The #8 Audi R18 of Loic Duval, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Jarvis posted the fastest time of yesterday’s Le Mans Test Day of 3:21.375. In LMP2, Eurasia Motorsport finished top of the time sheets while Corvette recorded the fastest times in both GTE Pro (Corvette Racing) and GTE Am (Larbre Competition).
Loic Duval was the quickest driver in the LMP1 field on Sunday, setting a fastest time of 3:21.375 in the warmer conditions of the afternoon session at the Circuit de la Sarthe. The two Porsches finished second and third in the session, with times of 3:22.270 (#1) and 3:22.334 (#2) respectively. Toyota’s quickest lap time, a 3:23.197, was set by Anthony Davidson in the #5 machine.
In LMP2, it was ELMS team Eurasia Motorsport at the top of the time sheets, Tristan Gommendy recording that car’s fastest lap in session two of 3:36.690. In second position overall was the #36 Signatech Alpine car of Gustavo Menezes, Nicolas Lapierre and Stéphane Richelmi, which finished just over half a second further back. Third-quickest on the day was René Rast in the #26 G-Drive Racing Oreca 05 with a 3:37.503.
GTE Pro honours were taken by Corvette Racing, Anthony Garcia going quickest in the #63 car with a 3:55.122 on lap 62 of their 73-lap run across the two four-hour sessions. The two works Porsches, like the Corvettes over the the US to keep at Le Mans, finished the day in second and third positions. Nick Tandy posted a 3:55.402 for the #91 car, while Fred Mackowiecki was the fastest man in the #92 machine with a 3:55.691. The quickest Ford was the #69 machine, which set a 3:56.039 on its penultimate lap of the car in the hands of Ryan Briscoe.
A Corvette C7 was also on top of the time sheets in GTE Am, too, with Nicky Catsburg recording the fastest time of the day – a 3:57.999, The Dutchman had been a last-minute replacement for Paolo Ruberti, who was injured in a driver-training accident at Hockenheim last week. Speaking to Sportscar365, Catsburg admitted that a drive for the 24 hours was unlikely as Larbre Competition were looking for a driver with a budget to fill Ruberti’s place. Matt Griffin went second-fastest in GTE Am with a 3:58.869, while Townsend Bell finished the day with the third-quickest time for Scuderia Corsa (3:58.981).
Image source: WEC-Magazin / Walter Schruff