Audis 1-2 in wet opening practice for LeMans

Allan McNish in the leading Audi

The first outing at Le Mans went quite well Wednesday with the two fastest laps in the opening practice for the 77th 24 Hours of Le Mans. Having last raced the new diesel-powered prototype at the American Le Mans Series’ 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, defending race-winner Allan McNish was quickest than teammate Marco Werner by only 0.054 seconds.

Qualifying is set for Thursday evening.

It was a damp session at Le Mans on Wednesday with only a few minutes of the six-hour practice under anything that was close to dry. McNish’s best lap was a 3:30.708 (144.689 mph) around the 8.3-mile circuit in the R15 TDI that he will share with Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen (the trio won the race last year) helped Audi best French favorite Peugeot. The two manufacturers waged an incredible battle both at Petit Le Mans last season and Sebring in March.

Both McNish and Werner are three-time champions in the American Le Mans Series.

Series teams did themselves proud in the practice. Corvette Racing’s two Corvette C6.Rs went quickest in GT1 with Jan Magnussen setting the fastest class time of 3:57.876 (128.164 mph). The Dane, who won the class pole last year, will team with Johnny O’Connell and Antonio Garcia. Corvette is seeking its sixth and final GT1 victory at Le Mans since 2001 with a move to GT2 set for the Mid-Ohio round of the American Le Mans Series in August.

Oliver Gavin was next in GT1 at 3:59.586 (127.249 mph). He will team with Olivier Beretta and Marcel Fässler in the second Corvette Racing entry.

In GT2, Risi Competizione’s lead Ferrari F430 GT of Jaime Melo, Pierre Kaffer and Mika Salo sat second in class as the team attempts a rare class repeat victory. Melo’s time of 4:10.980 (121.472 mph) in the Ferrari was 2.6 seconds off the pace of the Team Felbermayr Proton Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The Risi trio already has won in class at Sebring this year.

The second Risi Ferrari of Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Eric van de Poele was well down in the order after suffering slight damage after a spin on the Mulsanne Straight.

Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Jörg Bergmeister, Darren Law and Seth Neiman finished the session seventh in class with a lap of 4:15.254 (119.439 mph). The team currently leads the American Le Mans Series’ GT2 championship.

Other American Le Mans Series representatives had very good outings Wednesday. The Felbermayr Porsche is being driven by Series standouts Wolf Henzler (last year’s GT2 co-champion), Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz.

Patr¢n Highcroft Racing’s David Brabham was part of the lineup in the fastest of the Peugeot 908s, which was just 0.394 seconds off McNish’s pace. Next up was the Pescarolo Sport Peugeot with de Ferran Motorsports’ Simon Pagenaud on the roster. Both Brabham and Pagenaud drive Acura ARX-02a prototypes in North America.

The North Carolina-based Creation Autosportif was 20th overall with a 3:54.522 (129.980 mph). Jamie Campbell-Walter, Vanina Ickx and Romain Iannetta are driving.

Guy Smith drove the third-place LMP2 Ginetta-Zytek 09S for Quifel-ASM Team, and Porsche factory driver Patrick Long fourth in GT2 with the IMSA Performance Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

Dominik Farnbacher’s Hankook-Team Farnbacher Ferrari F430 GT was eighth in GT2, followed by Drayson Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage GT2 of Paul Drayson, Jonnny Cocker and Marino Franchitti in 10th.

GT1 Corvette

Jan Magnussen, Corvette Racing
Corvette C6.R (GT1)
“Though the weather forecast looks good for the rest of the week, there is still a chance of some rain on Sunday, so what we’ve learned today will come in handy then," Magnussen said. “Other than that it was business as usual, going through the motions of that typical first day at Le Mans. The car handles beautifully and responds well to the changes we made, and we got the understeer dialed out by the end of the session. Of course the times can still be improved in tomorrow’s qualifying session, which is expected to be dry and sunny."

Tracy Krohn, Risi Competizione
Ferrari F430 GT (GT2)
“It was really weird. I was coming up to the second chicane on the Mulsanne and I knew there was a [prototype] car behind me. I figured he would come right alongside me as we were going to be making a left turn but he got closer than I expected and he took my air which put me into a spin. I thought I’d saved it and barely touched the wall so it’s a shame about the slight damage."

Allan McNish, Audi Sport Team Joest
Audi R15 TDI (LMP1)
“We need to get as much information as we can at Le Mans. As much as we have done in testing, it’s a new track with the new car. Kilometers on the new car are important. At the beginning it was damp in places and drizzling in others. So it really wasn’t a dry circuit. But I think it’s an encouraging start. I couldn’t hazard a guess to the pole time."

Darren Law, Flying Lizard Motorsports
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2)
“I don’t even know what to say. I don’t know how to explain this back to my friends in the Stats! It’s an amazing opportunity and an amazing track. It’s cool just being here. You know Flying Lizard – they produce a great car and have given me this fantastic chance."

Guy Smith, Quifel-ASM Team
Ginetta-Zytek 09S (LMP2)
“It’s great to be back. It has been nice to do some racing in Europe. The car was a blast in preseason testing and very quick. What makes a great race is changeable conditions. That’s why we have these great crews and engineers who guide us through it. It would be nice to be dry but could be spotty for the race. I had two or three days with the new baby before heading out. I’m looking forward to spending more time with her and the rest of the family after this weekend and before heading to Lime Rock Park."

David Brabham, Team Peugeot Total
Peugeot 908 HDi (LMP1)
“The team is replacing the clutch. I’m enjoying it definitely. The Peugeot is a fantastic car and very suited to this place. They have learned a lot from what happened last year. Sebastian seems to be the quickest now so the car seems to be really good in the wet."

Marino Franchitti, Drayson Racing
Aston Martin Vantage GT2 (GT2)
“I’ve always jumped in between cars and I enjoy driving different cars. I’m missing a couple of thousand pounds of downforce! It’s actually easier to drive a GT car in the wet than a prototype because you have to be on it so hard in a prototype. I really do enjoy being back here, and if it stays dry then I think it will be a great weekend."

The 77th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. EDT) on Saturday, June 13 to 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, June 14. SPEED will provide live television coverage. Flag-to-flag coverage of the race, qualifying and practice will be available at radiolemans.com.

Results