Photo Credit: FIA-ACO
After rain managed to stay away from Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France on Wednesday evening, the weather luck ran out on Thursday as a torrential downpour of showers halted the planned second day of qualifying for the 84th 24 Hours of Le Mans. Without a dry line available on the 8.45 mile layout in either Thursday qualifying period, the grid for Saturday’s start will be set by the times set in the only dry session of the week so far on Wednesday night.
This means defending 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winners Team Porsche will start from the first and second positions on Saturday, after Neel Jani and Timo Bernhard posted laps in the 3:19 and 3:20 brackets on Wednesday. Toyota Gazoo Racing has both of its brand new TS050 Hybrids on row two, while Audi Sport Team Joest’s R18 E-Tron Quattros make up the third row of the starting grid. G-Drive Racing’s ORECA 05 coupe will start from pole in LMP2, while Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ford GT swept the first three positions in GTE-Pro. Completing the field, Clearwater Racing’s Ferrari 458 will begin Saturday from P1 in the GTE-Amateur class.
Conditions actually got so bad on Thursday night, that one of the Circuit de la Sarthe safety cars used by officials to judge the condition of the track nearly spun out and crashed trying to navigate the circuit. Due to the persistent rain, standing water was prevalent on multiple sections of both the permanent road course and public roads. Although the weather conditions are expected to worsen even further on Friday, where no track action will take place, conditions are expected to improve after the race starts on Saturday afternoon, culminating in rain-free conditions by the finish on Sunday.
Of course, there are several story lines to focus on looking ahead to Saturday’s start. Can Porsche make it back-to-back overall wins this weekend? If so, it would be its 18th overall victory more than other manufacturer has managed to obtain. Of course, if Porsche’s pair of 919 Hybrids cannot breakthrough, could Toyota finally earn its first overall win after several misses? And certainly Audi is looking to regain its throne as the dominant team since the start of the 21st century.
Also among the attention of fans who have come from North America, will be on how the American-based teams will fare. Two with ties from the States will start in the top six on Saturday with Le Mans newcomers Michael Shank Racing running the only Honda-powered car in the field beginning Saturday from position number four. Extreme Speed Motorsports meanwhile, will start from sixth seeking its third major endurance race victory in 2016, alongside its overall wins at both Daytona and Sebring.
While the Americans are upfront in LMP2, they on both ends of the list in GTE-Pro. As mentioned earlier, Chip Ganassi Racing has four of the new Ford GTs in the first five positions, an impressive start to the manufacturer’s return to Circuit de la Sarthe for the first time since 2010. Its American rivals from Corvette Racing however, will look to bounce back after struggling in qualifications and will start from the final two positions on the grid.
Stay tuned to OnPitRoad.com Saturday and Sunday for full coverage of the 84th 24 Hours of Le Mans.
