Two factory Porsche 963 qualify for Hyperpole in Le Mans

While Frenchman Julien Andlauer manoeuvred the number 5 963 into the two-part Hyperpole early on, brand colleague Felipe Nasr in the number 4 sister car finished in the top 15 on his last timed lap. Kévin Estre set the fourth-fastest time in the number 6 race car. However, the car was subsequently placed to the back of the Hypercar grid as it was below the required minimum weight.

Qualifying

In bright sunshine and with temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius, qualifying turned into a heat battle. Things got particularly heated in the top Hypercar class on the 13.626-kilometre Circuit des 24 Heures. Race cars from four different manufacturers took turns at the front of the 21-car prototype field.

Only the top 15 finishers in the 30-minute qualifying session advance to Thursday’s Hyperpole session in the new Le Mans qualifying format. Former Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer was able to secure his progress early on: The number 5 Porsche, which the Frenchman shares with compatriot Mathieu Jaminet and Denmark’s Michael Christensen, was classified sixth. Their team-mate Felipe Nasr had to fight harder: the reigning IMSA champion manoeuvred his 963 into 14th place shortly before the end of the session. Due to the relegation of the sister car with the number 6, the Brazilian moved up to 13th place together with Briton Nick Tandy and current FIA Formula E World Champion Pascal Wehrlein from Germany.

“With the number 6 car we have fallen below the minimum weight as stated in the regulations for our race cars. For this reason, the vehicle was relegated to the back of the hypercar field. We are now concentrating on preparing for the race,” says Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. ‟We still have two more irons in the fire in the battle for pole position and are hoping for a top result tomorrow.”

“Julien got his car safely through to the next round. Felipe, meanwhile, had some trouble with the front tyres,” explains Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “I hope that we can further improve our Porsche 963 in the run-up to the big race. We also want to prepare Pascal Wehrlein even more intensively for his upcoming Le Mans debut with some long runs in the upcoming practice sessions.”

Neel Jani was the qualifying driver in the Porsche 963 of the Proton Competition customer team. The Swiss driver finished the session in 19th place, from where car number 99 will start the race on Saturday at 16:00 hrs.

Ryan Hardwick brings Manthey 1st Phorm’s 911 GT3 R to the Hyperpole

In the LMGT3 class, the amateur drivers had to line up for qualifying. At the wheel of the number 92 car entered by Manthey 1st Phorm, Ryan Hardwick put in a strong performance. The American took the up to 516 kW (565 PS) nine-eleven to third place and thus into tomorrow’s Hyperpole session. The two identical race cars from the Iron Dames and Manthey finished in 19th and 20th place, which means they will not be allowed to take part in the Hyperpole session.

New Hyperpole format promises a spectacle in the battle for pole position

The time chase for the best grid positions at the 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place in a new format this year. Tomorrow, Thursday, the Hyperpole session will begin with the two vehicle categories LMP2 and LMGT3 at 20:00. After 20 minutes, the eight fastest race cars in each of these two classes will move on to the second section, Hyperpole 2, a 15-minute session in which the best grid positions will be contested. The Hypercar class, in which the three Porsche 963 of the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team are among those battling for overall victory, also competes twice. From now on, however, the prototypes will have the track to themselves – this should prevent obstructions or time losses caused by vehicles from the slower classes and enable top times. The top ten cars from Hyperpole 1 move on to the second section. The final shootout between the top ten for pole position also lasts 15 minutes.

Programme for Thursday, 12 June (all times CEST)

14:45 hrs – 17:45 hrs: Free Practice
20:00 hrs – 20:20 hrs: Hyperpole 1 (LMP2/LMGT3)
20:35 hrs – 20:50 hrs: Hyperpole 2 (LMP2/LMGT3)
21:05 hrs – 21:25 hrs: Hyperpole 1 (Hypercar)
21:40 hrs – 21:55 hrs: Hyperpole 2 (Hypercar)
23:00 hrs – 00:00 hrs: Free Practice

The race on TV and stream

In Germany, the free TV channel Nitro from the RTL Group and the sports channel Eurosport will broadcast the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The official apps of the FIA WEC and the Le Mans organiser ACO offer a paid live stream and live timing. The 93rd edition of the endurance classic starts on Saturday, 14 June at 16:00 local time (CEST)

Driver quotes after Qualifying

Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #5): “Sixth place and only seven tenths of a second behind the absolute top time – we can live with that. My lap was okay and the car felt good. We still have some potential for improvement both in the 963 and on my side when driving. We’ll start with two Porsches in the Hyperpole: tick that one off, done.”

Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #4): “I’m glad that we made it into the Hyperpole at the last moment – that was important for the entire team of our number 4 car. Obviously, we need to further optimize our Porsche in some areas. We are losing time in braking zones and top speed sections in particular. We already have some ideas that should help us make progress.”

Ryan Hardwick (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “On the test day, our 911 GT3 R ran very well balanced and fast. Unfortunately, our race car didn’t feel so good in today’s free practice. But our team at Manthey did a great job of turning things around and made the perfect changes to the set-up. The nine-eleven was really good again in qualifying – that’s how a Porsche has to drive at Le Mans! I’m very happy that I was able to get us into the Hyperpole. Now I’m curious to see how my colleagues will do in the two sessions tomorrow.”

Results Qualifying

Hypercar class:
1. Stevens/Nato/Lynn (GBR/FRA/GBR), Cadillac #12, 3.22.847 minutes
2. D. Vanthoor/Marciello/Magnussen (BEL/ITA/DNK), BMW #15, + 0.040 seconds
3. Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi (ITA/GBR/ITA), Ferrari #51, + 0.316 seconds
6. Andlauer/Christensen/Jaminet (FRA/DNK/FRA), Porsche 963 #5, + 0.697 seconds
13. Nasr/Tandy/Wehrlein (BRA/GBR/DEU), Porsche 963 #4, + 1.737 seconds
19. Jani/Pino/Varrone (SUI/CHL/ARG), Porsche 963 #99, + 2.680 seconds

LMGT3-Klasse:
1. Al Harthy/Rossi/K. van der Linde (OMA/ITA/RSA), BMW #46, 3.56.875 Minuten
2. James/Drudi/Robichon (GBR/ITA/CDN), Aston Martin #27, + 0.208 seconds
3. Hardwick/Lietz/Pera (USA/AUT/ITA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, + 0.380 seconds
19. Martin/Bovy/Frey (FRA/BEL/SUI), Porsche 911 GT3 R #85, + 3.151 seconds
20. Au/Bachler/Hartog (HKG/AUT/NLD), Porsche 911 GT3 R #90, + 3.575 seconds

All results available at fiawec.alkamelsystems.com.