{"id":32879,"date":"2024-06-24T09:14:35","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T13:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=32879"},"modified":"2024-06-24T09:14:35","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T13:14:35","slug":"24-hours-of-le-mans-penske-and-cadillac-sweep-front-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/24-hours-of-le-mans-penske-and-cadillac-sweep-front-row","title":{"rendered":"24 Hours of Le Mans: Penske and Cadillac sweep front row"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Le Mans, France<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 In a show of Motor City muscle, Detroit race teams swept the front row for this weekend\u2019s 24 Hours of Le Mans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Partnered with Porsche, Team Penske\u2019s 963 Hypercar nipped the Cadillac V-Series.R for pole in the final seconds of Thursday qualifying while Chairman Roger Penske looked on. The 87-year old Penske is seeking his first Le Mans win in an illustrious racing career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Le Mans, France<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 In a show of Motor City muscle, Detroit race teams swept the front row for this weekend\u2019s 24 Hours of Le Mans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Partnered with Porsche, Team Penske\u2019s 963 Hypercar nipped the Cadillac V-Series.R for pole in the final seconds of Thursday qualifying while Chairman Roger Penske looked on. The 87-year old Penske is seeking his first Le Mans win in an illustrious racing career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Le Mans, France<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 In a show of Motor City muscle, Detroit race teams swept the front row for this weekend\u2019s 24 Hours of Le Mans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Partnered with Porsche, Team Penske\u2019s 963 Hypercar nipped the Cadillac V-Series.R for pole in the final seconds of Thursday qualifying while Chairman Roger Penske looked on. The 87-year old Penske is seeking his first Le Mans win in an illustrious racing career.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/14\/PDTN\/74101894007-le-mans-qualifying-penskeestre.jpg?width=990&amp;height=660&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"546\" height=\"364\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_mo_cap gnt_em_mo_cc__swd\"><em>Le Mans: Roger Penske, right, congratulates driver Kevin Estre on winning the pole in the Porsche 963 on Thursday, June 13, 2024. HZ, Porsche \/ Juergen Tap<\/em><\/div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The 92<sup>nd<\/sup>\u00a0running of the world\u2019s greatest endurance race has brought an unprecedented entry from Motown brands, including three Hypercars from Porsche Penske Racing, three Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars, two Ford Mustang GT3 racers and two Chevy Corvette Z06.R GT3s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The #6 Porsche 963 piloted by Kevin Estre and #2 Caddy entered by Chip Ganassi Racing will lead the 62-car, multi-class field to green at 4 p.m. local time Saturday after a thrilling qualifying duel that saw the Porsche Penske and Cadillac machines out-duel Hypercar entries from Ferrari, Toyota and BMW. Pole-sitter Estre beat Cadillac driver Alex Lynn\u2019s lap by just 0.148 seconds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Adding to the Motor City swagger, Ford\u2019s Mustang entry qualified an impressive fourth in the GT3 class in its Le Mans debut. The Proton Competition entry will start behind only McLaren, Porsche and Ferrari entries in the 25-car GT3 field.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/13\/PDTN\/74092711007-du-mond-24061305106.jpg?width=660&amp;height=441&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The #6 Porsche 963 will sit in pole position for the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday.\" width=\"510\" height=\"341\" \/><em>The #6 Porsche 963 will sit in pole position for the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The #6 Porsche 963 will sit in pole position for the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday.\" data-c-credit=\"Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Corvette TF Sport team also qualified strongly with a seventh place starting grid effort.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Cadillac nearly had two cars on the front row for the 24-hour marathon before Frenchman Estre\u2019s heroics on his last qualifying lap.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cSeeing us in pole position for Le Mans is really a dream come true,\u201d Penske said at a Friday press conference in the paddock.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/13\/PDTN\/74090957007-du-mond-24061302357.jpg?width=660&amp;height=440&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The #2 Cadillac V-Series.R almost grabbed the pole for Saturday's 24 Hours of Le Mans. It will start second behind the #6 Porsche 963.\" width=\"509\" height=\"339\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The #2 Cadillac V-Series.R almost grabbed the pole for Saturday's 24 Hours of Le Mans. It will start second behind the #6 Porsche 963.\" data-c-credit=\"Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News\">\n<p><em>The #2 Cadillac V-Series.R almost grabbed the pole for Saturday&#8217;s 24 Hours of Le Mans. It will start second behind the #6 Porsche 963. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Cadillac has been the dominant make in North American IMSA prototype racing over the last six years, and last year \u2014 thanks to international sportscar rules changes \u2014 it got a shot at the 2023 Le Mans, finishing on the podium in third place. The Ganassi and Whelen race teams have looked strong all week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI\u2019m so proud of everyone tonight,\u201d said #2 Cadillac driver Lynn. \u201cQualifying at Le Mans is a big moment because it\u2019s a true test of pure speed. I think Cadillac with second and third position was a great night for the whole team and I\u2019m proud that I had the privilege to drive with everyone\u2019s efforts behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">All three Cadillac Racing Hypercar entries ranked in the top seven of the Wednesday qualifying preceding Hyperpole on Thursday as the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R displayed the pace the Action Express Racing-run team has expected.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/14\/PDTN\/74101895007-le-mans-qualifying-mustang-gt-2.jpg?width=660&amp;height=441&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The #77 Mustang GT3 qualified fourth in class for the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" \/><em>The #77 Mustang GT3 qualified fourth in class for the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Michele Scudiero, Ford<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The #77 Mustang GT3 qualified fourth in class for the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.\" data-c-credit=\"Michele Scudiero, Ford\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cWe\u2019ve definitely made steps forward, which is great because this was the last opportunity to improve the car before the race,\u201d driver Jack Aitken said. \u201cWe started a bit on the back foot, but we\u2019re feeling a lot more comfortable with it now. We\u2019re clearly much more in the ballpark and now it\u2019s a matter of fine-tuning.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\">\n<div class=\"label\" hidden=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"message\">\n<div class=\"title\">Get the\u00a0<span class=\"highlight\">Michigan Politics<\/span>\u00a0newsletter in your inbox.<\/div>\n<p class=\"description\">Washington and Lansing, red and blue, we&#8217;ve got your government covered.<\/p>\n<div class=\"frequency\">Delivery: Daily<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"input-container populated\">\n<p><input autocomplete=\"off\" name=\"email\" required=\"\" type=\"email\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"clickable\"><\/div>\n<p><label>Your Email<\/label><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"bar\">\n<div class=\"highlight\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-primary\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-secondary\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Ford Mustang wowed in its Le Mans qualifying run, outpacing veteran entries from Aston Martin, Porsche 91 and Lamborghini.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThat\u2019s the best lap I\u2019ve ever done around here,\u201d said Ryan Hardwick, driver of the #77 Proton Competition Mustang GT3. \u201cIt was only five-tenths from second (place), which is very close. The car was such a joy to drive, and it&#8217;s been the best it\u2019s been all week. I really like our chances of being really competitive in the 24-hour race.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/14\/PDTN\/74101889007-le-mans-qualifying-caddy-3.jpg?width=660&amp;height=441&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The #3 Cadillac will start third when the green flag drops Saturday at Le Mans.\" width=\"492\" height=\"329\" \/><em>The #3 Cadillac will start third when the green flag drops Saturday at Le Mans. Richard Prince, GM<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The #3 Cadillac will start third when the green flag drops Saturday at Le Mans.\" data-c-credit=\"Richard Prince, GM\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Hiroshi Koizumi was equally upbeat about the performance of the #82 Corvette in TF Sport\u2019s debut at Le Mans in Chevy\u2019s iconic sportscar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cIt\u2019s my first Le Mans and my first Hyperpole,\u201d said the Corvette ace. \u201cI\u2019m so thankful to the team and everyone who is supporting us. We will absorb all the data and learn from it, and hopefully that leads to a good result Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Le Mans, France\u00a0\u2014 In a show of Motor City muscle, Detroit race teams swept the front row for this weekend\u2019s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Partnered with Porsche, Team Penske\u2019s 963 Hypercar nipped the Cadillac V-Series.R for pole in the final seconds of Thursday qualifying while Chairman Roger Penske looked on. The 87-year old Penske [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32879"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32879"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32880,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32879\/revisions\/32880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}