24 Hours of Le Mans - Outstanding performance by Stéphane Sarrazin putting Peugeot on third pole in a row.
By Bram • Jun 11th, 2009 • Category: News, Notes, Other Racing News, Results
Pole winner Stéphane Sarrazin celebrates with Peugeot Sport director Olivier Quesnel (ACO Nikon)
Sarrazin, driving the #8 Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP has qualified for a third consecutive pole position in the Le Mans 24 Hours. The Frenchman, gave a shining performance at the very end of tonight’s session, after gaining pole position in 2007 and 2008. He put in two flying laps, during which he was slowed down by traffic, but he got it right on his third attempt. The #8 Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP will lead the field on Saturday at 15:00, and Sarrazin will be sharing the wheel with Sébastien Bourdais and Franck Montagny. His lap time was 3:22.888, 8 tenths of a second quicker than Audi driver Allan McNish, with an average speed of 241 km/h over the 13.629 km track. With Peugeot and Audi as top two, the five other diesel cars are in the 4 front lines of the grid.
The works Lola Aston Martins lead the petrol engine field, before encountering mixed fortunes, with the #007 going out on the Hunaudières.
Jan Magnussen leads the LM GT1 category at the wheel of the #63 Corvette, his best lap at 3.54.230. The two GM works cars easily lead the class, outpacing the #66 Jet Alliance Aston Martin of 2 seconds.
Another Dane, Casper Elgaard won the pole in LM P2 with the Essex Porsche RS Spyder just before the other RS Spyder, the one of the Japanese Navi team Goh. The third in LM P2 is the Speedy Racing/Team Sebah #33 Lola Judd.
Last of the poles were the Californians of the Flying Lizard who obtained their first pole here at Le Mans, their Porsche 911 GT3 RSR being driven by Jorg Bergmeister with a best lap at 4.03.202. The 2008 champions #82 Risi Competizione is only third, being overtaken by an another Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, the #77 of the Felbermayr Proton racing team.
The British-built Ginetta-Zytek that Yorkshireman Guy Smith drives in the Le Mans 24 Hours will start the race on Saturday (2pm BST) from fifth place on the LM P2 category grid.
Smith, from Beverley, won the 2003 Le Mans race outright in a Bentley but for the second consecutive year, bids for LM P2 class glory with the Portuguese Quifel-ASM team.
The 34-year-old Yorkshireman again teams-up with Olivier Pla (F) and Miguel Paes do Amaral (Por) at Le Mans but this year driving a new Ginetta-Zytek 09S sportscar.
Pla set the 25th overall fastest time in the 55-car field, clocking a time of 3mins 42.012secs around the 8.47-mile track but more importantly the fifth best time in the 12-car LM P2 category.
Combined qualifying times
24 Hours of Le Mans
2009-06-11
Pos # Cls Drivers Team Car Time Gap To 1st
1. 8 P1 S.Bourdais, F.Montagny, S.Sarrazin Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3:22.888
2. 1 P1 D.Capello, T.Kristensen, A.McNish Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI 3:23.650 0.762 0.762
3. 7 P1 C.Klien, P.Lamy, N.Minassian Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3:24.860 1.210 1.972
4. 17 P1 J.C.Boullion, S.Pagenaud, B.Treluyer Pescarolo Sport Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3:25.062 0.202 2.174
5. 9 P1 D.Brabham, M.Gene, A.Wurz Peugeot Sport Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3:25.252 0.190 2.364
6. 2 P1 L.Luhr, M.Rockenfeller, M.Werner Audi Sport North America Audi R15 TDI 3:25.780 0.528 2.892
7. 3 P1 T.Bernhard, R.Dumas, A.Premat Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI 3:27.106 1.326 4.218
8. 007 P1 J.Charouz, T.Enge, S.Mucke AMR Eastern Europe Lola B09/60-Aston Martin 3:27.180 0.074 4.292
9. 008 P1 A.Davidson, D.Turner, J.Verstappen Aston Martin Racing Lola B09/60-Aston Martin 3:27.704 0.524 4.816
10. 13 P1 A.Belicchi, N.Jani, N.Prost Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola B08/60-Aston Martin 3:28.134 0.430 5.246
11. 23 P1 P.Hardman, N.Leventis, D.Watt Strakka Racing Ginetta Zytek 09S 3:29.798 1.664 6.910
12. 16 P1 C.Tinseau, J.Barbosa, B.Jouanny Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo 01-Judd 3:30.466 0.668 7.578
13. 15 P1 C.Albers, C.Bakkerud, G.Mondini Team Kolles Audi R10 TDI 3:31.192 0.726 8.304
14. 14 P1 N.Karthikeyan, A.Lotterer, C.Zwolsman Team Kolles Audi R10 TDI 3:31.548 0.356 8.660
15. 10 P1 B.Senna, T.Ortelli, T.Monteiro Team ORECA Matmut AIM ORECA 01-AIM 3:33.514 1.966 10.626
16. 11 P1 O.Panis, N.Lapierre, S.Ayari Team ORECA Matmut AIM ORECA 01-AIM 3:33.860 0.346 10.972
17. 009 P1 S.Hall, P.Kox, H.Primat Aston Martin Racing Lola B09/60-Aston Martin 3:33.968 0.108 11.080
18. 6 P1 L.Tomlinson, R.Dean, N.Moore Team LNT Ginetta Zytek 09S 3:35.804 1.836 12.916
19. 4 P1 J.Campbell-Walter, V.Ickx, R.Ianetta Creation Autosportif Creation Judd 3:35.960 0.156 13.072
20. 31 P2 C.Elgaard, K.Poulsen, E.Collard Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder 3:37.720 1.760 14.832
21. 5 P2 S.Ara, K.Kunimoto, S.Maassen NAVI Team Goh Porsche RS Spyder 3:37.802 0.082 14.914
22. 12 P1 P.Ragues, F.Mailleux, D.Andre Signature Plus Courage LC70-Judd 3:39.326 1.524 16.438
23. 33 P2 J.Kane, B.Leuenberger, X.Pompidou Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola B09/80-Judd 3:41.724 2.398 18.836
24. 25 P2 T.Erdos, M.Newton, C.Dyson RML Lola B09/86-Mazda 3:41.952 0.228 19.064
25. 40 P2 M.Amaral, O.Pla, G.Smith Quifel-ASM Team Ginetta Zytek 09S 3:42.012 0.060 19.124
26. 30 P2 T.Biagi, M.Bobbi, A.Piccini Racing Box SRL Lola B09/80-Judd 3:42.848 0.836 19.960
27. 41 P2 K.Ojjeh, C.Y.Gosselin, P.Peter GAC Racing Team Zytek 07S 3:44.830 1.982 21.942
28. 35 P2 M.Lahaye, K.Ajlani, G.Moreau OAK Racing Pescarolo 01-Mazda 3:45.032 0.202 22.144
29. 32 P2 J.Barazi, S.Moseley, P.Bennett Barazi Epsilon Zytek 07S 3:52.956 7.924 30.068
30. 39 P2 H.Noda, J.de Pourtales, M.Marsch Kruse-Schiller Motorsport Lola B07/46-Mazda 3:53.072 0.116 30.184
31. 63 GT1 J.Magnussen, J.O’Connell, A.Garcia Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R 3:54.230 1.158 31.342
32. 64 GT1 O.Gavin, O.Beretta, M.Fassler Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R 3:54.702 0.472 31.814
33. 26 P2 P.Bruneau, T.Greaves, M.RostaN Bruichladdich Bruneau Radical-AER 3:55.320 0.618 32.432
34. 66 GT1 L.Lichtner-Hoyer, A.Muller, T.Gruber Jetalliance Racing GmbH Aston Martin DBR9 3:56.126 0.806 33.238
35. 72 GT1 L.Alphand, P.Goueslard, S.Gregoire Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R 3:57.170 1.044 34.282
36. 24 P2 J.Nicolet, R.Hein, J.F.Yvon OAK Racing Pescarolo 01-Mazda 3:57.524 0.354 34.636
37. 73 GT1 Y.Clairay, X.Maasen, J.Jousse Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R 3:58.564 1.040 35.676
38. 80 GT2 S.Neiman, D.Law, J.Bergmeister Flying Lizard Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 4:03.202 4.638 40.314
39. 77 GT2 M.Lieb, R.Lietz, W.Henzler Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 4:03.232 0.030 40.344
40. 82 GT2 J.Melo, M.Salo, P.Kaffer Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT 4:04.056 0.824 41.168
41. 99 GT2 C.Bouchut, Y.Lebon, M.Rodrigues JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT 4:04.084 0.028 41.196
42. 97 GT2 F.Babini, M.Malucelli, P.Ruberti BMS Scuderia Italia SPa Ferrari F430 GT 4:04.222 0.138 41.334
43. 76 GT2 P.Long, P.Pilet, R.Narac IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 4:04.648 0.426 41.760
44. 78 GT2 G.Bruni, L.Perez Companc, M.Russo AF Corse SRL Ferrari F430 GT 4:04.938 0.290 42.050
45. 92 GT2 R.Bell, A.Kirkaldy, T.Sugden JMW Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT 4:05.168 0.230 42.280
46. 87 GT2 J.Cocker, P.Drayson, M.Franchitti Drayson Racing Aston Martin Vantage 4:06.482 1.314 43.594
47. 89 GT2 A.Simonsen, D.Farnbacher, C.Montanari Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari F430 GT 4:06.612 0.130 43.724
48. 85 GT2 T.Coronel, J.Janis, J.Bleekemolen Snoras Spyker Squadron Spyker C8 Laviolette 4:08.348 1.736 45.460
49. 84 GT2 P.Ehret, L.Mansell, R.Rusinov Team Modena Ferrari F430 GT 4:08.508 0.160 45.620
50. 83 GT2 T.Krohn, N.Jonsson, E.van de Poele Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT 4:08.758 0.250 45.870
51. 70 GT2 H.Felbermayr Jr, H.Felbermayr Sr, M.Lecourt IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 4:10.014 1.256 47.126
52. 75 GT2 D.O’Young, P.Hesnault, P.Kralev Endurance Asia Team Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 4:10.456 0.442 47.568
53. 96 GT2 M.McInerney, S.McInerney, M.Vergers Virgo Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT 4:10.664 0.208 47.776
54. 81 GT2 P.Dempsey, J.Foster, D.Kitch Jr Team Advanced Engineering Ferrari F430 GT 4:13.920 3.256 51.032
55. 68 GT1 M.Apicella, A.Yogo, Y.Yamagishi JLOC Lamborghini Murcielago 4:21.812 7.892 58.924
