BMW topped the opening qualifying for the Le Mans 24 Hours, which was cut short by an off for Toyota driver Kamui Kobayashi.
A 60-minute session took place on Wednesday evening to determine the eight cars from each of the three categories that will progress to Thursday’s final shootout and fight for pole position for the blue riband round of the World Endurance Championship. While Porsche, Ferrari and Toyota were seen as the favourites for provisional pole, BMW sprung a surprise by topping the first qualifying session, with Dries Vanthoor posting a best time of 3m24.
Next up was Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari, while only one Porsche could get into Hyperpole amid the red flag - the #8 factory Penske car of Kevin Estre, who survived a big off in the final 10 minutes of qualifying, taking eighth. The #12 Jota of Callum Ilott and the second Alpine of Nicolas Lapierre narrowly missed out a spot in Q2, taking ninth and 10th on the grid.
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