Qualification for the prototype classes entered in the “8 Hours of Le Castellet” took place on Saturday afternoon in glorious sunshine. For the many spectators massed on the banking and in the grandstands at the Paul Ricard HTTT, it was a gripping twenty-minutes as the LMP1, LMP2 and Formula Le Mans classes battled for position.
David Zollinger was first out onto the track in the # 49 Applewood Seven FLM, and established an opening benchmark lap time of 1:54.574. He was soon joined by six other FLM drivers, each nominated by their respective teams to qualify for Sunday’s race. It did not take long for 2009 title runner-up, Mathias Beche, to place the # 48 Hope PoleVision Racing FLM at the top of the class. His time of 1:54.001 would hold provisional pole for only a brief period.
The new principal of the DAMS racing team, Loïc David, was waiting for a break in traffic before launching his two Italian drivers into the assault. Edoardo Piscopo in the # 44 car took less than four laps to clinch pole with an impressive time of 1:52.936. Fortune was less kind on team-mate Alessandro Cicognani in the # 43 DAMS FLM, whose car caught the kerbs at the entrance of Signes Curve. The Italian damaged his tyres and had to return to the pitlane, unable to improve on his previous best of 1:54.187. Under the regulations the fitting of replacement tyres will also mean that he will have to start the race from the back of the grid.
The last part of the session was marked by improvements for Dominik Kraihamer (# 45 Boutsen Energy Racing) and David Zollinger, each dipping under 1:54. Both drivers were fighting for second position with the # 48 Hope PoleVision Racing FLM of Mathias Beche before the Swiss driver came through with a last-lap best of 1:53.090 to put the position beyond doubt, closing to within just 16 hundredths of a pole.
David Zollinger finally secured third with a time of 1:53.447. Bringing up the final position in the session was Maurice Basso in the JMB Racing FLM # 46, posting 2:00.775.
Driver Quotes: 
Edoardo Piscopo (ITA 22) DAMS # 44:
”Everything went perfectly smoothly, compared to yesterday, and we have made a dramatic improvement. It is my first major event at the Paul Ricard Circuit in Le Mans Series and I am still learning the track and improving with each lap. I headed out on track and my times were quicker in each of my three laps, and I was then able to pit and save the tyres for the race. I still had a little room for improvement. I will start the race with a double stint, and then hand over to Lukes Hines and Dean Stirling.
Mathias Beche SUI (23) HOPE PoleVision LWF RACING # 48:
I was really aiming for pole position, and it started well, but I encountered a bit of traffic which slightly degraded my tyres. They took a little while to regain temperature, but the team told me over the radio that I needed to find nine-tenths in the third sector to catch Eduardo. I thought it was going to be tough, but I focused on gaining time wherever I could and making the most of that third sector. I made a huge commitment through Signes and it almost paid off, but I have not been kind to the tyres.
