U.S. Teams Make Historic Mark at 24 Hours of Le Mans Qualifying

In a significant milestone for American motorsports, Cadillac secured pole position for the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since 1967, thanks to Hertz Team JOTA’s front-row lockout, with the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R driven by Alex Lynn at the helm. Lynn clocked a blistering lap of 3:23.166, edging out Earl Bamber’s #38 Cadillac, who qualified second with a time of 3:23.333.

The newly-implemented Hyperpole Qualifying format added an exciting dynamic to the event, with 15 competitors vying for a top ten spot from Hyperpole 1 to progress to Hyperpole 2. Notably, Julien Andlauer of Porsche Penske Motorsport (#5) dominated initially but finished third overall with a best lap of 3:23.475.

Drama characterized the sessions, with Jack Aitken’s #311 Whelen Cadillac setting a new Hypercar class course record in Hyperpole 1 with a 3:22.742 lap. However, Ferrari faced setbacks, as both its #51 and #83 entries failed to advance to Hyperpole 2, with Alessandro Pier Guidi narrowly missing the cut.

Key moments included Sébastien Buemi’s misfortune, as he slid off track and could not set a competitive time in the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid. The LMP2 class saw Mathias Beche deliver a top performance for TDS Racing, capturing pole at 3:35.062.

In the LMGT3 category, Mattia Drudi secured pole with a record-setting lap in the #27 Aston Martin Vantage, clocking a time of 3:52.789, while Valtino Rossi’s #46 WRT BMW rounded out the top three.

Lynn expressed his honor at achieving pole for Cadillac, stating, "It’s a magical circuit and a place where I really try to perform my best."

With the final Free Practice session scheduled shortly, anticipation builds for the race set to commence soon.

Qualifying Results:

• Hypercar:

  1. 12 Cadillac V-Series.R – Alex Lynn: 3:23.166

  2. 38 Cadillac – Earl Bamber: 3:23.333

  3. 5 Porsche 963 – Mathieu Jaminet: 3:23.475

  4. 15 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 – Dries Vanthoor

  5. 4 Porsche 963 – Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr

• LMP2:

  1. 29 TDS Racing ORECA 07-Gibson – Mathias Beche: 3:35.062

  2. 43 Inter Europol ORECA – Tom Dillmann: 3:35.333

• LMGT3:

  1. 27 Aston Martin Vantage – Mattia Drudi: 3:52.789

  2. 21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari – Alessio Rovera: 3:53.085

The stage is set for an exhilarating 24-hour race, where strategy, speed, and endurance will come into play on one of the world’s most revered racing circuits.