Le Mans 24 Hours, Qualifying 3 - 22.00-00.00
 
Thursday June 14, 2012

21:19
Currently out on track - two Matra's. Great sound. Although the sun is blinding me at the moment....

21:58
Just over a minute left before the green flag - expecting fast lap times in the first half an hour - pole position could still change.

22:00
"Green light at pit exit - session is started"

22:05
First cars onto their flying laps - the #7 and #8 Toyota's are back in after their installation lap. Tyres changed, are they ready to go for pole?

22:05
Scott Tucker has been out as well - the American has just returned to the pit after an installation lap. That car didn't complete a lap in Q2.

22:07
Spin for the #71 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia at the first Mulsanne Chicane.

22:08
3:26.600 for Jarvis on his first lap - just .180s slower than his fastest lap so far. Buurman's first flying lap is the fastest lap for the #30 Status GP Lola, which brings the Irish car onto the first timing page.

22:10
Nicolas Lapierre onto his first flying lap now - Soheil Ayari has gone straight at the second Mulsanne Chicane.

22:13
André Lotterer improves the provisional pole time - 3:23.787. The first car into the 3:23s!

22:17
Lotterer quickest in sector 1 again.

22:18
John Martin (#25 ADR-Delta Oreca) into LMP2 provisional pole- 3:38.181

22:18
Lotterer slower in sector 2 - lost 1.5 seconds there.

22:19
Lapierre is pushing - climbing the curbs at Tertre Rouge, sparks flying from the Toyota TS030 Hybrid.

22:21
Markus Palttala straight at the first Mulsanne Chicane - that won't help him trying to improve his lap time. Still in 54th overall.

22:22
Tom Kristensen improves to 3:25.433 - doesn't get him onto the front row.

22:24
Olivier Beretta improves and puts the #71 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia fourth in the GTE Pro class.

22:26
Another improvement for Beretta - 3:56.484 this time.

22:30
Nicolas Lapierre looks a bit disappointed - talking with Buemi and Sarrazin. Is the team preparing the #7 car for another run - or are they done for the day?

22:32
#40 Race Performance and #81 AF Corse cars have gone straight at the Mulsanne Chicanes.

22:33
add the #55 JWA, #35 OAK Racing and the #67 IMSA Matmut Performance cars to the list of cars going straight at the chicanes

22:35
Gulf Racing Middle East Lola #29 set to go back on track - we're expecting the #51 Ferrari back on track before the end of the session as well.

22:38
Dominik Kraihamer has gone through the gravel at the Mulsanne Corner - the OAK Racing driver has continued.

22:39
No problems for the #15 though - as Kraihamer continues onto the straight right behind one of the Corvettes.

22:41
Jean-Denis Deletraz on his outlap in the #29 Gulf Racing Middle East Lola. Only one still in is the AF Corse Ferrari.

22:43
Adrian Fernandez brakes hard into the Ford Chicane - over the curbstones and into pit - problems for the Mexican or did he just miss the pit lane entrance?

22:46
Two AF Corse Ferrari's (#61 and #81) have gone straight at the Mulsanne chicanes.
Deletraz already on his way back into the pit...

22:47
Car in the gravel at the second Mulsanne chicane - yellow flags - marshalls on track. "Be adviced - double yellow". Nelson Panciatici is in the stranded #26 Signtech-Nissan Oreca 03 Nissan.

22:48
Contact in the Porsche Curves. Yellow flags at the exit of the Porsche Curves.

22:49
Pescarolo Team Dome into the wall at the Porsche Curves. Seiji Ara in the wall. RED FLAG

22:49
Medical intervention car on its way to the Porsche Curves.

22:51
"Inform your drivers we are sending flatbacks on track - we need to do this quickly." Eduardo Freitas telling the teams what is happening.

22:51
Front and rear damage to the Dome

22:52
Seiji Ara has to report to race control immediately - that might be hard coming from the Porsche Curves.

22:57
"Session will be resumed on a short call"

22:57
Estimated restart at 23.00

22:59
Green flag at 22.59 again!

23:00
Seiji Ara is still to report to race control - but Sebastien Bourdais is now walking there.

23:02
Did we just see a smoking car on the television?

23:04
Guess we didn't. Bourdais is walking down the pit wall - shaking hands and waving to fans.

23:10
Fast lap time by Kazuki Nakajima - 3:27.535 on his previous lap (just 1s off the fastest lap time set by the #7).

Car #49 has gone through the gravel at the Mulsanne Chicane.

23:11
AF Corse team working hard to get the #51 fixed - still hoping to get that one out before the end of the session. 49 minutes left - Vilander is already in the car.

23:12
Engine cover onto the Ferrari - wheel arches checked.

23:14
Keiko Ihara is on her outlap in the #29 Lola.

23:16
AF Corse Ferrari #51 is done and on its way out - great job by the Italian crew to rebuild the complete car. 43 minutes left in the session. Toni Vilander behind the wheel as it pulls out onto the circuit.

23:22
Larbre Corvette #70 is slow at the Porsche Curves. Belloc returns to the pit with a left rear puncture.

Gianmaria Bruni: "The chassis came in this morning, it was a brand new chassis. They rebuilt it completely in less than 9 hours. Very good job by the team. Toni is doing an installation lap and then comes back, before we do some more laps. So, our weekend starts now. We'll start last, but at least we can do some laps."

23:24
Status GP Lola of Romain Iannetta off at the first Mulsanne Chicane - car is currently being snatched. Might take some time according to Race Director Eduardo Freitas.

23:25
Dominik Kraihamer (3:35.584) improvement and up into 11th position on the grid. Last minute improvements are still possible then.

Status GP #30 has rejoined - team being told to stay off the racing line.

23:26
After a 4:10 for Keiko Ihara it is now a 4:07. Improving - almost at the same speed as the last of the GTE Am cars.

23:30
4:02.471 for Ihara as the Status GP Lola returns to the pit - and Heidfeld goes straight at the Mulsanne Chicane.

23:31
Thought occurs that we have a Lola sitting in a truck with James Rossiter & Vitantonio Liuzzi sipping Expresso whilst Keiko sightsees! (via @dscracelive)

23:33
Or as Dutch journalist René de Boer just mentioned on Twitter. "Keiko Ihara, driving a full-blown LMP2 prototype, is lapping slower than GTE-Am cars... Nice for her to be here, but what's the point"

23:37
Anthony Davidson 3:26.349 - only two tenths behind his fastest lap time. What can we still expect with 23 minutes left on the clock?

23:38
Davidson on another quick lap? Fast sector times in 1st and 2nd again. As Wurz also laps sub 3:30.

23:40
10 seconds lost in the last sector - that's not going to be pole then for Davidson.

23:41
Keiko Ihara has completed her laps it seems - Marc Rostan is in that car now.

23:42
Wurz pits - Nakajima back in the #7 Toyota again.

23:43
Anthony Davidson also back into the pits - will we see a driver change there as well?

23:44
New set of tyres onto both Toyota's - 15 minutes remaining.

23:45
ProSpeed Competition Porsche has gone through the gravel into the first of the Mulsanne Chicanes.

23:45
As Marc Rostan has pitted the #29 Lola again after his outlap.

23:49
32.2 in the first sector for the #7 Toyota. Quicker than it has been before in qualifying.

23:50
80.3 in the second sector - Davidson even quicker! 32.4 in sector 1 and 79.3 in sector 2, best sector of all cars!

23:51
Nakajima - 3:25.488!
Davidson - 3:24.855!

Toyota now third and fifth!

23:53
Both Toyota's lapping even quicker - can they beat their rivals?

23:54
Both the #7 and the #8 with strong sector times - but they hit traffic.

23:55
Traffic cost them - as they got stuck behind the #2 Audi (on purpose?). Still five minutes left in this session.

31.9 for Nakajima in the first sector.

23:56
As Nissan DeltaWing driver is told to switch on the transponder - reminded by the race director.

23:57
Another improvement for Nakajima - Davidson lost time in sector 1.

23:58
Further down the field - much further - the #29 Lola is now 45th quickest.

Nakajima hit traffic again in sector 3 - lost time and no improvement for the #7 Toyota.

Friday June 15, 2012
00:00
Last car on track on a timed lap is the Boutsen Ginion Racing Oreca as the chequered flag comes out now.

00:00
No improvements for Heidfeld and Jarvis.

00:01
No improvements for Fernandez and Gavin either - they stay in second and third. Luxury Racing on pole in GTE Pro.

00:02
Anthony Davidson improves on the last sector - and ends the session in 3:24.842. Improvement just 0.013. Gap to the pole is 1 second.

00:02
Duval, Kristensen and Nakajima did not improve.

00:03
Fässler pits - as he knows he has no rivals out on track.

00:04
Audi Sport Team Joest #1 will start the 80th Le Mans 24 Hours from pole position. Second year in a row for Tréluyer, Lotterer and Fässler.

00:07
Not the same result as Peugeot had in their first race against Audi here at Le Mans. Back in 2007 Peugeot took pole position, but that was a different era in sportscar racing.