Tom Van Rompuy stole the show in the GT ranks, setting an astonishing 1m54.372s time in the No. 81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R to take the first-ever pole in LMGT3 class history by eight-tenths.

“It’s a good thing this is on the screens because I otherwise I wouldn’t believe it!” enthused Van Rompuy.
It’s my first qualifying session in WEC. We’ve worked really hard this week to improve the car and improve ourselves. The team did a mega job, as did the guys at Corvette and Pratt Miller. In the end, we made it all work so this is a team effort. I could put a excellent lap together, and I’m really amazed with this result.
“That’s what everyone wants from qualifying drivers pushing flat out for pole.”

It was a hugely impressive showing in Hyperpole from the Belgian driver in what is a very new car, scoring its first pole position globally. His fast time came with two minutes remaining and although the other contenders in the session had time to respond, there were no significant improvements in the final seconds.

Lithuanian team Pure Rxcing’s Manthey Porsche 911 LMGT3 R 992 will start alongside the brand-new Corvette after Alex Malykhin set a 1m55.179s in the team’s first WEC Qualifying appearance.

One of the two Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3s ended up taking third after an impressive run from Thomas Flohr. His time was just 0.003s off Malykhin in the No. 54, which has looked fast all week.

The top five was completed by the two new Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3s, with the D’Station example set to start fourth, ahead of the car fielded by U.S. team Heart of Racing.

Prior to the shootout, Heart of Racing’s Aston topped qualifying, with a 1m55.251s from Ian James in the final moments of the first 12-minute qualifying session to decide which teams made the cut for LMGT3 Hyperpole.

Of the teams that failed to make it to phase two, TF Sport’s No. 82 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R came closest and ended up missing out by two-tenths. Hiroshi Koizumi will start 11th tomorrow.

Both AKKODIS ASP Lexus RC F GT3s and Proton Ford Mustangs (the No. 77 didn’t make it out) also failed to break into the top 10.

Another notable omission was WRT’s No. 31 M4 GT3. It will start 13th in class after Darren Leung’s efforts, while the sister No. 46 will line up ninth.