Weather conditions remained ideal all day long, with a dry track and an air temperature between 18 and 20°C, which allows for comparison between the morning and the afternoon. On the other hand, last year, the track was wet the morning of Test Day and even though it dried as the day progressed, only the time achieved by Loïc Duval at the end of the day, 3:22:583, could serve as a standard.

In the LM P1-H class (H for hybrid) and overall, Audi took the lead this morning thanks to Marco Bonanomi at the wheel of the No. 3 R18 e-tron quattro which completed a lap in 3:23:799, but the Italian driver was dethroned by Sébastien Buemi in the No. 8 Toyota TS040 Hybrid in the afternoon with a time of 3:23:014. It is noteworthy that the times were pretty separated this morning (more than four seconds), the gaps tightened this afternoon since the top seven were within two seconds.

The Toyota Racing team clearly dominated Test Day just as it did for the first two rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). With a lead of more than a second on the first pursuers, the No. 3 and No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron quattros, holders of the same times, the Japanese team clearly showed its ambitions for the 82nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For its first roll-out on the Circuit des 24 Heures, the Porsche 919 Hybrid is slightly behind, and the best time, achieved by Neel Jani in the No. 14 car, is at less than three tenths from Audi's best time. The battle has truly begun!

Morning
1. No. 3 Audi: 3:23:799
2. No. 8 Toyota: 3:25:881
3. No. 20 Porsche: 3:26:179

Afternoon
1. No. 8 Toyota: 3:23:014
2. No. 7 Toyota: 3:23:156
3. No. 3 and No. 1 Audi: 3:24:453

The Test Day lived up to its name for Rebellion Racing! The only competitor in the LM P1-L class (L as in Light, without an energy recovery system), the Swiss team had little time to develop its R-One that appeared at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, second round of the WEC. The 3:31:700 time, achieved by Mathias Beche during the afternoon session, is not really significant, the team having not looked to challenge the time.

Morning
1. No. 13 Rebellion R-One: 3:36:637
2. No. 12 Rebellion R-One: 3:37:495

Afternoon
1. No. 12 Rebellion R-One: 3:31:700
2. No. 13 Rebellion R-One: 3:33:043

In the LM P2 class, more than two seconds separate the best time of the morning, achieved by Paul-Loup Chatin in the Alpine A450 - Nissan, and that of the afternoon, achieved by Roman Rusinov with the No. 26 Morgan - Nissan of G-Drive Racing. The most French of the Russian drivers being a Gold class driver, meaning the Morgan's potential, won the one-two last year at Le Mans equipped with Dunlop tyres which monopolized the top of the class.

Morning
1. No. 36 Alpine A450 - Nissan: 3:39:922
2. No. 38 Zytek Z11SN - Nissan: 3:41:268
3. No. 48 Oreca 03 - Nissan: 3:41:364

Afternoon
1. No. 26 Morgan - Nissan: 3:37:795
2. No. 48 Oreca 03 - Nissan: 3:38:286
3. No. 36 Alpine A450 - Nissan: 3:39:026

The LM GTE Pro class lost a competitor this afternoon after a very abnormal excursion in the gravel trap by Jörg Bergmeister at the wheel of the No. 91 Porsche 991 GT3 RSR of the official team. The flat bottom having been touched, the German car did not take the track after the lunch break, but in the end it was the sister car No. 92 of the Porsche Team Manthey and Frédéric Makowiecki who clinched the first place of the timesheet in 3:57:260.

The French driver lead the No. 51 Ferrari 458 Italia of AF Corse, best representative of the class this morning with a time of 3:57:982, whereas the Corvette C7.R, for its first turns of the wheel on the circuit in La Sarthe, could not do better than 3:58:403 in the hands of the experienced Oliver Gavin, multiple winner in the class, progessing by nearly a second in comparison to this morning.

Morning
1. No. 51 Ferrari 458 Italia: 3:57:982
2. No. 52 Ferrari 458 Italia: 3:58:537
3. No. 74 Corvette C7: 3:59:289

Afternoon
1. Porsche 911 RSR: 3:57:260
2. No. 51 Ferrari 458 Italia: 3:57:483
3. No. 52 Ferrari 458 Italia: 3:57:993

It is noteworthy that the second time in the LM GTE Pro class was achieved by an LM GTE...Am car! The performance is not surprising in that the competitors in this class, though driving a car from last year, possess the same model as those in the LM GTE Pro class. Paolo Ruberti, with the No. 90 Ferrari of the 8Star Motorsports team, proved it with a time of 3:57:403, nearly two seconds faster than the best time of the morning in the class, achieved by another Ferrari.

Morning
1. No. 60 Ferrari 458 Italia: 3:59:296
2. No. 81 Ferrari 458 Italia: 4:00:410
3. No. 66 Ferrari 458 Italia: 4:00:458

Afternoon
1. No. 90 Ferrari 458 Italia: 3:57:403
2. No. 72 Ferrari 458 Italia: 3:57:569
3. No. 61 Ferrari 458 Italia: 3:58:440

The Nissan ZEOD which occupies Garage 56 reserved for an innovative prototype also improved its best time by nearly two seconds, placing among the LM P2 cars.

Morning
No. 0 Nissan ZEOD RC: 3:52:574

Afternoon
No. 0 Nissan ZEOD RC: 3:54:145

No matter the class, the competitors improved the times of the morning which is a good omen for the free practices session on Wednesday, June 11th, but also and primarily for the race.

Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SUNDAY JUNE 1 2014, TEST DAY. Sébastien Buemi (No. 8 Toyota) achieved the best time of the Test Day.