The Hyperpole of the 24h of Le Mans in the LMGTE AM class involved five Ferrari 488 GTEs which were protagonists of the session which defined the first eight positions on the starting grid.
The air and asphalt temperatures – 28.9°C and 34.4C respectively – higher than in the previous days, partially conditioned the performance of the cars which for the occasion, as required by the regulations, were driven by the drivers of Bronze category.
The 488 GTE number 54 of AF Corse, driven by Thomas Flohr, shone from the very first attempts, for a long time second before having to settle for third position in 3’54″582, while from the middle of the session onwards they began to score excellent results also for car number 21 (AF Corse), with Julien Piguet, and number 83 (Richard Mille AF Corse), with Luis Perez Companc, who set the fourth and fifth times respectively in 3’54″744 and 3′ 55”033.
#83 Richard Mille Af Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO of Luis Perez Companc, Alessio Rovera, Lilou Wadoux
Photo by: Marc Fleury
Sixth place for car number 57 of Kessel Racing, driven by Takeshi Kimura (3’55”637), crewed by Daniel Serra; eighth for the sister car of Yorikatsu Tsujiko 3’59”648. The front row went to the Chevrolet driven by Ben Keating ahead of the Aston Martin of the ORT by TF team driven by Ahmad Al-Harty.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans of the centenary will get underway on Saturday 10 at 16 and will involve four official Ferrari Competizioni GT drivers, engaged on three of the seven 488 GTEs at the start. On car number 54 will be Davide Rigon; on number 83 Alessio Rovera and Lilou Wadoux; on number 57 Daniel Serra.
In addition to the five Ferraris that took part in the Hyperpole, two other Prancing Horse cars will be at the start of the Endurance race, the number 66 of JMW Motorsport driven by Louis Prette, Thomas Neubauer and Giacomo Petrobelli and the number 100 of Walkenhorst Motorsport with Jeffrey Segal , Andrew Haryanto and Chandler Hull.
#21 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO of Simon Mann, Julien Piguet, Ulysse De Pauw
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Davide Rigon, 488 GTE #54 AF Corse: “We are satisfied with the result: I think it is Thomas Flohr’s best qualifying ever. But we are even happier with the car which we found well balanced and we are ready to face this race with confidence. The team has worked very well to prepare us for this experience. The ride will be challenging and expectations are high. It will be important to avoid traffic problems, especially among the prototypes. In this regard, I’m happy with the all-Ferrari front row in the Hypercar: congratulations to all”.
Alessio Rovera, Ferrari 488 GTE #83 Richard Mille AF Corse: “Our qualifying was conditioned by the red flag that was displayed just when Luis was definitely improving his time. However, beyond the fifth place we’ll start from, I’m confident for the race, which is very long. The highlight on Friday was the traditional parade, but of course we also worked with the team on data and strategy. It is important to keep concentration well focused on the goal”.
“On Wednesday I was very happy with the best time achieved in qualifying because it allowed us to access the Hyperpole, but above all because the car was more incisive. After some problems suffered during the first free practice session, in fact, we managed to find the balance correct: we have adopted some solutions that will be useful for the race”.
“The work done with the team also went in the right direction on Thursday and now we’ll have to try to give our best. We need to assess the weather, which could be uncertain on Saturday afternoon. It could prove to be one more variable in a race that will put a strain on riders, teams and vehicles. Impossible to make predictions, you just have to push”.
#57 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GTE EVO of Takeshi Kimura, Scott Huffaker, Daniel Serra
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Lilou Wadoux, Ferrari 488 GTE #83 Richard Mille AF Corse: “Fifth starting position is very good. Unfortunately, in the last part of the qualifying lap Luis Perez Companc encountered some traffic, otherwise we could have been further on. We did a great job with the team, the 24 Hours is very long and I’m confident.”
Daniel Serra, 488 GT3 #57 Kessel Racing: “It was a good session, in which Takeshi Kimura was able to use new tyres, doing a great job. On Saturday we will start from sixth position with the possibility of recovering”.
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