Test Day draws to a successful close

Audi Sport maintained its hold on the top of the time sheets at the end of the two four-hour practice sessions held today.  Allan McNish in the No.2 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro posted a time of 3:25.927, just two tenths slower than last year’s pole position time, which promises much for race week.  

Audi's 1-2-3 shouldn’t over-shadow the impression that the two Toyota TS030-Hybrids made in their first competitive showing at Le Mans.  It’s going to be a great battle at the front.  Best of the non-diesel or hybrid powered LM P1 cars was the Toyota-powered No. 13 Rebellion Racing Lola B12/60 Coupe.  

In LM P2, the No. 35 Oak Racing Morgan Nissan was quickest – as this morning – but close behind was the No. 33 Level 5 Motorsports HPD and the No. 38 Jota Zytek Nissan.  This class has the makings of a classic with any one of half the class able to make an impression on the lead and challenge for a win.

Many drivers experienced changing weather conditions through the afternoon with short showers around different parts of the track. At one stage there were just a handful of cars on track as the rain temporarily delayed the test and everyone filed into the pit lane to wait for it to stop.

Knocking the Ferraris from the top of the GTE-Pro category mid-way through the afternoon was Oliver Gavin in the No. 74 Chevrolet Corvette C6R with a time of 3:58.971 – faster than last year’s pole position.  Less than two seconds separates 13 GTE cars, a mixture of the faster GTE-Am cars and those crewed by fully professional driver line ups.   The fastest of the GTE-Am cars was once again the No. 99 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8 with a very impressive showing by the all-Danish drivers.  Fans won’t be able to take their eyes off the timing screens for a minute!

The British Corvette Racing driver said after the session:  “We made some changes to the suspension and gearbox in the break between sessions, and the track was coming in. The balance of the car was good; we didn't get a run on brand new tyres because of rain and yellow flags, but they were reasonably fresh. I wanted to see where we could get to.”

There were a few interruptions to the afternoon’s running, including a period when the Safety and Medical crews carried out a full simulation exercise with the co-operation of the No. 81 AF Corse Ferrari, but it was overall a successful Test Day for the majority of the 61 cars on track.

Remember it's just one week (Sunday, 10th June) until the start of the Technical and Administrative Scrutineering at the Place de la Republique in the centre of Le Mans. The 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place on 16/17th June.

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24 HEURES DU MANS 2012
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CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS, LA SARTHE, TEST DAY, 3RD JUNE 2012.  The No. 2 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro which claimed fastest time during testing.