Le Mans 2014: Report after 18 hours

A lot has changed between the 12th and 18th hours at Le Mans. We've seen three different teams be in control of the race.

First of all, click HERE of you want to see what happened between hours six and twelve. Click HERE if you want to see what went down in the first six hours. We won't be going over that here.

The No. 7 Toyota, which had led for last ten consecutive hours, suffered some catastrophic electrical issues just past the 14th hour. The car stopped to the left side of the track at the approach to the Porsche Curves and the team was forced to retire from the race. There were multiple reports that the car was also briefly on fire.

Nakajima had a lead nearing two full minutes when he encountered problems. The No. 2 Audi took control of the race, marking the first time any Audi has led.

This is what heartbreak at Le Mans looks like...

Watch a dejected Toyota team realize their Le Mans dream is over...

The #74 Corvette, which has been a strong GTE Pro contender hit some major issues in this portion of the race as well. They suffered from a multitude of issues that they were having trouble resolving, and the car was forced to go back into the garage a number of times. His absence has left the #97 Aston and the #51 Ferrari to duke it out for GTE Pro supremacy on their own.

As the Sun rose at Le Mans, so did the Audis.

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They ran 1-2 for a good while before more dramas changed the complexion of this race once again!

Now you're probably wondering what happened to the #2 Audi. Well, they decided to wheel the car into the garage because they needed to have its turbo charged. They had a three lap advantage and by the time the team finished their work, he was two laps behind in 3rd place. It could have been much worse for the #2 team, if it weren't for the #72 SMP Racing Ferrari crashing at the Porsche Curves and damaging the wall, prompting a safety car.

It was the first time we saw a full-course yellow in ten hours and just the fourth time during this entire race.

Check out this video, showcasing the incredible focus a driver must possess in order to perform here...

They are 14 official retirements but expect that number to inflate as the race progresses towards the finish. The #1 Audi leads by a full lap over the #20 Porsche, with the #2 still holding station in 3rd. The next report you see will be announcing who won this great race. Enjoy the finish!

CURRENT LEADERS

LMP1 - No. 1 Audi

LMP2 - No. 35 Oak Racing Oreca-Nissan

GTE Pro - No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari

GTE Am - No. 95 Aston Martin

MINUTE-BY-MINUTE UPDATES FROM LE MANS - CLICK HERE