Torsten Kratz secured his third pole position for the #11 WTM Racing Duqueine M30-D08-Nissan after an exhilarating final qualifying session of the 2022 Michelin Le Mans Cup season.
His outright fastest lap time was a 1:38:294 around a clear, hot, and humid Autodromo do Algarve.
Torsten Kratz showed his pace in the second half of the session after a Red Flag to allow recovery of the #3 DKR Duqueine of Jon Brownson, and planted an initial pole benchmark of 1:38.591 before setting his quickest time.
The championship-winning #10 Racing Spirit of Leman Ligier JSP320 driven by Alexander Mattschull will join the WTM car on the front row with a 1:38:497.
Freddie Hunt in the #76 Reiter Engineering Ligier JS P320 set the pace during the early stages of the session, as the top spots changed places quickly in a 31-car LMP3 field.
Hunt pushed hard to secure a hat-trick of poles, but a time of 1:38.750 was his best effort – third place.
Jérome De Sadeleer briefly took the top spot with 1:38:812 in his #29 MV2S Forestier Racing Ligier JS P320 but as the improving times poured in during the closing stages of the session, that time put him fourth in the order.
Rounding out the top five was the #40 Graff Racing Ligier JS P320 driven by Luis Sanjuan, with a time of 1:39:578.
In the GT3 session, Kristian Poulsen in the #55 GMB Motorsport Honda NSX GT3 landed their second pole position this season with a 1:44.465.
The championship-leading car set an early competitive pace as he was the first to dip under the 1:44 mark.
In second spot was the #8 Schnitzelalm Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of PJ Hyett with a time of 1:44:649.
The #51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 of Hiroshi Koizumi fought till the end after setting a purple first sector against the #55’s benchmark, but he completed the top-three in GT3 with an impressive 1:44:731.
A red flag was deployed with just over four minutes remaining after Steven Patrick spun his #99 Bullitt Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 at the exit of Turn 11.
He avoided any contact with the barrier but was not allowed to take part after causing the stoppage.
Nick Jones in the debuting Team Parker Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R had a brief spin out of the final corner while pushing hard to improve and starts fifth in class.
The H24 Racing Hydrogen-electric car will start at the back marking its first return since its single-lap run at Le Mans earlier this year.
