moseley though had seen the Bruichladdich Bruneau Radical slide off into the gravel and with the #28 IRS Courage slow on track (again!!) the red flag was flown, clock stopped and the chance for Turner was gone.

After a pause for the SR9 to be deposited safely out of harms way the session restarted with the #007 Lola Aston (Stefan Mucke) initially tracked by the #15 Audi, the R10 (Albers) though dropped back to give the Dutchman room for a qualifying run. 

Mucke’s shot at pole was ruined by a gearchange glitch which forced him to abandon the first run, slowing the car right down to reset the system, by the time he got back up to speed traffic had spoilt his chances at a clear run.  He’d still manage a 1:33.5 but that would only be good enough for 3rd.

Albers meanwhile had been even less successful than Mucke in his quest for racing room, 6th fastest was all the #15 Audi could manage after the Kolles team apparently tried something radical on their set-up for qualifying – and it was the wrong way to go.

Between those two were a couple of other real contenders, Jean Christophe Bouillon’s #16 Pescarolo coming very close indeed to ousting the #007 Aston from third fastest and Andrea Belicchi taking the Speedy Sebah Lola Aston to fifth fastest, just two tenths from the very rapid Pesca.

LMP2 very nearly saw a double pole for Ginetta Zytek, Olivier Pla sitting pretty until the very last competitive lap of the session when Giacomo Piccini took the honours by less than two tenths of a second after posting just a single flying lap in the #29 Racing Box Lola Judd.

Behind the Quifel ASM Ginetta Zytek were another pair of Lola Judd Coupes, Matteo Bobbi trailing Jonny Kane but with a frustrated Thomas Erzdos fifth in the order after both of the RML star’s best laps were badly baulked by Jean-Christophe Bouillon.

So two races into the Ginetta Zytek era we’ve had a car leading in their first race (Petit Le Mans) and a car taking pole.  How long before we see their first race win? 

Danny Watts:

“My recent running in A1Gp and Porsche Supercup have really helped.  There they have one shot qualifying, there’s no room for error.  You just have to discipline yourself, there’s no window, just a single lap.”

George Howard-Chappell

“That wasn’t too bad. I’m really pleased to see how close the competition is.  The Audis will get quicker of course and Oreca have got their new aero coming son (the car is due to test next week for the first time) so it could be closer still very soon.”   

Darren Turner

“I’ve only had a couple of runs in the car before today on new rubber so I am very pleased with that.  The gameplan with #009 is to get as much mileage under the wheels as possible and get all of us to learn the car.”