Eric Trouillet stole the show in the first Michelin Le Mans Cup Qualifying session of the season, steering the #39 Graff Norma M30 to pole position, with a 1:53.675 lap on his final flying lap.
Prior to Trouillet’s flyer, which vaulted him and the Graff team from third to first in the running order, it was a shootout between CD Sport’s Anthony Pons and Ecurie Ecosse driver Anthony Wells.
“I’m very happy for me and my father, we did a great job,” said Trouiller’s co-driver and son Adrien. “We want dry conditions for the race, but if it’s wet we don’t care.”
Wells and Pons traded places at the top multiple times throughout the 15-minute session. Pons (who spun the car on his out lap) looked certain for pole with a 1:53.989 in the final minutes, seven tenths faster the Wells’ Ligier, but it wasn’t enough after Trouillet’s time, which made it an all Norma front row.
Behind Wells’ Ligier in fourth was the sister Ecurie Ecosse Ligier, Alasdair McCaig setting a 1:54.559. It was a good run for McCaig, featured in the top three for the majority of the session.
The #3 DKR Engineering Norma, which also had a spin on its out lap, completed the top five, with Jens Petersen setting a 1:54.669 at the death to put the 2017 championship-winning team on the third row.
In GT3, the #8 Kessel Racing and #71 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3s traded fastest times throughout the 15-minute session, Sergio Pianezzola in the #8 eventually setting the best time, scoring the Swiss team its first Le Mans Cup pole of 2018.
The Italian’s fastest lap, after multiple improvements, came on his final tour of the Paul Ricard circuit, a 1:57.141. The time put him six tenths faster than Piergiuseppe Perazzini in the #71 at the end of the session.
“He did an amazing job, the car was fantastic, I’m so proud of him,” Pianezzola’s teammate Giacomo Piccini said. “We’re looking forward to the race. We just had a chance yesterday to do a few dry laps and find a set up of of the car, so it was hard, but he did a great job.”
Behind, the #51 Spirit of Race Ferrari ended up third, Christoph Ulrich 0.877 off the top time despite his best efforts. He did however, make it a 1-2-3 for the 488 in the session.
The best of the rest title went to 2017 champion Ebimotors, its new Porsche 91 GT3 R of Alessandro Baccani putting the Italian team fourth fastest in the seven-car class with a 1:58.644.
Today’s Michelin Le Mans Cup race, the first of the season, is set to begin at 16:00, local time in France.
