LM24 20 Hour Report: Ferrari leads close battle with Toyota
Photo: WEC
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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.

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

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

INNOVATION

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