Le Mans Series - Spa 1000kms - GT Qualifying

Sunshine (yes really!) gave us the best conditions we’ve had all weekend (It won’t last!)

GT1

Julien Jousse’s Corvette set the early pace in the 2:20’s, followed by Rahel Frey’s Matech Ford. This is soon eclipsed by Bas Leinders Ford GT, the Marc VDS Racing car aggressively pitching a 2:17.3 as the class target. Jousse could only respond with a 2:19.3, Carlo Van Dam’s Saleen running in third in the 2:21’s.

With 6 minutes to go the session is red flagged as the #61 Matech Ford has a strange incident somewhere between Pouhon and Stavelot; the car ending up resting at 45 degrees, two left hand side wheels on the tyre wall, and facing the wrong direction. There is damage to the left rear corner and the rear wing is missing.

When the session resumes Leinders retains his pole position, the closest challenger being Mutsch in the #60 Matech Ford, improving to second with a 2:18.97, demoting Jousse to third. Christopher Nygaard puts the #52 Young Driver Aston Martin DBR9 into fourth win a strong run at the end, posting a 2:19.5 despite a run through a gravel trap as he wound up to speed.

Bas Leinders

We are very pleased and not a little surprised at the difference in pace from the Michelin development tyres we were given here from the control tyres in the GT1 World Championship.  I thought yesterday that we could go 1.5 seconds quicker and that’s what we did (Actually he went 4 seconds quicker!)

The car is going very well though we are still on a learning ciurve, it suits my driving style very well.

GT2

Jaime Melo started strongly with a 2:21, better than the previous practice times, closely trailed by Patrick Long’s Felbermayr 997 and Giancarlo Fisichella’s AF Corse 430 in the 2:22’s in a typically tight early contest.

Melo improved to 2:20.336, bettering the leading GT1 Corvette time at that point. Marc Lieb joined the contest, putting in a strong 2:20.4 for Felbermayr, trailed by team mate Long in the #88 car before the Red Flag incident.

With the cars resuming it was clear that some of the potential pole contenders had not yet set competitive times, Pierre Kaffer, Dirk Muller, Darren Turner and Andrew Kirkaldy still propping up the time sheets with time running out for a possible 2 lap dash. While the others failed to make much of an impression, Kirkaldy managed to push for a respectable 2:21.3 for the #91 CRS Ferrari, though still some way clear from the top times:

Jaime Melo’s time was never bettered in the closing minutes, Lieb retaining second spot from an improving Matias Russo in the AF Corse F430 delivering a 2:20.9 for third in class.

Jaime Melo 

I was very close but it is good to be ahead of the Porsches here.  We had some issues yesterday but the team have given us a very good car.