12.06.2004 Fastest earlier in the GTS warm-up, later this afternoon the Prodrive Ferrari team will aim set about creating a new bit of history with the 550 Maranello

Race day warm-up at Le Mans kicked off at 9am this morning with Peter Kox in the no66 Prodrive Ferrari 550 Maranello setting the GTS pace.

However, three quarters of an hour into the sixty minute session, the no66 car, which so dramatically snatched GTS pole during the dying minutes of final qualifying on Thursday in the hands of Tomas Enge, was again in the wars.

Kox left the track and got stuck in the gravel trap at Indianapolis, before being pushed free, the Dutchman showering the circuit with gravel as he made his way back to the pits.

However he had done enough to top the timesheets as the Prodrive team make the final preparations for the start of the twenty four hour marathon this afternoon.

The team, funded by Care Racing Developments, are seeking to repeat their historic result last year when the small team pulled off a stunning result, with a crushing victory over the highly funded factory Chevrolet Corvettes.

The race hasn't even kicked off and it's already been an event of high drama for the Banbury based team, which includes rally star Colin McRae amongst a top driver line-up.

Tomas Enge pulled off a superb lap, shaving three tenths of the quickest GTS time, in the dying minutes of the final qualifying session. Not only did the Czech set a new track record, he did it with a hastily repaired car, having missed most of the session due to an early crash which inflicted substantial rear end damage.

“The track conditions really changed from the first practice. We had been running on used tires, and when I turned a 53.7 on the old tires, I was impressed. It was then that I expected to be able to under 50. This was my first time on qualifiers all year, and my first time on new tires this weekend.

“After I had crashed the car, I didn’t just didn’t think we would be back out again. I guess you can see how good our guys are then. These are some of the same guys from the rally team that rebuilt Solberg’s car in Corsica after he crashed, and he went on to win the rally. These guys are good.”