The 24h of Le Mans suffered an inevitable neutralization this night just before half-way through the race, when the rain began to hit the Circuit de la Sarthe again.
While the public continued to crowd different parts of the track, equipped with tents, hammocks, camping chairs and sleeping bags, trying to keep themselves cheerful with beers, chips and grilled meats that delighted our nostrils as we strolled along the paths that leading to ‘Tertre Rouge’, the race had a couple of jolts.
The Oreca #24 hit the Mustang #77 in the ‘Esses’, sending it into a spin and subsequently forcing it to make a long stop in the Proton Competition pits for repairs, then the same LMP2 crashed into the sand with David Heinemeier-Hansson at the wheel.
Moments of panic instead when the left rear detached from the Oreca #45 of APR and rolled on the straight of the second sector for several metres, fortunately without hitting anyone, despite prompting the Race Direction to use a Full Course Yellow.
Also out was the Duqueine #30 with the KO engine conspicuously smoking. In the meantime, the withdrawal of the Team WRT BMW #46 that Ahmad Al Harthy put to the wall after replacing the excellent Valentino Rossi was official, putting an end to the dreams of the ‘Doctor’ and Maxime Martin.
The #66 Ferrari of JMW Motorsport however had problems during the 10th hour and had no choice but to raise the white flag.
With Toyota, Porsche and Ferrari in full contention for the top, the hostilities were stopped by the entry of the Safety Car at 3.44 am and the safety car never got out of the way given the rain that continues to fall, not in a copious manner like a deluge, but intermittent and insidious without giving respite.
At the end of the 16th hour the regrouping procedure began behind a single Safety Car, and then continued with the ‘Pass Around’ waiting to start again.
Safety car
Photo by: Marc Fleury
In HYPERCAR the race will start again with the leading Toyota #8 chased by the Porsche #6 of Team Penske and the Ferrari #50, which finds itself behind the Toyota #7 and the Ferrari #83.
Sixth we find the Porsche-Jota #38, with the Cadillacs #2 and #3 behind, separated by the Ferrari #51.
The #5 Porsche completes the Top10 ahead of Jota’s 963 #12 and the #311 Cadillac, while the #19 Lamborghini moved up to 13th, overtaking the #93 Peugeot and pulling behind the #63 SC63.
In the LMP2 Class, the Oreca #183 of AF Corse took the lead, which is also first in PRO/AM, placing behind the Cool Racing #37, United #22 and Inter Europol #34, plus Vector Sport #10 to complete the Top5.
In the LMGT3 Class, the Porsches of Manthey PureRxcing and Manthey EMA took the lead ahead of the Aston Martin #27 of Heart of Racing and the Lamborghini of the Iron Dames, while the Lexus of Akkodis-ASP were fifth and seventh, divided by BMW #31 of Team WRT.
Behind them we find the McLarens of United Autosports and the Ferrari #55 of AF Corse, then the Ford Mustangs of Proton Competition.
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