Toyota Gazoo Racing have achieved a entrance row Hypercar lockout on the grid for the 6 Hours of São Paolo. Kamui Kobayashi within the #7 Toyota secured pole within the fifth spherical of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), with the sister #8 automotive in second, simply 0.122 seconds slower across the legendary Interlagos circuit, formally the Autódromo José Carlos Tempo.
In LMGT3, it was the Iron Dames who got here out on high, with Sarah Bovy on the helm of her Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 Evo2 placing on one other dominant qualifying show. Championship leaders Manthey PureRxcing got here in second, adopted by the 2 United Autosports McLarens locking out the second row.
Hypercar
Toyota weren’t the dominant power within the first qualifying session at Interlagos, which determines which 10 automobiles will head by way of to the highest 10 Hyperpole shootout. That honour went to the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport automotive, a crew who’ve been robust in qualifying because the begin of the season. The highest ten have been separated by lower than half a second, organising an attractive Hyperpole session.
With two minutes to go within the session, Toyota had asserted their dominance. They secured these high two grid positions, with #7 scoring the Japanese crew’s first pole place of the season with a quickest time of 1:23.140. The very fast #5 Porsche got here third, simply 0.069 seconds behind the second Toyota, alongside the #2 Cadillac Racing automotive with Alex Lynn on the wheel. The American crew have proven actual growth and race energy in latest rounds, so may very well be one to observe within the race on Sunday.
The third row is dwelling to 2 titans of the 2024 season. The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport automotive, at present main the championship and winners in Qatar, begins in fifth alongside the winners of the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P. Hertz Group JOTA lock out the fourth row of their Porsche 963s, with the #12 automotive edging out their sister #38 automotive by 0.062 seconds, however with each of them round half a second off the quickest time set by Toyota. The ultimate Hyperpole positions went to the #51 Ferrari and the #20 BMW M Group WRT automobiles, roughly one second behind Kobayashi.
LMGT3
The most important shock to not make it into LMGT3 Hyperpole was that of Group WRT‘s #46 automotive. The Belgian crew, which incorporates Valentino Rossi in its driver line-up, must make do with twelfth in school on the grid, with work to do to safe a factors end.
It was Sarah Bovy for the Iron Dames who took the honours in LMGT3, with the Belgian driver securing the all-female driver line-up’s second pole place of the season with a time of 1:34.413. Manthey PureRxcing secured second with a time 0.391 seconds off the tempo of the Iron Dames. Joshua Caygill led teammate James Cottingham by 0.051 seconds as the 2 locked out the second row for United Autosports.
The Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 that received Le Mans and is at present tied on the high of the LMGT3 standings, certified fifth, with the #31 Group WRT automotive for firm on the third row. The #31 automotive is barely two factors behind the 2 Porsches, organising a unbelievable battle for championship glory, of which the 6 Hours of São Paolo may very well be an important half.
The #55 Vista AF Corse Ferrari shares the fourth row of the LMGT3 grid with the #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, with the #27 Coronary heart Of Racing automotive beginning ninth. Thomas Flohr within the #54 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 span early on within the Hyperpole session at flip 4, bringing out the pink flag and that means that the Italian automotive will begin in tenth.
The 6 Hours of São Paolo will get underway at 15:30 GMT on Sunday 14 July.
