Le Mans Test Day - First Session Quick Report

The first 4 hours of practice saw good news for one factory LMP1 team (Audi), questions for another (Peugeot) and near disaster for a third (Aston Martin).

Aston first and the #009 car’s day was done within a single lap as the straight 6 became a not so straight 5.  Game over.

The sister #007 did make it out and eventually made it into the top 20 only to be pushed back out again, ironically by the late starting Kronos Lola Aston Martin! (leaking fuel cell).

Peugeot were quick, the three factory 908s all breaking 3:33 with Anthony Davidson managing a 3:30.516 in the #8 car – That though would only be good enough for fourth fastest as the flag fell.

That’s because the Audi R18s were simply rather faster, and not just over a single lap either.  All three of the Audis showed impressive pace but eventually it was Romain Dumas in the #1 car that proved to be the hare – a 3:27.900 must have given Olivier Quesnel et al a head slapping moment.

Marcel Fassler had a lurid spin in the #2 car in the latter part of the session.

The session saw a short sharp shower after about 45 minutes of running that saw the times stall for a while – That didn’t make much of a difference though to the petrol powered P1 pack which was headed throughout the session by the Pescarolo Team #16 car – Christophe Tinseau eventually finishing the session with a 3:37.6 – 10 seconds slower than the fastest diesel – and three seconds off the grandfathered #10 Oreca 908 HDI FAP.

Rebellion suffered early issues with their Lola Toyotas, the new aero requiring a fair amount of set up work to prevent the cars bottoming out.

The Oak Racing Pescarolos feature an extraordinary looking new rear wing design – produced in-house that is designed to help the car carry speed through fast corners.  The #24 car though won’t be seen out this afternoon again after a substantial off at Mulsanne Corner, just as Fassler’s Audi was recovered.

Finally in LMP1 the Hybrids – Hope Racing’s engine was being fitted throughout the session (late delivery!) and the MIK Corse Zytek Hybrid finally made it out on track only to suffer clutch issues – The #23 car meanwhile attempted the required 400m all electric test run on the Bugatti circuit yesterday evening but failed (just!) to complete it.

In LMP2 Greaves Racing, in particular with Tom Kimber Smith at the wheel led a Nissan engined rout!  A 3:43 from TKS was good enough for 12 fastest overall and nearly a second clear of Soheil Ayari’s best effort in the Signatech ORECA.  The Greaves car though had an off with Karim Ojjeh at the wheel and was parked awaiting recovery in the final hour of the session.

Alex Premat was third fastest in class with Pierre Kaffer grabbing 4th fastest for the Judd BMW engined Pecom Lola.

GTE saw Andy Priaulx lead the pack early on but after the rain it was all Ferrari, the best efforts of Giancarlo Fisichella though were not enough to fend off a great spell from Allan Simonsen in the #89 Hankook Farnbacher 458 (4:01.495).

Jan Magnussen had the #50 Larbre Corvette up into third fastest for a while but fell back as others improved, notably Marc Lieb in the #77 Felbermayer Porsche and then, late in the session Sam Hancock in the Jota Aston Martin.

Both though would themselves be bettered by a late Priaulx effort in the #55 BMW giving 5 marques in the top six at the end of the session.

Nearer the bottom of the timing screens the two Lotuses were trying to get mileage under their wheels – The #65 car managed a 4:11 by the close of the session but the newer #64 car was struggling – A delayed start to the session was followed by a heat exchanger issue that meant we would start the second 4 hour session at 2 pm with both Martin Rich and Oskar Slingerland needing to complete their required rookie laps.