Peugeot takes the lead

Scott Sharp emerges unscathed from his completely disintegrated car. The pilot was shaken by the shock he had just suffered but escaped without damage. However, the shock was violent. Having made a mistake after twenty minutes during the second free practice session, the driver of the Acura ARX-02a of Patron Highcroft Racing failed against the protective grids of the circuit. Free testing is over with the Acura PHR, which will however be able to count on a new body, which will arrive from the California factory by plane. The leaders of the ALMS LMP1 standings, Scott Sharp and David Brabham, associated for the occasion with Dario Franchitti, should therefore be able to count on their car for the race, which begins on Saturday at 17:15 p.m. (French time).

In terms of times, it is Peugeot which stood out. The Lion firm dominated the three free practice sessions, the 908 HDi FAP n°08 taking the top spot each time. Franck Montagny set the best time in the second session, shortened due to the Acura PHR accident, while Stéphane Sarrazin was the fastest in sessions 1 and 3, obtaining the best overall time in 1:07 ??912.

The Audi R15 TDIs are not at the party. In addition to times which are several tenths behind Peugeot, the firm with the rings experienced disappointments during these tests. During the third session, the #1 Audi made a mistake in turn 3, causing the red flag to appear. However, there is still one free practice session and qualifying to allow Audi to tune its R15s for the race.

With the four diesel-powered prototypes at the forefront, Oreca and Acura are one step behind, competing for the best times in the gasoline-powered cars category. With more experience of American circuits, the No. 66 Acura twice beat the Oreca 01 during sessions 1 (Scott Dixon) and 3 (simon pagenaud), not driving in the second session (ultimately shorter) to perfect the car's settings.

In GT2, the BMW E92 M3s showed their advantage during the first two sessions, with the Panoz Esperante setting the best time during the night session. This Friday, two sessions are on the program: free practice from 15 p.m. to 16 p.m. and qualifying from 10:25 a.m. to 21:20 p.m.