Photo : Nicolas COUSSEAU - ACO/Nikon

The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP has the fastest time of the first free practice session of the 1000 km of Budapest. If the domination of Oreca is not a surprise, the presence of an LM P2 behind them certainly is.

The HPD of Strakka Racing, (winners in LMP2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans) are only two tenths off the absolute best time of the session. Other LM P2 cars are not left out: the Ginetta Zytek No. 40 Pescarolo No. 24 and No. 25 Lola are respectively 4, 6 and 7. Rebellion (Lola) Beechdean (Ginetta Zytek) and Signature Plus (Aston Martin) will have to count on opponents from the 'slower' class!

Prototypes :

01 – 4 - Team Oreca Matmut - Peugeot 908 HDi FAP (LM P1) – Panis/Lapierre/Sarrazin - 1:35.853
02 – 42 - Strakka Racing - HPD ARX.01 (LM P2) – Leventis/Watts/Kane - 1:36.096
03 – 12 - Rebellion Racing - Lola B10/60 Rebellion (LM P1) – Prost/Jani - 1:36.216
04 – 40 - Quifel ASM Team - Ginetta Zytek 09S (LM P2) – Amaral/Pla - 1:37.041
05 – 5 - Beechdean Mansell - Ginetta Zytek 09S (LM P1) – Mansell/Mansell - 1:37.169
06 – 008 - Signature - Lola Aston Martin (LM P1) – Ragues/Mailleux/Ickx - 1:37.861
07 – 24 - Oak Racing - Pescarolo Judd (LM P2) – Lahaye/Nicolet - 1:37.884
08 – 25 - RML - Lola HPD Coupé (LM P2) – Erdos/Newton/Collins - 1:37.914
09 – 35 - Oak Racing - Pescarolo Judd (LM P2) – Hein/Moreau - 1:38.153
10 – 30 - Racing Box - Lola B09 Coupé Judd (LM P2) – Babini/Geri/Leo - 1:39.583

The first five GT2 were covered by less than a second! The Porsche-Ferrari duel looks like it is heating up. As in Portimão, the meandering path Hungarian circuit seems to suit to the Ferrari F430.

GT :

01 – 91 - CRS Racing - Ferrari F430 GT (LM GT2) – Kirkaldy/Mullen - 1:48.180
02 – 95 - AF Corse - Ferrari F430 GT (LM GT2) – Fisichella/Vilander/Alesi - 1:48.200
03 – 75 - Prospeed Competition - Porsche 997 GT3 RSR (LM GT2) - Holzer/Westbrook - 1:48.366
04 – 50 - Larbre Competition - Saleen S7-R (LM GT1) – Gardel/Goueslard/Rees - 1:48.439
05 – 92 - JMW Motorsport - Aston Martin V8 Vantage (LM GT2) - Bell/Turner - 1:48.572
06 – 88 - Team Felbermayr Proton - Porsche 997 GT3 RSR (LM GT2) - Ragginger/Ried/Dumas - 1:49.139
07 – 96 - AF Corse - Ferrari F430 GT (LM GT2) – Barba/Parente - 1:49.463
08 – 85 - Spyker Squadron - Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R (LM GT2) - Dumberck/Coronel - 1:4-.575
09 – 77 - Team Felbermayr Proton - Porsche 997 GT3 RSR (LM GT2) - Lieb/Lietz - 1:49.647
10 – 94 - AF Corse - Ferrari F430 GT (LM GT2) – Companc/Russo - 1:49.767

Julien Hergault - Translated by Dave Davies