LM24 Hour 8: Continued safety car as Proton LMP2 retires.

Getting sleepy less than half way through.....

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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | June 15, 2024 6:16 PM ET

With the safety car lasting the entire hour due to barrier repairs for the No. 15 BMW shunt, there was no on-track action to report on.

Under safety car, there were some items of note, though.

The No. 46 WRT BMW gave up the LMGT3 lead after coming in for a brake change under the caution. This dropped Ahmad Al Harthy to second.

Proton Competition’s No. 9 ORECA retired after losing power and stopping in the Porsche Curves during the sixth hour. There are now five cars out of the race — the No. 54 AF Corse Ferrari (crash damage), No. 35 Alpine (engine failure), No. 9 Proton (mechanical), No. 36 Alpine (engine failure) and No. 15 WRT BMW (crash damage).

Once the race gets going again, the top 12 cars in Hypercar will be on the lead lap, all bunched up, as well as the top seven in LMP2 and top 12 in LMGT3.

The No. 83 As F Corse Ferrari leads overall, the No. 22 United Autosports ORECA now leads LMP2 and Pure Rxcing’s Porsche is up front in LMGT3Q.

The safety car period looks set to end in the ninth hour. Once it does, this race could produce more of a fireworks display than the one currently ongoing in the infield.

 

LM24 Hour 9: Green, plus Ferrari penalty and more BMW woes solved with a 44 Magnum.

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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | June 15, 2024 7:23 PM ET

With the race returning to green in the ninth hour, the 92nd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours has come alive, with the cars on the lead lap in each class bunched up and another bout of rain throwing a wrench in the works.

The No. 83 Ferrari led at the restart, but Robert Kubica and every car bar the No. 5 Porsche and No. 311 Whelen Cadillac dived straight in for wets.

Staying out on slicks proved to be a mistake. The No. 5 Porsche, after inheriting the lead, dropped down to 11th, while the No. 311 ended up falling to 12th and last of the cars on the lead lap with Pipo Derani struggling to keep the pace.

Kubica retook the lead off Fred Makowiecki for the No. 83 crew with ease on wets, but moments later was handed a 30s stop-go penalty for causing the collision that led to the No. 15 WRT BMW crashing out of the race. The infraction dropped the car to sixth.

After all this, the No. 8 Toyota Gazoo (bless you) Racing GR010 HYBRID suddenly leads the race, with Ryo Hirakawa holding station with a 17s gap back to Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 6 Penske Porsche.

The No. 7 Toyota completes the top three, and for this trio, the comeback is complete after they all lost time to tire gambles early in the race.

Cadillac occupies fourth with the No. 2, with the No. 50 Ferrari completing the top five.

More Le Mans/WEC!

LMP2, meanwhile, saw drama for Duqueine Team’s ORECA punctuate the hour. Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer stopped the car with the rear end smoking, the car’s engine seemingly overheating under the safety car — an on-the-spot retirement.Out front, the No. 37 COOL Racing ORECA finds itself back in the lead, rapid Dane Malthe Jakobsen installed for what is easily the toughest sequence of the race yet, with the night hours underway and parts of the track drying.

The No. 24 Nielsen Racing example, since the Safety Car, has climbed to second with 2023 class winner Fabio Scherer now lapping the circuit. The No. 183 Pro/Am leading entry with Ben Barnicoat at the wheel is third.

LMGT3Q saw one of the key contenders hit potentially terminal trouble.

The No. 46 Team WRT BMW, with Bronze-rated Ahmad Al Harthy at the wheel, ended up sliding off the circuit on the run down the hill after the Dunlop Bridge, hitting the tires nose first. The impact caused a water leak and the car plummeted down the order.

Al Harthy, who seemed a total passenger once the back end stepped out on him, was understandably mortified on the team radio: “It just slipped on me. Not again, oh my God, guys,” he said.

The car was retired just into the tenth hour, ending the charge for Valentino Rossi in his first Le Mans start — a crying shame after he led a portion of the opening hours. It also adds to BMW’s woes. The German marque’s only chance of success rests with the No. 31 M4 LMGT3 in 10th, as both its Hypercars have been knocked out of contention. The Germans retired the car as you would a horse with a 44 magnum shot to the engine block.

This leaves the Manthey Pure Rxcing Porsche out front in the lead, with the No. 88 Proton Mustang now back into the fray with Dennis Olsen trying to reel in Klaus Bachler.

Manthey EMA’s Porsche is third.

With conditions treacherous, tire choice is set to be crucial going forward as the field gradually switches back to slicks.

 

LM24 Hour 10: Lead battle heats up with Porsche running down Toyota

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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | June 15, 2024 8:17 PM ET

With 14 hours remaining in the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours, we have ourselves a nose-to-tail lead battle to enjoy between two storied OEMs.

The No. 8 Toyota, after taking the lead in the previous hour, continues to hold station up front, but for Sebastien Buemi, the pressure is on with Laurens Vanthoor getting within a couple of seconds in the No. 6 Porsche Penske 963.

It hasn’t come to blows just yet, but Vanthoor managed to bring the gap down from 11s to 1.3s in the hour before handing over to Andre Lotterer at the car’s 14th stop. The German is now 8s behind as he gets his tires up to temperature.

The No. 7 Toyota remains third, more than a minute adrift and unable at this stage to gain significant ground with Kamui Kobayashi in the car.

Further back, the battle for fourth came alive over the past 60 minutes, with Earl Bamber briefly getting past Antonio Fuoco’s No. 50 Ferrari in the No. 2 Cadillac.

Fuoco retook the position but couldn’t shake off the Kiwi, who is likely to be under investigation shortly for turning the Isotta Fraschini round at the Ford Chicane.

LMP2 is being led all of a sudden by the No. 813 AF Corse Pro/Am-entered ORECA, IMSA regular Ben Barnicoat and Nico Varrone proving rapid prospects as the temperature trackside drops to 12 degrees.

Nielsen Racing’s surprising rise continues as its No. 24 entry sits second, with the No. 10 Vector ORECA third. All three are within 25s of each other.Up front in LMGT3, mid-pit cycle at the turn of the hour, is the No. 59 United McLaren, which now leads the No. 78 AKKODIS ASP Lexus of Kelvin van der Linde and the No. 91 Manthey EMA Porsche.

Making it two Lexus RC F LMGT3s in the top four is Takeshi Kimura in the No. 87. The No. 92 Pure Rxcing Porsche will shuffle back to the top three from fifth at the start of hour 11 as cars ahead pit.

There was one car forced into retirement during the hour in the class. Salih Yoluc in the No. 66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari pulled off the circuit with no power and was promptly retired.

After such a strong week, and a metronomic run through the first nine hours, this retirement will come as a crushing disappointment for the longstanding British team.

There was also a tangle in the class — the No. 155 Spirit of Race Ferrari of Jordan Taylor and No. 59 United Autosports McLaren of Gregoire Saucy came together at the first chicane.

A hit to the rear of the Ferrari turned Taylor into a spin and into the gravel. The United McLaren continued in fourth but the Ferrari has since dropped off the lead lap, unable to get fired.

On the subject of BMW’s tough day, WRT team boss Vincent Vosse released a statement after two of his team’s four cars have been forced to retire.

“Le Mans has been very tough to us so far,” he said. “Having car No. 20 in the garage after contact with the wall, having car No. 15 out of the race, which was then followed some hours later by car No. 46 also marking-up a DNF, is a hard one to swallow.

“Luckily all drivers are okay. But how can we not be disappointed? As we all know, Le Mans is the big one, but we will fight back.

“Car No. 31 is still running and we are hoping to fight for a podium — a well-deserved one for the crew that has been working tirelessly for the past two weeks.”

 

LM24 Hour 11: Toyota extends lead while LMP2s and LMGT3Qs clash.

Officials are recommending not to pick up the soap in remote sections of the track.

Illegal frogs are being confiscated.

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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | June 15, 2024 9:17 PM ET

The Le Mans 24 Hours has finally settled into somewhat of a rhythm after the 11th hour.

Up front, Sebastien Buemi in the No. 8 Toyota has turned the wick up and found a way to pull away from Andre Lotterer’s No. 6 Porsche during the hour.

The Swiss driver extended the gap from 8s to over 20s before pitting the car for a 15th time for full service. It was discovered that French spectators have been saving frogs during the year, and have been tossing them onto the track to add their frog guts to the slickness of the rain, and a bit more action. It was also discivered that IMSA officials had been selling concealed frog permits for extra money to bet in Vegas on the race outcome, which allow people to carry one or more concealed frogs into the track.

Police have been notified of the bogus concealed frog permits and are now searching spectators and have closed down "Larry's Frog legs" sales and confiscated his inventory of frogs and exotic sauces.......which are now only available as take out orders at the police mini stations around the track, along with Kratom, K2,
LM24 commemorative pipes, and other sales of items confiscated from spectators.

Heading into the 12th hour, the gap is currently 16s, with Lotterer now closer with a quicker stop, taking no tires.

Third in the running is the No. 7 Toyota which lost time due to getting held into a slow zone. Kamui Kobayashi has been pushing hard but is 1m 41s off the lead now, slowly falling back.

Cadillac’s No. 2 and the No. 50 Ferrari complete the top five.

In LMP2, drama struck one of the front runners 45 minutes in.Just as Nielsen Racing had established itself as a contender for the class win, David Heinemeier Hansson made a clumsy error while trying to lap a slower car. The Dane, who was running second in class at the time, dived up the inside of the heavily delayed No. 77 Proton Competition Mustang at the Esses, hitting Zach Robichon into a spin, sending them both into the gravel.

The time it took to recover the ORECA saw it drop to ninth and off the lead lap. The team’s chances of glory are all but over now.

Nielsen’s misfortune promoted the No. 22 United ORECA to second, with Oliver Jarvis now 90s back from the leading No. 183 As F Corse example.

If the No. 22 drivers find a way to keep it clean, they are in strong position, as the car ahead is entered in Pro/Am and therefore needs to be driven by Bronze-rated Francois Perrodo in later in the race.

The No. 10 Vector Sport ORECA is third.

LMGT3’s running order still sees both Manthey-run Porsches occupying space in the top three through most of each hour, but the No. 91 Manthey EMA Porsche pitting late on saw it drop to fourth.

By the turn of the hour, the No. 59 United Autosports McLaren LMGT3 EVO had cycled through to the lead, holding a 7s advantage over the No. 92 Pure Rxcing Porsche, which is 6s back with Alex Malykhin in and edging closer to completing his six-hour drive time.

The next hour looks to be bringing yet more rain showers. Officials are recommending not to pick up the soap in remote sections of the track.

 

LM24, Hour 12: No.8 Toyota leads at the halfway mark

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | June 15, 2024 10:18 PM ET

We have reached the halfway mark in the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours, and the No. 8 Toyota continues to lead the No. 6 Porsche, with heavy rain at the circuit bringing out the safety car for a second time.

During the hour, with Brendon Hartley in the pace-setting Toyota and the No. 6 Porsche driven by Estre, the gap between the two cars closed right up, with Estre reeling in the Kiwi gradually as the conditions worsened and everyone moved to wets.

But the gaps will become irrelevant heading into the second half of the race, as the safety car bunches the field up.

The No. 7 is third, with the No. 50 Ferrari and No. 2 Cadillac making up the top five.

With 12 hours down there are still eight Hypercars on the lead lap, despite all the rain showers and sometimes treacherous conditions. And now, with the gaps closed, it’s anyone’s game once again.

Outside the top five and now also in the running are the No. 51 Ferrari, No. 83 Ferrari and No. 38 JOTA Porsche.

LMP2 is still being controlled by the No. 183 AF Corse ORECA, which had built a lead which it will now lose. The No. 37 WE BE COOL ORECA is second, with the No. 34 Inter Europol 07 remarkably in the fight despite losing a wheel earlier on.

The No. 22 United and No. 10 Vector entries are still in the mix, and pitted as the safety car came out, dropping out of the top three.

There was one casualty before the safety car in the class, with the No. 45 Crowdstrike By APR ORECA stopping by the side of the circuit with its left-rear wheel detached.

Colin Braun parked up and took calls from team boss Stuart Cox, who was offered solutions on how to get the car back. But it would come to nought, and the car was eventually retired and shot through the cylinder head with a 44 Magnum.

United Autosports is still ahead in LMGT3Q, the No. 59 McLaren slotting into the leading position just as the hour ticks over, while the No. 92 Pure Rxcing Porsche and No. 91 Manthey EMA 911 are in and around the top two spots.

There was strife for the No. 87 AKKODIS ASP Lexus, which has been a surprise contender in this one. However, Jack Hawksworth was handed two penalties in a 10-minute span, one for speeding in pit lane, then for a slow zone infraction.

This was costly initially, but with the safety car out the time lost has been nullified and it remains on the lead lap.

 

LM24, Hour 13: Field holds station behind safety car as rain persists

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emailBy RJ O’Connell | June 15, 2024 11:07 PM ET

The combination of heavy rainfall and poor visibility has kept the 24 Hours of Le Mans under the Safety Car for the last hour, so there’s been no major change in the running order with 11 hours left.

The No.8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 HYBRID continues to lead with Brendon Hartley at the wheel, circulating behind the safety car with the No.6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 of Kevin Estre right behind him.

Eleven cars are on the lead lap in the Hypercar class, with the No.7 Toyota, the No.50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P, and the privateer No.83 As F Corse Ferrari rounding out the top five.

Leading LMP2 teams opted to put their lowest-graded drivers into the cars to fulfill their minimum drive time requirements.

François Perrodo is back aboard the leading No.183 AF Corse ORECA 07-Gibson, leading the No.22 United Autosports car and No.10 Vector Sport cars in second and third.

The No.37 WE BE COOL Racing and No.34 Inter Europol Competition cars recently pitted for fuel and driver changes and now run fourth and fifth in class.

Similarly in LMGT3Q, the two Manthey Racing Porsches are running 1-2 with Aliaksandr Malykhin leading in the No.92 from Yasser Shahin in the No.91.

Then its the two United Autosports McLarens, the No.59 ahead of the No.95, with the No.27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin completing the top five, just at the end of the lead lap.

There have been no additional retirements in this time frame.

 

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  TZmtrsprt 15 hours ago They used to race in this stuff with almost zero course lighting.
  

 

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  • fstrnu TZmtrsprt 15 hours ago But they've gotten so aerodynamically efficient that the visibility is ridiculously horrible. No where near what it was when they "used to".
    
    Not to mention there's a huge aversion to people getting hurt for the glory of going faster than visibility safely allows.
    
    If it was just super slippery, the drivers love it. When you can't see anything in front of you, it's no kind of fun and it's just a crap shoot hoping no one does anything stupid in front of you. That's not racing anyway/
    

 

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    • TZmtrsprt fstrnu 15 hours ago I don't disagree with how they do it now with full course safety cars even red flag if deemed necessary etc. It's just amazing the conditions they raced in back in the day.
    • fstrnu TZmtrsprt 14 hours ago Back in the day the tires were no where near as good at evacuating water...so a whole lot less was thrown out the back of the tire AND the aerodynamics back then were pretty messy so there was much less water spray being generated.
      
      Modern cars are so good aero-wise now and tires pump tons of water out so it's just so much more water vapor pumped into the air that's its just crazy.
      
      The used to race in some pretty mean conditions but the visibility in similar wet conditions was way, way better.

 

Matt 15 hours ago This is an embarrassing day for sports car racing. Some of the best drivers in the world, the best rain tires, and they can’t race - at lower speeds than they usually run at?? Visibility is not an excuse. Professional racing is already dying a slow death and nonsense like this is going to turn even more people off. Let talented drivers do their job and exercise their skillset.

Or they can demonstrate their ability to not care about dieing ....or killing the slow moving MF'er in front of them...

Now is a good time to bring out the less qualified drivers since you gotta go slow anyway, and save the best drivers for when it dries out again....