Le Mans 6 Hour Report: Toyota leads while LMGTE Pro battle heats up
The opening six hours of the 24 Hours of Le Mans sees the Toyota No. 7 control the LMP1 class while an enthralling battle resumes in LMGTE Pro with Ferrari leading Porsche and Corvette by less than a second.
Below are the main category headlines after the race’s first quarter.
LMP1
• The No. 7 Toyota TS050 HYBRID has led from the start and held a commanding lead over the sister No.8 until a Safety Car period closed the gap
• Privateer teams Rebellion Racing and SMP Racing battle it out for third with the No. 11 SMP Racing BR Engineering BR1–AER currently ahead as the race moves into the 7th hour
• Mechanical problems have hindered the No. 10 DragonSpeed car’s progress during the early stages of the race
LMGTE Pro
• LMGTE Pro battle is closest out of all the categories with four manufacturers - Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette and Ford - occupying the top four spots
• Corvette Racing’s No.63 led close battle for opening hours until Ferrari and Porsche moved to the front
• No. 92 Porsche 911 RSR and No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE both grappling for top spot and separated by less than a second after six hours
LMP2
• Neck-and-neck action between No. 36 Signatech Alpine Matmut car and No. 26 G-Drive Racing car who have been taking it in turns at the top of the LMP2 leader board
• The current situation bodes well for Signatech Alpine who are only four points behind Jackie Chan DC Racing in the overall LMP2 championship standings
• No. 31 DragonSpeed is third with the No. 38 Jackie Chan DC Racing currently fourth
LMGTE Am
• The No. 77 Dempsey Proton car led for the first three hours of the race before it was passed by Keating Motorsports No. 85 car
• TF Sport in the No. 90 Aston Martin Vantage is currently third in class, the best of the WEC field at this stage
• Aston Martin Racing’s No. 98 car and the No. 54 Spirit of Race have had a difficult start to the race with both cars spinning off and losing significant time
The only official retirement to date is the No. 64 Corvette Racing car after an incident in the fifth hour which unfortunately left it with too much damage to be repaired.
All results so far can be found HERE
