Peugeot fill the front row with the #9 in second
Peugeot
Audi
Porsche
Charouz
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Peugeot
PEUGEOT 908 HDi FAPs MONOPOLISE THE TOP THREE PLACES ON SATURDAY'S GRID
For the second year in a row, a stunning lap from Stephane Sarrazin has put Team Peugeot Total on pole position for the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours. The Frenchman was the fastest driver on the track during qualifying thanks to a time of 3m 18.513s on Wednesday in the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP he shares with Pedro Lamy and Alexander Wurz. The N8 car will consequently lead the field away when the endurance classic begins at 3pm on Saturday afternoon, ahead of the N9 and N7 sister cars of Franck Montagny/Ricardo Zonta/Christian Klien and Marc Gene/Nicolas Minassian/Jacques Villeneuve. The French machines completed qualifying more than three seconds quicker than their best-placed rival as the top teams spent the majority of the week's two practice sessions concentrating on fine-tuning the race set-ups of their respective machines.
Several statistics underline the ongoing progress that the 908 HDi FAP has made in terms of outright speed since its second place on its debut outing at Le Mans this time last year. To begin with, Sarrazin's pole-winning time on Wednesday evening marked an improvement of almost eight seconds over the lap (3m 26.344) which saw the Peugeot driver top the qualifying timesheets in 2007. It was practically four seconds quicker, too, than the best lap he set during the preliminary test day here on June 1 (3m 22.222s), and it is also the fastest anybody has been round the legendary French track since 1989, despite a number of time-sapping changes that have been made to the track since, including the addition of two chicanes along the Hunaudières Straight!
For the record, it is also Peugeot's fourth pole position at Le Mans after those claimed in 1992 (Philippe Alliot/Peugeot 905), 1993 (Philippe Alliot/Peugeot 905) and 2007 (Stephane Sarrazin/Peugeot 908 HDi FAP).
"A fast lap here calls for an extremely precise driving style, but I feel so confident with this car; it is wonderfully balanced," said Sarrazin. "We have done some solid work since pre-qualifying and I'm very pleased with the race set-up we have found. It also suits Pedro and Alex, and that's obviously very important. The thing now is to analyse all the information we have collected to determine what sort of pace we can put in during the race."
One of the unique features of the Le Mans 24 Hours is the fact that teams get only two opportunities to practice round the full 13.629km circuit. One of those is the traditional preliminary test-day - a fortnight before the race - and the other is race-week itself, which includes two four-hour test sessions on the Wednesday and Thursday evenings before the big day. "Given that the test day earlier in the month was marked by heavy rain which upset most people's plans," observes Peugeot Sport Technical Director Bruno Famin, "it was important to get in as many useful laps under our belts as possible this week in order to gather data and information in several specific areas."
A number of red flag incidents on both evenings deprived the teams of valuable track time, however, while Team Peugeot Total's programme was dealt a blow tonight when the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP of Montagny/Zonta/Klien was damaged after being punted into a concrete barrier by another car through the Porsche Curves. The man behind the wheel at the time was Ricardo Zonta: "I was out working on the race set-up and tailing an Audi when we came up behind a slower car into one of the Porsche Curves left- handers. The driver of that car pulled over to the right, seemingly to let the Audi through and I went for the same gap. I had practically passed when I suddenly felt him clout my rear right corner and the impact sent me off the track into the wall. Did he fail to see me, or did he have a problem? I don't know, but it's obviously a shame that it put an early end to our programme."
Despite Zonta's misfortune, Peugeot Sport Director Michel Barge was understandably enthralled with the outcome of qualifying which saw the three Peugeots total 222 laps*. "There simply couldn't have been a better way of rewarding the team which designed the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, the technicians and all the mechanics than putting our three cars at the very front of the grid," he beamed. "We all know it's going to be a long race and we are all aware that we won't know how it ends until Sunday afternoon, but we've shown that the car is competitive and that the basic concept is sound. Our only big setback was the incident in which the N9 car was hit by another car. That's given a great deal of work, but we've already completed much of it. After the need to rebuild the N7 car last week, it's yet another challenge for the team and we've had a very, very busy two-week build-up to this year's Le Mans 24 Hours!"
(*) 91 laps (N7 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP) + 76 (N8 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP) + 55 (N9 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP)
Stephane SARRAZIN (N8 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP): "A fast lap here needs you to be very precise, but I feel so confident with this car. I had been expecting to improve on our best time during the preliminary test-day time, but I didn't know by how much. We have done some good work since pre- qualifying and we have been using a race set-up all week, so that's encouraging. It's a good set-up which works for Pedro and Alex, too. Now we need to decide how fast we can go in the race."
Christian KLIEN (N9 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP): "I have to say that switching from a modern F1 car to a competitive diesel-powered LMP1 like the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP hasn't been that difficult. The difference really isn't that big. The Peugeot has lots of downforce and big tyres which give great grip. It is very powerful, too, although it initially felt strange revving no higher than 5,000rpm when we peak at 19,000 rpm in F1! But that makes it quieter in the cockpit, too, which is nice; it makes it easier to communicate with the team while out on the track."
Jacques VILLENEUVE (N7 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP): "Our car is quick and handles well; we are ready for the race. I put in a lot of laps at night on Wednesday, whereas today I put in a short run early on and then another in the dark. Everything's fine. The Peugeot team is fantastic: the guys are totally committed and passionate about their work. They did a great job rebuilding our car in such a short time after its accident on the preliminary test-day."
Alexander WURZ (N8 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP): "My car is nicely balanced for the race and I believe we're ready. 'Touch wood', but it would be really nice if I could keep up my 100 per cent record here at Le Mans: I won my first race here in 1996 and the N8 Peugeot HDi FAP will start from pole position on Saturday for my second attempt, so it would be great to win on Sunday. That's a high aim, I know, but that's what we're here for. Everyone in the team has worked so hard in the eight months I've been involved and I've found the same approach and professionalism that I was used to in F1. I love it!"
Audi
Audi starts from the second row at Le Mans
Ingolstadt/Le Mans -- After two days of trouble-free qualifying Audi Sport Team Joest will start well sorted into the 76th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Audi squad was able to work out a good and -- above all -- safe to drive set-up for the race with all three Audi R10 TDI prototypes.
After the first qualifying session on Wednesday evening, the R10 TDI cars were completely dismantled and rebuilt with fresh parts. In Thursday evening's second qualifying session they were running in the same specification they will go into the race.
The lap times at the top of the 55-car strong field were significantly closer on Thursday than on the previous day and gave a foretaste of what we can expect from the eagerly awaited battle between the world's fastest sports cars.
Best Audi pilot was yet again Allan McNish who further improved his time from the previous day with a full tank by three tenths of a second. He thus beat last year's fastest time of an Audi R10 TDI by over three seconds. Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish will start the race on Saturday as best placed Audi team from the second row of the grid in fourth place.
Lucas Luhr, Alexandre Premat and Mike Rockenfeller will start from position five. Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner improved their lap time from the previous night but dropped to seventh position on the grid.
There weren't any unexpected incidents in the Audi camp during the two qualifying days. This will allow the Audi team to be prepared calm and focused for the race and get some rest before the big challenge.
Audi competes for the tenth time this year in the Le Mans 24 Hours and has won the French endurance classic already seven times -- 2005, incidentally, starting from a similar position: In that year the best Audi also started from the second row. At the end of the race Audi won by two laps.
More than 250,000 spectators are expected at the weekend at Le Mans. Millions of fans will follow the "race of the year" on television. In Europe, Eurosport broadcasts live from Le Mans.
Quotes after Qualifying
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "This will for sure be a very exciting race. The lap times were very close together on Thursday and on a very high level. We consistently ran through our programme and worked out a good dry set-up for all three cars with which all drivers coped with well. It can also be changed quickly into a good rain set-up in case this will be necessary. We adjusted the lights and tried the spare parts. I think, we are well prepared for the race."
Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #2): "I think we worked in a proper way in the second practice again. We improved the car compared with the previous day. Now the car is easier to drive. It is faster even with a lot of fuel and used tyres. That's what we need -- a race car that handles easily and allows you to push where you need it without taking big risks. At the end, the car was as we have wished for. The drivers, engineers and mechanics did a good job."
Tom Kristensen (Audi R10 TDI #2): "Congratulations to Peugeot for pole. We have concentrated on our car for the race. I feel that we have got the best race car we can have with the three-year-old Audi R10 TDI. I am very happy and looking forward to getting behind the wheel in the race and to see what happens in this year's event. Fingers crossed for us."
Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #2): "Tonight's session was very positive. Like the previous evening, we didn't look at it as pure qualifying so spent time further improving the balance and consistency which allowed us to set similar fast times like the Peugeots. Tom (Kristensen), Dindo (Capello) and I are all very comfortable in the car -- whether it be on full or near empty tanks, used or fresh tyres -- we're happy. This allows us to be confident to attack immediately from the green light."
Lucas Luhr (Audi R10 TDI #3): "Maybe the starting position in a 24 Hour race is important for the ego of the driver but it is certainly not for the result of the race. Our competitors are fast, there is no doubt. But I'm sure that with a good strategy, our great mechanics and a good teamwork we will show up stronger on Saturday and Sunday. During the last days we worked hard and learned a lot -- now I'm looking forward to show that in the race."
Alexandre Premat (Audi R10 TDI #3): "I'm happy with our fifth position on the grid. It doesn't mean much because here at Le Mans we have seen cars losing the race from pole position and winning it from the back of the field. I'm looking forward to the 24 hours with Mike (Rockenfeller) and Lucas (Luhr) because together with our Audi R10 TDI we are a strong team. I wish all the competitors at Le Mans good luck -- and for us a big piece of it."
Mike Rockenfeller (Audi R10 TDI #3): "Now there is nothing we can do anymore. We will have a close look at all the data we collected and then find a perfect set-up for the race. We'll also use Friday to relax a little bit and get perfectly prepared. And of course there is the drivers' parade downtown at Le Mans which is a highlight for every driver. I'm looking forward to the start of the race on Saturday -- because then we finally can do what we are here for: Give our best to bring home a good result for Audi."
Frank Biela (Audi R10 TDI #1): "We did the programme that we've planned to do. The car has a good balance for the race and it suits each of us well. So we're reasonably well-prepared for the race. We need to wait now and see which pace we will be able to achieve in the race. It's difficult to say yet how fast we will be in the race. Lap times so far depended on who was using which tyres and which fuel load at a given time."
Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #1): "It's been another good day. We did some set-up work and we improved the car. I think we found a little bit of what has been missing yesterday. We still didn't try to do any qualifying attempt. In race trim, the car feels good and I'm quite optimistic."
Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #1): "We managed to make a few little steps forward. I've been really pleased with the laps in the dark towards the end. The times were good and consistent, too. I think that we enjoyed a steady improvement. Qualifying and race are two different things. Being consistent over the distance has traditionally been the key to success for us."
Ralf Juttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "We had two good, productive qualifying days with all three cars. The drivers of the number 2 car are completely happy. Marco (Werner) at the end was also very satisfied with car number 1. The R10 TDI with start number 3 did a small step in the wrong direction on Thursday. But we were able to correct this. This means that all three cars are on a good level. We can start well prepared into the race."
Porsche
Stuttgart. Porsche sets the tone in Le Mans: At the qualifying for the Le Mans 24 hour race, both the RS Spyder and the 911 GT3 RSR were clearly the fastest vehicles in their respective classes. The top time in the LMP2 class was posted by ex-Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) in 3:32.301 minutes at the wheel of an RS Spyder fielded by the Van Merksteijn Motorsport team. Second fastest on the 13.629 kilometre circuit with a gap of just 1.1 second was Porsche works driver Sascha Maassen (Germany), who supports the Danish Essex team in Le Mans. Jos Verstappen put three seconds between himself and the Zytek and Lola opponents in the LMP2 class. Porsche also secured the top times in the near-standard sports car category. Porsche works driver Patrick Long (USA) turned the fastest lap in 3:58.152 minutes ahead of fellow works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany, 3.59.072 minutes). The 76th edition of the Le Mans 24 hour race takes off on Saturday (14th June) at 15.00 hours with a flying start.
“The car became faster lap by lap,” said an enthusiastic Jos Verstappen. “And I was able to get more and more familiar with the track. I’m sure I could have driven a bit faster but I was held up twice during my flying lap.” Verstappen contests the Le Mans marathon for the first time. Both of his two Dutch team mates, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Peter van Merksteijn, have already contested the 24 hour classic twice.
Sascha Maassen, who was involved in the development of the RS Spyder from the first tests, was also enthusiastic: “It’s huge fun to drive on such a demanding circuit with a sports prototype. Particularly in the fast passages of the Porsche Curves, you can feel how balanced our car is. You approach them at around 290 kph, brake to 230 to take the curves in fifth gear. The RS Spyder handles beautifully there.” Maassen provides back-up to the two Danish regular pilots at the Essex team, John Nielsen and Casper Elgaard. The German set his top time in the first qualifying session on Wednesday evening. During Thursday’s session from 19.00 to 21.00 and 22.00 to 24.00 hours, the Essex squad concentrated primarily on finding a perfect set-up for the race. “This worked well,” said a convinced Elgaard. “Our car is optimally prepared for the race.”
The fastest man in the GT2 class at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR was Porsche works driver and last year’s winner Patrick Long (USA, IMSA Performance Matmut), sharing the car with Frenchman Raymond Narac and works driver Richard Lietz (Austria). “It was a tough fight against the other Porsche drivers and our rivals from Ferrari. So this makes it even more wonderful to come out on top when in fact our focus was on finding a good race set-up. You notice the positive further developments of the 911 mostly in the fast Porsche Curves, where the car is much calmer compared to last year,” summarises Long.
Second position in the GT2 class went to Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler (Germany) driving for the German Felbermayr Proton team. He shares driving duties with Australia’s Alex Davison and Horst Felbermayr sen. (Austria). Porsche works driver Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) qualified his Porsche 911 GT3 RSR fielded by the American Flying Lizard Motorsports on fourth place behind a Ferrari. His team mates are the two Americans Johannes van Overbeek und Seth Neiman.
Eurosport broadcasts the entire race alternately with its Pay-TV subsidiary Eurosport 2, with half the race covered on free TV by the main broadcaster. The warm-up will also be televised. Live race coverage begins on 14 June at 14.30 hours.
Charouz
Charouz Racing System best qualified petrol car at Le Mans
The Aston Martin powered LMP1 car of Charouz Racing System took the honour of being the fastest petrol car in qualifying for the 76th edition of the 24 Heures du Mans. The car even managed to outpace one of the factory diesel prototypes and so, on Saturday, it will line up on the third row of the grid.
Thursday witnessed a much stronger performance from the brand new coupe, which is the only prototype powered by a production-based engine, the Aston Martin V12 from the highly successful GT1 DBR9 car. The team managed to improve handling of the car compared to the first day, allowing Jan Charouz, Tomas Enge and Stefan Mucke to enjoy a very productive qualifying session. They beat their previous fastest time by nearly 10 seconds.
Mucke's best lap time of 3:25.158 is the fastest qualifying time set by a petrol car on the current circuit. While the team is delighted with the new car's qualifying pace on its Le Mans debut, it is very aware that the main challenge is still to come.
There is no activity on the track on Friday, but this does not mean that the team and drivers can relax. The mechanics will work hard to prepare the car for rigorous demands of the 24- hour race, while the drivers will meet the fans in the historic Jacobins square in Le Mans town centre during the traditional drivers' parade.
Jan Charouz: "It was much better day for me both in and out of the car. I felt a little bit unwell yesterday but I am better now and so is the car. I carried out some simulations for the race and set some competitive times. The car is much easier to drive now and I feel confident behind the wheel. Overall it was very good day."
Tomas Enge: "The team can be satisfied with our speed as we were able to improve the handling of the car and subsequently lap times. Personally I wish I could have done more laps but I should be okay in the race. We can see that our speed is very good as I was able to follow the diesels. We did the first part of the job but the second, and much more demanding part, still lies ahead. I am sure that the team will do its best to prepare a quick and reliable car for the race. I am also looking forward to tomorrow's drivers' parade; it is always nice to enjoy the terrific atmosphere created by many thousands of fans."
Stefan Mucke: "We are all very happy with the improvements that we made after yesterday. My lap was quite good; I just got a little traffic at the end. We beat one of the Audis and were the fastest petrol car, which is a great achievement for us. I think we can be quite optimistic regarding our race pace as well. I am looking forward to the start."
Antonin Charouz, Team Principal: "We cannot ask for more. I am more than happy with today's performance. It is the first start with this car here and be the fastest petrol car is truly satisfying. To beat one diesel is a bonus and we all saw that they tried very hard to out-qualify us at the end. We should be quick in the race trim. The race is long and demanding and strong reliability will be key to a good result."
George Howard-Chappell, Technical Director, Aston Martin Racing: "Overall it's been a very pleasing qualifying session. We're particularly pleased with the qualifying performance from Stefan Mucke. The team had quite a difficult time getting dialled into Le Mans, but to split the Audi diesels was a great achievement. I now feel that we are very well prepared for the epic battle due to start on Saturday."