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10/06/2010 15:28:00

Aston Martin Fastest in Petrol Class at First Le Mans Qualifying

Three Aston Martins hold the top three positions in the unofficial ‘petrol class’ after first qualifying at Le Mans last night, which was held between 22:00 and midnight. Conditions remained dry throughout free practice and qualifying, enabling all the drivers to get in plenty of consistent running as they took to the track for the first time.

The two Works Aston Martin LMP1 machines, numbered 007 and 009, hold eighth and ninth positions respectively behind seven diesel-powered cars. Aston Martin 008, run by the Signature team, is a provisional 10th fastest.

Stefan Mücke set the quickest time for the 007 car, with a benchmark of 3m26.680s. This compares favourably with his eighth-fastest time on last year’s Le Mans start grid, achieved with a time of 3m27.180s. “I think there’s still a bit more to come as the track is getting quicker all the time,” he said. “But it really depends on the weather conditions tonight.”

Darren Turner in 009 was just behind his German colleague with a time of 3m26.747s. He said: “Yesterday went reasonably well. It was nice to get back in action, and now it’s just a question of making a plan for the three of us to be comfortable in the car so that we can look forward to a solid performance over the weekend.”

Car 008 is run by the Signature Plus team from France, with Franck Mailleux setting a time of 3m29.774s to put him in a provisional 10th. “It felt really good,” said the Frenchman. “Driving this car is a huge pleasure for me and I’m looking forward to qualifying tonight.”

Two qualifying sessions remain to decide the grid for the start of the 78th Le Mans 24 Hours. The first session will take place between 19:00 and 21:00, while the final session is scheduled to run from 22:00 until midnight.

Normally, the times should get quicker tonight but with intermittent rain conditions will be uncertain. Qualifying is never the most crucial element of a 24-hour race, but Aston Martin is aiming to start as it means to go on – by being fastest of the petrol cars.

Live race coverage can be found at www.astonmartin.com and www.astonmartinracing.com with additional behind the scenes updates on Facebook; www.facebook.com/astonmartin and through Twitter at www.twitter.com/astonmartin. Eurosport will be broadcasting live throughout the week, while coverage with Radio Le Mans can be found at: www.radiolemans.com

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