Race report

Le Mans 24h, H18: BMW in lead as Porsche crash triggers safety car

BMW remains at the front with fewer than six hours remaining, but the safety car brings several contenders back into the mix

BMW held the overall lead in the Le Mans 24 Hours at the start of the 19th hour, as a crash for a Porsche GT3 car brought out the safety car.

Suffering from a likely steering wheel issue, reigning DTM champion Ayhancan Guven went straight into the barriers at the exit of the first Mulsanne chicane as he struggled to turn the car. The #91 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 suffered terminal damage as it bounced back on track after impact, with Guven stepping out of the car to retire from the race.

The incident triggered only the second safety car appearance of the race, bunching up the pack once again. The only previous caution period happened just before midnight on Saturday, when a crash between Francesco Castellacchi and Gianmarco Levorato left the Ferrari 296 GT3 beached in the gravel.

Under safety car conditions, Robin Frijns is running at the front of the field in the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 after two of his closest challengers ran into issues in the morning. The #12 Cadillac V Series.R was penalised for a slow-zone infringement, while the #8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid lost time in the pits as the mechanics replaced a brake drum on the front-left section of the car.

Cadillac’s Norman Nato runs second behind Frijns’ BMW, while the extended stop for the #8 Toyota dropped Ryo Hirakawa behind the sister #7 car currently driven by Kamui Kobayashi.

There was drama for Ferrari in Hypercar, with the #50 499P that was already out of contention stopping on track behind the safety car. Marshals had to push the car off the track, marking the end of the race for the 2024 race winner.

The Scuderia still has two cars in the race, with AF Corse’s satellite #83 499P sitting fifth ahead of the factory #50 car.

In LMP2, the #30 Duqueine Oreca continues to lead in class, chased by the two Inter Europol Orecas.

TF Sport also remains ahead of the pack in LMGT3, with Nicky Catsburg heading the way in the #33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 holds second with factory driver Mattia Drudi back at the wheel, while Hadrien David runs third in the #78 ASP Lexus RC F GT3.