Drama for the leader with 14 hours left at Le Mans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--TtvpdzMBc
Saturday, 17 June 2017
By Stephen Kilbey / Image by Rainier Ehrhardt/LAT
ABOVE: Mike Conway at the moment of crushing disappointment in the Toyota pits.
Porsche leads the 2017 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, after the No. 7 Toyota TS050 HYBRID hit trouble after a lengthy safety car period for a debris clearance. It's a real race of attrition, before the halfway mark.
The issue hit Kamui Kobayashi at the start of the lap, forcing him to try and crawl back to the pits from the start line. The Japanese driver was unable to accelerate, eventually stopping completely on the run to Indianapolis.
After minutes of waiting, Kobayashi managed to get it fired, and race entered its 11th hour with it crawling at a snail's pace back to the pits.
As a result, Nick Tandy in the No. 1 Porsche took the lead, with a lap advantage over the delayed No. 9 Toyota in second.
LMP2 is still a Rebellion 1-2 with the No. 31 leading the No. 13. The No. 38 Jackie Chan DC Racing and No. 25 Manor ORECAs and the No. 35 Alpine are still lurking in the remaining top five spots.
In GTE Pro in the middle of a pit cycle, the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari leads the class over the No. 92 Porsche. The two Aston Martin Racing Vantages though, appear to hold the true lead, dropping down the order during each stop cycle. It's very close though, with the safety car bunching up the field further.
No changes in GTE Am, JMW's 488 leading the TF Sport Aston and No. 77 Proton Porsche.