Ahmad Al Harthy was the class of the field in today’s Asian Le Mans Series Qualifying at Yas Marina, putting 99 Racing’s championship-leading ORECA 07 Gibson on pole for both races this weekend.
The Omani racer set a 1:40.720, the only lap in LMP Qualifying under 1:41, to put the car on pole for the first race later today. His second-best flying lap, a 1:41.313, was also faster than anyone else’s best times, and therefore secured pole for the season finale tomorrow.
Al Harthy’s performance was so strong he was able to park up in pit lane before the checkered flag emerged, confident that nobody else could challenge. In the end, he was right, as nobody lapped within eight-tenths of him and his fine qualifying form at the Yas Marina circuit continued.
“I love this place, every time I’ve been here in an LMP2 it’s been amazing,” Al Harthy said after the session.
“The car was so strong, a pleasure to drive. It was more the car than the driver I think! Now we are focused on the races. To get double pole in Yas like I did last year means a lot.”
Second fastest was Giorgio Roda in the #22 Proton Competition ORECA. His best time, set in the closing minutes, was a 1:41.526 to put his car on the front row for the first race. A 1:41.979 second-best lap will see him start third on Sunday.
TF Sport’s ORECA meanwhile, will start today’s four-hour contest from third, after Salih Yoluc’s multiple improvements throughout the running. His best tour was a 1:41.565. A 1:41.6777 puts him second on the grid for Sunday.
The top five on the overall leaderboard was completed by American racers John Falb from Duqueine Team and George Kurtz from Crowdstrike Racing by APR. They will also start fourth and fifth in the second race.
Further down the order, PJ Hyett managed to set the eighth fastest time in the #55 Proton Competition ORECA. It was a strong performance from the Dubai pole-sitter, and a welcome sight to see him lapping the circuit after the car missed all of yesterday’s free practice time due to an engine change.
LMP3 meanwhile, saw Alexander Bukhantsov score a double pole position for COOL Racing. In the team’s #17 Ligier JS P320 he completed a 1:48.499 to take pole for Race 1 and a 1:48.618 to secure the best starting grid spot for Race 2.
Julien Gerbi from Bretton Racing came closest in the six-car class, with a 1:48.905 to go second in the times. His final flying lap was a 1:49.058, good enough to see the #26 Ligier start from second on both days.
GT Qualifying saw Anthony Liu star again in the #7 Almanar Racing by GetSpeed Mercedes. The Chinese racer set a 1:52.673 late in the session to secure pole position for Race 1, and a 1:53.261 second best time to put the car on the front row for Sunday’s Race 2.
Second on the leaderboard was Martin Konrad, who made it a 1-2 for GetSpeed, locking out the front row for both races in the process. His best time was a 1:52.939, two and a half tenths off Liu. His second best meanwhile, was a 1:53.213, good enough to take pole for the season finale.
That result means a GetSpeed Mercedes will lead the field across the line at the start in both races, with the #7 and #9 taking a pole apiece.
“I relish the pressure,” said Liu, who also took pole in Dubai last weekend. “Into Qualifying I was pushing every braking zone and exit.”
Third fastest in the session was Marco Pulcini in the #98 Dragon Racing Ferrari. His 1:53.223 put him half a second off pole for today’s four-hour race. A 1:53.415 second fastest time secured fourth on the grid for Race 2.
Fourth fastest overall was the championship-leading Pure Rxcing Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 of Alex Malykhin who took fourth for Race 1 and third for Race 2. The #69 Optimum Motorsport McLaren of James Cottingham will start fifth today and sixth tomorrow.
GT Qualifying was interrupted halfway through by a red flag following an incident for Satinteloc Racing’s Florian Scholze. This set up the frantic end to the sessions, with the times tumbling up and down the order in the dying seconds.
The German, who is a late addition to the French team’s line-up this weekend, lost the rear of the #43 R8 LMS GT3 EVO II at the final corner and veered into the pit wall on driver’s right, head-on.
The impact, which sent him into a spin, damaged both the front and rear of the Audi significantly. The car was subsequently withdrawn from the meeting after being delivered back to the garage, due to chassis damage.
Next up is the first race of the weekend in Abu Dhabi, the penultimate race of the season, which is set to get underway later today at 15:00 local time.
QUALIFYING RACE 1 RESULTS >>> | QUALIFYING RACE 2 RESULTS >>>
Images courtesy of Asian Le Mans Series
