Cadillac Racing’s V-Series.R topped the time sheets in the final WEC practice session of the season this morning, with Alex Lynn setting a 1:49.512 to go almost half a second quicker than the other 11 Hypercars in the field.
“We had a strong day yesterday, we were P3 behind the two Toyotas,” Lynn said after the session. “Everyone has played their tyre strategy differently, but I think we are in a good spot. I think one compound is significantly quicker over a lap, so how qualifying goes will depend on tyre choice and how aggressive people want to be.”
Second in the order was the #50 AF Corse Ferrari, with Antonio Fuoco putting the 499P in the top three on pace for the first time this week. The car, with its 1:50.010 from the Italian, sat at the top of the timing screens early in the session before Lynn set his flyer with 34 minutes remaining.
The #99 Proton Competition Porsche slotted in third, seven-tenths off the Cadillac after completing 30 laps in the heat. The sister Ferrari ended up fourth, while the two Toyotas, which were fast throughout Thursday’s running, ended up eighth and ninth.
LMP2 meanwhile saw the #23 United Autosports ORECA take over from the team’s #22 sister car as the quickest car in the category, after a 1:53.661 from Tom Blomqvist. That time was 0.028 quicker than the #9 PREMA ORECA which finished second fastest, two-tenths up on the No. 28 JOTA ORECA which completed the top three.
In GTE Am, the headline was the positive news from Project 1 AO this morning. Its #56 ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 RSR 19 was repaired overnight and set the fastest time in GTE Am. Matteo Cairoli set a 1:58.214 in the opening minutes session in his five-lap run behind the wheel, which was good enough to top the class.
Members of the team reported to DSC last night that rear-left chassis damage from Gunnar Jeanette’s rear-end impact before pit-in during FP2 left the car “beyond immediate repair”. However, a full inspection later that night revealed that the damage wasn’t as severe as initially feared and the car was fixable after all. It was almost ready to run early this morning when RACER visited the garage for an update.
Qualifying is up next, at 16:15 local time.
