WEC: Porsche tops night practice at Le Mans

Below are the main highlights from the second free practice session, which was held in darkness at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – round four of FIA WEC.

On Thursday, a three-hour free practice session is scheduled at 3 pm to prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. From 8 pm, a total of 24 cars in three classes will go head to head in the hyperpole session in a bid to clinch the best grid positions in the Hypercar, LMP2 and GTE-Am categories. The day wraps up with another two-hour practice from 10 pm.

Hypercar

• No.6 Porsche Penske 963 sets the pace in second free practice session ahead of this weekend’s centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
• Laurens Vanthoor claims the time in multi-colored entry with the fastest time of 3m28.878s.
• Ferrari AF Corse placed second as James Calado sets at 3m29.225s lap in No.51 499P.
• Porsche Penske also third as Dane Cameron posts a 2m29.307s to ensure the top three are covered by a mere 0.429s. This car though stops briefly on track before managing to return to pits after a power cycle.
• Fastest Cadillac V Series.R is the No.2 entry driven by Earl Bamber. Two-time Le Mans peaks at 3m29.545s.
• Action Express claim best lap of their first-ever Le Mans as Jack Aitken laps just 0.3s off Bamber to claim fifth position.
• Quickest Toyota is the No.7 GR010 Hybrid Hypercar with Mike Conway at the wheel. The 2021 Le Mans winner and teammates Jose-Maria Lopez and Kamui Kobayashi concentrate on long runs and race set-ups in two-hour session.
• Second of the Ferrari AF Corse entries, the No.50 499P, is seventh fastest ahead of the No.38 Jota Porsche 963 in eighth.
• Fastest non-Hybrid entry is the No.708 Glickenhaus Racing entry as Olivier Pla sets quickest time of 3m30.172s which is good enough for ninth in Hypercar.
• No.3 Cadillac is 10th followed  by the No.8 Toyota Gazoo Racing entry
• No.75 Porsche Penske is 12th  ahead of the No.93 Peugeot 9X8 as Mikkel Jensen sets the best time.
• Second Glickenhaus is 14th  with Franck Mailleux setting American Incoming’s best time.
• No.94 Peugeot 9X8 stops exiting pit lane and is forced into its box for repairs. Gustavo Menezes roars back on to track for final stages and car places 15th
• Floyd Vanwall is final Hypercar as Tom Dillmann sets best time of Austrian entered non-Hybrid Hypercar.

LMP2 

• Mirko Bortolotti takes No.63 Prema Oreca-Gibson to top spot in LMP2 with a quickest lap of 3m36.863s. Time is just shy of a second faster than rivals.
• Italian ace heads No.22 United Autosports places second with a 3m37.839s best set by Filipe Albuquerque.
• Pietro Fittipaldi continues rich vein of form in No.28 Jota, which is gunning for a double LMP2 win for British team, as Brazilian goes P3.
• Oliver Jarvis puts No.23 United Autosports as fourth. But earlier in session he has rare spin at Ford Chicane but suffers no damage.
• DKR Engineering team impresses with fifth-best time set by Le Mans veteran Maxime Martin.
• Nielsen Racing completes top six with Ben Hanley at the wheel.

LMGTE AM 

• Kessel Racing fastest in LMGTE Am as Kei Cozzolino posts best time on final lap of session.
• Japanese/Italian driver sets a best time of 3m53.796 to lap 0.2s clear of Iron Lynx Ferrari 499 GTE Evo-19.
• Alessio Picariello stopped the clocks on a 3m54.080s but is just shaded by similar Ferrari of Cozzolino.
• Just 0.092s slower than Picariello is Matteo Cairoli in the No.56 Project 1-AO Racing ‘Rexy’ liveried Porsche 911 RSR-19.
• D’Station Aston Martin team get ready for long night as they prepare a new chassis to ready for tomorrow’s third free practice session which is due to begin at 15.00 local time.

INNOVATION CLASS  (Garage 56)

• Hendrick Motorsports run Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 places 40th  overall as Mike Rockenfeller claims a best time of 3m47.976s.

Practice 2 Results