Red flags disrupt Le Mans warm-up

LE MANS, June 18 — Andre Lotterer fired a warning to his Le Mans 24 Hour rivals with the German easily clocking the fastest time in a warm-up today curtailed by more spills and thrills.

The race, which will be flagged off by Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt later today, will start with Switzerland’s Neel Jani, behind the wheel of a Porsche 919 Hybrid, on pole position alongside Timo Bernhard, also in a Porsche.

Also in Bernhard’s team is former Formula One driver Mark Webber, second last year, and Brendon Hartley.

The Audi R18 driver Lotterer, who starts the marathon race on the third row, was quickest ahead of Kamui Kobayashi of Japan (Toyota) and another German, Marc Lieb (Porsche).

The session, just hours before the 84th edition of the day-night extravaganza begins, was first stopped when Paul-Loup Chatin put his Ligier-Nissan into the gravel.

And the 45-minute warm-up was ended seven minutes from time when David Cheng (Alpine) span and slammed at high speed into the safety barriers.

Cheng — supported this week by actor Jackie Chan — was unhurt.

The 2016 Le Mans, which has drawn its usual colourful cast of professional drivers and Hollywood royalty, is being staged in a country in the midst of Euro 2016, with French police on high alert to thwart brawling football hooligans.

The Le Mans grid start their four-wheeled odyssey at 1300 GMT, racing through dusk, night and dawn towards the bleary-eyed finish 24 hours later tomorrow. — AFP

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