WEC
Michelin Thursday qualifying report
It's looking pretty good for Michelin. Once again the weather decided to take a hand in proceedings as the 55 teams prepared to do battle in the second qualifying session for the Le Mans 24-Hour race. A short, sharp shower soaked the circuit just ...
Published: Jun 13, 2008, 12:41 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
It's looking pretty good for Michelin.
Once again the weather decided to take a hand in proceedings as the 55 teams prepared to do battle in the second qualifying session for the Le Mans 24-Hour race. A short, sharp shower soaked the circuit just before the pit lane opened at 7 pm, which meant the competitors had to go out on a drying track.
For most teams, however, this session wasn't about chasing quick times, it was more a matter of putting in some hard work ahead of the race itself. Nevertheless, the famous Sarthe circuit still had some surprises in store. The Oreca Courage cars, for instance, flirted with the barriers, while Zonta's no.9 Peugeot and Stuart Hall's Creation both went off. And Michelin claimed first place in every one of the four classes.
Time, then, for Michelin's 4-wheel competitions manager Matthieu Bonardel to take stock.
"That little shower before the session got under way cleared the air," he said, "and we began the session in temperatures similar to those we had encountered near the end of the previous day. That gave us some continuity in our work, and helped us learn more about tyre use in lower temperatures and how best to switch between the medium and soft compounds."
What was the main focus in this second session?
Matthieu Bonardel : "The teams put in a lot of laps. Some of the prototypes were trying for times, and that was certainly the case with the Lola. It was a very helpful session on the endurance front and for assessing the whole range of tyres. Both the prototypes and the GT runners were doing double stints to compare how the medium and soft compounds reacted, and what we found was that there was no performance drop-off by the end of the second stint. So we know the medium tyres will be able to run deep into the night."
Has qualifying given us a true picture of the running order?
Matthieu Bonardel : "It's a game that always leaves some happy and some not so happy, and it's probably fair to say that the classification doesn't entirely reflect reality. But one thing's for certain - these cars are all superbly prepared. The first two hours of the race will tell us a lot. We've had a very wet test day, a warm first qualifying session and unsettled conditions in the second, which has given us a range of data we hadn't been able to see till now. We've learned a tremendous amount about what tyres to choose and when to use them. And it's looking pretty good for Michelin."
Results by categories:
LMP1 Peugeot 908 Hdi-FAP N8: 3'18''513
LMP2 Porsche Spyder RS N34: 3'32''301
GT1 Corvette Racing N63: 3'47''668
GT2 Porsche IMSA Performance N76: 3'58''152
-credit: michelin
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Next article Toyota Le Mans prototype has support from ORECA for 2012
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Stuart Hall
Spectacular season finale: 25 nationalities present for inaugural 24H COTA USA
Endurance
Endurance
24 Hours of Cota USA
Spectacular season finale: 25 nationalities present for inaugural 24H COTA USA
Scuderia Praha Ferrari on pole for the inaugural 24H Portimão
Endurance
Endurance
24 Hours of Portimao
Scuderia Praha Ferrari on pole for the inaugural 24H Portimão
Aston Martin expects huge challenge in China
WEC
WEC
Shanghai
Aston Martin expects huge challenge in China
More from
Corvette Racing
Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller locks in two-car GTD Pro lineup for 2027 IMSA campaign
IMSA
IMSA
Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller locks in two-car GTD Pro lineup for 2027 IMSA campaign
'Team Cadillac' strategy delivers dual IMSA manufacturer titles for General Motors
IMSA
IMSA
Petit Le Mans
'Team Cadillac' strategy delivers dual IMSA manufacturer titles for General Motors
Blockbuster GTD Pro Finale: Corvette and BMW headline wide-open title clash at Petit Le Mans
IMSA
IMSA
Petit Le Mans
Blockbuster GTD Pro Finale: Corvette and BMW headline wide-open title clash at Petit Le Mans
Latest news
Sebastien Ogier tipped for partial WRC 2027 programme
WRC
WRC WRC 1 h
Sebastien Ogier tipped for partial WRC 2027 programme
Max Verstappen jokes about key difference with Kimi Antonelli at 20: “He speaks Italian!”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
2 h
Max Verstappen jokes about key difference with Kimi Antonelli at 20: “He speaks Italian!”
Kimi Antonelli almost had to retire in Mexico due to an oil leak
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
2 h
Kimi Antonelli almost had to retire in Mexico due to an oil leak
How Mercedes can win F1’s world constructors’ title at Brazil GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
3 h
How Mercedes can win F1’s world constructors’ title at Brazil GP
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe