LM24 20 Hour Report: Ferrari leads close battle with Toyota

Below are the main headlines after 20 hours of racing at 24 Hours of Le Mans, round four of FIA WEC.

11/06/2023

Hypercar:

No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse and No. Toyota Gazoo Racing fighting tooth-and-nail for overall 24 Hours of Le Mans lead
Currently No. 51 driven by James Calado leading Brendon Hartley by only a second as both cars on exact same strategy going into the race's closing hours and setting up for an enthralling finale
Toyota No. 8 previously moved ahead of the No. 51 following an electrical problem in the pits but Ferrari 499P Hypercar driven by Pier Guidi was able to outpace the Ferrari shortly after to reclaim the race lead
No.2 and No. 3 Cadillac V Series.R cars currently running third and fourth, the No. 3 driven by Alex Lynn just over two minutes down from second-placed Toyota
Peugeot TotalEnergies rounds out the top five, No. 93 driven by Jean-Eric Vergne currently at the wheel – three laps down from the No. 3 Cadillac
No.5 Porsche Penske 963 in sixth place, two laps down from Peugeot with Dane Cameron putting in some solid lap times in his latest stint
Second AF Corse Ferrari 499P Hypercar currently in seventh position, clawing back time after earlier race setbacks
Glickenhaus Racing's 007 Hypercars have now both hit trouble. The No. 708 driven by Olivier Pla spun and returned to the pits with a gearbox issue
Sister No. 709 car went wide at Indianapolis shortly after with Frenchman Franzk Mailleux driving. The cars are running eighth and ninth currently, both having spent time in the pits
Loic Duval driving the No. 94 Peugeot TotalEnergies rounds out the top ten, the Peugeot 9X8 out of race contention after a middle of the night collison
No. 6 Porsche Penske driven by Kevin Estre has had a series of issues including an off-track excursion and a 43 minute stop in the pits to make repairs to the Porsche 963 undercarriage
Hertz Team JOTA driven by Antonio Felix da Costa spun at Indianapolis damaging the front end of the Porsche 963 – the car remains in the pits getting repairs
No. 4 Floyd Vanwall Racing Team retired after completing 165 laps. Tristan Vautier was at the wheel when the Vanwall Vandervell stopped on track with smoke visible from the rear

Ferrari Toyota

Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #51 overtook Sebastien Buemi in the #8 Toyota to take the lead of the @24hoursoflemans with 5 hours to go. #WEC #LeMans24 #LeMansCentenary @FerrariHypercar @TGR_WEC pic.twitter.com/EgTyRmjbMb
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) June 11, 2023

LMP2

The No.34 Inter Europol Competition continues to lead LMP2 category
Polish-flagged car currently driven by Fabio Scherer has a 50 second lead over second-placed No. 41 WRT entry with Louis Deletraz at the wheel who is closing the gap
Scherer putting in a heroic effort, despite driving with an injured left foot and seen hopping out of the car
The Duqueine Oreca-Gibson with Nicolas Pino in the cockpit is currently third, one spot ahead of No. 48 IDEC Racing in fourth place
Rounding out the top five is the No.65 Panis Racing entry with Manuel Maldonaldo 23s ahead of the No. 31 WRT entry with Ferdinand Habsburg now driving
Alpine Elft Team and Vector Sport and sixth and seventh respectively

LMGTE AM

Exciting battle in LMGTE Am playing out between all-female Iron Dames crew and ORT by TF
Rahel Frey handed the Iron Dames Porsche over to Sarah Bovy in 18th hour who is now 37 seconds ahead of ORT by TF with both cars are on different pit strategies
Ben Keating has completed his minimum driving time and has handed the points-leading No. 33 Corvette Racing Chevrolet to Nicolas Varonne who is third and closing on ORT TF
Project 1 AO Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19 “Rexy” car with Matteo Cairoli driving currently fourth
No. 33 points leading Corvette Racing Chevrolet driven by Nicky Catsburg currently running fourth having just overtaken Thomas Flohr who rounds out the top five in the No. 54 AF Corse Ferrari
In the race's 19th hour, No. 911 Proton Competition Porsche entry driven by Hollywood actor Michael Fassbender spun and crashed into the barrier at Maison Blanche
After previously leading the GTE Am category, No. 57 Kessel Racing crashes out with Daniel Serra at the wheel

Michael Fassbender hits the tire wall in the Porsche Curves. #WEC #LeMans24 #LeMansCentenary @ProtonRacing pic.twitter.com/2EkqkfzMra
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) June 11, 2023

INNOVATION

Hendrick Motorsports run Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 sits 34th overall after losing time in the pits when a brake change was needed.