Le Mans Series - 8 Hours Of Le Castellet - LMP2/ FLM Qualifying

Three cars made it into the 1:47s in the 20 minute LMP qualifying session, Mathieu Lahaye besting Tommy Erdos's effort to put the #24 Oak racing Pescarolo Judd (1:47.474) just ahead of the #25 RML Lola HPD (1: 47.491).

Both though were beaten by Olivier Pla's best shot, a 1:47.112 in the #40 Quifel ASM Ginetta Zytek.

An early effort from Thor-Christian Ebbesvik in the #41 Team Bruichladdich Ginetta Zytek would falter as the young Norwegian suffered a harmless spin at the final turn - He'd finish the session fifth fastest (1:48.439)

Both though were beaten by Olivier Pla's best shot, a 1:47.112 in the #40 Quifel ASM Ginetta Zytek.

The 2009 LMP2 Champion's effort though was very firmly put into the shade by Danny Watts in the new daddy in LMP2 - The #42 Strakka HPD powering around Le Castellet in an extraordinary 1:44.989.  That's a pair of consecutive pole positions in the opening rounds of the Le Mans Series in 2009 and 2010 for Watts and Strakka - In different cars and different classes!

"We're really just catching up with the car at the moment, it just gives more whenever we ask for it.  That lap though was pretty much on the limit." 

There was no appearance on track from the fancied #35 Oak Racing Pescarolo Judd - we'll hunt them down and establish why as soon as possible.

In the FLM class Eduardo Piscopo took the first pole of the season for the #44 DAMS squad (1:52.936) ahead of the #48 Hope Polevision car of Mathias Beche (1:53.090) and the #49 Applewood Seven car of David Zollinger (1:53.447)

GG