Rossi, who has transitioned to GT3 racing, used the opportunity to experience the power and performance of a Hypercar. With the guidance of experienced driver René Rast, Rossi quickly adapted to the challenging demands of the BMW M Hybrid V8.

Despite being a newcomer to the Hypercar category, Rossi managed to secure the second-fastest time among the rookie drivers, highlighting his natural talent and quick learning ability.

“Today was a fantastic day,” Rossi said. “I had the chance to drive the BMW M Hybrid V8 for the entire day, with the whole crew and René Rast who gave me advice. I enjoyed it a lot, the car is fantastic, very fast and very strong. It has a lot of power. The lap times were 15 seconds faster than in GT3. The tyres have great grip. It is a real race car.”

Rossi, who has transitioned to GT3 racing, used the opportunity to experience the power and performance of a Hypercar. With the guidance of experienced driver René Rast, Rossi quickly adapted to the challenging demands of the BMW M Hybrid V8.

“I was quite worried because I had never driven the Hypercar before, but I felt good from the first lap because the car is stable and gives good feedback,” Rossi added. “To go fast is very difficult, but it’s a lot of fun. I have to say thank you for the great experience and I hope that I have another chance to try the car.”

Despite being a newcomer to the Hypercar category, Rossi managed to secure the second-fastest time among the rookie drivers, highlighting his natural talent and quick learning ability.

Other Notable Performances:

• Ferrari’s Rising Star: Arthur Leclerc, Ferrari’s young development driver, impressed by topping the rookie timesheet in the Ferrari 499P.
• Alpine’s Future Talent: FIA Formula 2 driver Victor Martins showcased his potential in the Alpine A424, securing third place among the rookies.
• LMGT3 Class Dominance: Ben Barnicoat excelled in the Lexus RC F GT3, setting the fastest time among LMGT3 rookie drivers.

The 2024 FIA WEC season has concluded, with Toyota and Porsche securing the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ Championships, respectively. The 2025 season is set to begin with the Prologue in February, followed by the 1000km race in Qatar. As the series evolves, fans can expect more exciting racing and the emergence of new stars.

Hypercar top 6:

1. Arthur Leclerc – Ferrari 499P 1:50.460
2. Valentino Rossi – BMW M Hybrid V8 +0.117s
3. Victor Martins – Alpine A424 +0.257s
4. Max Hesse – BMW M Hybrid V8 +0.359s
5. Thomas Neubauer – Ferrari 499P +0.570s
6. Philip Hanson – Ferrari 499P +0.964s

LMGT3 top 6:

1. Ben Barnicoat – Lexus RC F LMGT3 2:01.772
2. Mahaveer Raghunathan – Ferrari 296 LMGT3 +0.851s
3. Aurélien Panis – Lexus RC F LMGT3 +0.870s
4. Matteo De Palo – Ferrari 296 LMGT3 +1.194s
5. Tom Gamble – McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo +1.399s
6. Mattia Drudi – Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 Evo +1.400s

The post Valentino Rossi makes a strong debut in the BMW M Hybrid V8 first appeared on InsideRacing.com.

The No.7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid led for the majority of the race after starting from pole position but suffered a puncture and a technical issue allowing Alpine a sniff of victory.

The no8 Toyota had suffered problems earlier in the race with Brendon Hartley bring the car in for two trips to the garage.

Porsche and Ferrari put on a stunning battle in LMGTE Pro as No.92 Porsche of Kevin Estre and Neel Jani just beat the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo of James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi, with the Ferrari having to pit for a ‘splash and dash’ two minutes before the chequered flag.

United Autosports USA takes second win of 2021 season in LMP2, while AF Corse takes LMGTE Am silverware with No.83 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo after mighty back of grid to lead drive.

HYPERCAR

No7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid Hypercar of Jose-Maria Lopez, Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway takes its first win of the season and Toyota Gazoo Racing’s third.

But victory doesn’t come easy for no7 Toyota after a puncture and a brief technical issue costs the team time and allows Glickenhaus and Alpine ELF Matmut have spells in the lead.

Mike Conway forced to go flat-out in final hour due to need for a ‘splash’ fuel stop in closing stages.

However, a Full Course Yellow with 35-mins remaining allows Conway to re-fuel which proves decisive.

The no7 crew even survived a late pit stop investigation probe but received just a warning from the stewards.

Alpine ELF Matmut eventually takes second place after fighting display from Nicolas Lapierre, Andre Negrao and Matthieu Vaxiviere.

The no709 Glickenhaus 007 LMH shows well and took up lead very briefly after the no7 Toyota stopped on track in fifth hour.

However, Romain Dumas had to pit the Glickenhaus immediately with brake issues and dropped four laps as brake change is completed. However, team takes its first ever WEC podium for a fighting third position.

The no708 Glickenhaus has troubled day with spark plug and gearbox problems causes mid-race retirement.

After repairs the no8 Toyota rejoined and finished the 6 Hours of Monza in 33rd overall, 43 laps behind their teammates, but, more importantly, 4th in the Hypercar class.

LMGTE PRO

Porsche wins massive LMGTE Pro battle after manic ‘cat and mouse’ race sees Kevin Estre just beat the no51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE driven in final stints by Alessandro Pier Guidi.

Estre and Jani take second win of season after close battle over duration of the six hours that sees their no92 Porsche 911 RSR-19 and the Ferrari never more than 7-seconds apart.

However, deciding moment comes with less than three minutes remaining Pier Guidi is forced to pit for fuel.

Win sees Estre and Jani go back into the championship lead by just two points ahead of Calado and Pier Guidi.

No91 Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Gimmi Bruni and Richard Lietz has similarly tight fight with no52 AF Corse Ferrari driven by Daniel Serra and Miguel Molina. Porsche wins that battle as well by just 6-seconds.

LMP2

United Autosports USA claims second victory of 2021 season as Filipe Albuquerque takes chequered flag after team took control of class in third hour.

Fabio Scherer and Phil Hanson also drive excellent stints to reap rewards and re-gain points lead in championship.

Early leaders Team WRT finish second after getting unlucky break when the only Safety Car of race came out just after third hour.

Robin Frijns, Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg takes second consecutive runners-up position for Belgian entry.

Racing Team Nederland place third as Nyck de Vries, Paul Loup Chatin and Frits van Eerd get better of Inter Europol Competition in final hour.

Dutch entry also wins the Pro-Am race despite drive-through penalty for earlier pitlane speeding.

Inter Europol Competition place fine fourth as Alex Brundle, Renger van der Zande and Jakub Smiechowski fightback from early penalty for contact.

LMGTE AM

No83 AF Corse Ferrari takes epic win after Nicklas Nielsen brings car home with comfortable margin to seal second win of the season.

Alessio Rovera made sensational start to come from rear of grid after qualifying technical infringement.

Nielsen along with teammates Francois Perrodo and Alessio Rovera drive faultless race to add to Spa success in May.

No98 Aston Martin places second as Paul Dalla Lana, Marcos Gomes and Augusto Farfus grab position in epic final fight with fellow D’Station Aston Martin.

D’Station Aston Martin Andrew Watson drives mega double stint before handing over to Tomonobu Fujii who holds second place and best WEC result so far.

Farfus catches Fujii in final laps and huge battle commences but Brazilian gets by on final lap and took the chequered flag by just 0.190s at the end of six hours of racing.

The post Toyota take drama filled victory in Italy; Porsche beat Ferrari in close race first appeared on InsideRacing.com.

Porsche took the LMGTE pole as Kevin Estre swept to his fourth consecutive top spot in the no92 Porsche 911 RSR 19.

HYPERCAR

Jose-Maria Lopez in No.7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid Hypercar takes 0.7s off this morning’s best time as the Argentinian sets a rapid best lap of 1m35.899s.

Lopez recovered from lock-up at first chicane on his first two laps, which he was forced to abandon and take to the escape road both times.

No8 Toyota is second as Brendon Hartley sets 1m35.961s to make it another Toyota 1-2, just 0.062s behind.

No36 Alpine ELF Matmut A480-0Gibson is third as Nicolas Lapierre laps in 1m36.121s after car is repaired from early morning accident.

Pipo Derani ensures Glickenhaus Racing start on outside of the second row as he claims a fastest lap of 1m36.995s.

The second Glickenhaus 007 LMH car is fifth as Richard Westbrook qualifies 0.328 in arrears to teammate.

LMGTE Pro

Porsche takes pole in LMGTE Pro class as No.92 Porsche 911 RSR-19 driven by Kevin Estre sets best time of 1m45.412s.

Estre is unbeaten in 2021 as he celebrated third consecutive pole position and was also on pole in Bahrain at the end of last season.

French ace’s best time is just 0.065s faster than chasing No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi.

No91 Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Gimmi Bruni places third but half a second away from sister Porsche.

No52 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo driven by Miguel Molina places fourth in second AF Corse entry.

LMP2

Charles Milesi sets 1m38.527 to claim first WEC pole for Team WRT.

Milesi’s lap just pips Filipe Albuquerque, who sets brilliant last ditch lap to get within 0.030s in United Autosport USA car!

Ben Hanley driven Dragonspeed USA place entry sets third best lap of 1m38.663s. Team is also the leading Pro/Am entry in LMP2.

Racing Team Nederland place fourth as Nyck de Vries laps in 1m38.726s.

JOTA suffer difficult session as no28 car driven by Stoffel Vandoorne crashes heavily at second Lesmo corner and causes session to be red flagged, leaving a 2m47s dash to the flag when the session goes green again.

Anthony Davidson sets late lap to claim sixth in second JOTA entry.

LMGTE AM

TF Sport Aston Martin takes second pole of the 2021 season as Ben Keating flies to a 1m47.272s best lap after titanic battle.

No83 AF Corse squad second with a best lap set by Francois Perrodo just 0.269s back from Keating’s pole time.

Cetilar Racing place third as Roberto Lacorte laps within 0.409s of pole as team continues fightback after practice accident.

The 6 Hours of Monza will get underway at 12h00 on Sunday 18 July.

The post Lopez claims pole at Monza for Toyota; Estre takes 2021 pole hat-trick first appeared on InsideRacing.com.

The Argentine driver’s time of 1m36.864 was 1.6 seconds faster than his own best time set in FP1.  

In LMGTE Pro, after Ferrari were fastest in FP1, Porsche fought back and went ahead in FP2, with Racing Team Nederland and AF Corse fastest in LMP2 and LMGTE Am respectively.

HYPERCAR  

• No7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid Hypercar driven by Jose Maria Lopez sets early session best time of 1m36.864s 
• Glickenhaus cause a surprise as Olivier Pla posts a 1m37.601s best, which is good enough for second for a while. 
• However, a 1m37.591s best from Nicolas Lapierre takes the Alpine ELF Matmut team to second spot on the time sheets at the chequered flag 
• No8 Toyota places fourth as 1m37.738s laps is set by Brendon Hartley and then team concentrate on race set-up work 
• The second Glickenhaus 007 LMH car is fifth as Richard Westbrook claims a best of 1m38.051s 

LMGTE PRO  

• Porsche fights back in LMGTE Pro as no92 Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Kevin Estre and Neel Jani lead the way 
• Estre’s 1m45.590s best lap is set in early running and was 0.6 ahead of chasing Ferraris at the end of the 90-minute session. 
• No51 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo driven by James Calado and Alessandro Pierguidi is second ahead of sister Ferrari of Miguel Molina and Daniel Serra 
• No92 Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Gimmi Bruni and Richard Lietz places fourth   

LMP2  

• Nyck de Vries sets fastest lap for Racing Team Nederland entry on a 1m38.545s lap 
• The United Autosports USA car driven by Filip Albuquerque gets within 0.075s of De Vries’ LMP2 topping time 
• No29 car is also the highest placed Pro/Am entry in the 90-minute session 
• However, the no29 Oreca ends up in Ascari chicane gravel as Frits van Eerd causes only red flag in final moments of the session.
• Third in class is the no38 Jota entry as Anthony Davidson peaks with a 1m38.899s lap 

LMGTE AM  

• Ferrari 1-2-3 in LMGTE Am as Francesco Castellacci sets the pace with a 1m46.737s lap in closing stages of 90-minute session in no54 AF Corse entered car 
• Alessio Rovera gets to within 0.092s of Castellacci’s time in No.83 AF Corse entry 
• Rahel Frey takes third place as she sets a time of 1m46.940 for the all-female crewed Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE  
• New entry – Inception Racing stops on track in session as Brendon Iribe continues to gather experience in first ever WEC race 

The post Toyota sets fastest time of the weekend so far in FP2 first appeared on InsideRacing.com.

Porsche again led Ferrari in LMGTE Pro, while JOTA took over the top of the class times in LMP2 and AF Corse were fastest in LMGTE Am.

JOSE-MARIA LOPEZ – NO7 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING, TOYOTA GR010-HYBRID – HYPERCAR

“It’s our first win in Hypercar and its special in Monza. it wasn’t a smooth race as everything happened with us, around us and with our sister car as well.

“So you know, you suffer a lot the race from behind from under the scenes. But anyway, congratulations to the team, to Toyota, to everyone involved in the team, they did a fantastic job. Mike (Conway) and Kamui (Kobayashi) as always were perfect oi the race especially when the Alpine tried to catch us back.

“I’m happy, as endurance races are always like this, so you kind of get used to celebrate, but also accept what is going on, because it’s a long race and anything can happen. I am happy to win and now into the next one, which is a big one!”

NEEL JANI – NO92 PORSCHE GT TEAM, PORSCHE 911 RSR-19 – LMGTE PRO

“We didn’t know that he (Pierguidi) had to take a pit stop. It didn’t look like it and he was very quick at the end and pushing hard so it was kind of nail-biting right there. But what a great race, six hours of straight out qualifying laps and I haven’t had such a tight race also for a long time in WEC and I really enjoyed that one.”

FILIPE ALBUQUERQUE – NO22 UNITED AUTOSPORTS USA, ORECA-GIBSON – LMP2

“Unfortunately, yesterday we didn’t secure pole position and it was kind of chaotic for everyone with the red flag. I think actually it was good that I didn’t do pole position because today I was with more hunger to go to the race and the car was just amazing.

“These boys (Hanson and Scherer) did an amazing job. Phil going to P1 in the start and then just holding there on the strategy hitting the fuel targets. Fabio as well in his second race going to the overall podium and with amazing pace as well.

“At one point we were a little bit unlucky with the safety car, and then the opportunity not being caught by the other team, which made our life better, so it was just that I think we had a little bit more pace overall.”

ALESSIO ROVERA – NO83 AF CORSE, FERRARI 488 GTE EVO – LMGTE AM

“The race was more enjoyable starting from the rear. But we knew that the car was really fast, especially on the straight, so I just pushed to the limit and try to overtake when I can.”

“We enjoyed a lot the race and we really fast in all of the stints, especially Francois (Perrodo) and Nicklas (Nielsen), so I’m really happy for this result and a big thanks to the whole team.”

FRITS VAN EERD – NO29 RACING TEAM NEDERLAND, ORECA-GIBSON – LMP2 PRO/AM
“It was a kind of a strange start because we prepped ourselves to the maximum. But at the end I got two new teammates, but it worked out so well. So it was actually unbelievable at such short notice. We were able to put a team together of course but Nick, we have done a lot together. Paul-Loup is a new guy for me, and you know he did a fantastic job. Unbelievable, I’m so happy.”

The post No7 Toyota makes it three from three in FP3 first appeared on InsideRacing.com.

The two Glickenhaus 007 LMHs were 4th and 5th fastest with the no709 finishing four hundredths ahead of the no708.

The two AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVOs were quickest in the LMGTE Pro category with the no52 488 of Miguel Molina posting a 1m46.329 lap time, 0.371s ahead of his teammate Alessandro Pier Guidi in the no51 Ferrari.

The two Porsche 911s were 0.195s further back with the no 92 911 RSR-19 of Neel Jani just 0.088s ahead of the no91 Porsche.

Reigning champions United Autosports led the way in the LMP2 category, with Filipe Albuquerque finishing the 90-minute session with the best time in class of 1m39.373, 0.464s ahead of the no29 Racing Team Nederland Oreca of Nyck De Vries, with the no21 Dragonspeed USA of Ben Hanley posting the third fastest of 1m40.075.

In the final few minutes of the session Team Project 1’s Riccardo Pera went to the top of the 16 car LMGTE AM entry with a 1m47.194, pushing the no54 AF Corse Ferrari of Giancarlo Fisichella into second spot by just under two tenths of a second.  

The no60 Iron Lynx rounded out the top three in the LMGTE AM class with Matteo Cressoni making it three Italian drivers setting top three best times with a 1m47.479s. 

The session was red flagged for a short period after the no47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari went off track into the barriers.   

Roberto Lacorte was OK, but the mechanics now have to repair the car before FP2 tomorrow morning, which will begin at 09h30 CEST.

The post Toyota and Ferrari are 1-2 in FP1 at Monza first appeared on InsideRacing.com.

Matthieu Vaxiviere topped the time sheets to secure the first overall WEC pole position for Alpine

Porsche takes the top spot in the LMGTE Pro class as they continue a close fight with historic rivals Ferrari, as Kevin Estre takes second consecutive pole. 

HYPERCAR  

Alpine ELF Matmut took the top spot in Portugal, with Matthieu Vaxiviere setting a best lap of 1m30.364 in the A480-Gibson.  Brendon Hartley, in the #8 Toyota GR010-Hybrid, was a close second with a 1m30.458s, 0.094s behind.  

The #7 Toyota was third with Mike Conway achieving a fastest lap of 1m30.540s, meaning the top three are covered by just 0.176s.   Glickenhaus Racing’s Richard Westbrook qualifies fourth in debut for US entered teams new Glickenhaus 0007 Hypercar. 

LMGTE PRO  

Kevin Estre set the fastest lap to claim second consecutive pole position with a 1m37.986 lap in #92 Porsche 911 RSR-19.   Estre set two lap times that would have been good enough for pole as #92 team continues 100% points success in 2021 so far.

James Calado took second place on grid with 1m38.359s lap in #51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. But the Brit saw the next quick lap cancelled for track limit violation.  The #91 Porsche driven by Gimmi Bruni will start third in tomorrow’s race. 

The #52 Ferrari has disastrous session and will start at rear of grid after Daniel Serra was penalised for track limit infringements and only set one flying lap.

LMP2  

British team JOTA took 1-2 in LMP2 as Tom Blomqvist set the best lap of the session of 1m31.210s in #28 Oreca-Gibson.  His best lap beat local ace and teammate Antonio Felix Da Costa in #38 JOTA entry by just 0.045s, with Da Costa stopping the clock on 1m31.255.  

Racing Team Nederland team continue their strong form with the third placed time in LMP2 as Job Van Uitert also claims the LMP2 Pro/Am class best. 

LMGTE AM  

LMGTE Am class pole was secured by Egidio Perfetti in #56 Team Project 1 Porsche after he left it late in the session to set a 1m40.191 pace setting best.   

The #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche was second as Christian Reid sets best lap of 1m40.236s but is just beaten after Perfetti’s lap which was just 0.045s quicker.  

Roberto Lacorte’s 1m40.885 for Cetilar Racing was good enough for third position as they look to fight for another podium after their success in Round 1 at Spa. 

The 8 Hours of Portimao is due to begin at 11h00 BST / 12h00 CEST on Sunday 13 June.

The post Alpine claims pole at Portimao; Porsche fastest in LMGTE first appeared on InsideRacing.com.

Porsche reasserted its authority in the LMGTE Pro class, while Alpine ELF Matmut continued at top of Hypercar ahead of the Glickenhaus 007 LMH.

HYPERCAR  

Alpine ELF Matmut was still on top in Hypercar as Nicolas Lapierre again places himself at the top of the timings screens as he sets a best lap of 1m31.886.  

A superb 1m31.916s lap by Glickenhaus Racing’s Richard Westbrook continues strong debut pace from all-new Glickenhaus 0007 Hypercar design after US team recovers from technical issues in earlier session.

Brendon Hartley is again fastest in the #8 Toyota GR010-Hybrid for Toyota Gazoo Racing with a 1m32.064s to place third in Hypercar The #7 Toyota places fourth with Jose-Maria Lopez achieving a fastest lap of 1m32.459s  

LMGTE PRO  

A close fight in LMGTE Pro sees Porsche claw back to the top of the times as Kevin Estre sets fastest lap of class so far in cooler conditions and peaks on a 1m38.082s lap. Gianmaria Bruni was second with the #91 Porsche 911 RSR-19 on a 1m38.850s but 0.8s in arrears to sister car. 

AF Corse Ferrari place third and fourth as work continues on tyres stints for tomorrow’s race. Daniel Serra laps just 0.1s behind Bruni with a best effort of 1m38.953s. Serra’s best is 0.2s faster than the #51 cars best, which is set by James Calado on 1m39.919s 

LMP2  

Di Resta sets another stunning lap time with the United Autosports USA Oreca-Gibson to again lead the overall times with a rapid 1m31.628s.  

JOTA placed second as Antonio Felix da Costa stopped the clock with a 1m31.765s, just 0.137s off di Resta’s best time.  The Inter Europol Competition team continues its strong form with the third placed time in LMP2 as Alex Brundle again excels with 1m31.998s best. 

LMGTE AM  

LMGTE Am class is once again lead by the #56 Team Project 1 Porsche as Matteo Cairoli takes 0.1s out of his best morning time and sets class pace with a 1m39.186s lap.  

The #77 Dempsey Proton finished the session second quickest as Matt Campbell claimed a best lap of 1m39.577.  AF Corse denied Porsche a clean sweep as Giancarlo Fisichella placed third in #.54 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. 

The post United Autosports quickest again in FP3; Porsche outpace Ferrari in LMGTE first appeared on InsideRacing.com.

HYPERCAR  

Alpine ELF Matmut continues to pace the Hypercar class as Nicolas Lapierre sets best lap of 1m32.024, which was 4^th fastest overall.  Brendon Hartley sets best time for Toyota Gazoo Racing with a 1m32.690s best in #8 Toyota GR010-Hybrid, while the #7 Toyota is third with Mike Conway turning in a 1m32.721s best lap.

Glickenhaus Racing’s Glickenhaus 0007 Hypercar design is fourth as session is curtailed just before 60-minute mark when Romain Dumas stops on track with a gear shift issue. 

LMGTE PRO  

AF Corse Ferrari top class for first time in 2021 as Daniel Serra heads the field with a 1m38.901s best lap.   The Brazilian’s best time is just over 0.1s quicker than #92 Porsche 911 RSR-19 driven by Kevin Estre, Neel Jani and Michael Christensen.  Sister Porsche places third as a 1m39.328s is set by Frederic Makowiecki.  

The James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi driven AF Corse entered Ferrari 488 GTE Evo peaks on a 1m39.593s lap achieved by Calado. 

LMP2  

Di Resta’s searing lap sees United Autosports USA lead the overall timing sheets and LMP2 class as the Scottish ace’s time of 1m39.184s cannot be beaten.  Team WRT comes closest to the overall pace as Robin Frijns laps just 0.020s away.  Third in LMP2 is the #34 Inter Europol Competition entry as Alex Brundle retains scintillating form and is just 0.067s off di Resta’s benchmark. 

LMGTE AM  

LMGTE Am class is topped by the #56 Team Project 1 Porsche as Matteo Cairoli peaks on a 1m39.266s.  Cetilar Racing place second as Antonio Fuoco sets a lap just 0.2 seconds of Cairoli’s best 

Third is the GR Racing Porsche as Ben Barker boosts British team with a 1m39.501s quickest lap.

The post United Autosports fastest in FP2 as Ferrari fight back in LMGTE first appeared on InsideRacing.com.

Da Costa’s best lap of 1m33.752 in the JOTA LMP2 entry was just 0.029s faster than the chasing pack, led by the LMH category no36 Alpine Elf Matmut Alpine A480-Gibson, with the top ten covered by less than a second! 

HYPERCAR  

Alpine ELF Matmut lead the Hypercar class as Nicolas Lapierre peaks on a 1m33.781 as Les Bleues lead both Toyota TS010 Hybrids. Sebastien Buemi leads the chase with a time of 1m33.800s just 0.029s off Lapierre’s best.

No.7 Toyota is third with Kamui Kobayashi turning in a 1m33.807s. Glickenhaus Racing makes debut with striking Glickenhaus 0007 Hypercar design and Richard Westbrook peaks on a 1m34.789s to carve strong foundation for US entered team 

LMGTE PRO

No.92 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR–19 driven by Kevin Estre sets scintillating quickest time of 1m40.227s to head sister car driven by Gimmi Bruni who sets a 1m40.389s best. AF Corse Ferrari 0.4s off Porsches as No.51 488 GTE Evo of James Calado and Alessandro PierGuidi leads No.52 car of Miguel Molina and Daniel Serra.

LMP2  

Da Costa’s searing lap sees JOTA atop the class as well as overall pace setters. The Portuguese’s time of 1m33.752s sees him lead the Inter Europol Competition by 0.2s. Alex Brundle sets early session best as the Polish team shows improved form from Spa. 

DragonSpeed USA place third as Ben Hanley sets a fastest time of 1m34.268s to make strong start for car he shares with Juan Pablo Montoya and Henrik Hedman. Reigning champions, United Autosports USA are fourth but just 0.026s off third place 

LMGTE AM  

LMGTE Am class is topped by the No.77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche as Matt Campbell continues potent form by setting class best of 1m41.202s.  Andrea Piccini places second in No.60 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GTE Evo just 0.224s behind Campbell.  Third is the No.56 Team Project 1 Porsche which was re-built after Spa accident last month. Matteo Cairoli sets time of 1m41.484s.

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