Porsche stuns Cadillac duo with late run to Le Mans pole

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Thursday evening’s Hyperpole shootout at Le Mans looked like a signed and sealed affair for the Ganassi-run Cadillac team, until Porsche Penske’s Kevin Estre pulled a scorching flyer out of his hat.

With just minutes left on the clock in the thrilling grid-defining session, and with the #2 and #3 Cadillac entries leading the field, Estre went all in with a 3m24.634s lap that edged the first of the two American machines by a mere 0.148s!

While Alex Lynn at the wheel of the #2 Cadillac had produced a monumental final sector to snatch the fastest tour, but there was no denying a stunning Estre his first career pole at Le Mans.

“It was crazy,” Estre told RACER. “We were last in the queue, there was traffic and I didn’t do a perfect lap but felt the tyres were still coming.

“Then on the second lap, I was convinced I wouldn’t have enough fuel. But the engineers kept pushing me and I had a very nice slipstream from an LMP2. I had to overtake him at Indy, but he blocked me so it wasn’t easy to get past.

“I am so happy I did though because the Porsche Curves were amazing, I really had a perfect run with the car I had. I didn’t know where I was (on the leaderboard) when I crossed the line, but I knew that the lap wasn’t too bad!”

Le Mans’ 62-car field will be unleashed on Saturday at 4:00pm local time.

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.