WEC News: Porsche Penske tops the times at Le Mans test day
Both three hour running sessions as part of the official Le Mans test day are complete for the 62-car field entered at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, round four of FIA WEC.
Quickest overall was the No. 6 Porsche Penske entry, the 963 Porsche Hypercar challenger clocking a time of 3:26.907 in the second test session. It bettered last year’s best Test Day time which was set by the AF Corse No. 51 Ferrari 499P Hypercar by over three seconds.
Second fastest today was the No. 4 Porsche Penske entry, 0.473s quicker than the No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid Hypercar. They were followed by the No. 5 Porsche 963 and rounding out the top five was the AF Corse No. 50 Ferrari 499P.
Related Article: WEC News: The 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours entry list
During the morning session, the No. 7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid fielded by Toyota Gazoo Racing put in the best lap time [3:28.467]. Porsche Penske and BMW M Team WRT ranked second and third with the No. 6 Porsche 963 on 03:29.270 and the No. 20 BMW M Hybrid V8 clocking 03:29.433.
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Today was the first running for the new-for-2024 LMGT3 class at Le Mans comprising of manufacturers Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren and Porsche.
The No. 82 TF Sport entry was fastest overall – the Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R setting a time of 3:59.883. The top three LMGT3 cars were incredibly close, the second and third fastest crews – Heart of Racing and Team WRT – posting the same lap time [3:59.520].
This morning, the Akkodis ASP Team No. 78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 was fastest to lap the 13.6km circuit, clocking 04:00.106.
Out of the LMP2 crews, it was the No. 22 United Autosports entry that topped the clocks with a lap time of 3:34.704.
The next Hypercar and LMGT3 track action at Le Mans will take place on Wednesday [12 June] with Free Practice 1 at 14h00.
Simply magnifique. ❤️ #WEC #LeMans24 pic.twitter.com/PwzbsxOr7p
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) June 9, 2024
More comments on the Le Mans test day
Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #4): “I only drove a few laps today, but it’s a great feeling to be back in Le Mans. We tried out many different vehicle setups and our lap times looked impressive. We made it into the top four with all three cars. Let’s hope that we can be that far ahead in all of next week’s sessions.”
Michael Christensen (Porsche 963 #5): “It feels great to be back driving on this very special Le Mans circuit at last. The conditions were super today. Our car handled beautifully, and we managed to tick off almost everything on our test list. However, we still need to try out a few more things in the practice sessions at the start of the race week. The test day is always critical – for us drivers and the whole team.”
Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “Our car ran like a dream from the very first lap and I immediately had a great feeling. During the test day we made further progress as part of the normal setup work. At the start of the second session, I got two clear laps in without slower traffic and my lap times reflected this. We’re definitely in a better position compared to last year.”
Dieter Gass (Team Principal Hertz Team Jota): “We had a productive test day, with both cars running without problems. Unfortunately, there were a couple of long interruptions due to the red flags or safety car practices. Still, we achieved the level of performance that we’d expected. It’s great to see that our two Porsche 963 are performing at a very similar level – I take that as a good sign. We now head into the race week feeling optimistic.”
Christian Ried (Team Owner Proton Competition): “We usually use the morning of such a test day to run through a few procedures and check all the functions in the car. The track was still very dirty in the first session. We only started setting up the car in the afternoon, when there was more rubber on the road and sufficient grip had finally been built up. Today’s conditions were great. I’m confident that our Porsche 963, the drivers and the entire team are now well-prepared for the race week. Le Mans is the highlight every year!”
Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 GT3 R #91): “We tried out everything on our list as part of the test day preparations. Among other things, we also ran in the spare parts that we would need to use in the event of an incident during the race. Everything felt normal and good. It was a standard program without incidents and a pleasing start to a long Le Mans week.”
Joel Sturm (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “Driving on this special track for the first time was an extreme experience for me and great fun. The test ran smoothly. We completed the scheduled program. It’s tricky to assess the performance and the level of competition at this point. I reckon we’ll be up with the play. Now it’s finally time for the race week!”