After securing pole position in ELMS qualifying, Cool Racing completed the double when Antoine Doquin posted the fastest LMP3 time in red flag interrupted session ahead of tomorrow’s final round of the 2021 Michelin Le Mans Cup.
The no21 Muehlner Motorsport Duqueine of Charles Crews made an early bid for pole, the American setting a 1m39.157, just 0.054s ahead of the no5 Phoenix Racing Ligier of John Loggie, with the no37 Cool Racing Ligier in third.
The times started to improve with no15 RLR M Sport Ligier of Horst Felbermayr posting a sub 1m39 lap, a 1m38.709, but the German was beaten first by Crews and then by Doquin, the no37 Ligier lapping the Portimão track in 1m37.879.
Then the red flag came out with four minutes left on the clock when Felbermayr’s Ligier stopped on the outside of Turn 3 in what appeared to be a fire extinguisher activation. The car was recovered quickly, and the session resumed for the final four minutes.
The no37 Cool Racing Ligier stayed in the pits as the rest of the field attempted to beat the French drivers blistering time, but they all tried in vain, and the chequered flag was shown to bring the session to an end.
The no11 WTM Powered by Phoenix Duqueine of Thorsten Kratz was second fastest, the German posting a 1m38.496, six tenths behind Antoine Doquin. Row 2 of the grid will be headed by the no21 Muehlner Motorsport Duqueine of Charles Crews with a 1m38.669, with the no16 Team Virage Ligier of Portugal’s Miguel Cristovao in fourth, just 0.04s behind Crews.
