Hybrids Dominate Qualifying For This Weekend At LeMans

Qualifying is over for the 80th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and ‘Les jeux sont faits”!  With dry and warm conditions all evening, there was much to play for and it was Audi’s Andre Lotterer who claimed the second consecutive pole position for the No.1 crew, leading an historic 1-2-4-6 result for the hugely successful German marque. 

The German driver’s fastest time was 3:23.787, the Audi R18 e-tron quattro yielding a time almost two seconds quicker than last year’s pole and staking claim to being the first hybrid car to take a pole position.

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ThierryHenry14 - 6/15/2012 4:00:04 PM

-5 Boost

Lets go AUDI!!! Lets go for 11th!!!

AlleVier - 6/15/2012 4:21:07 PM

-4 Boost

This will be a very interesting race and I think Toyota is going to be very competitive, barring any incidents. I am way more into a this potential rivalry than I was with Peugeot (nothing against them, just that in the States, Peugeot is meaningless as a constructor).

If it rains significantly, I feel like the e-trons will dominate with their front-boosted setup. If not, it could be interesting. I hope Toyota does well (to a point) and that it's a safe race.

94geo - 6/15/2012 4:40:17 PM

+5 Boost

If Audi doesn’t win it will be a big embarrassment. They have more or less been the only major car maker in the P1 class consistently for the past decade. The Toyota program is less than a year old, and it will be their cars first race!! The fact Toyota qualified 3, and 5 in their cars first race should have Audi worried. If Toyota is around next year they will be a serious threat..I’m rooting for the underdog.

Go Toyota!!

AlleVier - 6/15/2012 7:11:47 PM

-2 Boost

I agree, 94geo (unless accidents caused by other cars takes out all four Audis). But, I don't know about their needing to worry about Toyota having qualifed 3 and 5 based on lap times. Who thought Toyota wouldn't make a fast car? Ultimately, skill, reliability, strategy, and luck will be more important for a 24-hour race than who ran a faster lap.

ThierryHenry14 - 6/17/2012 12:47:17 AM

-2 Boost

94Geo... Obviously, Peugeot is not a major car maker to you huh? Being the second largest in Europe and producing more than 1.7MM cars is not major huh?

AlleVier... I agree with you somewhat, but if you ever watch the races, its all about experience, skills, strategy, and reliability, and very rarely to do with luck... And yes, as an Audi diehard, I've been up for the entire race every year since 1998, and its not going to change this year. Toyota's inexperience obviously shows. That has nothing to do with luck, just with Audi's experience and patience...

Dr550 - 6/16/2012 2:47:06 PM

+2 Boost

Toyota LeMans hybrid designed and engineered in Cologne, Germany. Gas engine from Japan, but German built.

TheGenius - 6/16/2012 11:57:13 PM

0 Boost

Should be a good race, but speed aside I expect poor reliability to prevent Toyota from making the podium..Should be an Audi sweep..

ThierryHenry14 - 6/17/2012 12:48:06 AM

0 Boost

Absolutely agree, and just as i suspected, its not as much about poor reliability, but its more about Audi's experienced line up

lexworld - 6/18/2012 10:46:32 AM

+1 Boost

Poor reliability from a Toyota! Wow seems wierd, but hey new car (Hybrid), new problems. Yeah, those Audi cars and drivers are top notched at the moment. But dont count Toyota out because those Japanese are relentless even through catastrophies, as we all know and have witness w/ our own eyes. I love the LeMans races.