At the end of qualifying for this weekend's 24 Heures du Mans, the two diesel-powered Audi R10s were at the front of the grid, as expected following their performance at Sebring.
In the second half of the evening's session the Audi Sport Team Joest cars, No.7 and No.8 took fastest times almost as soon as the track opened. Picking up where they left off, Marco Werner in the No.8 went out and set a fast 3:30.584 to claim provisional pole, but Dindo Capello, in the No.7 Audi R10 almost immediately bettered this time by 0.118 of a second. Capello’s provisional pole time proved enough to keep them at the top of the timesheets right through to the end of the session.
The No.16 and No.17 Pescarolo Judd cars came close, but couldn't get within two seconds of pole. The drivers were disappointed, blaming traffic on their fastest laps. Team boss Henri Pescarolo however said: "I am happy with the second row. Last year we started on the front row and finished second; this year, if we start on the second row, maybe we will finish first."
The success of the two Audis means that Saturday will see the first-ever front-row start for diesel-powered cars in the history of the Le Mans race; a remarkable achievement, given that this is the first visit for the R10 to la Sarthe.
With this weekend's Le Mans forecast showing temperatures in the mid- to late 20s, this weekend looks set for a battle royale with plenty of sunshine...