Jota Sport will line up third on the LMP2 class grid for this weekends Le Mans 24 Hours thanks to Oliver Turveys excellent late flying lap during this yesterday evenings night qualifying session at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
The Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes Formula 1 Test Driver, who shares the teams #38 Zytek-Nissan with Simon Dolan and Lucas Luhr, made the most of the dry conditions late in the final session to initially vault up to second place in the ultra-competitive LMP2 category, before a late improvement elsewhere left the British squad a still-impressive third.
Wednesday night and Thursday evenings sessions had taken place on either a damp or wet circuit, and although that remained the case at the start of final qualifying, the track quickly improved as the night wore on. A late stoppage to clear debris then left less than 30 minutes to make the most of the weeks best conditions, and Turvey didnt disappoint: not only was the Britons 3m40.459s lap good enough for third in class but it also put Jota ahead of its ELMS rivals.
What is more, all three drivers performed impeccably in the tricky conditions that caught out a number of their class rivals, allowing the team to enjoy a well deserved rest day tomorrow ahead of Saturday and Sundays main event.
Simon Dolan: Out of 12 hours of scheduled running this week Ive managed four timed laps! Red flags at the wrong time, sessions ending early and our need to run through the programme didnt help matters. But the car feels good and thats been translated into starting P3. So bearing in mind where we were 20 minutes before the end Im very pleased!
Oliver Turvey: The conditions have been tricky and wed not had a lot of track time before the last 30 minutes of qualifying. However, Im pleased to be third even if pole position was perhaps a possibility on a fresh tyre run. But weve focused on the race, which ultimately is the most important thing. This is my first Le Mans and driving at night has been the biggest surprise, but also very special.
Lucas Luhr: It was difficult for everyone with the changing conditions and red flags, but thats Le Mans. From our point of view we still need to work on the set-up a little bit. Were almost there as its just a case of fine-tuning during Saturdays warm-up and well be in good shape for the race. Its going to be an exciting battle, but also the toughest weve had this year in LMP2. Its the strongest category and Im looking forward to it.
Sam Hignett, Team Principal: We wanted to be in the top six so to be starting third is a great effort. There have been no dramas, the cars in one piece and its been reliable so its gone exactly according to plan thus far. Most of the preparations have been done what you saw out there tonight was pretty much the car that will line up on Saturday. Overall I couldnt have asked for much more.
Dolan, Turvey and Luhr can now look forward to the traditional Drivers Parade through the centre of Le Mans today ahead of Saturdays 24 Hours, which starts at 3pm local time.
