After the opening eight hours of the 2018 FIA WEC Prologue test, it’s Toyota, unsurprisingly, at the top of the timing screens.
The first day of testing at Paul Ricard has now concluded for over half of the FIA WEC teams and drivers, with only 15 of the 35 cars scheduled to run in the overnight running trackside, and complete the full 30 hours available.
It was a Toyota TS050 HYBRID 1-2 atop the times in the opening portion. The #8, which is running the team’s high-downforce package at Ricard proved to be the fastest of the two at the hands of Mike Conway, who set a 1:32.662 early in the day’s running, to lead the sister car by almost two seconds.
Toyota’s sister #7, running the low-drag kit which it will start the season with at Spa, and then use at Le Mans in June, ended up second with a 1:34.655, which was set by reserve driver Anthony Davidson. It’s notable that to that point, the #7 managed the most laps of the entire field, the crew managing an impressive 220 laps before the night session began.
Behind Toyota though, it’s been tight between the six Privateer LMP1s which have set fast times. While none of them managed to get within five seconds of the two Toyotas, it must be noted at this early stage in their development curve that the focus for all of them is very much reliability, servicability and data gathering ahead of the season opener.
SMP Racing led the pack, and were nearest to the Toyotas on pace, its #11 BR1 AER of Mikhail Aleshin setting a 1:38.128. The Russian driver’s time bested the sister car, which set a 1:38.136 shortly after the benchmark by Aleshin on its 44th lap. While Toyota’s two cars combined for 312 laps, SMP’s ran for just 105.
Best of the rest, and sitting in the final top five spot was the sole Rebellion Racing R-13, the Swiss team’s brand new chassis settting a very respectable 1:38.469, and an impressive total of 84 laps in what’s been a very encouraging run so far for the team, which is giving its sole available car its first significant run.
The #10 DragonSpeed BR1, running high-downforce aero, unlike SMP, which is testing with the low-drag package this weekend, finished up sixth in the overall ranking, with the first of the two Ginettas – the #6 CEFC TRS Racing G60-LT-P1 – seventh.
ByKolles’ revised CLM P1/01 Nissan finished with the eighth fastest time, while CEFC’s second car, the #5 which was still being assembled in the garage until last night, only managed one installation lap. As a result, the team has opted to add overnight running to its programme due to its delayed debut caused by a water leak. DragonSpeed’s #10 BR1 will also run overnight on short notice too.
In the LMP2 ranks, DragonSpeed’s Mexican-livered ORECA 07 Gibson set the fastest time early, and stayed on top throughout. Pastor Maldonado was shown on the timing screens as aboard for the time before improving later in the day, his best a 1:40.771. It was impressive for Maldonado in what is his LMP debut.
The top three in the class was completed by the TDS Racing ORECA 07 and Signatech Alpine A460, the two cars 0.456 and 0.848 back respectively. Racing Team Nederland’s Dallara came closest to the best ORECA time, its #36 P217 going fifth in the rankings with Giedo van der Garde driving, the Dutchman’s best tour a 1:41.860, on the team’s Michelin tyres.
GTE Pro was all about Porsche and Ford at the top, the two blue chip marques trading fastest times early on, before the #91 911 RSR emerged as the pace-setter. Its best time was a 1:51.650, set by Richard Lietz. The #67 finished the day second in the times, with the #66 third.
Notably, BMW, like Toyota, went on a full endurance run with its new M8 GTEs, its #82 completing a head-turning 200 laps, and #81 a further 184. Their times were not fast enough to see them in the top five, but with BoP very much a factor in the category’s form, testing times should of course, be taken with a grain of salt this early in the year.
Like Pro, Porsche proved to be the fastest marque in Am too, Gulf Racing UK led most of the day’s running with its brand new 911 RSR topping the time with a 1:53.769, the experienced pro in the line-up Ben Barker the hot shoe there. TF Sport finished the run second, WEC debutant Charlie Eastwood and Euan Hankey improving throughout the day in the older Vantage GTE.
The running will continue overnight now at the re-surfaced Paul Ricard circuit, the track opening to the public for the final seven hours of the 30-hour test tomorrow, which will conclude at 16:00 local time in France.
