Stephane Sarrazin produced a stunning late effort to clinch pole position at the Le Mans 24 Hours for Peugeot for the third successive year.
Sarrazin's teammate in the No. 8 908, Franck Montagny, had set the pace throughout Wednesday's first qualifying session, only to have his time beaten by Audi's Allan McNish on the very last lap. That left Peugeot needing to better Audi's time in the dark during final qualifying and Sarrazin left his charge late.
He set two purple sector times on two consecutive laps, only to have them spoiled by traffic – the first by Andre Lotterer's Kolles-run Audi R10 and the second by Tom Kristensen in the No. 1 R15.
Sarrazin was forced to pit for a new set of tires and it was close to midnight when he unleashed the fastest lap of the week so far, a 3m22.888s – seven tenths quicker than McNish's effort at the end of the first session.
The Frenchman made up all the time over his previous best effort in the final sector and lapped just four seconds slower than his pole time from last year, despite the regulation changes reducing the power of the Peugeot 908 by an estimated 10 percent. Nicolas Minassian was just a couple of hundred yards behind Sarrazin on the road and set the best time of the evening for the No. 7 car to take third place.
The Pescarolo-run customer 908 will start the race from fourth place thanks to Jean-Christophe Boullion's effort in the earlier session.
Marc Gene and Marco Werner both made improvements on their final runs to lift the No. 9 Peugeot and the No. 2 Audi to fifth and sixth on the grid respectively. The No. 3 Audi was one of the only front runners not to improve its time in the second session and will start seventh.
Stefan Mucke pulled out a sensational lap in the No. 007 Lola Aston Martin to pinch eighth place from the sister No. 008 car. Mucke lapped within a tenth of a second of the No. 3 Audi in seventh, but Jan Charouz took over the car from Mucke and crashed into the barriers at the second chicane. The team is still waiting to get the car back and investigate the severity of the damage.
The No. 008 Aston will start ninth after Anthony Davidson lowered its best time into the 3m27s, while the Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola Aston Martin completes the top 10 as a result of Andrea Bellichi's surprise effort. Danny Watts's best lap in the first session was good enough for the Strakka Racing Ginetta-Zytek to hold onto 11th on the grid.
The Kolles-run Audi R10s and the two ORECAs were surprisingly off the pace of the front runners and will fill the seventh and eighth rows of the grid respectively.
Casper Elgaard clinched the LMP2 pole position for the Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder with a time less than a tenth of a second faster than Team Goh's Porsche.
Jan Magnussen's lap from the first qualifying session was enough to claim the GT1 pole for the No. 63 Corvette, beating the best lap of the No. 64 sister car by half a second.
Similarly, Jorg Bergmeister's best lap of the earlier session was enough to earn the GT2 pole for the Flying Lizards Porsche, just 0.03sec quicker than the Felbermayr 911.
COMBINED QUALIFYING TIMES:
Pos # Class Drivers Team Car Time Gap To 1st
1. 8 LM P1 S.Bourdais, F.Montagny, S.Sarrazin Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3:22.888
2. 1 LM P1 D.Capello, T.Kristensen, A.McNish Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI 3:23.650 0.762 0.762
3. 7 LM P1 C.Klien, P.Lamy, N.Minassian Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3:24.860 1.210 1.972
4. 17 LM P1 J.C.Boullion, S.Pagenaud, B.Treluyer Pescarolo Sport Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3:25.062 0.202 2.174
5. 9 LM P1 D.Brabham, M.Gene, A.Wurz Peugeot Sport Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 3:25.252 0.190 2.364
6. 2 LM P1 L.Luhr, M.Rockenfeller, M.Werner Audi Sport North America Audi R15 TDI 3:25.780 0.528 2.892
7. 3 LM P1 T.Bernhard, R.Dumas, A.Premat Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI 3:27.106 1.326 4.218
8. 007 LM P1 J.Charouz, T.Enge, S.Mucke AMR Eastern Europe Lola B09/60-Aston Martin 3:27.180 0.074 4.292
9. 008 LM P1 A.Davidson, D.Turner, J.Verstappen Aston Martin Racing Lola B09/60-AM 3:27.704 0.524 4.816
10. 13 LM P1 A.Belicchi, N.Jani, N.Prost Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola B08/60-AM 3:28.134 0.430 5.246
11. 23 LM P1 P.Hardman, N.Leventis, D.Watt Strakka Racing Ginetta Zytek 09S 3:29.798 1.664 6.910
12. 16 LM P1 C.Tinseau, J.Barbosa, B.Jouanny Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo 01-Judd 3:30.466 0.668 7.578
13. 15 LM P1 C.Albers, C.Bakkerud, G.Mondini Team Kolles Audi R10 TDI 3:31.192 0.726 8.304
14. 14 LM P1 N.Karthikeyan, A.Lotterer, C.Zwolsman Team Kolles Audi R10 TDI 3:31.548 0.356 8.660
15. 10 LM P1 B.Senna, T.Ortelli, T.Monteiro Team ORECA Matmut AIM ORECA 01-AIM 3:33.514 1.966 10.626
16. 11 LM P1 O.Panis, N.Lapierre, S.Ayari Team ORECA Matmut AIM ORECA 01-AIM 3:33.860 0.346 10.972
17. 009 LM P1 S.Hall, P.Kox, H.Primat Aston Martin Racing Lola B09/60-AM 3:33.968 0.108 11.080
18. 6 LM P1 L.Tomlinson, R.Dean, N.Moore Team LNT Ginetta Zytek 09S 3:35.804 1.836 12.916
19. 4 LM P1 J.Campbell-Walter, V.Ickx, R.Ianetta Creation Autosportif Creation Judd 3:35.960 0.156 13.072
20. 31 LM P2 C.Elgaard, K.Poulsen, E.Collard Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder 3:37.720 1.760 14.832
21. 5 LM P2 S.Ara, K.Kunimoto, S.Maassen NAVI Team Goh Porsche RS Spyder 3:37.802 0.082 14.914
22. 12 LM P1 P.Ragues, F.Mailleux, D.Andre Signature Plus Courage LC70-Judd 3:39.326 1.524 16.438
23. 33 LM P2 J.Kane, B.Leuenberger, X.Pompidou Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola B09/80-Judd 3:41.724 2.398 18.836
24. 25 LM P2 T.Erdos, M.Newton, C.Dyson RML Lola B09/86-Mazda 3:41.952 0.228 19.064
25. 40 LM P2 M.Amaral, O.Pla, G.Smith Quifel-ASM Team Ginetta Zytek 09S 3:42.012 0.060 19.124
26. 30 LM P2 T.Biagi, M.Bobbi, A.Piccini Racing Box SRL Lola B09/80-Judd 3:42.848 0.836 19.960
27. 41 LM P2 K.Ojjeh, C.Y.Gosselin, P.Peter GAC Racing Team Zytek 07S 3:44.830 1.982 21.942
28. 35 LM P2 M.Lahaye, K.Ajlani, G.Moreau OAK Racing Pescarolo 01-Mazda 3:45.032 0.202 22.144
29. 32 LM P2 J.Barazi, S.Moseley, P.Bennett Barazi Epsilon Zytek 07S 3:52.956 7.924 30.068
30. 39 LM P2 H.Noda, J.de Pourtales, M.Marsch Kruse-Schiller Motorsport Lola B07/46-Mazda 3:53.072 0.116 30.184
31. 63 LM GT1 J.Magnussen, J.O'Connell, A.Garcia Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R 3:54.230 1.158 31.342
32. 64 LM GT1 O.Gavin, O.Beretta, M.Fassler Corvette Racing Corvette C6.R 3:54.702 0.472 31.814
33. 26 LM P2 P.Bruneau, T.Greaves, M.RostaN Bruichladdich Bruneau Radical-AER 3:55.320 0.618 32.432
34. 66 LM GT1 L.Lichtner-Hoyer, A.Muller, T.Gruber Jetalliance Racing GmbH Aston Martin DBR9 3:56.126 0.806 33.238
35. 72 LM GT1 L.Alphand, P.Goueslard, S.Gregoire Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R 3:57.170 1.044 34.282
36. 24 LM P2 J.Nicolet, R.Hein, J.F.Yvon OAK Racing Pescarolo 01-Mazda 3:57.524 0.354 34.636
37. 73 LM GT1 Y.Clairay, X.Maasen, J.Jousse Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R 3:58.564 1.040 35.676
38. 80 LM GT2 S.Neiman, D.Law, J.Bergmeister Flying Lizard Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 4:03.202 4.638 40.314
39. 77 LM GT2 M.Lieb, R.Lietz, W.Henzler Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 4:03.232 0.030 40.344
40. 82 LM GT2 J.Melo, M.Salo, P.Kaffer Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT 4:04.056 0.824 41.168
41. 99 LM GT2 C.Bouchut, Y.Lebon, M.Rodrigues JMB Racing Ferrari F430 GT 4:04.084 0.028 41.196
42. 97 LM GT2 F.Babini, M.Malucelli, P.Ruberti BMS Scuderia Italia SPa Ferrari F430 GT 4:04.222 0.138 41.334
43. 76 LM GT2 P.Long, P.Pilet, R.Narac IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 4:04.648 0.426 41.760
44. 78 LM GT2 G.Bruni, L.Perez Companc, M.Russo AF Corse SRL Ferrari F430 GT 4:04.938 0.290 42.050
45. 92 LM GT2 R.Bell, A.Kirkaldy, T.Sugden JMW Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT 4:05.168 0.230 42.280
46. 87 LM GT2 J.Cocker, P.Drayson, M.Franchitti Drayson Racing Aston Martin Vantage 4:06.482 1.314 43.594
47. 89 LM GT2 A.Simonsen, D.Farnbacher, C.Montanari Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari F430 GT 4:06.612 0.130 43.724
48. 85 LM GT2 T.Coronel, J.Janis, J.Bleekemolen Snoras Spyker Squadron Spyker C8 Laviolette 4:08.348 1.736 45.460
49. 84 LM GT2 P.Ehret, L.Mansell, R.Rusinov Team Modena Ferrari F430 GT 4:08.508 0.160 45.620
50. 83 LM GT2 T.Krohn, N.Jonsson, E.van de Poele Risi Competizione Ferrari F430 GT 4:08.758 0.250 45.870
51. 70 LM GT2 H.Felbermayr Jr, H.Felbermayr Sr, M.Lecourt IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 4:10.014 1.256 47.126
52. 75 LM GT2 D.O'Young, P.Hesnault, P.Kralev Endurance Asia Team Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 4:10.456 0.442 47.568
53. 96 LM GT2 M.McInerney, S.McInerney, M.Vergers Virgo Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT 4:10.664 0.208 47.776
54. 81 LM GT2 P.Dempsey, J.Foster, D.Kitch Jr Team Adv. Engineering Ferrari F430 GT 4:13.920 3.256 51.032
55. 68 LM GT1 M.Apicella, A.Yogo, Y.Yamagishi JLOC Lamborghini Murcielago 4:21.812 7.892 58.924