The #22 United Autosports ORECA 07 topped the first 4 hour session of the European Le Mans Series Prologue at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya.
The fastest time, a 1:28.979 from Marino Sato is already better the last season’s LMP2 pole time with the LMP2 and LMP2 Pro-Am field having received a substantial performance boost for this season in the ELMS.
Second fastest was the #28 LMP2 Pro-Am entry from TDS Racing with a 1:29.102, the car in the hands of ELMS rookie Gregoire Saucy.
Cool Racing’s #37 car was third fastest, a 1:29.225 for Malthe Jakobsen ahead of the #83 Pro-Am car of AF Corse of Matthieu Vaxiviere and the defending champions at Algarve Pro Racing. The #25 ended up fifth fastest overall, and third quickest in LMP2 with a lap from Alex Lynn.
LMP3 was headed by the #8 Ligier of Team Virage a 1:35.752 for 2023 Michelin Le Mans Cup Champion Gillian Henrion, a quarter of a second clear of the defending champions at Cool Racing in the #17 JS P320, Manuel Espírito Santo at the wheel
Third fastest was the #35 Ultimate Ligier, but that car hit trouble bringing out the only Red Flag of the session for Jean Baptiste Lahaye who suffered a significant off at T9. Thankfully the driver was unhurt but the car was brought back on the flatbed with left-rear damage that included the wheel and suspension parted from the car.
LMGT3 makes its debut here in the ELMS and 10 of the 11 car season entry are present, Formula Racing missing after a substantial testing shunt at Spa, they will be on-site with a replacement Ferrari 296 GT3 later in the week.
The session was topped by another of the Ferraris, the the #57 Kessel Racing car of Daniel Serra posting a 1:41.316, three-tenths up on the #55 Spirit of Race 296 in the hands of Matt Griffin. JMW’s #66 Ferrari was third fastest with Ben Tuck putting in the car’s quickest time.
The fastest of the non-Ferraris was the #60 Proton Porsche, which finished up 1.150 seconds off.
The #59 Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin did not run in the session, the car’s conversion to LMGT3 spec completed during the morning, this car actually raced with Comtoyou Racing at Paul Ricard yesterday, the Racing Spirit of Leman wrap nestling beneath Comtoyou’s colours during the GT World Challenge weekend!
The #97 Grid Motorsport by TF Vantage did not complete a flying lap in the session as the team worked on systems integration work after that car’s conversion to 2024 spec and LMGT3 configuration was also finished just this morning (this the chassis that competed in the Asian Le Mans Seres with John Hartshorne over the winter), but the car did complete several out and in laps as the team beds in its new machine.
