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Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: Treluyer Storms To Silverstone Pole
Audi 1-2 in dramatic mixed-condition qualifying session at Silverstone...
Benoit Treluyer put his No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro on the pole for tomorrow's Six Hours of Silverstone. (Photo: John Dagys)
Audi Sport Team Joest swept the front row for Sunday's Six Hours of Silverstone, in what turned into an entertaining mixed-condition qualifying session for the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Benoit Treluyer put his No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro on the pole with a best lap of 1:43.663, edging out the sister Audi of Allan McNish with just moments remaining the drying 20-minute session.
The two-time and defending 24 Hours of Le Mans winner took advantage of the near-dry conditions following an early afternoon downpour that soaked the 3.66-mile circuit, which made for a dramatic GTE qualifying session.
Both of the Audis pitted for slick Michelin tires with eight minutes remaining. And that's when the magic began.
“Early in the session it was maybe a little more difficult as it was raining and I had no references in those conditions," Treluyer explained. "I didn’t know if I could put my tires on the curbs or whatever.
"I was learning in the first few laps, following Allan because I know he knows the track well. When we put the new slick tires on in the last few moments, I said okay I have to do all I can do."
McNish's 1:43.663 lap time in his conventional R18 ultra stood as second quickest, despite a late improvement by the No. 7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid of Nicolas Lapierre, who held provisional pole with less than nine minutes remaining prior to the Audi's stop for slicks.
The Frenchman had to settle for third with a 1:44.411 lap time, which was nearly two seconds faster than Danny Watts in the No. 21 Strakka Racing HPD ARX-03a, the best of the LMP1 privateers in fourth.
Watts overcame an early session spin, but was not the only one to get caught out. Alex Brundle looped his No. 42 Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN Nissan on his first lap.
What looked to be day over for the 22-year-old second-generation racer was anything but. After repairs were made to the rear legality panel of the car, Brundle rejoined the fight, and on his final flying lap put the car on the LMP2 pole.
Brundle's 1:49.964 lap time edged out the No. 44 Starworks Motorsport HPD ARX-03b of Stephane Sarrazin by just 0.033 seconds.
“I spent a fair amount of time circulating slowly after the checkered flag waiting for the call from my engineer to say if we were on pole," Alex said. "I remember him saying there was one more car to cross the line, John Martin in the ADR who was on pole at Le Mans, so I wasn’t celebrating yet.
"To get the call from the team to say we were on pole was fantastic."
With the No. 42 Zytek-Nissan of Alex and Martin Brundle and Lucas Ordonez not being a full-season FIA WEC entrant, the championship point for pole went to the Starworks crew.
John Martin qualified his ADR-Delta Oreca 03 Nissan third in class with a 1:50.129, while the No. 38 Team Jota Zytek-Nissan of Nic Minassian was fourth, after jumping to the top of the time sheets with seven minutes remaining.
The No. 48 Murphy Prototypes Oreca-Nissan of Brendon Hartley completed the top five in class in a session that saw no fewer than a half-dozen drivers top the time charts at one stage.
PHOTOS: FIA WEC Six Hours of Silverstone Gallery
Benoit Treluyer put his No. 1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro on the pole with a best lap of 1:43.663, edging out the sister Audi of Allan McNish with just moments remaining the drying 20-minute session.
The two-time and defending 24 Hours of Le Mans winner took advantage of the near-dry conditions following an early afternoon downpour that soaked the 3.66-mile circuit, which made for a dramatic GTE qualifying session.
Both of the Audis pitted for slick Michelin tires with eight minutes remaining. And that's when the magic began.
“Early in the session it was maybe a little more difficult as it was raining and I had no references in those conditions," Treluyer explained. "I didn’t know if I could put my tires on the curbs or whatever.
"I was learning in the first few laps, following Allan because I know he knows the track well. When we put the new slick tires on in the last few moments, I said okay I have to do all I can do."
McNish's 1:43.663 lap time in his conventional R18 ultra stood as second quickest, despite a late improvement by the No. 7 Toyota TS030 Hybrid of Nicolas Lapierre, who held provisional pole with less than nine minutes remaining prior to the Audi's stop for slicks.
The Frenchman had to settle for third with a 1:44.411 lap time, which was nearly two seconds faster than Danny Watts in the No. 21 Strakka Racing HPD ARX-03a, the best of the LMP1 privateers in fourth.
Watts overcame an early session spin, but was not the only one to get caught out. Alex Brundle looped his No. 42 Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN Nissan on his first lap.
What looked to be day over for the 22-year-old second-generation racer was anything but. After repairs were made to the rear legality panel of the car, Brundle rejoined the fight, and on his final flying lap put the car on the LMP2 pole.
Brundle's 1:49.964 lap time edged out the No. 44 Starworks Motorsport HPD ARX-03b of Stephane Sarrazin by just 0.033 seconds.
“I spent a fair amount of time circulating slowly after the checkered flag waiting for the call from my engineer to say if we were on pole," Alex said. "I remember him saying there was one more car to cross the line, John Martin in the ADR who was on pole at Le Mans, so I wasn’t celebrating yet.
"To get the call from the team to say we were on pole was fantastic."
With the No. 42 Zytek-Nissan of Alex and Martin Brundle and Lucas Ordonez not being a full-season FIA WEC entrant, the championship point for pole went to the Starworks crew.
John Martin qualified his ADR-Delta Oreca 03 Nissan third in class with a 1:50.129, while the No. 38 Team Jota Zytek-Nissan of Nic Minassian was fourth, after jumping to the top of the time sheets with seven minutes remaining.
The No. 48 Murphy Prototypes Oreca-Nissan of Brendon Hartley completed the top five in class in a session that saw no fewer than a half-dozen drivers top the time charts at one stage.
PHOTOS: FIA WEC Six Hours of Silverstone Gallery
Monterey
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