Mathias Beche give TDS Racing LMP2 Le Mans pole, Aston Martin No.27 on top in LMGT3 Hyperpole
- Aaron Carroll
- Jun 12
- 4 min read
Written by Aaron Carroll
The No.29 TDS Racing LMP2 driven by Mathias Beche will start at the head of the LMP2 grid for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Mattia Drudi setting the fastest lap in LMGT3 to put the Heart of Racing Aston Martin at the front of the GT field on Saturday afternoon.
Hyperpole to set the top 12 on the grid in both LMP2 and LMGT3 got underway at 20:00 local time at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Both classes took to the track for 20 minutes, with the top eight going through to third second Hyperpole session at 20:35.
Hyperpole 1
The first session would see 20 minutes of running with the top 12 cars from LMP2 and LMGT3 qualifying yesterday battling to set the fastest lap times. The top eight in each class from this session would go through to Hyperpole 2.
The cars that got knocked out in yesterdays session in LMP2 are the No.11, No.9, No.18, No.34 and No.24. In LMGT3 the cars not quick enough were the No.77, No.87, No.57, No.31, No.33, No.10, No.85, No.90, No.150, No.13, No.60 and No.63.
Both driver management and tyre management were crucial in these sessions.
In terms of drivers, teams must use one driver in Hyperpole 1, and a second driver in Hyperpole 2. Some teams decided to put their quickest driver in the first session, while others saved them for the fight for pole.
The teams were also given three sets of tyres for the two sessions, meaning some may choose to use two in the first session, or save the two new sets for the second session.
The LMP2s were the first to come through, and it was the No.23 United Autosports car at the top of the timing sheets. Only five LMGT3s made it through before the red flag was brought out after the No.56 Ferrari of Francesco Castellaci spun into the gravel in the Porsche Curves, ending their session.
With 11 and a half minutes left, those who had not set a competitive lap time would be under pressure to get a lap done. The stoppage also allowed some teams to change tyres, without losing any time in the session relative to other cars.
The sun was beginning to set as the cars went back out and weaved around on their out laps, the track temperature would be dropping over the course of the sessions. As the cars reached the line to start their flying laps, they had time left for two laps.
The No.95 car stopped on the Mulsanne with a suspected mechanical problem, although the car was in a service road, and out of harms way.
The LMP2 times came in first, and it was the No.16, No.35, No.25 and No.43 cars in the drop zone. In LMGT3 the No.88 Ford and No.59 McLaren were in danger, along with the two cars that had retired from the session.
Nick Yelloly in the No.43 was out of the train of LMP2 cars, and came across to go quickest by almost a second and a half in class. That dropped the No.29 TDS Racing car into the bottom four.
The checkered flag came out and the No.48 couldn't improve into the top 8, the No.16 improved and just made it in eighth. The No.28, No.45, No.48 and No.25 all didn't make it into Hyperpole 2.
When the LMGT3s came around, neither the No.88 or No.59 could improve. Strangely the No.95 of Sean Gelael got going again and was on a lap at the end of the session.
He was down in the first two sector, but put in a mega final sector to go eighth place and knock the No.193 Ferrari into the drop zone after everyone had thought the session was over. So the final order from ninth to 12th in LMGT3 was the No.193, No.88, No.59 and the No.54 that caused the red flag.
Hyperpole 2
The drivers swapped over the cars for the final pole fight. This session would be 15 minutes, instead of 20. The cars would be at their absolute quickest of the weekend here, as the temperatures dropped a small bit and most of the cars took on their platinum drivers.
The two classes came around on the out lap in two queues, one for LMP2 and one for LMGT3, except the No.43 of Tom Dillmann which was half a lap behind the main groups of cars.
The first times in LMP2 left the No.199 of Louis Deletraz at the top of the times, with the No.43 still on its way around. In LMGT3, the No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari came through quickest, ahead of Valentino Rossi in the No.46.
On the second laps around, Ben Hanley in the No.23 went quickest, followed by Deletraz who went 0.044 seconds slower. Then came Mathias Beche in the No.29 car who went second, just 0.022 seconds behind the No.199.
In LMGT3 is was the No.27 Aston Martin of Mattia Drudi who went fastest, ahead of the No.21 Ferrari and then a large gap back to the No.46.
Then came Dillmann in the No.43 LMP2, and he went quickest by just over a tenth of a second, as the main group of LMP2s came back around on their last laps.
Beche in the No.29 TDS Racing car went quicker by almost three tenths of a second, as Deletraz and Hanley couldn't improve. Deletraz managed to get another lap however, pushing on for one final attempt to topple Beche.
In LMGT3 no one could improve so the No.27 Aston took pole position ahead of the No.21 Ferrari and the No.46 BMW.
Back in LMP2, Dillmann couldn't improve either, so it was all down to Deletraz, as he set a personal best middle sector. He came out of the final corner sideways, absolutely on the limit. But it wasn't to be, he improved but only from fourth to third.
The TDS Racing No.29 took pole them, ahead of the No.43 Inter Europol, the No.199 AO Racing 'Spike the Dragon' and the No.23 United Autosports car.
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