while the number four ByKolles CLM was still being repaired after their engine fire in practice. As the rain settled, Race Director Eduardo Freitas declared the track safe, but would mainly be a fact-finding session for most teams – all except ByKolles, which took the opportunity to qualify after their first practice session ended with an engine fire.
The team would be up against it however, with time against them attempting to qualify all three drivers. Oliver Webb would be forced to hand over to his silver co-drivers earlier than expected. The team would settle for 9th outright - 7 seconds behind the Rebellions. All three ByKolles drivers had no chance to stay within the 110 percent rule in the extremely wet final stages. In fact, Simon Tummer was absolutely competitive given the circumstances but would have needed to be thirteen seconds faster than the fastest factory car in the wet to qualify.
The 26 G-Drive Racing Oreca dominated qualifying, with Rene Rast turning up the wickto record a 3.36:605 to finish just half a second ahead of the number 35 Baxi DC Signatech Alpine of Nelson Panciatici. Nicolas Lapierre took third for Signatech Alpine, ahead of the Manor entry of Roberto Merhi.
Dirk Muller raised some eyebrows by taking provisional GTE Pro pole for Ford with a 3.51:185. Muller’s time was enough to usurp Chip Ganassi USA team mate Ryan Briscoe from the top spot and just just a second ahead of the third placed AF Corse Ferrari 488 of Gianmaria Bruni and Sam Bird.
In GTE Am, British GT driver Rob Bell recorded a 3.56:827 in the number 61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari to be fastest ahead of the number 98 Aston Martin of Pedro Lamy and the number 55 AF Corse Ferrari 458 of Matt Griffin. The red flag emerged but once after Giancarlo Fisichella spun his Risi Competizione Ferrari at the Porsche Curves just half an hour into the session.
Images: Richard Washbrooke Photographyy