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.
Porsche 911 RSR, Proton Competition (#88), Jonas Ried (D), Harry Tincknell (UK), Don Yount (USA)

INNOVATION CLASS  (Garage 56)

  • Hendrick Motorsports run Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 places 40th  overall as Mike Rockenfeller claims a best time of 3m47.976s.
The #24 NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet ZL1 driven by Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller is seen during practice for the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Practice 2 Results

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