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Marco Bonanomi's Audi sets early Le Mans test day pace

Audi topped the times during the first four-hour session at the Le Mans test day

Marco Bonanomi managed two laps good enough to put the #3 Audi R18 e-tron quattro at the top of the timesheets, ending up on a 3m23.799s.

He had been quickest on a 3m25.297s before improving right at the end of the session when he found a clear track after a safety car period.

Audi Sport Team Joest technical driector Ralf Juttner said: "We are a bit surprised to be quickest, but we shouldn't read too much into the times - there were a lot of purple sectors from other cars."

Bonanomi's lap put him more than two seconds ahead of the #8 Toyota TS040 HYBRID, which ended up on a 3m25.881s set by Sebastien Buemi with just under an hour to go.

The best of the Porsche 919 Hybrids also recorded its quickest time after the safety car, Brendon Hartley putting in a 3m26.179s in the #20 car.

That was just two tenths quicker than Alex Wurz in the second of the Toyotas.

The LMP2 times were headed by Paul-Loup Chatin in the Signatech Alpine team's ORECA-Nissan 03R.

His best of 3m39.922s was 1.3 seconds quicker than Audi reserve driver Marc Gene in Jota Sport's Zytek-Nissan Z11SN.

Giancarlo Fisichella was quickest in GTE Pro with the best of the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italias.

A 3m57.982s put the #51 car six tenths ahead of the privateer Ram Racing Ferrari.

Raffaele Giammaria was quickest in GTE Am in his AF Corse Ferrari.

Follow the 2014 Le Mans test day as it happens on AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live

Pos  Cl     Drivers                     Team/Car                Time            Gap
 1.  P1     Albuquerque/Bonanomi/Jarvis Audi                    3m23.799s          
 2.  P1     Davidson/Lapierre/Buemi     Toyota                  3m25.881s   +2.082s
 3.  P1     Bernhard/Webber/Hartley     Porsche                 3m26.179s   +2.380s
 4.  P1     Wurz/Sarrazin/Nakajima      Toyota                  3m26.371s   +2.572s
 5.  P1     Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer   Audi                    3m26.886s   +3.087s
 6.  P1     Di Grassi/Duval/Kristensen  Audi                    3m27.517s   +3.718s
 7.  P1     Dumas/Jani/Lieb             Porsche                 3m27.770s   +3.971s
 8.  P1     Kraihamer/Belicchi/Leimer   Rebellion-Toyota        3m36.637s  +12.838s
 9.  P1     Prost/Heidfeld/Beche        Rebellion-Toyota        3m37.495s  +13.696s
10.  P2     Chatin/Panciatici/Webb      Signatech Alpine-Nissan 3m39.922s  +16.123s
                                                                                   
GT pacesetters:                                                                    
28.  GTE P  Bruni/Vilander/Fisichella   AF Ferrari              3m57.982s  +34.183s
31.  GTE A  Mann/Case/Giammaria         AF Ferrari              3m59.296s  +35.497s

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