Team Oreca Matmut, Strakka Racing, Larbre Competition, AF Corse and DAMS secured pole positions for their respective categories this afternoon in the qualifying session ahead of tomorrow’s 8 Hours of Le Castellet. Team Oreca Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi FAP will start from overall pole position after Nicolas Lapierre set the fastest time minutes before the end of the session.
GT QUALIFYING 
© Planetlemans – Milo Kol
Jeroen Bleekemolen was the first driver to go out on the Paul Ricard track for qualifying this afternoon. With temperatures reaching 25C the track was somewhat slower than it was during the final free practice session. The Dutchman took his Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R around the track and improved his lap time lap after lap. Ten minutes into the session only six cars were lapping on the HTTT circuit but none of them was able yet to beat the time set by the Spyker Squadron driver.
Pierre Kaffer was the first to launch a serious attempt on taking pole position but ended his flying lap one tenth shy of Bleekemolen’s time. One minute later Vilander managed to beat it and moved into first place. But Vilander’s provisional pole position would not last long as his team mate Gianmaria Bruni set a 1:57.946, trashing the previous pole time. His fast time led to a Ferrari 1-2-3 with the Felbermayr-Proton number 77 in fourth place.
One minute later Rob Bell moved the Aston Martin Vantage into second place, but the yellow Dunlop sponsored car quickly dropped down the order again when Lietz, Mullen and Vilander improved. Gianmaria Bruni also improved his lap time again, setting an even faster provisional pole time (1:57.850). With only a few minutes left on the clock Richard Lietz took the Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997 GT3 RSR into second place. Tim Mullen took third.
Beating all the GT2 times was the GT1 Larbre Competition Saleen S7R, setting a 1:57.085.
LMP QUALIFYING 
© Planetlemans – Milo Kol
Audi Sport Team Joest sent Rinaldo Capello out on the track early in the qualifying session in its attempt to take pole position for the 8 Hours of Le Castellet. The Italian completed a few laps, setting a 1:41.632 as the provisional pole time, before coming back into the pit to wait and see what the Team Oreca Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi FAP would do.
While most LMP1 teams opted to stay in for the early part of the session several LMP2 cars went out on the track with the R15 TDI, but as soon as Capello had brought his car in the LMP1 cars also went out for their qualifying runs. Stefan Mücke was the only one capable of doing a 1:43 straight out of the box, while the two rebellion cars set 1:44s.
Eight minutes before the end of the session it was the number 24 OAK Racing Pescarolo Judd that was on provisional pole but its time in the 1:47s was then blown away by Danny Watts in the Strakka Racing HPD ARX-01c. The British driver set a 1:44.989, 2.5 seconds quicker than the OAK car. Olivier Pla moved into second place with four minutes left on the clock, although the Quifel-ASM Team Ginetta-Zytek 09S was still over 2 seconds slower than the Strakka Racing car.
Nicolas Lapierre posted a 1:50 on his first fast lap, only fourteenth fastest. The Peugeot was chased by the Audi for its entire lap but when Lapierre really went for it the Peugeot driver posted a 1:41.195, clinching pole position for the local team. Stefan Mücke’s last lap attempt secured the third fastest time, 1.159 seconds from the pole position.
Best of the Formula Le Mans cars was the DAMS FLM09 of Edoardo Piscopo, just over a tenth quicker than Hope Polevision Racing’s Mathias Beche and half a second quicker than Applewood Seven’s David Zollinger.
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