Earl Bamber (NZL) / Alex Lynn (GBR) / Sebastien Bourdais (FRA) #02 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R.
26-27.02.2024. FIA World Endurance Championship, Official Prologue, Doha, Qatar.
– www.xpbimages.com, Email: [email protected] © Earl Bamber from New Zealand, Alex Lynn from the United Kingdom, and Sebastien Bourdais from France represented the #02 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R at the FIA World Endurance Championship Official Prologue in Doha, Qatar on February 26th and 27th, 2024. The third and final free practice session saw Alex Lynn from Cadillac Racing set the fastest lap time, indicating a strong performance for the season opener.
The teams focused on tire management during the Prologue and free practice sessions in preparation for the 1812 km race on March 2nd. Long-distance races were conducted to assess realistic race pace. This 60-minute session was particularly important as it preceded the qualifying session. The Hyperpole format, typically used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was introduced for the first time in this event. Teams began conducting qualifying simulations during FP3.
The Porsche Hypercars continued to demonstrate their dominance, with Matt Campbell from Porsche Penske leading the early stages of the session. However, Alex Lynn from Cadillac Racing surpassed his time, setting the fastest lap in the Hypercar class. Colder conditions limited the number of drivers who could achieve similar lap times, but all teams were still focused on their preparations for qualifying.
In the LMGT3 class, the AF Corse Ferrari 296 #54, driven by Davide Rigon, initially led the way in FP3. However, James Cottingham lost control of his McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo #59 and ended up in the gravel trap, causing a red flag. Among the top performers in this class was the Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan #60, driven by Franck Perera, who showed potential for the manufacturer to compete in the Hyperpole.
Alex Riberas from Heart of Racing Aston Martin AMR Vantage set the fastest lap time in the LMGT3 class, closely followed by Davide Rigon and the Ferrari 296 #55. Franck Perera’s impressive performance put the Lamborghini Huracan #60 in fourth position, while Marco Sorensen from D’station Racing completed the top five.
The qualifying, consisting of four sessions and including Hyperpole sessions for each category, is scheduled to take place later in the day.
