BMW M Team WRT Stuns with Early Lead at 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans
In a surprising turn of events, the BMW M Team WRT secured an impressive early result during the qualifying practice session for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. The #15 German car, with Dries Vanthoor at the wheel, set the fastest time of the session with a blistering 3:24.465, closely followed by the #3 Cadillac Racing car and the #50 Ferrari AF Corse team.
Vanthoor’s spectacular lap time, set within the last ten minutes of the session, put BMW M Team WRT in a strong position heading into the Hyperpole session on Thursday, June 13th. The Cadillacs had been looking rapid all day, with the #3 car driven by local hero Sebastian Bourdais delighting the fans with the second-fastest time.
In the LMGT3 class, there were more surprises as Ben Barker topped the timesheets in the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang LMGT3, followed by the #70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo and the #82 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R of TF Sport.
The reintroduced LMP2 class saw Malthe Jakobsen in the #37 COOL Racing Oreca 07 – Gibson car set the fastest time, with Louis Delétraz in the crowd-pleasing “Spike” car from AO By TF finishing second.
However, the session was not without its drama. The #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing car, driven by Kamui Kobayashi, caught an inside curb at the Porsche Curves and spun out into the gravel, triggering a red flag and the disqualification of their fastest lap time. As a result, Toyota will start the race at the back of the Hypercar grid.
“The excitement is just getting started as the teams prepare for the Hyperpole session on Thursday, where the top eight positions in each class will be determined. With a mix of manufacturers represented in the Hyperpole, the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans promises to be a thrilling and hotly contested event.”
For the latest updates and full qualifying results, please visit the official WEC website at www.fiawec.com.
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