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LM24 Hour 16: Quiet at the front, but LMP2 podium battle heats up

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emailBy Ryan Kish | August 22, 2021 2:13 AM ET

The 2021 Le Mans 24 Hours are two-thirds completed and things are holding steady out front for Toyota, who currently control the top two positions with the No. 7 Toyota GR010 leading the No. 8 Toyota. The last few years have seen the No. 8 get the better of their teammates, is this shaping up to be the year for the No. 7?

The No. 36 Alpine and the No. 709 Glickenhaus 007 are five laps behind the Toyota duo. The No. 36 is in third, 1m12s ahead of the No. 709.

The highlight of the last hour has been a battle between Sean Galeal and Will Stevens for third in LMP2. It seems like third will be the best most of the LMP2 runners can hope for as Team WRT has simply dominated the class and posses a lead of nearly two minutes on the rest of the pack.

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Galeal’s No. 28 Jota ORECA is currently fourth in the pit cycle, but it seems to have the legs on the straightaway. The No. 65 Panis Racing ORECA of Stevens can make up some time through the corners, but even with the draft he struggles to keep up with the No. 28.

GTE Pro is looking more and more like a two-horse race between the No. 51 Ferrari and the No. 63 Corvette. The two cars were trading the top spot in the early hours of Sunday morning, but the No. 51 Ferrari has opened out a comfortable gap of 1m37s.

The No. 83 Ferrari, the leader in GTE Am for the last several hours has been given a drive-thru penalty for speeding in the pits. With the second-placed No. 33 Aston Martin over two minutes behind, the threat to the No. 83 Ferrari’s lead remains minimal.