Davidson and Bourdais in their no. 7 Peugeot 908 on pole position for the Imola 6 Hours

After a violent storm yesterday and an early-morning shower, the conditions stabilized with a blue sky and a dry track. Temperatures were 25C° in then air and 27C° on the track.    

LM P1: The Peugeot 908 on pole
The duel continues between Peugeot and Audi. The 2 Peugeot 908s and the 2 Audi R18 TDIs will line up on either side of the grid for the Imola 6 Hours. Anthony Davidson (no. 7 Peugeot 908) bagged pole ahead of Marcel Fässler (no. 1 Audi R18 TDI), Stéphane Sarrazin (no. 8 Peugeot 908 n°8) and Allan McNish (no. 2 Audi R18 TDI n°2).

Marcel Fässler, the 2011 Le Mans winner topped the time sheets in the first half of the session in front of Anthony Davidson, Allan McNish and Stéphane Sarrazin. With 4 drivers chasing pole the pace increased in the last 10 minutes.  Davidson was the first to crack the 1m 32s barrier with a lap in 1m 31.736s, a time that remained unbeaten. A few minuites later, Stéphae Sarrazin got the better of Allan McNish.

“On such a circuit, the pole's a real advantage,” underlined Davidson. “It's very positive that we've shown our level of competitiveness and that'll help us tackle the traffic problem in better conditions. We aim to have both cars at the finish and extend our lead in the ILMC.”

Behind the 4 diesels, Guillaume Moreau (no. 15 Oak Racing Oak Pescarolo – Judd) emerged victorious in a tough battle in the petrol-engined brigade from Neel Jani (no. 12 Rebellion Racing Lola B10/60-Toyota coupe) and the sister car, no. 13, of Andrea Belicchi.

LM P2: Mathias Beche on top
The Oreca chassis dominated in the LM P2 category with Mathias Beche (no. 46 TDS Racing) setting the fastest time from Dominik Kraihamer (no. 45 Boutsen Energy Racing). On his final flyer, Danny Watts (Strakka Racing) snatched third place in his HPD ARX – 01d from Soheil Ayari (no. 26 Signatech Nissan n°26) preventing an Oreca triple.

“The car's really easy to drive and safe. Up against other identical cars, we really have to fight to stay in front. This pole shows that TDS Racing has done a great job. It's a very important result for the championship,” commented Beche.  

FLM: Genoa Racing quickest
Genoa Racing came out on top in the Formula Le Mans battle. Elton Julian was less than 2/10s quicker than Nicolas Marroc (JMB Racing). Patrick Simon (Pegasus Racing) completed the top three. “It's a great performance,” smiled Elton Julian. “Tomorrow, the race will be difficult. We're in a tricky position as we're quicker than some cars and slower than others. We must finish as we need the points for the championship.”

LM GTE Pro: BMW Motorsport dominates 
Ferrari was not at ease on its home turf today. BMW Motorsport set the two fastest times in LM GTE Pro with Jorg Müller (no. 55 BMW M3) in front of Dirk Werner (no. 56 BMW M3). The German drivers who were not among the front-runners in free practice, showed their speed by beating three Ferraris: Jaime Melo (no. 71 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia ), Frédéric Makowiecki (no. 59 Luxury Racing Ferrari F458 Italia) and  Rob Bell (no. 66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari F458 Italia).  In the Italian clan, Giancarlo Fisichella's seventh place in his no. 51 AF Corse Ferrari was a big disappointment.

Jorg Müller: “We took our time in free practice to set up the car really well. Our times are good and I'm very confident for tomorrow. The car's quick and comfortable and it copes with the kerbs really well.”

LM GTE Am: Patrick Long in a confident mood
Nicolas Armindo, quickest at both Le Castellet and Spa in his IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 RSR no. 67, was unable to do anything about Patrick Long in his Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR no. 63 and finished fourth. The American put his Porsche in the middle of the LM GTE Pro pack. Italian Marco Cioci (AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT no. 57) set the second-best time ahead of the Kron Racing Ferrari F430 no. 57).

“I'm delighted,” said Long. “Putting my car in the middle of the LM GTE Pros is very encouraging for tomorrow. It's going to be a pretty spectacular six hours with all the traffic. The car's really easy to drive and it reacts very well. We'll have a good scrap with the AF Corse and Krohn Racing Ferraris,” laughed Long.   

Find the complete results on www.lemans-series.com. Rendezvous on Sunday for the Imola 6 Hours which will start at 12h00.