Latest news with #Hyperpole2


Muscat Daily
a day ago
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Al Harthy, Van Der Linde and Rossi to start third on LMGT3 grid
Le Mans, France – Oman's Ahmad Al Harthy and team-mates Kelvin van der Linde and Valentino Rossi combined to deliver a superb performance throughout qualifying for the weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the trio's No.46 BMW M4 LMGT3 set to line-up third on the grid for the biggest race of the year. Al Harthy got things off to an outstanding start in the main qualifying session on Wednesday, 11th June, where he emerged quickest of all in the LMGT3 class to comfortably progress the Team WRT entry into the first of two Hyperpole shoot-out sessions on Thursday, 12th June. South African driver van der Linde picked up the baton perfectly and continued in the same vein as Al Harthy, lapping fastest in Hyperpole 1 to ensure the BMW would start a minimum of eighth on the grid for the twice-round-the-clock race – round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Rossi got behind the wheel for the decisive Hyperpole 2, straight after the first of the shoot-outs, and the Italian's initial true flying lap was ultimately his best of the session as he concluded the run third in LMGT3. With red flag stoppages impacting qualifying and the first Hyperpole, drivers needed to maintain steely focus and determination to conquer the immense 8.47-mile Circuit de la Sarthe and OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman supported racer Al Harthy – and the entire team – certainly did that. 'I was extremely delighted to have put our car on pole in the first qualifying, to do it here in Le Mans was extra, extra special. To be able to maximise everything we could from the car was a huge motivation for everybody in the team,' said Al Harthy. 'Then, into Hyperpole, and Kelvin did an outstanding job in session one, it was a strategic decision to put him in that session and to be pole again was amazing. 'For Vale to get the car in the top three in Hyperpole 2, for sure, is far beyond what we expected – he got a really, really mega lap. This is just the first part of everything but, obviously, it's always good to have a good starting position for a 24 Hour race. I'm really proud of everyone in the team, it was a fantastic team effort right across qualifying. Now we focus on the race!' Brilliant showing from Team WRT trio confirms Le Mans potential Opening qualifying on Wednesday produced a sparkling performance from Al Harthy, who was in outstanding form. Initially topping the times on his first proper lap, the Omani was second with just under 10 minutes of the half-hour session elapsed, and he held fifth midway through when red flags were flown. Determined to piece together a great lap after the resumption and challenge for the fastest time, he steered the No.46 BMW M4 to a lap of 3m56.875 seconds, which placed him on top by four tenths of a second to smoothly progress to Hyperpole as the fastest of the lead 12 contenders. In Hyperpole 1 van der Linde posted a time of 3m55.855 seconds just moments before red flags were shown. After the resumption, he improved to 3m54.530 seconds, topping LMGT3, and on his final lap he shaved another two tenths off to conclude the session quickest with 3m54.345 seconds. Rossi climbed into the driving seat for the 15-minute Hyperpole 2 and his first competitive lap was a time of 3m54.966 seconds, placing him third. Ultimately, this was the Italian's best of the session as he secured a terrific third on the grid for, arguably, the biggest event in four-wheeled motorsport. There is a day away from track action now at the Circuit de la Sarthe ahead of the start of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday, 14th June. Warm-up will take place at 12.00 local time before the race itself starts at 16.00. Follow the action at or


Observer
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Observer
Al Harthy to start 24H of Le Mans from Third on LMGT3 Grid
Oman's Ahmad al Harthy and team-mates Kelvin van der Linde and Valentino Rossi combined to deliver a superb performance throughout qualifying for the weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the trio's No 46 BMW M4 LMGT3 set to line-up third on the grid for the biggest race of the year. Al Harthy got things off to an outstanding start in the main qualifying session on Wednesday, June 11, where he emerged quickest of all in the LMGT3 class to comfortably progress the Team WRT entry into the first of two Hyperpole shoot-out sessions on Thursday, June 12. South African driver van der Linde picked up the baton perfectly and continued in the same vein as Al Harthy, lapping fastest in Hyperpole 1 to ensure the BMW would start a minimum of eighth on the grid for the twice-round-the-clock race — round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Rossi got behind the wheel for the decisive Hyperpole 2, straight after the first of the shoot-outs and the Italian's initial true flying lap was ultimately his best of the session as he concluded the run third in LMGT3. Oman's Ahmad al Harthy With red flag stoppages impacting qualifying and the first Hyperpole, drivers needed to maintain steely focus and determination to conquer the immense 8.47-mile Circuit de la Sarthe and OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman supported racer Al Harthy — and the entire team — certainly did that. Brilliant showing from Team WRT trio confirms Le Mans potential Opening qualifying on Wednesday produced a sparkling performance from Al Harthy, who was in outstanding form. Initially topping the times on his first proper lap, the Omani was second with just under 10 minutes of the half hour session elapsed and he held fifth midway through when red flags were flown. Determined to piece together a great lap after the resumption and challenge for the fastest time, he steered the No 46 BMW M4 to a lap of 3m 56.875 seconds which placed him on top by four tenths of a second to smoothly progress to Hyperpole as the fastest of the lead 12 contenders. In Hyperpole 1 van der Linde posted a time of 3m 55.855 seconds just moments before red flags were shown. After the resumption he improved to 3m 54.530 seconds, topping LMGT3 and on his final lap he shaved another two tenths off to conclude the session quickest with 3m 54.345 seconds. Rossi climbed into the driving seat for the 15-minute Hyperpole 2 and his first competitive lap was a time of 3m 54.966 seconds, placing him third. Ultimately this was the Italian's best of the session as he secured a terrific third on the grid for, arguably, the biggest event in four-wheeled motorsport. There is a day away from track action now at the Circuit de la Sarthe ahead of the start of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday, June 14. Warm-up will take place at 12:00 local time before the race itself starts at 16:00.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Le Mans 24 Hours: Alex Lynn secures maiden Cadillac pole in front row lockout
Cadillac continued its impressive 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours performance by locking out the front row of the grid courtesy of late improvements from Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber. Porsche had looked on track to take its second consecutive pole but both Lynn and Bamber improved on their third flying laps of the 15-minute Hyperpole 2 session. Advertisement Lynn grabbed top spot in the #12 V-Series.R LMDh with a 3m23.166s that was 1.5 seconds faster than last year's pole time. Bamber then joined his Jota stablemate on the front with a 3m23.333s, which left the best of the Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 LMDhs in third. Mathieu Jaminet posted a 3m23.475s with his first attempt in the #5 machine, which had a dramatic progression to the concluding Hyperpole segment after losing its right-rear wheel late on in the opening session with Julien Andlauer at the controls. Fourth was the best of the BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDhs with Dries Vanthoor being another to improve on his third lap in the #15 car to set a 3m23.659s. Advertisement Fifth fastest was 2015 winner Nick Tandy in the second of the Porsches on a 3m23.983s, while the sister BMW of Sheldon Van Der Linde was sixth on a 3m24.009s. Ferrari had a disappointing session considering its dominance of this year's World Endurance Championship with Antonio Fuoco only managing seventh best in the #50 499P LMH with a 3m24.213s. Eighth fastest was Felipe Drugovich in the Action Express-run #311 Cadillac, while the #36 Alpine A424 of Frédéric Makowiecki was ninth with a 3m24.398s. Qualifying proved to be a nightmare for Toyota as, following the failure of the #7 GR010 HYBRID LMH to make it into Hyperpole, the #8 car did not set a time in the deciding session after Sébastien Buemi suffered a huge lock-up going into Mulsanne Corner and skated into the gravel. The Swiss driver made it back to the pits but did not rejoin the fray. The other two Ferraris both failed to progress into the top 10 for the final Hyperpole session. Alessandro Pier Guidi, victorious in 2023, missed out by only a tenth of a second but will have to start 11th in the #51 499P, while Yifei Ye was 13th fastest in the customer #83 machine. Advertisement The others failing to progress were the second Alpine of Paul-Loup Chatin, the #101 Cadillac of Ricky Taylor and the sole Aston Martin Valkyrie that made Hyperpole of Marco Sorensen. #29 TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Rodrigo Sales, Mathias Beche, Clement Novalak #29 TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Rodrigo Sales, Mathias Beche, Clement Novalak Mathias Beche snared LMP2 pole for TDS Racing as the top four crews were separated by four tenths. Beche clocked a 3m35.062s in the #29 ORECA-Gibson 07 to set the pace, from the #43 Inter Europol entry of Tom Dillmann, who posted a 3m35.333s using an alternate strategy of departing the pits far later than the rest of the field. Last year's class polesitter Louis Deletraz snatched third in the #199 AO by TF ORECA having been able to squeeze in an extra lap before the chequered flag and posting a 3m35.421s. Advertisement Deletraz's late effort demoted Ben Hanley to fourth in the #23 United Autosports machine, the victorious LMP2 team from last year. #27 Heart Of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3: Ian James, Mattia Drudi, Zacharie Robichon #27 Heart Of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3: Ian James, Mattia Drudi, Zacharie Robichon Aston Martin took LMGT3 pole as eight different marques were represented among the eight crews to progress to the second Hyperpole session. Mattia Drudi's 3m52.769s set on his penultimate flying lap was enough to give the #27 Heart of Racing Vantage pole by three tenths over Alessio Rovera in the #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296, which clocked a best of 3m53.085s. Third place was taken by MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who set a 3m54.966s at the midpoint of the 15-minute Hyperpole 2 segment. Advertisement The opening session was red-flagged after eight minutes when the #54 AF Corse Ferrari of Francesco Castellacci spun into the gravel on the entrance to the Porsche Curves. Le Mans 24 Hours - Hyperpole results Photos from 24 Hours of Le Mans – Thursday Cadillac Hertz Team Jota hyperpole celebration Cadillac Hertz Team Jota hyperpole celebration Nikolaz Godet Dirk Müller, Advisor of Mick Schumacher, Roger Penske, Team owner Penske Motorsport Dirk Müller, Advisor of Mick Schumacher, Roger Penske, Team owner Penske Motorsport Marc Fleury Robert Kubica flag Robert Kubica flag Andreas Beil Cyril Abiteboul, Hyundai Motorsport President Cyril Abiteboul, Hyundai Motorsport President Nikolaz Godet #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3: Martin Berry, Lin Hodenius, Maxime Martin #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3: Martin Berry, Lin Hodenius, Maxime Martin Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina Alexander Trienitz #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Dries Vanthoor #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Dries Vanthoor Andreas Beil #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Eric Vergne #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Eric Vergne Andreas Beil #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi, Kelvin Van Der Linde #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi, Kelvin Van Der Linde Andreas Beil Track marshal Track marshal Andreas Beil #34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07 - Gibson: Nick Boulle, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer, Luca Ghiotto, #37 CLX Pure Rxcing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Aliaksandr Malykhin, Tom Blomqvist, Tristan Vautier #34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07 - Gibson: Nick Boulle, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer, Luca Ghiotto, #37 CLX Pure Rxcing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Aliaksandr Malykhin, Tom Blomqvist, Tristan Vautier Andreas Beil #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Yasser Shahin, Timur Boguslavskiy, Augusto Farfus #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Yasser Shahin, Timur Boguslavskiy, Augusto Farfus Alexander Trienitz #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson Alexander Trienitz #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Jenson Button #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Jenson Button Alexander Trienitz #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina Alexander Trienitz #101 Cadillac WTR Cadillac V-SeriesR: Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque #101 Cadillac WTR Cadillac V-SeriesR: Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque Alexander Trienitz #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Eric Vergne #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Eric Vergne Alexander Trienitz #28 IDEC Sport Oreca 07 - Gibson: Paul Lafargue, Job Van Uitert, Sebastian Alvarez #28 IDEC Sport Oreca 07 - Gibson: Paul Lafargue, Job Van Uitert, Sebastian Alvarez Alexander Trienitz #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #311 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-SeriesR: Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti #311 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-SeriesR: Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti Alexander Trienitz #94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Loic Duval, Malthe Jakobsen, Stoffel Vandoorne #94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Loic Duval, Malthe Jakobsen, Stoffel Vandoorne Alexander Trienitz #4 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, Pascal Wehrlein #4 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, Pascal Wehrlein Alexander Trienitz Dave Richards, Prodrive Dave Richards, Prodrive Alexander Trienitz #85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3: Sarah Bovy #85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3: Sarah Bovy Alexander Trienitz #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi, Kelvin Van Der Linde #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3: Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi, Kelvin Van Der Linde Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 - Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck De Vries #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 - Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck De Vries Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi Alexander Trienitz #63 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3: Stephen Grove, Brenton Grove, Luca Stolz #63 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3: Stephen Grove, Brenton Grove, Luca Stolz Alexander Trienitz Patrick Bourdais Patrick Bourdais Nikolaz Godet #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson Andreas Beil #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Kevin Magnussen #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Kevin Magnussen Andreas Beil #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen, Mathieu Jaminet #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen, Mathieu Jaminet Rainier Ehrhardt #311 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-SeriesR: Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti #311 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-SeriesR: Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti Alexander Trienitz Pole sitter Alex Lynn, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Pole sitter Alex Lynn, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Rainier Ehrhardt #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn Alexander Trienitz #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Earl Bamber #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Earl Bamber Nikolaz Godet #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn Nikolaz Godet #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn Nikolaz Godet #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Will Stevens, Norman Nato, Alex Lynn Nikolaz Godet Pole sitter Alex Lynn, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Pole sitter Alex Lynn, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Rainier Ehrhardt Pole sitter Hypercar, #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Alex Lynn, LMGT3, #27 Heart Of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3: Mattia Drudi, LMP2, #29 TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Mathias Beche Pole sitter Hypercar, #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Alex Lynn, LMGT3, #27 Heart Of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3: Mattia Drudi, LMP2, #29 TDS Racing Oreca 07 - Gibson: Mathias Beche Alexander Trienitz Pole sitter #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Alex Lynn Pole sitter #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-SeriesR: Alex Lynn Alexander Trienitz To read more articles visit our website.