Porsche locks out first row at world’s toughest long-distance race
Qualifying quotes
Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsports and GT Cars: “All our vehicles are performing well and have been very reliable. The qualifying results are great with the fastest time in the GTE-Pro class and positions one, two and three in the GTE-Am class. As race preparation this is good because it has a calming effect and shows where we stand. Gianmaria Bruni’s fastest lap was simply magic. Everything came together perfectly: no mistake, little traffic and slipstream. You see from the times how close the competition is and how tough things are out there. Unfortunately this also led to some trips off the track. The #94 was badly damaged, but the car will be back on its wheels in time for the race. 24 hours is a long time, so it’s certainly important to avoid making mistakes.”
Pascal Zurlinden, Director GT Factory Motorsport: “The track was a little slower during the final qualifying, however two of our cars managed to improve their times. We’re facing very strong opposition, but we have four fast cars with experienced teams and drivers. Our goal is to perform consistently and win the race.”
Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “Pole position at Le Mans doesn’t really mean a lot for the race, but of course it makes me very happy. It’s especially great that the lap time sets a new GTE record at Le Mans – on the 70th anniversary of the Porsche brand. We can all be very proud, from the mechanics at the track to the engineers at Weissach. I’m pleased to be a member of this fantastic team and I’ll be taking up the race on Saturday as the start driver.”
Richard Lietz (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “Basically we completed our mandatory laps in the last session. Every driver has to turn five laps during the night to get used to the darkness. An accident prevented us from doing this in the first qualifying session.”
Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 911 RSR #91): “We noticed during the qualifying that the times weren’t getting faster. From that point on, we focussed on finding the best setup and balance for the race.”
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