Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Live text
WEC 24 Hours of Le Mans

Le Mans 24 Hours – Race

Live Text

Sort by
Oldest first
Pit Stop
Hand pits the GTE-Pro leading Ford.
The #7 Audi is back on track after another lengthy stay in the garage.
A sad end to a race that had started so promisingly for the #44, which flew to a huge lead in the wet with Merhi driving.
Yellow Flag
We have an Aston Martin stationary at the Dunlop chicane, it's the #98 of Lauda.
Yellow Flag
Slow zone in operation for that one.
The #98 is towed back on the track and is away again.
Mechanical problem
Wait - it's stopped 50 metres on from where it was stuck a second ago! Oh dear...
After that last round of stops from the front-runners, the gaps have ballooned a bit. Davidson now leads Jani by over a minute, with Sarrazin nearly two minutes behind.
Green Flag
Slow zone clear, let's get back to it.
The #8 Audi pits from its very lonely fourth place.
Hand's lead in GTE Pro has been reduced to 40s from Vilander, who in turn is 23s up on Briscoe in third.
Pit Stop
The #6 Toyota pulls into the pits and is then pushed into the garage!
Still the #62 Ferrari bossing GTE Am, Bell leading the #88 Porsche of Long by a lap.
It doesn't look great for the #6 Toyota. Chances of victory look shot. There is, however, a handy 13-lap gap back to fourth place.
Pit Stop
In LMP2, Rusinov has just taken over the second-placed #26 G-Drive car for what is likely to be the run to the chequered flag.

Shaitar meanwhile pits the #37 car from third, he stays aboard the lead BR01.
Video
Vilander certainly went for a ride.
Position change in GTE Pro - the earlier puncture for the #95 Aston has promoted the #66 Ford, currently being driven by Billy Johnson, to fourth.
Looks as if the Toyota crew are getting ready to send the #6 back out.
Incidentally, the #66 is the highest-placed GTE car eligible for WEC points, followed by the Aston Martins #95 and #97.
And there goes Sarrazin back out on track. The #6 comfortably holds on to third place.
Pit Stop
In comes Leventis in the #42 Strakka, but the team's hopes of a class podium finish look to be fading.
At the moment, in LMP2, it's the #36 (Richelmi) by a lap from the #26 (Rusinov) and then the #37 (Shaitar) another three laps back.
At the very front, it's boiled down to a two-way fight. The #6 Toyota leads the #2 Porsche by 57s.
The #6 Toyota, meanwhile, is now four laps down.
Two and a half hours to go. The leaders are on 342 laps, 55 shy of the record established by Audi in 2010.
On current form, they should make it to about 381, but there have been too many slow zones and Safety Car periods to trouble the record.
Sarrazin complaining that the #6 Toyota is a bit of a handful.
Strategy-wise, it seems both the #2 and the #5 will have to make three more stops to get home safely, so there's unlikely to be an advantage gained there.
Pit Stop
Richelmi in and out of the pits with a lap still in hand over the #36 car's nearest LMP2 opposition.

Leventis meanwhile has handed over the #42 to Danny Watts, who has a mountain to climb to get Strakka back on the podium.
Not much change in GTE Pro, it's still Hand by 40s from Vilander. Briscoe has handed the #69 Ford over to Dixon now.
Penalty
Drive-through penalty for the #60 Formula Racing Ferrari for the oft-committed sin of having the engine running while refuelling.
Pit Stop
The #2 Porsche makes another stop.
Pit Stop
The #5 Toyota is in the pits, too. Nakajima takes over from Davidson for the run to the flag.
Pit Stop
Fisichella takes over in the #82 Risi Ferrari, which hangs on to second after that stop.
After those latest stops at the front, the #5 Toyota leads the race outright by 29 seconds over the #2 Porsche. That's the race right there.
Pit Stop
GTE Pro leader in, Hand gives the #68 Ford over to Dirk Muller for the run to the flag.
Muller and Fisichella split by 36 seconds, a big ask for the three-time F1 Grand Prix winner.

Leading positions after 22 Hours:

1) #5 Toyota
2) #2 Porsche
3) #6 Toyota
4) #8 Audi
5) #7 Audi

LMP2:

1) #36 Alpine (P6 overall)
2) #26 Oreca
3) #37 BR01

GTE Pro:

1) #68 Ford
2) #82 Ferrari
3) #69 Ford

GTE Am:

1) #62 Ferrari
2) #83 Ferrari
3) #88 Porsche

By: , , , ,

Published: