Magnussen gives Corvette first LeMans pole

Corvette Racing’s record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001 is as impressive as any with five GT1 victories. Jan Magnussen gave America’s premier sports car team its first pole position in the world’s greatest race on Thursday. Magnussen turned a lap of 3:47.688 (133.911 mph) to better his time set Wednesday in the Corvette C6.R he will share with Johnny O’Connell and Ron Fellows.

Magnussen and Patrick Long in GT2 gave the American Le Mans Series two drivers on class pole positions for the weekend’s 76th running of Le Mans.

The two-day qualifying session continued the momentum the Corvette drivers established in the first half of the American Le Mans Series season. The trio in the No. 63 factory entry won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and Magnussen and O’Connell lead the GT1 championship with three victories in four races.

Magnussen, O’Connell and Fellows have combined for 74 American Le Mans Series victories to go along with eight wins at Le Mans. Magnussen’s time was just 0.093 seconds ahead of Christophe Bouchut in the Larbre Competition Saleen S7R, the smallest of margins over an 8.468-mile circuit.

Oliver Gavin in the other works Corvette qualified third at 3:48.539 (133.400 mph); Gavin will drive with Olivier Beretta and Max Papis. They did not finish last year’s race after the Corvette’s driveshaft failed in the first two hours. He was less than a half-second ahead of Aston Martin Racing’s David Brabham in the No. 009 Aston Martin DBR9.