ELMS Silverstone qualifying: Dillmann snatches pole late as Gray’s early pace is denied; CLX, TDS and Iron Dames take class poles
Tom Dillmann delivered when it mattered, putting the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca on pole for Sunday’s Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone with a 1m43.279s towards the end of the 15‑minute session. Oliver Gray had set the early pace in the No. 29 Forestier Racing by Panis, but bids from Laurents Hörr in the No. 18 IDEC Sport and Reshad de Gerus in the sister No. 34 Inter Europol kept the order fluid until the final minutes. Adrien Closmenil claimed the other front‑row spot for CLX Motorsport with a 1m43.380s, while Gray bounced back at the flag to third with a 1m43.401s, pushing de Gerus to fourth and leaving IDEC at the head of row three.
Dillmann admitted it was a tricky run: “I basically only had one lap because I caught the 22 too quickly on my first lap and I had to abort the next one. But then on the third lap, the tyres were gone. I think I could have improved on that second lap, but yeah, it was enough.” Still, the Frenchman was pleased with the execution under pressure. “You still need to execute when it matters. Yeah. And uh yeah, I’m glad we did.”
Starting from the front at Silverstone carries its own rewards, even if Dillmann played down any race‑deciding advantage. “It’s for sure easier to keep the nose clean in the first corners. We saw in Spa that it was uh yeah, it was a bit messy. So, it’s definitely better to start there, but I don’t think it influences the race too much.” With three consecutive wins already this season, momentum is firmly on his side. “Yeah, really good momentum. Uh, three wins in a row uh for me and the team. Uh, now the pole position. My first one with the team. So, I’m really happy with that.”
LMP2 Pro/Am: Thomas takes maiden ELMS pole for TDS in clean run
Steven Thomas claimed his first ELMS pole in the No. 14 TDS Racing Oreca with a 1m45.611s, 0.273s clear of Georgios Kolovos in the No. 47 CLX Motorsport car (1m45.884s). Giorgio Roda in the No. 30 Duqueine Team was nearly half a second further back, while PJ Hyett in the No. 99 AO by TF took second row and championship leader Michael Jensen ended fifth in the No. 20 Algarve Pro Racing. François Perrodo in the No. 83 AF Corse will start from ninth.
For Thomas, the session was a personal milestone on a debut visit to the circuit. “Yeah, this is my first time ever at Silverstone, so it’s been it’s this is really something as a track. Getting through the esses in a P2 car for a gentleman driver, I mean, that’s a lot of fun.” He credited his pro drivers and crew for the result. “I would say Scott Huffaker and Sammy, my pros, they really coached me up to get to that place. And Jacques and Arthur gave us a great car and we have a great crew.” At 59, the achievement meant even more. “This is a pretty big deal for me, yeah. Thanks.”
LMP3: CLX edge R‑ace GP in a six‑hundredths shootout
Louis Iglesias gave reigning champions CLX Motorsport pole in LMP3 with a 1m53.144s, just 0.069s ahead of Hugo Schwarze in the No. 85 R‑ace GP Duqueine (1m53.213s) after a “fantastic battle” between the two. Matteo Quintarelli put the No. 8 Team Virage Ligier at the head of row two with a 1m53.646s, three tenths clear of Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen in the No. 5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier.
LMGT3: Al‑Khelaifi puts Team Qatar by Iron Lynx on top; McDonald denies Heriau at the flag
Abdulla Ali Al‑Khelaifi secured pole in LMGT3 with a 2m00.011s in the Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes‑AMG, the team’s third pole of the season. Blake McDonald in the No. 33 TF Sport Corvette took the other front‑row slot with 2m00.262s at the chequered flag, knocking François Heriau’s No. 59 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin off the front row and leaving him to start on the outside of row two alongside Duncan Cameron in the No. 55 Spirit of Race Ferrari. Championship leader Matt Kurzejewski ended seventh in the No. 75 Proton Competition Porsche.[
Al‑Khelaifi, making his Silverstone debut, was relieved the setup work from the pre‑event test paid off in changeable conditions. “Yes, coming here for the first time, it was a long uh awaited time on the bucket list and I’m happy that I was able to put it on pole in these uh windy conditions.” He also underlined the value of clean air around the 5.891‑km layout. “Yes, I think it’s crucial because also overtaking here is a bit tricky and um catching some draft also is is good but you have a lot of flowy corners where dirtier air can affect you a lot and you need to stay in clean air to pull away.”
