Cadillac’s Strong Start at Le Mans
Cadillac secured the top two positions during the initial official practice session for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Earl Bamber recorded the fastest time in the No. 38 Hertz Team JOTA entry, setting a benchmark for the first qualifying session scheduled for Wednesday.
Bamber achieved a best lap time of 3:23.786 with approximately 20 minutes remaining in the three-hour session. This performance significantly surpassed the fastest time from last year’s FP1 session and was just over seven-tenths of a second shy of last year’s pole position time. Earlier in the session, the driver from New Zealand had already claimed the top spot with a 3:24.773, marking the first lap under 3:25 this week at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
His impressive time placed him 1.582 seconds ahead of the WTR Cadillac, which had led for a significant portion of the session following an early fast lap by Jordan Taylor. Despite its strong showing, the No. 38 car experienced a minor setback, requiring a brief garage visit to address floor damage caused by curb usage.
Session Highlights and Other Contenders
Cadillac appeared poised for a top-three sweep until Rene Rast posted a 3:25.533 in the final ten minutes, moving into third place, 1.747 seconds behind the leader. This pushed the No. 12 JOTA Cadillac down to fourth. The No. 12 car had also spent a considerable amount of time in the pits to resolve a brake pedal issue before Will Stevens recorded its best time, which was 2.247 seconds slower than Bamber’s.
Rounding out the top five was the No. 35 Alpine A424, with Ferdinand Habsburg setting its best time of 3:26.078, narrowly behind Stevens. The leading cars from Toyota and Ferrari followed, with Brendon Hartley placing the No. 8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid in sixth, ahead of Antonio Fuoco’s No. 50 Ferrari 499P.
Both Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Valkyries secured spots within the top ten. The No. 009 Aston Martin Valkyrie, driven by Alex Riberas, led its sister car, the No. 007 of Tom Gamble. These two were separated by the No. 17 Genesis GMR-001, where Pipo Derani made a late surge up the standings. Peugeot was the only manufacturer not to reach the top ten, with its best 9X8 finishing 16th.
Incidents and LMGT3/LMP2 Results
The session saw a few incidents, including an off-track excursion by Yifei Ye at Mulsanne corner in the satellite No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari. However, the car was able to return to the pits without significant damage. Further drama unfolded as the session neared its end when Frederic Makowiecki hit the barriers approaching Tertre Rouge, subsequently stopping on the track.
In the LMP2 category, Peugeot development driver Doriane Pin achieved the fastest time in her No. 30 Duqueine Team Oreca 07 Gibson. Pin’s late effort of 3:35.248 placed her seven-tenths of a second clear of the field, displacing Valerio Rinicella’s IDEC Sport car from the top spot. In the final minutes, Porsche factory driver Kevin Estre moved the No. 14 TDS Racing Oreca into second with a 3:35.958, while Rinicella maintained third with his 3:36.189 set earlier in the No. 28 car.
AO by TF was fourth-fastest with Dane Cameron driving, and Gregoire Saucy made a late jump to fifth in the No. 22 United Autosports car. For LMGT3, Jack Hawksworth led the way in the No. 78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3, setting a best time of 3:55.737 early in the session. This time was just a tenth of a second faster than Augusto Farfus in the No. 32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO, with Dan Harper a mere one-thousandth of a second behind in the sister No. 69 BMW, securing third place. First qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. local time.
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Source: fiawec.com
