Cadillac Takes First Ever Le Mans Pole In JOTA Front-Row Lockout

For the first time since 1967, an American automaker has qualified on the pole position for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And for the first time in its history, it’s Cadillac, courtesy of a front-row lockout from new factory team Hertz Team JOTA, and led by the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R of Alex Lynn.

Lynn, Will Stevens, and Norman Nato will start on the pole with the #38 of Earl Bamber, Jenson Button, and Sebastien Bourdais alongside, after Bamber qualified second in the final stage of Hyperpole Qualifying tonight.

Tonight, spectators witnessed the brand new, two-stage Hyperpole Qualifying in action at Le Mans. In the premier Hypercar class, 15 cars in Hyperpole 1 would battle to make the top 10 and progress to Hyperpole 2, for the right to battle for pole position.

And what drama it was from the first stage: Julien Andlauer in the #5 Penske Porsche sat on the best time when he lost his right-rear wheel at the end of a lap, and Jack Aitken in the #311 Whelen Cadillac took first place in ‘H1’ with a blistering lap of 3:22.742 – a new course record for the fledgling Hypercar class.

But the major upset from H1 was two of the three Ferrari 499Ps missing the top-10 cut for H2.

2023 winner Alessandro Pier Guidi had been pushed below the cut line at the checkered flag, and his final lap in the #51 Ferrari wasn’t quick enough to breach the top ten, just one-tenth slower than the #15 Team WRT BMW of Raffaele Marciello on the bubble.

The #83 AF Corse Ferrari also missed the cut – Ye Yifei was 13th behind the #35 Alpine A424 of Paul-Loup Chatin. Ricky Taylor used H1 as a test session for the #101 WTR Cadillac but didn’t make the top ten, and Marco Sorensen’s fairy tale run in the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie ended with a 15th-place qualifying effort.

Mathieu Jaminet looked good to give Porsche Penske Motorsport back-to-back Le Mans poles with his benchmark time of 3:23.475, but as the gold Cadillacs began to get heat into their tires, they were rapid. On their final flying laps, Lynn toppled Jaminet from the top spot with a 3:23.166 to take provisional pole with seconds remaining, and no other driver could surpass the Englishman.

“I think every time you have the opportunity to drive this kind of car around Le Mans with low fuel and new tires, it’s an honour,” Lynn said after climbing out of the V-Series.R. “It’s a pleasure to be here in front of all of you tonight. I’m truly honoured to be able to put in a performance like that in front of everyone and deliver the car to Cadillac how they deserve – in the first position.

“It’s a special feeling. I can’t describe it. It’s such a magical circuit, a wonderful place and a place where I really try to perform my best. We’ll enjoy this tonight, have a good sleep and reset.”

Bamber set a 3:23.333 to lock in second place for the ‘Mighty 38’ Cadillac.

The #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 qualified third thanks to Jaminet, ahead of the #15 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 in fourth thanks to Dries Vanthoor.

Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr’s quest for the unprecedented Triple Crown of Endurance Racing starts from fifth place in their #4 Penske Porsche, on the third row next to the #20 WRT BMW.

Antonio Fuoco’s best run in H2 was only good enough to put the #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P in seventh, not where the reigning Le Mans winner had hoped to start. The #36 Alpine Endurance Team A424 was eighth, with the #311 Whelen Cadillac clocking in ninth thanks to Felipe Drugovich.

Sebastien Buemi’s pole hopes were dashed early when he locked up big time and slid off at Mulsanne Corner. When he rejoined, he nearly collected Fuoco behind him, and a puncture left Buemi unable to set a time in the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 HYBRID.

The Hyperpole sessions for the so-called ‘lower categories’ were no less intense. Veteran Mathias Beche gave the #29 TDS Racing ORECA 07-Gibson the pole position in LMP2, in the Pro/Am car he shares with Rodrigo Sales and Clement Novalak.

And in a slugfest featuring eight LMGT3 manufacturers, Mattia Drudi gave the Heart of Racing Team’s #27 Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 the pole position with a new course record for the category, putting the Italian at the front of the GT pack with owner/driver Ian James and Zacharie Robichon.