Second Qualifying first session

This is a bit more like it! The weather is now more like the proper ‘Le Mans’ stuff .. hot, sunny and a bit muggy. The campsites are drying out and filling up fast and there is now a great buzz about the place and it is heaving with people. It looks as if all that football stuff hasn’t had a major effect on numbers. Back in the pits you can almost sense the relief amongst The Teams that they can now get on with the job in hand on a dry track without thunderstorms. That Audi.v.Pescarolo battle is shaping up rather well. A show of hands amongst a group of well lubricated ‘know-alls’ last night reckoned that it could be a Pescarolo win … being ‘know-alls’ they will plead insanity or being misunderstood if Audi win!

Inevitably the spot light focuses on these big bangers … the LM P1 cars. There is an interesting twist here, the new technology, possibly fragile diesel Audis (remember Sebring) are up against the three year old revitalised well tested package that is Pescarolo. Interesting…
As the heat went out of the day everybody was setting tit-for-tat fastest laps.

It was good stuff, so good in fact that last year’s pole position time bit the dust just as the session ended. So the know-alls heaved as sigh of relief as the No.16 Pescarolo driven by Collard topped the sheets. However who knows what Audi have up their sleeves when the final session gets under way in the cool of the evening .. traditionally this is when the men and boys get sorted out and everything else gets resolved.

In LM P2 things began to get a more familiar look about it. Mike Newton, Thomas Erdos and Andy Wallace (now there is a strong team) put the No.25 RML Lola AER onto provisional class pole (and 10th overall). But they have not had it all their own way, the No.33 Intersport Lola is looking strong driven Clint Field, Liz Halliday and Dundan Dayton. Traditionally the LM P2 cars have tended to be a fragile, but if they don’t fall to bits don’t discount Martin Short and the Rollcentre Radical Judd. They are taking a bit longer than expected to get into the groove but that car looks serious.

In LM GT1 you will be delighted to hear that the Corvettes have finally decided to come out and play. Ron Fellows in the No.63 Corvette calmly banged in some fast laps but then the No.009 Aston Martin Racing car driven by Sarrazin/Lamy and Ortelli did the business and took provisional pole. 3rd in GT1 is the Acemco Motorsports Saleen S7R driven by Borcheller/Mowlem/Fittipaldi… not all bad for a car that first appeared at Le Mans in 2001.

It is a shame that LM GT2 tends to get overlooked because the UK Scuderia Ecosse are doing a great job despite being swamped by Porsches they ended the session 3rd in Class. The No.76 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche was provisionally on pole with the No.80 Team Flying Lizard behind them. Anybody who wondered why on earth the Spykers keep on getting an entry would do well to note that No.85 car driven by Hezeman/Bleekemolen and Kane are currently 4th in class … so no more of that
“ lots of tin and rivets mostly flying in close formation stuff” this is an impressive showing.

So, bring on that final session … things are brewing up nicely.

Jock Simpson