Robert Kubica set the pace in the first bout of night running for the teams and drivers ahead of the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours.
The Pole set an early 3m25.101s in clear air to put the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari atop the times in Free Practice 2.
The gap after two hours of running was just over a second, with the No. 8 Toyota ending up second and the No. 12 Qualifying-topping JOTA Cadillac third, 1.5 seconds back.
However, Kubica’s time was deleted immediately after the session due to a pit lane speeding infringement. This promoted the No. 8 Toyota to the top of the timing screens with its 3m26.156s, and dropped the No. 83 to third below the No. 12 Cadillac.
A late flyer (3:26.748) from Pascal Wehrlein put the No. 4 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 fourth, pushing the No. 50 Ferrari to fifth.
Further down the order, the No. 6 Penske Porsche finished 20th in Hypercar after suffering a front-right tire delamination, which ripped off bodywork, ending its rough day early.
The car was already in the spotlight after a document was uploaded to the noticeboard following the qualifying round, revealing that it was under investigation for breaching the technical regulations. During the session, it was subsequently thrown out of Qualifying and will start the race from the back.
In LMP2, it was reigning IMSA GTP Champion Dane Cameron out front, putting the AO by TF ORECA atop the class times with a 3m37.515s. United Autosports’ No. 22 car was next, 1.1 seconds off.
And finally in LMGT3, it was all AKKODIS ASP and Lexus, with the two RC F LMGT3s taking 1-2, with Jose Maria Lopez completing a 3:55.422 in the No. 87 to go P1. The No. 78 was less than a tenth shy of the top spot. Best of the rest was the Manthey 1st Phorm 911, which also ended up in the 3m55s range.
At the bottom of the timing screens were two LMGT3 cars that didn’t take part in the session.
The No. 33 TF Sport Corvette was receiving attention from mechanics throughout; a spokesperson describing to RACER a leak in the gearbox caused by a seal on the input shaft.
The No. 63 Iron Lynx Mercedes was also stationary with no competitive times set. The team is working hard to ready itself for tomorrow after Stephen Grove’s nasty hit in Free Practice 1.
TV cameras spotted the heavily damaged car in bits in the team’s pit box, stripped down, with a new chassis being worked on behind it.
The No. 150 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 looked like it would be a no-show, but it eventually emerged from the pit lane with an hour and 19 minutes on the clock and went on to complete 15 laps.
The team told RACER: “We didn’t have a rush to go out on track as we had already completed a good amount of mileage, so we just decided to double-check the engine in the garage with no rush. As soon as we finished, we went out on track again.”
Out on track, it was an uneventful session, with no major incidents right until the end of the night, after the teams and drivers had made the most of green flag running in cooler temperatures.
The incident in question occurred at Karting as the checkered flag came out, when the No. 8 Toyota of Ryo Hirakawa made contact with the Kessel Racing Ferrari of Casper Stevenson. Hirakawa lost control of the Toyota over a kerb while following a LMP2 car past the Ferrari, sending him into a spin and the side of the 296.
