KISS AND RODRIGUES STAY ON TOP AT LE MANS
Both championship protagonists are doing all they need to wrap up the Drivers’ and Chrome titles this weekend, securing pole position for Race 3 in their respective classes.
Norbert Kiss led every session of the final qualifying session, setting a 2:05.153 to confirm his 12th pole of the year. The time was almost a second faster than Jochen Hahn who will share the front row with Kiss again.
Starting on pole, Kiss has put himself in the best place to wrap up the 2024 title in Race 3. He needs to either finish in front of Hahn or lose no more than three points to him to clinch the title with a race to go this weekend.
Having a much better session today, Sascha Lenz put himself third on the grid. Row two will be one to keep an eye on this afternoon as he shares it with championship rival Antonio Albacete, who is looking to recover after a poor Race 2 dropped him further behind the German.
José Eduardo Rodrigues and the Le Mans Bugatti circuit seem to be a match made in heaven this weekend, as the Portuguese driver continued his strong form. Coming off the back of his double win in Race 2, Rodrigues has claimed another Chrome pole and top six start, slotting into P5 on the Race 3 grid.
André Kursim was the final driver to progress to Q3, but with a long lap around Le Mans, mistakes can’t be afforded in the shortest qualifying session. Exceeding track limits in Turn 4 of his final lap saw his lap time deleted, and no time to go around for a second lap. This means he will start P6 in Race 3.
Lukas Hahn almost demoted Rodrigues not only from class pole but also Q3. In the closing moments of Q2, he put on a fantastic lap that saw him just 0.060s shy of Rodrigues’ lap time. He wasn’t the only one pushing as Steffi Halm – the only Titan not starting in the top six – also tried her best to find the lap time. She was 0.063 off Hahn, just over a tenth off Rodrigues and had to settle for eighth on the grid.
A strong qualifying for Luis Recuenco sees him P9 on the grid for Race 3, with Mark Taylor alongside him finishing the top ten. It was an important qualifying for Taylor, who is in a very close battle with Steffen Faas for second in the Chrome championship. Faas’ strong Saturday put the advantage back in the German’s hands, but if Taylor can outscore him today it could just as easily swing back.
The duelling duo are split by John Newell in P11 as Faas had his fastest lap time deleted from Q2 due to two track limits violations.
Luke Garrett was the fastest of the Q1 eliminated, starting in front of Clemens Hecker who too was handed two track limit penalties and had his fastest lap deleted. Bradley Smith, Stefan Kursch, Simon Faulkner and Craig Reid complete our 18-strong grid.
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