Sam Hancock set provisional pole position in the LM2 category during qualifying for the 73rd edition of the Le Mans 24-hours this weekend. The Lola driver set a time of 4m11.719s, more than a second faster than anyone else in the class though the times were not representative due to poor weather conditions.
Many of the teams preferred to concentrate on qualifying their drivers, each of whom must complete three laps during the first, two-hour session in daylight, and three laps in the dark. The weather forecast predicts dry weather throughout the rest of the weekend, and therefore better conditions for qualifying today (Thursday). Hancock’s co-driver Liz Halliday completed her laps on wet tyres on a drying circuit, but has now done enough to qualify herself for the race.
The Intersport team is supporting the Teenage Cancer Trust at Le Mans and will donate 50% pf all their sponsorsgip monies to the charity. Sam Hancock, whose friend and Formula Ford racer Joe Twyman has recently been diagnosed with leukaemia, has been instrumental in the initiative to raise as much money as possible.
The Chamberlain Synergy team were faced with a long night of repair work after Peter Owen crashed his Lola at the second Mulsanne chicane. “I was just coming out of the second chicane and changing into fifth gear at about 80 per cent throttle, taking it easy, when the car snapped right,” said Owen when he returned unscathed to the pits. “It is a testament to the strength of the car and the revisions to the circuit that I am standing here and fine to drive tomorrow.”
The team has booked a session at the airfield adjacent to the circuit to test the car, before sending it back out onto the track to complete the qualification laps for Owen and team mates Bob Berridge and Gareth Evans.
The RML MG-Lola was 24th fastest overall and sixth fastest in the LM2 class with Tommy Erdos, Mike Newton and Warren Hughes sharing the driving.
Warren Hughes was the only driver to complete laps in the first half of the session (7-9pm) during which time he tried two different tyre options and the team optimised its real time telemetry system to improve data transfer.
The second half of qualifying continued in wet conditions and with no chance of significant lap time improvements the team concentrated on ensuring all three drivers completed their mandatory nighttime laps.
Although the running was limited in this first qualifying session all three drivers reported that the car was performing well with a good balance in the tricky conditions.
The second qualifying session begins this evening from 19.00-21.00 and then 22.00 until midnight. With dry weather forecast it will be an exciting evening at La Sarthe.
