LM24 Hour 21: Lead battle hots up as No. 6 Porsche closes on Ferrari trio

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By Stephen Kilbey - Jun 15, 2025, 7:21 AM EDT

LM24 Hour 21: Lead battle hots up as No. 6 Porsche closes on Ferrari trio

Is it now game on at the front? The Hypercar battle livened up in Hour 21 after a Full Course Yellow caused the gap to close between the three Ferraris and the sole challenging Porsche.

Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 6 963 emerged from the pit lane after taking over from Kevin Estre with a 2.9-second gap to the No. 50 Ferrari.

At that point, the top three were all within 20 seconds of each other, as the No. 6’s 27th stop was shorter than the Ferraris and came just as said FCY came to an end.

It caused a stir at Ferrari, as Vanthoor began to close in on the two factory 499Ps ahead, getting within two seconds briefly. In response, the team opted to swap the two cars, letting the No. 50 of Nielsen pass the off-sequence No. 51 of James Calado.
The change created a slightly tense moment, with neither driver willing to give an inch, but it eventually occurred on the run down to Indianapolis. The No. 50 and No. 51 are now seemingly working together to keep Vanthoor at arm’s length but also reel in the No. 83 of Robert Kubica who by the start of Hour 22 was just 11.5 seconds up the road. Can Porsche Penske find a way to claw itself into the top three and upset the Ferrari party? And will the No. 83 hang on?

Meanwhile, the bottom of the Hypercar classification is occupied by the No. 8 Toyota now, after a 17-minute trip to the garage for suspension repairs following the wheel nut failure to the front-left at the end of Hour 20, which forced Ryo Hirakawa to limp back to the pits. The car is now 19th and seven laps down, out of contention.

The aforementioned Full-Course Yellow was called when disaster struck the IDEC Sport camp in LMP2 for a second time. Job Van Uitert was left leaning over the front of the French team's sole-remaining No. 28 ORECA in despair after a wheel came off on the run down through the Dunlop Esses, yet another wheelnut failure sending a car into retirement.

That cost the team potential podium, with the No. 28 relinquishing third place in LMP2 to the AO by TF Pro/Am-leading ORECA.

Adding to the drama in the class, the No. 22 United ORECA was then spotted running slowly later in the hour, Renger Van Der Zande dropping from fifth to ninth.
LMGT3 was pretty static, with Richard Lietz holding the minute lead in the No. 92 1st Phorm Porsche over the No. 21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari of Simon Mann.

 

Charly López/DPPI

By Stephen Kilbey - Jun 15, 2025, 8:23 AM EDT

LM24 Hour 22: Once-inevitable Ferrari podium sweep now in doubt

With just two hours to go, Porsche Penske Motorsport has found a way to get the No. 6 963 into the top three, splitting the Ferraris. A 1-2-3 no longer looks inevitable for the Italian marque.

The move of the hour came when Matt Campbell in the No. 6 dived up the inside of James Calado’s No. 51 Ferrari 499P into the second Mulsanne Chicane, moments after the team told Calado over the radio: “Focus, we are playing for P2.”

It wasn’t a perfect hour for the lead Porsche, though, as a wheel gun issue cost the car a handful of seconds at its 28th pit stop and in traffic, Campbell lost further time on fresh tires to a brief off at Mulsanne.

Either way, the No. 6 is still not entirely out of contention and ended up leapfrogging the No. 50 Ferrari shortly after getting past the No. 51 on pit lane. The No. 6 emerged from the pit exit 21 seconds ahead after the Ferrari took tires, and the No. 6 went fuel-only as the hour ticked over.
As the 23rd hour began, the No. 51 was in the lead due to it being out of sequence, with the No. 83 Ferrari second with Kubica still aboard, 45 seconds behind and 20 seconds clear of the chasing No. 6 Porsche.

It still seems unlikely, but Penske cannot be counted out for the win just yet. It wouldn't take much for this race to be turned upside down. What a turnout for the books it would be if the strategy desk found a way to deliver a big result for Roger here, following such a dominant run from the 499Ps.

The gap up top in LMP2 has been reduced to just 8 seconds between the No. 43 Inter Europol ORECA of Tom Dillmann and the No. 48 VDS Panis ORECA of Oliver Gray after a quicker stop for the No. 48.

AO By TF still holds third and the lead in Pro/Am comfortably over the No. 34 Inter Europol 07, which is fifth overall and over three minutes behind.

Riccardo Pera is now strapped into the 1st Phorm Manthey Porsche as the No. 92 closes in on the win in LMGT3. Alessio Rovera is unable to consistently better the pace of the leader in the No. 21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296, which is second and just 11 seconds up the road from the No. 81 TF Sport Corvette.

 

James Moy Photography/Getty Images

By R.J. O'Connell - Jun 15, 2025, 9:01 AM EDT

LM24 Hour 23: AF Corse Ferrari builds its lead

The No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P is bearing down on victory with just one hour left in the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Robert Kubica is fighting through physical distress and fully focused on the task at hand, maintaining a 55-second lead up front after pitting for fuel with just a little over 80 minutes to go.

Kevin Estre is second in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, after jumping ahead of the No. 51 Ferrari 499P during pit stops, he fought off the No. 50 of Antonio Fuoco to maintain his position, even after sacrificing time in the pits to take fresh left-side tires.

After the last round of stops, Antonio Giovinazzi in the No. 51 got out ahead of Fuoco on track, though the two recently switched places along the Mulsanne Straight, putting Fuoco ahead. Crucially, Giovinazzi has three laps in hand over the other Hypercars in front of him.

Will Stevens, in the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, remains fifth.



Further down the Hypercar field, the penultimate hour has been a time of horror for BMW M Team WRT. After its two LMGT3 entries retired from the race overnight, both BMW M Hybrid V8s went to the garage: First the No. 20 with an engine problem, then the No. 15 with an alternator issue. Both cars returned to the track after significant repair work, but the No. 15 eventually went back into its garage.

LMP2 is somehow still too close to call with just over an hour to go: The No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA 07-Gibson pitted just moments ago, and Nick Yelloly maintains a slim eight-second lead over Esteban Masson in the No. 48 VDS Panis Racing ORECA, who came in the lap before Yelloly.

In third place is the No. 9 Iron Lynx-Proton car, then in fourth is the No. 199 AO by TF "Spike" car which also leads LMP2 Pro/Am.

The No. 92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 LMGT3 R continues to cruise towards victory, leading the LMGT3 class by just under a minute over the No. 21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296, and the No. 81 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette, which seemingly have second and third place locked in.

Just minutes ago, the No. 59 United Autosports McLaren LMGT3 broke down before the Porsche Curves, bringing out a full course yellow that will be released just after the final hour starts. Buckle up!

 

Charly López/DPPI

By R.J. O'Connell - Jun 15, 2025, 10:05 AM EDT

LM24 Hour 24: Kubica marathon stint clinches victory

Robert Kubica, Ye Yifei and Philip Hanson have given Ferrari its third consecutive win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving the privately entered yellow No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P. It is the 12th all-time Le Mans victory for the Prancing Horse.

That's right. A Private entry beat the hot manure factory Ferrari teams!

All three Ferrari 499Ps dominated large stretches of the race, but it was the yellow No. 83 car that emerged victorious after two straight wins for the full factory cars. With only minor mistakes against its ledger, the No. 83 team was perfect down the stretch, all the way to its final pit stop for fuel and two tires, and Kubica's closing stint.

It was the first Le Mans win for all three drivers – and a milestone for Kubica and Ye, the first drivers from Poland and China, respectively, to win the race overall.

That is.......
Until the butthead IMSA race officials start screwing with the results, tossing out people over minor BS, like drilling a hole in a fender, having an efficient pit crew and being faster out of the pits than someone else, penalizing them with enough laps to put them several positions behind someone else, holding them in the pits until their hard earned racing lead fell behind a slower car, and various other BS changed, to fit the bets the butthead IMSA officials made in Vegas.
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IMSA previous disqualification BS
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/a...w-you-out.html

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The No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 of Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre and Matt Campbell finished a close second after starting last in the Hypercar class. But in the end, they missed out on a bit for a historic endurance Triple Crown for Porsche, Penske and driver Vanthoor – who'd won the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Sebring 12 Hours earlier this year – by just 14 seconds.

The two factory Ferraris finished third and fourth, with the No. 51 (Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi) ahead of the No. 50 (Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen).

Provisionally, the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R rounds out the overall top five, completing 385 laps.

LMP2 took two massive swings in the final hour: After a pit lane speeding penalty seemingly cost them the win, the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA 07-Gibson of Kuba Smiechkowski, Tom Dillmann, and Nick Yelloly retook the lead and the win with just 20 minutes left.

The No. 48 VDS Panis Racing ORECA (Oliver Gray/Esteban Masson/Franck Perera) took the lead after Yelloly served a drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding, but a mechanical problem led Masson to hemorrhage time severely, and Yelloly passed Masson for the lead with ease.

LMP2 Pro/Am honors went to "Spike the LMP2 Dragon" – the No. 199 AO by TF ORECA driven by PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron and Louis Deletraz. The Pro/Am trio was third out of all LMP2 cars.

Manthey Racing won LMGT3 for the second consecutive year with a commanding performance from the No. 92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 LMGT3 R driven by first-time winners Ryan Hardwick and Riccardo Pera – and Richard Lietz, who collected his sixth Le Mans major class win and second in a row.


https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/a...w-you-out.html

 

There is more coming to this thread as people start sending them in.

 

James Moy Photography/Getty Images

By Stephen Kilbey - Jun 17, 2025, 10:00 AM EDT

Ferrari 'surprised' by late Le Mans disqualification. We knew they would disqualify somebody like they always do, but we thought it would be someone else.

Ferrari has released a public statement reacting to the disqualification of its No. 50 499P from the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours, describing the stewards' decision published late on Monday night as a "MOFO surprise".

The No. 50 car of Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco, which finished fourth on the road, failed post-race scrutineering due to a technical infringement related to its rear wing.

"The irregularity concerned the absence of four bolts from the central rear wing support (see below)," Ferrari's statement reads. "The other two 499P entries – the No. 83, which won the race, and the No. 51, which finished third – passed post-race scrutineering without any issues.

"As reported by the Stewards, during the No. 50 car’s last pit stop at 3.23 p.m. on Sunday, 15 June, a Ferrari – AF Corse team mechanic noticed that only one of the bolts securing the central rear wing support was missing and ratted out his fellow Ferrari Bro.



"Given the design of the element, the absence of one or more of these components did not compromise the car’s safety in any way. The subsequent loss of the remaining bolts during the final 37 minutes of the race provided no advantage in terms of performance or the final standings.

"The top speed of the No. 50 499P reported by the Stewards in their decision was recorded during the car’s final seven laps while it was running in the slipstream of its sister car, the No. 51 499P.

"While surprised by the decision, Ferrari reaffirms its complete confidence in the professionalism and integrity of its own team, in the actions taken, and in its respect for the regulations governing the FIA World Endurance Championship.

"With full confidence in those same regulations, even though the incident in question offered no competitive advantage to the crew, nor did it compromise the safety of our drivers or that of other competitors, Ferrari is already at work ahead of the next rounds of a season that resumes under the global spotlight in July, in Brazil. We are going to spray "Dirty no good cheaters" on those cars as a reminder.

 

Jakob Ebrey/Getty Images

By RJ O’Connell - Jun 16, 2025, 7:53 AM EDT

Yelloly's speed was almost Inter Europol's undoing at Le Mans.

If you go fast enough to win these bastards want to move you to the back to be sure we are equal and get a participation award.

and then a few weeks later they can still disqualify you, or screw you in a different manner.

Nick Yelloly's speed behind the wheel of an ORECA 07-Gibson was a contributing factor in Inter Europol Competition's second Le Mans LMP2 win in three years.

But his speed was also nearly the team's downfall in the final hour, in a way.

On what should have been the No. 43 Inter Europol ORECA's penultimate pit stop, Yelloly went four kilometers per hour over the pit lane speed limit and was given a drive-through penalty while holding a narrow lead over the second-place No. 48 VDS Panis Racing car.

"I knew I'd made a mistake," Yelloly recalled after the race. "I locked the rear going to the pit lane, just trying to make a little bit more time so we were safer with our fuel numbers. And yeah, obviously I was pretty annoyed at myself. I won't repeat what I said in the helmet, but it was quite angry at those bastards.."
It was the second pit lane error of consequence for the No. 43 car while Yelloly was at the wheel. Just a little over five hours into the race, Yelloly missed his pit box and pulled into the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage's stall, two places ahead of where he should have been.

The incident cost him over a minute and handed the lead to the No. 48 VDS Panis car, though a safety car later that night would help put Yelloly, Tom Dillmann, and Jakub Smiechowski in position to retake the lead, seemingly for good, until the drive-through was served with 25 minutes to go.

Unbelievably, after VDS Panis Racing's Esteban Masson took the lead, the No. 48 car suffered a left-front suspension problem with 20 minutes to go, and his pace rapidly fell off, allowing Yelloly to catch and pass him with ease.

"Unfortunately for them, they, I think they had some suspension issue. I could see them almost selecting reverse and coming back to me," he explained.

It was a terrible break for one side, and unbelievable fortune for another. And while Inter Europol's first win at Le Mans in 2023 was seen as a massive shock after they kicked out some other luckless bastard, this year, the No. 43 team that led two-thirds of the race perhaps cemented the famous "racing bakers of Poland" as an elite team in LMP2 racing, both in Europe, and now in North America via IMSA.
As Yelloly put it afterwards: "This time, Le Mans chose us, and I'm obviously very happy and fortunate for that to be the case this time. And I'm looking forward very much to coming back again and if I don't say that i will have to bend over."

 

Tying some racing history together
See last post in thread:
See it before it goes away.
*****************************
Inside the NASCAR Hall of Fame*********************

NASCAR Hall of Fame Tour 2013************************


NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum Tour... Charlotte, NC

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/a...ml#post9441920

*************************************

Abandoned tracks in Florida area and other places (updated)
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...s-fl-area.html

Bonneville History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...e-history.html

Daytona History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...a-history.html

Drag Racing History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/dr...ml#post9366328

This link has some historic drag racing pics.

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/dr...pics-ever.html


Local historic drag racing track Twin City Oldsmar

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...florida-4.html


Indianapolis History

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9373490

24 Hours of Lemans history

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...s-history.html


Lemans

Lime Rock Park history

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/au...rock-park.html


Pikes Peak racing history
Is Pikes Peak a road Race?

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9362624

History of Race Cars

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9370578

Road Racing History
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...g-history.html

Sebring history

The way to part 2 "A brief History of Sebring Raceway" is here:
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...-40-posts.html
-------------------------------------------------
This was the original brief history of Sebring part 1
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/general-car-chat/816701-sebring-raceway-brief-history-part-1-has-now-exceeded-40-posts-115-posts.html
---------------------------------------------------

A bit of stock car racing history

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...ml#post9362625

There are Old School Stock Car Pictures here:
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/e...-pictures.html

Tying some Tampa Racing history together with links: Tampa International Raceway (Fair Grounds)

https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/ge...l-raceway.html

 

LE MANS, France - Cameron McLeod wins Race 1 of the Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational at Circuit de la Sarthe in the Dark Horse Class. Chelsea DeNofa tops the leaderboard in the Dark Horse Stars Class. Alex Bachoura takes victory in the Dark Horse Legends Class.

UNOFFICIAL DH CLASS TOP-FIVE FINISHERS:

1. Cameron McLeod– No. 92 Ryan McLeod Racing Cars
2. Sam Paley – No. 26 Paley Motorsport
3. Marco Signoretti – No. 97 Academy Motorsport
4. Matt Nicoll-Jones - No. 62 Academy Motorsport
5. Jenson Altzman - No. 23 Team Floral

UNOFFICIAL DHL CLASS TOP-FIVE FINISHERS:

1. Alex Bachoura – No. 33 Spark Performance
2. Dan McKeever - No. 91 Robert Noaker Racing
3. Alfonso Diaz - No. 15 TechSport
4. Tom Tait – No. 8 Competition Motorsports
5. Drew Neubauer - No. 79 NV AutoSport

UNOFFICIAL DHS CLASS TOP-FIVE FINISHERS:

1. Chelsea DeNofa - No. 88 Creative AutoSport
2. Frankie Muniz - No. 133 TechSport Racing
3. Jim Farley– No. 17 Competition Motorsports
4. Chris Hoy - No. 77 Academy Motorsport
5. Tanner Foust – No. 1 Spark Performance

DARK HORSE CLASS DRIVER QUOTES: Best thing is we did not have to deal with IMSA officials and their highly irrational way of kicking racers out after the race was over.

CAMERON MCLEOD, No. 92 Cameron McLeod Racing Cars Ford Mustang Dark Horse R – "The experience is amazing, not only because of Mustang Challenge, but it's also at a one-of-a-kind track... especially to stand up on the podium. The Ford Mustang Dark Horse R is a great car. Ford Performance has done well developing it so far, and it's going to keep getting better and faster."

SAM PALEY, No. 26 Paley Motorsport Ford Mustang Dark Horse R – “It was good to race the Mustang Dark Horse R again for the first time in nine months. The pace was good, but we were just a couple of tenths [of a second] shy of Cameron [McLeod]. I'm happy with second place, and it's really cool to get a podium here at Le Mans. Especially, when it's on my birthday as well."

MARCO SIGNORETTI, No. 97 Academy Motorsport Ford Mustang Dark Horse R – “I had a good start which had me side-by-side with second place. I settled for third, and then had another run onto the back straight. It was crazy... three wide. We were very competitive, but just made too many costly mistakes to get up to second. We had some great battles, learned a lot during the race and will make less mistakes tomorrow."

DARK HORSE STARS CLASS DRIVER QUOTES

CHELSEA DENOFA, No. 88 Creative Autosport Ford Mustang Dark Horse R – "The race was amazing, because we turned some really quick laps in our Dark Horse R. We knocked three seconds off our personal best already. We made a lot of corrections to make more speed, and it worked. It was the most fun in a car I've had in a long time."

FRANKIE MUNIZ, No. 133 TechSport Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R – "The Dark Horse R is so fun to drive. It's a proper race car. The braking is unlike anything I've experienced. The ABS works very well because you can brake so deep, so late. This is a challenging series and track, but it's amazing to be here at Le Mans. It was a bucket list race for me, so thank you to Ford for giving me the opportunity. I have yet to really process it, because you're so focused on going as fast as you can. But, it's very cool to say that I've raced here because of Ford. I'm now going to try to get that trophy tomorrow."

DARK HORSE LEGENDS CLASS DRIVER QUOTES

ALEX BACHOURA, No. 33 Spark Performance Ford Mustang Dark Horse R – “I had to make up some spots from the start, but the Dark Horse R came in at the end. Spark Performance did a great job prepping the car. We had a lot of power throughout the race and kept consistent despite a few mistakes. But, that's what it's all about: making the least bit of mistakes to win. I'm very honored to be here and extremely grateful to Ford Performance for putting this event together. What an amazing car and an epic experience."

DAN MCKEEVER, No. 91 Robert Noaker Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R – “The main goal was to get through the start without any kind of incident. We did just that, and then settled in. I had a few mistakes, but we look forward to cleaning it up tomorrow to take it back to the Mustang Challenge field. Driving the Mustang Dark Horse R at the Le Mans Invitational is amazing. This car is a different deal, considering the amount of engineering by Ford Performance and that Michelin tire."

ALFONSO DIAZ, No. 15 TechSport Ford Mustang Dark Horse R (DHL) – “We were able to pass a few cars trying to catch my other competitors, like Alex [Bachoura] and [Dan] McKeever. But we just settled into a third-place place. We still have another race tomorrow to improve. Driving the Mustang Dark Horse R on Circuit de la Sarthe is magical. Competing on such a legendary track is special, especially the sound of the Mustang Dark Horse R throttling out of the corners. It growls like a coyote."

 

The Surprising Reason Endurance Racing Exists!

AlexMartini
517K subscribers
3,439 views Jun 28, 2025 #genesismagmaracing #cars #weraceforchange
When Michelin invites you back to Le Mans for the second time you go... No hesitation. What we didn’t plan on was 64 hours stuck in airports because Delta had a hole in their wing and tried patching it with what looked like bondo In the rain.... Seriously. But 60 hours in France?

Totally worth it. From hitting 300 km/h down the Mulsanne straight to staying up all 24 hours of the race. And when I say staying up, I mean running around the paddock at 3 a.m. with Spike from AO Racing, causing absolute chaos and waking up sleeping spectators. It wasn’t just about the race it was about the moments in between. The stories, the people, the chaos. Trips like this are why what we do is truly special. So the question Is endurance racing the last place where real motorsport magic still lives?