Porsche and Toyota drivers lead the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship standings after a thrilling Lone Star Le Mans in Austin.
At the Circuit of the Americas, everything happened during the 6-hour race and in the end, the ones who gained the most were the reigning Japanese champions.
A comeback finish for second place by Kobayashi/De Vries alongside Conway (who missed Le Mans) sees the #7 GR010 Hybrid duo join Ferrari drivers Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen in second place on 113 points.
Thanks to their sixth place finish in the United States on a weekend where they say the damage was limited, Lotterer/Estre/Vanthoor at the wheel of the #6 Porsche took eight points that keep them in first place with 125 in total.
Conway instead finds himself fourth on 77 and is joined by Makowiecki/Campbell/Christensen (Porsche #5), while the bad weekend of Hartley/Hirakawa/Buemi (Toyota #8) and Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi (Ferrari #51) now sees them cut out of the fight for the title, being respectively on 69 and 59 points.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Toyota is the one smiling, taking the lead in the standings, rising to 147 points, 11 more than Porsche and 19 ahead of Ferrari.
Alpine’s strong top-five finish at COTA sees it move into fourth place with 37 points, edging out BMW and Cadillac with 31 and 29 points respectively.
Departure
Photo by: Andreas Beil
Among the private HYPERCAR teams, Team Jota #12 is still in command with 140 points and a good margin over Proton Competition (86), AF Corse (85) and Jota #38 (79), all capable of gaining something on those at the top.
Peugeot only gets 2 points, stuck at 22 points in total, with Lamborghini remaining dry and at the bottom of the table with 11 points, given that Isotta Fraschini is at zero, but has withdrawn from the championship.
A very bad day for Jota as regards the private HYPERCAR team standings: of the English team, only the 963 #38 gets on the podium, totalling 18 points, but remaining fourth with 97. The #12 did not see the finish line and still remains first with 140 points, but the historic triumph of the yellow Ferrari #83 brings AF Corse to 110, overtaking the Proton Competition #99, third with 101 points.
Departure
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Finally, looking at the LMGT3 class standings, a comeback second-place finish by Malykhin/Sturm/Bachler in the #92 Porsche sees the Manthey PureRxing trio reach 118 points and move ever closer to the maximum target.
Their brand mates Schuring/Lietz/Shahin (Porsche-Manthey EMA #91) finished third in Austin and lost 3 points to the leaders, now at +28.
Third place goes to the BMW-WRT 31 boys, Farfus/Gelael/Leung with 84 points, closed in by the winners in Texas, Riberas/Mancinelli/James who with the #27 Aston Martin of Heart of Racing climb to 81.
The #55 AF Corse Ferrari of the Rovera/Mann/Heriau trio remains in the Top 5 with 50 points to their name on a Sunday that saw them slip back towards the end due to penalties.
Valentino Rossi retired, remaining on 46 points with Martin/Al Harthy and BMW-WRT.
We remind you that the 6h of Fuji will award another 25 points to the winners, plus the 38 that the first in Bahrain (8h race) will win and the additional point awarded to whoever signs the Hyperpole in each race.
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