The no7 Toyota will line up alongside the sister car on Saturday’s grid after Kamui Kobayashi posted a 3m17.377 in FP1 to book their front row position. 

Row two will be headed by the no1 Rebellion Racing R13-Gibson after Bruno Senna set a 3m19.449 lap to finish just 0.034s ahead of Stephane Sarrazin in the no17 SMP Racing BR01-AER.

In the LMGTE Pro battle it will be Porsche on pole position after Gimmi Bruni’s 3m47.504 lap set the pace in the no91 911 RSR and secured the top spot in the world championship class, nearly 1.6 seconds ahead of the no92 Porsche, with Michael Christensen posting the fastest lap.  The no66 Ford GT will start in third place with a 3m49.181, three tenths ahead of the reigning world champions Ferrari.

It was a top four for Oreca in the LMP2 category with the no48 IDEC Sport Oreca of Paul Loup Chatin taking the pole position with a 3m24.842 in the final session of the day to claim the top spot.  The French driver was just 0.039s ahead of the no31 Dragonspeed Oreca of Nathanaël Berthon and three tenths ahead of the no26 G-Drive Racing Oreca of Jean-Eric Vergne. The no28 TDS Racing Oreca was fourth fastest.  The car had been on the top spot but Loic Duval’s best time was cancelled when the car missed the scrutineering bay for checks, dropping the French team down to fourth spot.

The LMGTE Am battle once again saw Porsche see off the challenge to take the top three places in the class.  Matteo Cairoli was confirmed as the fastest driver to secure the class pole with a 3m50.728 in the no88 Dempsey-Proton Porsche, six tenths ahead of Ben Barker in the no86 Gulf Racing 911, with the no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche in third. The no54 Spirit of Race Ferrari of Giancarlo Fischella was fourth fastest, 1.2 seconds behind the pole position car.

Kazuki Nakajima no8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid (LMP1 Pole Position)

“I was more or less at the maximum on that lap, I had no traffic so I cannot complain too much. It was much better than yesterday when I didn’t feel as good grip as today. The lap time was not as good as I expected but I have to be happy with it.  More importantly I had a really good balance for the race trim and we are ready for the race.”

Gianmaria Bruni – no91 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR (LMGTE Pro Pole Position)

“It is something very good, I think yesterday was a really good lap, I was able to put it all together.  I had a bit of a slipstream from another car which helped.  The car was well balanced and I tried to go faster on the next lap but it didn’t work and I spun over the gravel. But better yesterday than today or Saturday.  It is 70 years of Porsche with this special livery which we have talked a lot about this week and it feels so good to be working with this special family.”

Paul Loup Chatin – no48 IDEC Sport Oreca 07-Gibson (LMP2 Pole Position)

“First of all congratulations to Loic Duval, he did a really great lap, he was three hundredths in front of me and on the track he deserved the pole position.  I took the pole position last night and I improved my time tonight and it was really close to Loic.  Three hundredths on a race track like LeMans is nothing and I think our team also deserve this pole position.”

Matteo Cairoli – no88 Dempsey–Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR (LMGTE Am Pole position)

“It is something special to be on pole position at Le Mans, it is really amazing. I’m really proud of the team, they did an amazing job.  I’m a little bit disappointed about the last session, I had a spin in Mulsanne. Luckily everything was fine.  We are pretty confidant for the race and I just can’t wait to start the race.”

The 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans will begin at 15h00 on Saturday 16 June.

The second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, starts in just nine days and it comprises the names of the 60 entries selected to take part in the French endurance classic.  The 2018 event is truly international with 180 drivers and 36 teams will represent 34 different nations from around the world.

Major manufacturers Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Porsche and Toyota will all be on the grid.  Among the competitors will be two-time F1 World Champion (2005-6) Fernando Alonso, who is contesting the entire FIA WEC this season, as well as upholding his Formula One engagements.   Alonso set the fastest time at last Sunday’s official test and is looking forward to making his debut at Le Mans.

The Spaniard will not be the only Le Mans rookie from Formula One. He is joined by 2009 world champion Jenson Button (SMP Racing), Spanish Grand Prix winner Pastor Maldonado (DragonSpeed) and Juan Pablo Montoya (United Autosports), winner of seven Grand Prix and the Indy 500.

Finally, a host of former Le Mans overall winners are back to try their luck again: André Lotterer, Neel Jani, Loïc Duval, Mike Rockenfeller, Marcel Fässler, Nick Tandy, Earl Bamber, Romain Dumas, Jan Lammers and Timo Bernhard.   Also on the grid of this 86th edition are winners of the championships such as the FIA WEC, the ELMS and the Asian LMS that make up the endurance pyramid at the top of which sits the 24 Hours of LeMans.

This diverse selection of talented drivers, amateur or professional, rookies or seasoned competitors, forms the fabric of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The week begins with the official scrutineering sessions on 10/11 June in the centre of Le Mans, while track action begins on Wednesday 13 June, with qualifying concluding on Thursday night to determine the grid for the race that begins at 15h00 on Saturday 16 June.

Toyota set the pace in the first of three qualifying sessions ahead of this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, Round 2 of the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship.  The top spot went to the no8 TS050 Hybrid after Kazuki Nakajimaset a 3m17.270 lap, 0.107 seconds ahead of Kamui Kobayashi in the no7 Toyota.

SMP Racing was the fastest of the non hybrid cars, with Stéphane Sarrazin in the no17 BR01-AER posting a 3m19.463 lap, 0.179s ahead of the no1 Rebellion Racing R13-Gibson of Bruno Senna.

It was a Porsche 1-2 in the LMGTE Pro class with the no91 Porsche 911 of Gimmi Bruni leading the way after the Italian posted a 3m47.504 lap around the 13.6km circuit, nearly 1.6 seconds ahead of the no92 911 of Michael Christensen.  Ford were 3^rd and 4^th quickest, with the no66 Ford GT of Olivier Pla third fastest with a 3m49.181 lap time.

The provisional pole position in LMP2 went to ELMS front runners IDEC Sport with Paul Loup Chatin setting a time of 3m24.956, 0.284s ahead of the top WEC entered car, the no28 TDS Racing Oreca-Gibson of Loic Duval. The no26 G-Drive Racing Oreca was third quickest with Jean-Eric Vergne setting the best time for the car in the 2-hour session 1.207s behind the lead car in the class.

Porsche also led the way in the LMGTE Am class with the top three places being filled by the German manufacturer.  Matteo Cairoli once again put in a blistering lap to finish ahead of several LMGTE Pro class cars, driving the 911 RSR to a lap time of 3m50.728 in the no88 Dempsey-Proton Racing entered car.  The no77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche was second fastest with Matt Campbell setting a lap of 3m51.930, well ahead of Ben Barker in the no86 Gulf Racing Porsche.

The final two qualifying sessions will take place at tomorrow, Thursday 14 June, to determine which cars will be on pole position for the 86^th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Fernando Alonso claims securing the second leg of motorsport's 'triple crown' at the Le Mans 24 Hours next month is now his main priority in 2018.

The double Formula 1 world champion made his WEC debut with Toyota at the Spa 6 Hours this past weekend, alongside Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, overcoming late gearbox and tyre problems to secure victory by just 1.5 seconds.

It would mark his first race victory in a major motorsport series since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix but, given how his F1 team McLaren remains mired in the midfield this season, winning the world's most famous endurance race was top of his agenda even before his success.

“My priority is to live the Le Mans experience. A huge race,” he was quoted by PlanetF1.

“I don’t think I can save my F1 season but I have this opportunity to take part in Le Mans and I don’t intend on wasting my chance.”

Also Read:

• McLaren unconcerned by Alonso's hectic F1/ WEC schedule
• Webber concerned Alonso risks "getting hurt" by competing at Le Mans

With Toyota being the only major manufacturer competing in the leading LMP1 class for the 'superseason' which will run over the next two years, Alonso is certainly in the right place to achieve his goal.

And after Spa, the 36-year-old is confident going into the final month of preparations before the 24-hour race.

“It’s a good test, and I’m ready for Le Mans,” the Spaniard said after the event at the iconic Belgian circuit. “I think it’s definitely challenging. All the race long you need to stay always at the top of your game.

“Anything can happen over six hours, a lot of traffic, a lot of risky moments," he added referring back to Spa. "So I think we executed the race to perfection, and we have the one-two, so it’s good for the team.”