The first on track action in preparation for the 100th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours is over and the #50 Ferrari 499P Hybrid topped the time sheets overall after the morning session on test day.
Antonio Fuoco set the benchmark for the rest of the competition, clocking in a lap of 3:30.686. The second placed Hypercar was the #94 Peugeot 9X8 Hybrid, with Gustavo Menezes lapping the Circuit de la Sarthe in a time of 3:31.346. There was less to shout about for the French marque’s second car, as a red flag was brought out part way through the session when Paul Di Resta stopped out on track in the #93 machine, an unwelcome distraction for Peugeot in their return to Le Mans. The #93 finished seventh in class with a time of 3:32.764, set by Di Resta’s co-driver Mikkel Jensen.
In third was the first of the Porsche 963 Hybrids, but rather than it being one of the factory Penske machines, it was the #38 Hertz Team JOTA car that posted a time of 3:31.477 courtesy of Yiefe Ye. The #51 Ferrari 499P Hybrid finished fourth on the timesheets, with James Calado setting a time of 3:31.636 as the Scuderia began their first assault on Le Mans in five decades in promising fashion. Mike Conway in the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid brought the session to an early end, coming to a halt in Sector 1 and causing a red flag with mere minutes left on the clock. Conway’s teammate Renger Van Der Zande ensured the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid finished the session in sixth with a time of 3:32.073.
In LMP2, the #47 Oreca 07-Gibson of COOL Racing set the early benchmark with driver Reshad de Gérus topping the category thanks to a time of 3:36.409. Runner up in LMP2 went to the #48 Oreca 07-Gibson of IDEC Sport’s Paul Loup Chatin, putting a time of 3:37.427 on the board. The top three in LMP2 was rounded out by WRT’s #31 Oreca 07-Gibson with Ferdinand Habsburg lapping La Sarthe in a time of 3:37.767.
In LMGTE Am, two Ferrari 488 GTE Evos topped the standings. Louis Prette took early bragging rights by posting a time of 3:56.623 in JMW Motorsport’s #66 machine. In second was the #21 AF Corse Ferrari of Ulysse de Pauw, who set a time of 3:56.751. Splitting the two leading Ferraris from the rest of the GTE pack was Charlie Eastwood in the #25 Aston Martin Vantage AMR run by ORT by TF, with a time of 3:56.795.
With an impressive time of 3:56.880 that would have placed them right near the front of the GTE pack was the Garage 56 entry representing NASCAR. The next-gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has been modified to cope with the world’s most gruelling endurance race with drivers Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller sharing duties behind the wheel. 2009 Formula 1 champion Button was behind the wheel for the #56 car’s best time.
