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FIA WEC, 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps - Qualifying The threat of imminent rain had receded and the teams made their final preparations for qualifying with some confidence of encountering a dry track. There was a light breeze and the air temperature had risen to the low twenties - the warmest it had been at the meeting. GT qualifying would get under way first, starting at ten past three. Our coverage here was posted ‘live’, so tenses used will reflect this. Nine cars took part in the first session for GTE-Am, and five GTE-Pro cars, making fourteen all told. All were expected to take part in the session. 15:10 Start of GT
Session Rui Aguas in the #61 AF Corse Ferrari has had a spin - not exactly sure where, but after a brief hesitation, the car rejoins. Three cars yet to join - the #67 (IMSA), the #51 (AF Corse) and the #77 (Felbermayr). 15:16 Stefan Mucke comes through with a 2:20.525, second behind Makowiecki in the #97 Aston Martin. Marc Lieb is out on track and setting some quick sectors. He completes the lap to move into second place, putting the #77 Felbermayr Porsche still half a second off Makowiecki's provisional pole time. The Frenchman has also just gone quicker, ducking under the twenty second mark with a 2:19.770. Nine minutes remain, and Fisichella is pushing in the #51 AF Corse F458 and so too Lieb. Fisichella currently holding fourth behind Mucke. Jeanette still holding out for provisional pole in GTE-Am, with Marco Cioci second in the GTE-Am AF Corse F458 #81 and Julien Canal in the #50 Larbre Corvette third. 15:22
15:24 Cioci has moved into top slot in GTE-AM, ahead of Gunnar Jeanette, with Julien Canal still third. Marc Lieb pits, having to be content with fourth in the #77. Armindo comes across the line and he takes top slot in GTE-AM on his first flying lap, with a 2:21.640. Time for one more lap for Fisichella. 15:27 Armindo completes what may be his penultimate lap, but he has one more chance. Cioci has eased off. The chequered flag is out. 15:30 Nicolas Armindo is confirmed as pole in GTE-Am for IMSA Performance Matmut (#67), ahead of Marco Cioci (#81 AF Corse), Gunnar Jeanette (#58 Luxury Racing) and then Julien Canal in the first of the Larbre Corvettes. Jean-Philippe Belloc took fifth in the class for Larbre in the second Corvette, with Rui Aguas sixth (#61 AF Corse-Waltrip), Markus Palttala seventh (JWA-Avila #56) and Christian Ried (#88 Felbermayr) eighth. Bringing up the rear in GT was Tracy Krohn in his own #57 Ferrari F458. There was then a short break before the prototypes took to the track. 15:40 Start of Prototype Session The Norma is the first car to take to the track, followed some little while later by the bulk of the LMP1 cars. One of the Lotus Lolas needs a helping push from the marshals to get away from the pitlane exit. All bar four cars have now left the pitlane. First to cross the line is Marco Bonanomi in the #4 R18 Ultra, but his quick time is promptly eclipsed by Allan McNish, posting his best of the weekend so far with a 2:01.967 for the #2 e-tron quattro.
Stefan Johansson in the #28 Gulf Racing Lola is a spinner at the final turn. Sam Hancock moves to fourth fastest overall in the Jota Nissan LMP2 on his first flying lap. A fastest first sector from Bonanomi, but he ends up pitting before crossing the line, but Danny Watts does break the beam, and posts the fastest petrol time we've yet seen, a 2:04.636 in the #21 Strakka HPD. In LMP2, James Rossiter pips Hancock for the LMP2 pole position, placing the Lotus Lola #32 into 10th overall - all bar the #1 Audi (yet to appear) having posted quick LMP1 times. A 2:01.579 is a new fastest lap from McNish. 15:48 15:50 James Rossiter still holding top slot in P2, but with Martin in the #25 ADR-Delta Oreca 03 on the move, and he takes the Oreca through to 10th overall and provisional P2 pole. Third in LMP2 is the still Sam Hancock in the #38 Jota Zytek, with Olivier Pla fourth in the first of the Oak Morgans; the #24. The #31 Lotus Lola is next up (Renger van der Zande) with Soheil Ayari sixth aboard the Pecom Racing Oreca #49. 15:53 Five minutes remaining No sign yet of a move from Warren Hughes in the Murphy Prototypes Oreca, 21st overall and 11th in P2, narrowly behind Bas Leinders in the #35 Oak Morgan. Marcel Fässler moves up to third, posting a 2:02.232 to leave the #2 on provisional pole, the #4 sharing the front row, the #1 third and then the #3 completing the Audi quartet. The only P1 cars still on track are Fässler in the #1 R18 and Moreau in the #15 Oak Pescarolo. Elton Julian also pushing on in the Greaves Zytek, hoping to lift the Nissan powered #41 from 17th overall, seventh in P2. Elsewhere, the track has gone a bit quiet, with Audi seemingly content with their relative positions, and only half a dozen cars still on track. 16:00 That’s the first pole position for the R18 e-tron quattro, and Allan McNish's first ever pole at Spa.
That concluded our 'live' coverage. This page was revised later to include additional details that couldn’t be posted during the 'heat of the moment'. Top qualifying times in each class as follows: LMP1 LMP2 GTE-Pro GTE-Am |
