ESTRE AND PENSKE PORSCHE ON POLE AT LE MANS

Text & Images: Rick Kiewiet

In a close and tense Hyperpole session, Kevin Estre in the #6 Penske Porsche has snatched Pole Position for this weekend's 24 hours of Le Mans from underneath Cadillac's nose. In the dying seconds the home driver stopped the clock at 3.24:634 and thereby went 0.148s faster than Alex Lynn in the #2 Cadillac. Lynn had just taken pole from his team mate Sebastien Bourdais in the #3 sister car by 0.034s.

Just over 7 minutes before the finish the session was red flagged when Dries Vanthoor in the #15 BMW spun into the barriers at Indianapolis. At that moment, Bourdais was first and he decided not to rejoin after the restart of the session (for reasons unknown at the time of writing). Estre, Lynn, Alpine and the Ferrari's did. Neither Pier Guidi in the #51, nor qualifying ace Fuoco in the #50 managed to improve their time, meaning they start 4th and 5th respectively, just ahead of the Alpine of Chatin. Dries Vanthoor had his laps deleted for causing the red flag while the #12 JOTA Porsche couldn't participate as its still being rebuilt after yesterday evening's crash.

It will be the 19th time Porsche will commence the 24 hour classic from Pole Position.

The pole in LMP2 went to Louis Deletraz in the #14 AO by TF Sport Oreca. He managed to come out on top after a close duel with Job van Uitert in the #28 Idec Sport car.

Brendon Iribe in the #70 Inception Racing McLaren will start from pole in LMGT3, with Alex Malykhin in the #92 Porsche starting alongside him from p2.