Tag: LM24

LM24, Hour 13: Crash shakes up the LMP2 battle; Toyota leads overall

A crash for Cool Racing’s No. 47 ORECA 07 broke up what was an otherwise quiet hour of running at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Reshad De Gerus was running third in LMP2 when he went off at the entry into the Porsche Curves, smacking the front of the car …

A crash for Cool Racing’s No. 47 ORECA 07 broke up what was an otherwise quiet hour of running at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Reshad De Gerus was running third in LMP2 when he went off at the entry into the Porsche Curves, smacking the front of the car against the tire barrier before whipping around to do even more damage to the rear.

Apart from De Gerus’ off, it was an uneventful hour as the Hypercar battle settled down with the No. 8 Toyota GR010 of Brendon Hartley in control of the race after Toyota entered its second stint on its current set of tires. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R currently leads but will drop down to third once it completes its pitstop and the Toyota of Hartley we reassume the lead of the race.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1416]

Ferrari’s No. 51 499P changed its Michelins, and driver, with Antonio Giovinazzi now behind the wheel after the latest stop and running third, although will be promoted to second once the No. 2 Cadillac completes its imminent pitstop.

In LMP2, the No. 34 Inter Europol Competition ORECA (main image) climbed back up to the lead of the class after dropping down to fifth at the end of the last hour. Like always, LMP2 remains remarkably close and hard to predict at this stage of the race.

Like the previous hour, the No. 85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR of Sarah Bovy controlled the lead of GTE Am but pitted just before the top of the hour. That meant that the No. 57 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 inherited the lead of the class.

HOUR 13 RUNNING ORDER

LM24, Hour 12: Ferrari in front; problems for Peugeot

A dejected Gustavo Menezes keyed up the radio to ask his team if they wanted him to remove the heavily damaged nose of his Peugeot 9X8 before limping back to the pits after a crash at the first chicane. “I’m so sorry,” the American said while the …

A dejected Gustavo Menezes keyed up the radio to ask his team if they wanted him to remove the heavily damaged nose of his Peugeot 9X8 before limping back to the pits after a crash at the first chicane.

“I’m so sorry,” the American said while the field passed by him, as Peugeot joined Ferrari, Porsche, and Toyota as the next Hypercar manufacturer to encounter trouble under the cover of darkness. Menezes’ crash promoted Alex Lynn and Cadillac into third, joining Toyota’s No. 8 GR010 and Ferrari’s No. 51 499P at the fore of the Le Mans field with half of the race completed.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1416]

The racing continued into the pits as Toyota and Ferrari dived in for service nose-to-tail with the Toyota just ahead of the Ferrari. Toyota opted to take tires on the No. 8 GR010 but Ferrari elected to take fuel-only with its No. 50 499P, giving it the lead of the race once the No. 2 Cadillac of Alex Lynn came in for its service later in the stint.

Despite the fresher tires for Sebastien Buemi, James Calado was able to open up the gap between himself and Buemi with the Ferrari leading the Toyota by up to eight seconds before closing back down to 3.545s at the conclusion of the hour.

The top three in Hypercar – the No. 8 Toyota, the No. 50 Ferrari, and the No. 2 Cadillac – are clearly defined. Further behind them, the No. 6 Porsche Team Penske 963 and the No. 3 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R are hanging on to the lead lap and could join the conversation if a well-timed safety car bunches the field. After losing eight laps in the pits, Menezes returned to the track in the repaired No. 94 Peugeot 9X8.

Longtime Porsche ace Neel Jani has moved the No. 30 Duqueine Team ORECA 07 into the lead of the race in LMP2 as the No. 34 Inter Europol Competition ORECA 07 dropped down to fifth in class. The No. 65 Panis Racing ORECA 07 of Job Van Uitert is second in class.

In GTE Am, the No. 85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR led for much of the hour but conceded control of the race to the No. 56 Project 1 – AO Porsche 911 RSR after a pitstop. The No. 54 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE is second in GTE Am.

HOUR 12 STANDINGS