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LM24 Hour 15: No drama for contenders as sunrise looms

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emailBy Ryan Kish | August 22, 2021 1:20 AM ET

The 2021 Le Mans 24 Hours is on the verge of sunlight as the sky turns from a featureless black to a deep blue with hints of pink that indicate brighter times on the horizon. This hour, the 15th of the race, has been a steady one with no new dramas for any contenders.

The race has ebbed between periods of frantic developments and relentless incidents to stints of metronomic running. Currently leading is the No. 7 Toyota GR010, while the No. 8 Toyota remains in second.

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Hypercar has been the surprise of the race as the class widely predicted to be the one that suffers the most attrition has proved many wrong. Apart from a moment for the No. 7 Toyota when Kobayashi paused briefly after locking up his tires, the five Hypercars have been stellar.

The performance difference between the cars has not made for the best race to watch, but the reliability of the cars has been impressive. The No. 708 and the No. 36 Alpine have been swapping third overall for the last handful of hours as their stints intertwine with one another.

In LMP2, the No. 31 Team WRT ORECA is still ahead of the No. 41 Team WRT ORECA. Since the No. 22 United Autosports ORECA ran into issues with their alternator, Team WRT has faced little threat from the rest of the field. The No. 28 Jota ORECA moved into third in the hour.
Fuel, tires and driver change from @nickcatsburg to @AntonioGarcia_3. In P2 and out P2 in #GTEPro #Corvette #C8R #LeMans24 @TeamChevy @24hoursoflemans @FIAWEC pic.twitter.com/b4KLC1XMZr

— Corvette Racing (@CorvetteRacing)

Repairs to the No. 52 Ferrari’s suspension have been completed but it has left AF Corse, like Corvette, with just one bullet left in their gun. For now, it’s the No. 51 Ferrari leading the No. 63 Corvette while the pair of Porsche 911 RSRs will hope to find better pace in the daylight.

In GTE Am, like it has been all night, is controlled by the No. 83 Ferrari. Ben Keating is in the No. 33 Aston Martin and is being chased by Callum Illot in the No. 80 Iron Lynx Ferrari – that battle is for second in class.