24 HOURS OF LE MANS
Course:CIRCUIT DE LA SARTHE
STRONG START AT LE MANS FOR TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing finished in the top three positions at the end of a productive official test day at the Circuit de la Sarthe for the Le Mans 24 Hours, the third round of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Kamui Kobayashi set the fastest lap of the day in the #7 TS050 HYBRID he shares with Mike Conway and Stéphane Sarrazin. His time of 3mins 18.132secs was more than five seconds quicker than the best Toyota lap at the 2016 test day.
The #8 TS050 HYBRID of World Championship leaders Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima was second quickest, 1.887secs behind following a positive day of set-up development and tyre comparisons.
There were three Toyotas at the top of the timing sheets, with Nicolas Lapierre, Yuji Kunimoto and José María López putting the #9 TS050 HYBRID third. As well as an intense programme of technical adjustments and comparisons, today's test was the first time for Yuji and José María to drive on the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Both drivers have experienced the circuit virtually in the team's driving simulator so they arrived well prepared and then consistently set competitive lap times. For José María, the test also provided final confirmation that he has fully recovered from the back injury which prevented him competing at Spa four weeks ago.
The Circuit de la Sarthe on the outskirts of Le Mans consists partly of public roads and is closed for most of the year. Today's two four-hour sessions are the only testing allowed before practice starts on Wednesday 14 June.
It was therefore an extremely important day for the team to fine-tune the low-downforce-specification TS050 HYBRID, which made its race debut with the #9 crew at Spa-Francorchamps last month.
The team's busy programme was helped by fine weather which allowed it to complete a combined 304 laps, covering 4,143km on a day when the #8 and #9 cars were the only ones in the 60-car field to complete more than 100 laps of the 13.629km circuit.
The team will now prepare for a brief shakedown test on the shorter Bugatti Circuit on Tuesday prior to official scrutineering on Monday 12 June, which takes place in the city centre of Le Mans. The race itself begins on Saturday 17 June.
Test day results
Pos | N° | Cat | Team/Car | Driver | Best time | Gap | Laps | T |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Mike CONWAY Kamui KOBAYASHI Stéphane SARRAZIN Nicolas LAPIERRE | 3:18.132 | - | 59/94 | M |
2 | 8 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Sébastien BUEMI Anthony DAVIDSON Kazuki NAKAJIMA Yuji KUNIMOTO | 3:19.290 | +1.158 | 94/104 | M |
3 | 9 | LMP1-H | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Toyota TS050 HYBRID | Nicolas LAPIERRE Yuji KUNIMOTO Jose Maria LOPEZ Mike CONWAY | 3:21.455 | +3.323 | 85/106 | M |
4 | 2 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Timo BERNHARD Earl BAMBER Brendon HARTLEY Marc LIEB | 3:21.512 | +3.380 | 65/75 | M |
5 | 1 | LMP1-H | Porsche LMP Team Porsche 919 Hybrid | Neel JANI André LOTTERER Nick TANDY Marc LIEB | 3:22.100 | +3.968 | 56/81 | M |
6 | 35 | LMP2 | Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 - Gibson | Nelson PANCIATICI Pierre RAGUES André NEGRÃO | 3:28.146 | +10.014 | 52/71 | D |
7 | 4 | LMP1 | Bykolles Racing Team ENSO CLM P1/01 - Nismo | Oliver WEBB Dominik KRAIHAMER Marco BONANOMI | 3:28.701 | +10.569 | 51/68 | M |
8 | 24 | LMP2 | CEFC MANOR TRS RACING Oreca 07 - Gibson | Tor GRAVES Jonathan HIRSCHI Jean-Eric VERGNE | 3:28.844 | +10.712 | 78/80 | D |
9 | 37 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | David CHENG Tristan GOMMENDY Alex BRUNDLE | 3:29.104 | +10.972 | 40/69 | D |
10 | 26 | LMP2 | G-Drive Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roman RUSINOV Pierre THIRIET Alex LYNN Laurens VANTHOOR | 3:29.113 | +10.981 | 70/93 | D |
11 | 38 | LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Ho-Pin TUNG Thomas LAURENT Oliver JARVIS | 3:29.924 | +11.792 | 56/68 | D |
12 | 13 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Nelson PIQUET JR David HEINEMEIER HANSSON Mathias BECHE | 3:30.150 | +12.018 | 54/62 | D |
13 | 28 | LMP2 | TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | François PERRODO Matthieu VAXIVIERE Emmanuel COLLARD Nicky CATSBURG | 3:30.375 | +12.243 | 77/81 | D |
14 | 36 | LMP2 | Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470 - Gibson | Romain DUMAS Gustavo MENEZES Matthew RAO | 3:30.501 | +12.369 | 74/81 | D |
15 | 40 | LMP2 | GRAFF Oreca 07 - Gibson | James ALLEN Franck MATELLI Richard BRADLEY | 3:30.525 | +12.393 | 37/63 | D |
16 | 31 | LMP2 | Vaillante Rebellion Oreca 07 - Gibson | Nicolas PROST Julien CANAL Bruno SENNA | 3:30.535 | +12.403 | 38/80 | D |
17 | 25 | LMP2 | CEFC MANOR TRS RACING Oreca 07 - Gibson | Roberto GONZALEZ Simon TRUMMER Vitaly PETROV | 3:30.570 | +12.438 | 69/81 | D |
18 | 21 | LMP2 | DRAGONSPEED - 10 STAR Oreca 07 - Gibson | Henrik HEDMAN Ben HANLEY Felix ROSENQVIST | 3:30.693 | +12.561 | 42/87 | D |
19 | 22 | LMP2 | G-Drive Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson | Memo ROJAS Ryo HIRAKAWA Jose GUTIERREZ Nicolas MINASSIAN | 3:31.150 | +13.018 | 37/65 | D |
20 | 32 | LMP2 | UNITED AUTOSPORTS LIGIER JSP217 - Gibson | Will OWEN Hugo DE SADELEER Filipe ALBUQUERQUE | 3:31.907 | +13.775 | 69/77 | D |
21 | 47 | LMP2 | CETILAR VILLORBA CORSE Dallara P217 - Gibson | Roberto LACORTE Giorgio SERNAGIOTTO Andrea BELICCHI | 3:32.567 | +14.435 | 55/76 | D |
22 | 29 | LMP2 | Racing Team Nederland Dallara P217 - Gibson | Jan LAMMERS Frits VAN EERD Rubens BARRICHELLO | 3:33.304 | +15.172 | 76/86 | D |
23 | 23 | LMP2 | Panis Barthez Competition LIGIER JSP217 - Gibson | Fabien BARTHEZ Timothé BURET Nathanaël BERTHON Simon GACHET | 3:33.690 | +15.558 | 61/64 | M |
24 | 27 | LMP2 | SMP Racing Dallara P217 - Gibson | Maurizio MEDIANI Sergey SIROTKIN Victor SHAITAR | 3:33.787 | +15.655 | 36/46 | D |
25 | 34 | LMP2 | Tockwith Motorsports LIGIER JSP217 - Gibson | Nigel MOORE Philip HANSON Karun CHANDHOK | 3:34.385 | +16.253 | 35/53 | D |
26 | 39 | LMP2 | GRAFF Oreca 07 - Gibson | Enzo GUIBBERT Eric TROUILLET James WINSLOW | 3:34.404 | +16.272 | 23/61 | D |
27 | 17 | LMP2 | IDEC SPORT RACING LIGIER JSP217 - Gibson | Patrice LAFARGUE Paul LAFARGUE David ZOLLINGER Paul-Loup CHATIN | 3:35.968 | +17.836 | 55/84 | M |
28 | 45 | LMP2 | Algarve Pro Racing LIGIER JSP217 - Gibson | Mark PATTERSON Matthew MCMURRY Vincent CAPILLAIRE Dean KOUTSOUMIDIS | 3:36.544 | +18.412 | 58/96 | D |
29 | 43 | LMP2 | KEATING MOTORSPORTS Riley MK30 - GIBSON | Ben KEATING Jeroen BLEEKEMOLEN Ricky TAYLOR Nico DE BRUJIN | 3:38.671 | +20.539 | 25/38 | M |
30 | 49 | LMP2 | Arc Bratislava LIGIER JSP217 - Gibson | Miroslav KONOPKA Konstantin CALKO Rik BREUKERS | 3:38.905 | +20.773 | 42/66 | D |
31 | 33 | LMP2 | EURASIA MOTORSPORT LIGIER JSP217 - Gibson | Jacques NICOLET Pierre NICOLET Erik MARIS | 3:43.817 | +25.685 | 30/71 | D |
32 | 64 | LMGTE Pro | Corvette Racing - GM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Oliver GAVIN Tommy MILNER Marcel FÄSSLER | 3:54.701 | +36.569 | 72/74 | M |
33 | 91 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Richard LIETZ Frédéric MAKOWIECKI Patrick PILET Laurens VANTHOOR | 3:54.996 | +36.864 | 49/87 | M |
34 | 92 | LMGTE Pro | Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR | Michael CHRISTENSEN Kevin ESTRE Dirk WERNER Laurens VANTHOOR | 3:54.999 | +36.867 | 43/72 | M |
35 | 63 | LMGTE Pro | Corvette Racing - GM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Jan MAGNUSSEN Antonio GARCIA Jordan TAYLOR | 3:55.064 | +36.932 | 51/87 | M |
36 | 95 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Nicki THIIM Marco SØRENSEN Richie STANAWAY | 3:55.251 | +37.119 | 39/55 | D |
37 | 97 | LMGTE Pro | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Darren TURNER Jonathan ADAM Daniel SERRA | 3:55.266 | +37.134 | 37/55 | D |
38 | 71 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | Davide RIGON Sam BIRD Miguel MOLINA | 3:55.385 | +37.253 | 62/68 | M |
39 | 51 | LMGTE Pro | AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE | James CALADO Alessandro PIER GUIDI Lucas DI GRASSI | 3:55.827 | +37.695 | 34/68 | M |
40 | 82 | LMGTE Pro | RISI COMPETIZIONE Ferrari 488 GTE | Toni VILANDER Giancarlo FISICHELLA Pierre KAFFER | 3:55.847 | +37.715 | 24/45 | M |
41 | 69 | LMGTE Pro | FORD CHIP GANASSI TEAM USA Ford GT | Ryan BRISCOE Richard WESTBROOK | 3:57.536 | +39.404 | 46/57 | M |
42 | 67 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Andy PRIAULX Harry TINCKNELL Luis Felipe DERANI | 3:57.881 | +39.749 | 74/84 | M |
43 | 68 | LMGTE Pro | FORD CHIP GANASSI TEAM USA Ford GT | Joey HAND Dirk MÜLLER | 3:58.011 | +39.879 | 35/62 | M |
44 | 66 | LMGTE Pro | Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT | Stefan MÜCKE Olivier PLA Billy JOHNSON | 3:58.181 | +40.049 | 63/72 | M |
45 | 98 | LMGTE Am | Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin VANTAGE | Paul DALLA LANA Pedro LAMY Mathias LAUDA | 3:58.250 | +40.118 | 76/80 | M |
46 | 50 | LMGTE Am | Larbre Competition Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Fernando REES Romain BRANDELA Christian PHILIPPON | 3:58.302 | +40.170 | 51/78 | M |
47 | 77 | LMGTE Am | Dempsey - Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR 991 | Christian RIED Matteo CAIROLI Marvin DIENST Julien PIGUET | 3:58.449 | +40.317 | 56/80 | D |
48 | 62 | LMGTE Am | Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GTE | Cooper MACNEIL William SWEEDLER Townsend BELL | 3:58.599 | +40.467 | 51/74 | M |
49 | 55 | LMGTE Am | SPIRIT OF RACE Ferrari 488 GTE | Duncan CAMERON Aaron SCOTT Marco CIOCI | 3:58.804 | +40.672 | 70/80 | M |
50 | 99 | LMGTE Am | Beechdean AMR Aston Martin VANTAGE | Andrew HOWARD Ross GUNN Oliver BRYANT | 3:58.885 | +40.753 | 58/63 | D |
51 | 90 | LMGTE Am | TF Sport Aston Martin VANTAGE | Salih YOLUC Euan ALRE-HANKEY | 3:59.140 | +41.008 | 39/50 | D |
52 | 83 | LMGTE Am | DH RACING Ferrari 488 GTE | Tracy KROHN Niclas JÖNSSON Andrea BERTOLINI | 3:59.174 | +41.042 | 58/65 | M |
53 | 61 | LMGTE Am | Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GTE | Weng Sun MOK Keita SAWA Matt GRIFFIN | 3:59.276 | +41.144 | 60/88 | M |
54 | 88 | LMGTE Am | Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR 991 | Klaus BACHLER Stéphane LEMERET Khaled AL QUBAISI Christian RIED | 3:59.277 | +41.145 | 41/87 | D |
55 | 86 | LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK Porsche 911 RSR (2016) | Michael WAINWRIGHT Benjamin BARKER Nick FOSTER | 3:59.582 | +41.450 | 48/75 | D |
56 | 65 | LMGTE Am | Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GTE | Christina NIELSEN Alessandro BALZAN Bret CURTIS | 4:00.120 | +41.988 | 39/62 | M |
57 | 54 | LMGTE Am | SPIRIT OF RACE Ferrari 488 GTE | Thomas FLOHR Francesco CASTELLACCI Olivier BERETTA | 4:00.213 | +42.081 | 61/84 | M |
58 | 84 | LMGTE Am | JMW Motorsport Ferrari 488 GTE | Robert SMITH Will STEVENS Dries VANTHOOR Jonathan COCKER | 4:00.523 | +42.391 | 50/66 | M |
59 | 93 | LMGTE Am | Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR 991 | Patrick LONG Abdulaziz AL FAISAL Michael HEDLUND Christian RIED | 4:00.556 | +42.424 | 33/53 | D |
60 | 60 | LMGTE Am | Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GTE | Richard WEE Hiroki KATOH | 4:05.248 | +47.116 | 74/81 | M |
GET THE COMPLETE RACE RESULTS AND CHRONO
TS050 HYBRID #7 (Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Stéphane Sarrazin)
Official Test: 1st (3min 18.132secs), 94 laps
Mike Conway (TS050 HYBRID #7)
“We began the test with quite a good car and the lap times were already strong early in the day, considering how the track felt. The lap times at the end were really encouraging but I am sure Porsche will be working flat-out until the race. The battle has only just started; there's a lot of work to do.”
Kamui Kobayashi (TS050 HYBRID #7)
“It was a smooth start to our 2017 Le Mans. We tried to improve the car for the race and it went well. The lap time, which is our best ever in the test day, is very competitive but we still have work to do because it's a 24-hour race and Porsche are a tough competitor. Let's see what we can do.”
Stéphane Sarrazin(TS050 HYBRID #7)
“It was a really good day for us. We have a good base although there are still things we need to work on. I hope it will stay like this with Toyotas at the front. We look strong but the race is a different matter so we will be working to improve the balance.”
TS050 HYBRID #8 (Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson, Kazuki Nakajima)
Official Test: 2nd (3min 19.290secs), 104 laps
Sébastien Buemi (TS050 HYBRID #8)
“It's good to be back at Le Mans and great to see a Toyota lapping in under 3mins 20secs for the first time. I am happy because it was a smooth day and we did we did more than 100 laps; over a quarter of the race distance. Now I am looking forward to race week.”
Anthony Davidson (TS050 HYBRID #8)
“It's great to drive around this brilliant circuit; I always enjoy it. This year's car feels good here; I was happy all day with the balance. The track improved as the day went on and the lap times reflected this. Our car performed well throughout so we are pretty pleased at this stage.”
Kazuki Nakajima (TS050 HYBRID #8)
“I really enjoyed it today; it was nice to drive this track again. It was a productive day in terms of set-up and tyres. So far our base looks strong so it was a positive test and now we have to keep this going for race week. We have a lot of data to analyse so the team will be busy.“
TS050 HYBRID #9 (Nicolas Lapierre, Yuji Kunimoto, José María López)
Official Test: 3rd (3min 21.455secs), 106 laps
Nicolas Lapierre (TS050 HYBRID #9)
“We could run the whole day which was great for our crew because we needed that experience here. We tried different tyres and aerodynamic set-ups; it went well. Well done to Yuji and José; they both did a great job on their first time here at Le Mans and set some quick lap times.“
Yuji Kunimoto (TS050 HYBRID #9)
“I really enjoyed it today and I discovered that I like this track a lot. My confidence was growing lap by lap and felt more comfortable; the car was nice. My team-mates and the engineers have been very helpful in the preparation for the test and I think I have made good progress.”
José María López (TS050 HYBRID #9)
“It was good to be back in the car after missing Spa. I really enjoyed driving at Le Mans; I had a nice and smooth session for my first time here. I learnt more about the specific challenge of this track and happily the car was working well. There is still a long way to go but it has started well.”