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Testing report

Porsche ends WEC Prologue testing in command

Porsche remained on top in the final test session of the World Endurance Championship Prologue at Paul Ricard, completing a clean sweep of best times.

#1 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid: Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley

#1 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid: Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley

Vision Sport Agency

#1 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid: Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley
#5 Toyota Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid: Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima
#7 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18: Marcel Fässler, Andre Lotterer, Benoit Tréluyer
#26 G-Drive Racing Oreca 05 - Nissan: Roman Rusinov, Nathanael Berthon, René Rast
#67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team UK Ford GT: Marino Franchitti, Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell
#86 Gulf Racing Porsche 911 RSR: Michael Wainwright, Adam Carroll, Benjamin Barker

As per the morning session, it was Brendon Hartley who set the pace in #1 919 Hybrid, the Kiwi driver setting the quickest time of the weekend, a 1m37.445s, early on in the three-hour session.

A late improvement by Kamui Kobayashi in the #6 Toyota TS050 put the Japanese manufacturer second, 1.082s off the pace, with Andre Lotterer setting the best time in the third-placed #7 Audi R18, exactly three tenths adrift of Kobayashi.

Porsche completed a total of 149 laps on the second and final day of the Prologue, giving the Weissach marque a total of 376.

Toyota managed 115 laps, for a total of 266, while Audi improved on its Day 1 lap count with 129 tours, 235 altogether.

The Rebellion R-Ones occupied their customary fourth and fifth places, the #13 car leading the #12, ahead of the #4 ByKolles entry that has been driven solely by Oli Webb all weekend.

In the LMP2 category, it was the #26 G-Drive Oreca of Nathanael Berthon that set the pace by seven tenths from the #44 Manor Oreca of Will Stevens amid a flurry of late improvements, with the #35 Signatech Alpine taking third.

Having lapped behind Ferrari in the previous four sessions, Ford finally set the pace among the GTE Pro contingent in the final afternoon, Andy Priaulx delivering the #67 GT's best time of 1m58.786s late on - ousting the #71 Ferrari 488, which was three tenths slower.

The #86 Gulf Racing Porsche once again topped the GTE Am category, albeit only by a mere 0.001s ahead of the #83 AF Corse Ferrari.

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