Which driver set the 3:14.791 Le Mans qualifying lap record in 2017?

Kamui Kobayashi set the 3:14.791 Le Mans qualifying lap record in 2017.

Kobayashi recorded the time in Toyota Gazoo Racing’s No. 7 TS050 Hybrid during the second qualifying session for the 85th 24 Hours of Le Mans. The lap secured pole position for the Toyota crew of Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Stéphane Sarrazin, and represented an average speed of about 251.9 km/h.

The session had been interrupted by a crash, and Kobayashi produced his record-setting lap after the track reopened. Favorable wind conditions on the Mulsanne Straight and through the Porsche Curves helped make the extraordinary time possible. The lap was more than two seconds quicker than the next-best qualifying effort.

This is specifically a qualifying record for the modern circuit layout, not the fastest race lap in every historical configuration. Older Le Mans records can be difficult to compare because the circuit has changed, including the addition of the Mulsanne chicanes. The other names in the options were Kobayashi’s Toyota teammates or Porsche rivals, but none set this time.