Spa WEC: Kobayashi gifts Toyota first Hypercar pole
Kamui Kobayashi has gifted Toyota pole on the debut of the brand's new GR010 Hybrid Hypercar, setting the fastest time in qualifying for the WEC 6 Hours of Spa.
Kobayashi, who shares the #7 car with Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez, set a time of 2m00.747s in the first qualifying session of the World Endurance Championship's new Hypercar era, half a second quicker than teammate Kazuki Nakajima in the #8 sister car.
During a cold but dry qualifying session United Autosports' Filipe Albuquerque confirmed his rapid pace from testing by proving to be the class of the LMP2 field, claiming pole by six tenths in the #22 Oreca 07-Gibson and taking third overall.
After a delayed run out, the third and last car in the Hypercar class, the grandfathered Alpine A480-Gibson LMP1 car, was fourth in the hands of Nicolas Lapierre, behind both Toyotas and the United LMP2.
The #26 G-Drive Aurus 01-Gibson took second in LMP2 and fifth overall courtesy of Nyck de Vries, followed by fellow Dutchman Giedo van der Garde in the #29 Racing Team Nederland Oreca.
#92 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR - 19: Kevin Estre, Neel Jani
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
In GTE Pro Kevin Estre took a superb pole in the #92 Porsche 911 RSR-19, going three seconds quicker than his 2020 pole time to set laps of 2m11.715s and then a 2m11.219s.
Estre, the only driver to dip below the 2m12 benchmark all week, was 1.1s quicker than AF Corse's Miguel Molina in the #52 Ferrari, the Spaniard setting a 2m12.351s after his first lap was deleted for track limits.
In the second works Porsche Richard Lietz was third with a lap of 2m12.370s, with the second Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi less than a tenth behind. Corvette brought up the rear of the five-car class with a time of 2m13.106s by Antonio Garcia on the C8.R's first appearance outside North America.
TF Sport's Ben Keating came out on top of an Aston Martin duo to take pole in GTE Am, setting a lap of 2m14.660s in the #33 Vantage. Keating was nine tenths quicker than Paul Dalla Lana in the #98 Aston, following by Andrew Haryanto in the #88 Dempsey Proton Porsche.
The GT segment was red flagged twice for two major crashes on the Raidillon. Early on Christian Ried lost control over his #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche, spinning into the tyre barriers at high speed.
Moments after the restart Egidio Perfetti suffered a carbon copy of Ried's crash in the #56 Team Project 1 Porsche. Both drivers were able to step out of their cars unaided, but their teams will face a long night to repair the cars in time for tomorrow's six-hour race.
The WEC Spa 6 Hours starts on Saturday May 1 at 1.30pm CET and will be streamed live on Motorsport.tv.
Results (Hypercar and LMP2)
Results (GTE):
| Cla | # | Drivers | Car | Avg Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 92 |  Kevin Estre  Neel Jani | Porsche 911 RSR - 19 | 2'11.219 | |
| 2 | 52 |  Daniel Serra  Miguel Molina | Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | 2'12.351 | 1.132 |
| 3 | 91 |  Gianmaria Bruni  Richard Lietz | Porsche 911 RSR - 19 | 2'12.370 | 1.151 |
| 4 | 51 | Alessandro Pier Guidi  James Calado | Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | 2'12.443 | 1.224 |
| 5 | 63 | Antonio Garcia Oliver Gavin | Chevrolet Corvette C8.R | 2'13.106 | 1.887 |
| 6 | 33 |  Ben Keating Dylan Pereira Felipe Fraga | Aston Martin Vantage AMR | 2'14.660 | 3.441 |
| 7 | 98 |  Paul Dalla Lana Augusto Farfus Marcos Gomes | Aston Martin Vantage AMR | 2'15.615 | 4.396 |
| 8 | 88 |  Andrew Haryanto  Marco Seefried  Alessio Picariello | Porsche 911 RSR - 19 | 2'16.319 | 5.100 |
| 9 | 54 | Thomas Flohr Francesco Castellacci Giancarlo Fisichella | Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | 2'16.367 | 5.148 |
| 10 | 83 | François Perrodo  Nicklas Nielsen Alessio Rovera | Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | 2'17.560 | 6.341 |
| 11 | 47 | Roberto Lacorte Giorgio Sernagiotto Antonio Fuoco | Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | 2'17.719 | 6.500 |
| 12 | 85 | Rahel Frey Katherine Legge Manuela Gostner | Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | 2'18.452 | 7.233 |
| 13 | 86 | Michael Wainwright Benjamin Barker Tom Gamble | Porsche 911 RSR - 19 | 2'18.813 | 7.594 |
| 14 | 60 | Claudio Schiavoni Andrea Piccini Matteo Cressoni | Ferrari 488 GTE EVO | 2'20.356 | 9.137 |
| 15 | 56 |  Egidio Perfetti Matteo Cairoli Riccardo Pera | Porsche 911 RSR - 19 | ||
| 16 | 77 | Christian Ried  Jaxon Evans Matt Campbell | Porsche 911 RSR - 19 | ||
| 17 | 777 |  Satoshi Hoshino Tomonobu Fujii Andrew Watson | Aston Martin Vantage AMR | ||
| View full results | |||||
Related video
Previous article
WEC won't slow down LMP2 cars if further tweaks needed
Next article
Le Mans 24h date won't change again, even without fans
About this article
| Series | WEC |
| Event | Spa-Francorchamps |
| Author | Filip Cleeren |
Risi announces Le Mans line-up, will race at Monza
WEC: Glickenhaus to run one car at Portimao
WEC: 6 Hours of Spa - Best images
The philosophical problems the WEC's new Hypercar class is already facing
Most of the column inches after the World Endurance Championship's opener were centred around the relative pace of the Hypercar class and the LMP2s, but there's another question that needs addressing in order for the new division to have a successful future
How stumbling Toyota drew first blood in the WEC's new era
Amid concerns that the new Hypercar class would be upstaged on debut by the spec LMP2 machines at Spa, Toyota delivered the pole and victory that the vast majority of observers expected. But neither car had a clean run, which gave the grandfathered Alpine LMP1 an unexpected shot at glory.
What to expect from sportscar racing's bold new Hypercar era
A slim field of three cars will be entered in the Hypercar class for the first round of the World Endurance Championship's post-LMP1 age. But there are plenty of reasons for optimism with the new wave of manufacturer entries and competing class philosophies just around the corner
How Aston Martin scaled new heights in the Prodrive era
The 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship kicks off at Spa this weekend, but for the first time since its 2012 inception there will be no factory-run Aston Martins in the GTE Pro class. That's especially notable because as a works entity, the Prodrive era of Aston Martin Racing that began in 2005 has been a success from the very start.
How 'Brilliant' Bob Wollek lived up to his nickname
Sportscar racing lost one of it's greatest talents 20 years ago today when Bob Wollek was knocked from his bicycle prior to the Sebring 12 Hours. The enigmatic Frenchman never won the Le Mans 24 Hours, but many still remember today why 'Brilliant Bob' became a legend
How Ferrari's Hypercar project could bolster Leclerc's legacy
Ferrari's planned return to the top category at the Le Mans 24 Hours has further heightened anticipation for the 2023 race. Few concrete details are currently known, but already it has a high-profile superstar angling for involvement, which would make a refreshing change
Why Ferrari is ending its 50-year top-flight sportscar racing exile
Making a return to top-flight sportscar racing after 50 years away, Ferrari will enter the Le Mans Hypercar ranks in 2023. The Italian marque denies the link with Formula 1's new cost cap that frees up resources, but it's certainly no coincidence...
The GTE dilemma that IMSA has created for the WEC
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s decision to scrap its GT Le Mans class for 2022 raises the question of whether the FIA World Endurance Championship should phase out GTE cars. But it's a much harder decision than it appears on the surface.
