Lucas di Grassi (#8 Audi R18, LM P1) is on cloud nine at the moment. With his triumph at the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps last month and his wins in Formula E, di Grassi is on a roll that could see him become the first Brazilian to taste victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans: “We arrived at Le Mans following our win at Spa-Francorchamps. Clocking this time with the new fuel consumption and allocation restrictions that have come into force in 2016 shows what a great job the Audi engineers have done. They have introduced new ideas for the aero package, and the cars are becoming increasingly complex. The wind is blowing in the right direction, but we have not won the race yet by a long way.”

Tristan Gommendy (#33 Oreca 05-Nissan, Eurasia Motorsport, LM P2) is bringing his experience to Le Mans newcomers Eurasia Motorsport. After competing in the Asian Le Mans Series, this team is a promising outsider in the 2016 European Le Mans Series: “This fastest time is a great reward. The team is discovering the car. There is a lot of work, lots to learn, and we didn’t do any testing during the winter. I only did fifteen laps because my teammates needed to drive. We are surprised by our performance level as we weren’t particularly looking for a fast time. This best time doesn’t mean we are going to win Le Mans, but the aim is to get our team to the level required to challenge for a top three finish."

In the GT classes, the Test Day ends with a one-two for Corvette. Antonio Garcia (#63 Corvette, Corvette Racing, LM GTE Pro) confirms that the title-holder is going for gold again: “We had a good day. Everything went smoothly and the weather stayed dry. We were a bit faster than last year. Everyone will compare Corvette with Ford but it was a good day in the Corvette camp."

For Nick Catsburg (#50 Corvette, Larbre Compétition, LM GTE Am), things went swimmingly. Catsburg and Jean-Philippe Belloc are both being tested by Jack Leconte, head of Larbre Compétition for a seat in the race, since Paolo Ruberti dropped out. Catsburg won the day, clocking the best lap time in LM GTE Am: “I’m not sure that we’re being judged on speed alone but I hope I’ve clinched my ticket to the 24 Hour of Le Mans. In any case, I’d love to be back next week."

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SUNDAY 5 JUNE 2016, TEST DAY. The Corvette works team have bagged the best time at the Test Day, showing they fully intend to hang on to their LM GTE Pro crown.