2022 Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates
Live updates for the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours at the Circuit de la Sarthe
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Scary moment for the #9 Prema LM P2 car as Lorenzo Colombo battles with Rolf Ineichen (WRT) over fourth in class. He goes slipping and sliding across the second chicane on the Mulsanne Straight, but no harm done.
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And that battle for second in GTE Pro simply won't let up. Laurens Vanthoor is still within two seconds of the #64 Corvette of Alex Sims. There is little to choose between their lap times at the moment -- though the Corvette's fastest lap of the race is about a second quicker.
More news from that GTE battle: Alex Sims has received a track limits warning.
Following the latest round of pit stops, it's now a Jota 1-2 in LM P2. Roberto Gonzalez leads Oliver Rasmussen, with the #9 Prema Orlen Team car following seven seconds behind. Penske's latest stop went to plan, and Felipe Nasr is fourth. Third driver Emmanuel Collard hasn't had a go yet!
The #91 Porsche, placed fourth in GTE Pro, has picked up a drive-through penalty pertaining to track limits infringements. The driver in question is Fred Makowiecki.
There's a piece of debris on the terrifyingly fast run between Mulsanne and Indianapolis. We're not sure whom it belongs to, but that's an instant slow zone.
With the race neutralised in one part of the track, it's stop time in GTE. Antonio Garcia is back in the #63 car, and ought to reassume the lead of the race when the Sims/Vanthoor battle pits -- probably next time around.
As I get set to hand over to my learned colleague Tom at the end of the sixth hour, it's still a Toyota 1-2 at the front of the race. Jota controls things in LMP2, Corvette have a tenuous 1-2 in GTE Pro and Weathertech Racing is bossing things in GTE Am. Tom will take you through into the dead of night!
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The #7 leading Toyota has run across the first Mulsanne chicane. Kamui Kobayashi at the wheel. It is a lucky escape this time.
The #5 Penske LMP2 has come in for a 10th stop. Former F1 driver Felipe Nasr is at the wheel as he rejoins the race in eighth. The lead LMP2 Jota is in the pits amid a flurry of action in pitlane.
The #709 Glickenhaus has also ducked in for service with Aussie Ryan Briscoe at the wheel. The car is sitting fourth in Hypercar class, two laps down on the leading #7 Toyota.
We are getting into some proper night running now with lights ablaze.
Great battle for fourth in GTE Pro class. The #91 Porsche (Makowiecki) is chasing down the #52 Ferrari (Molina). Only 0.5s between the pair currently.
In the battle of the Toyotas at the front, the #7 car leads the #8 by 3.061s.
Makowiecki passes Molina with a slick move around the outside of Indianapolis. The #91 Porsche takes fourth in GTE Pro from the #52 Ferrari. That was a great scrap and an even better overtake.
The #64 Corvette GTE Pro entry has been wheeled into the garage. Nick Tandy is at the wheel.
The #64 Corvette had a rear brake issue. Brakes changed on all four wheels and the car is back out with only two minutes dropped. The car was sitting third in class before the stop.
The #8 Toyota has shaved a few more tenths off the leading #7 Toyota with the gap down to 2.3s.
In GTE Am, Nicki Thiim (Northwest AMR) is on a charge and is reeling in the leading Cooper MacNeil driven Weathertech Racing (Porsche). The gap has come down from over a minute to 24s in the last 30 minutes.
The leading #7 Toyota pits and it appears Mike Conway will take over from Kamui Kobayashi.
Hirakawa brings the #8 Toyota into the pits. The Japanese driver was getting frustrated by a LMP2 car on that in lap. "Ryo it's a long race, it's a long race, let's stay calm, the car is good, it's a long race" says the team on the radio.
Sebastien Buemi jumps in and rejoins ahead of Conway in the #7 Toyota. A lead change in the Hypercar class!
Sebastien Buemi jumps in and rejoins ahead of Conway in the #7 Toyota. A lead change in the Hypercar class!
The #52 Ferrari has an issue with the front of the car. It limps back to the pits. The car was sitting fourth in class.
The gap between the Toyotas at the front has extended from 2.5s to 8.0s following that round of stops.
Miguel Molina explains that contact with a Prototype at Tetre Rouge caused a front right puncture on the #52 GTE Pro Ferrari.
The #8 Toyota jumped the #7 car there in the pits when Buemi replaced Hirakawa. The erstwhile leader spent 7s longer in pitlane. Bit of a problem getting a new set of wheels and tyres on while Conway was taking over from Kobayashi.
In LMP2, the #38 Jota continues to lead with Roberto Gonzalez at the wheel. The entry is 1m18.5s ahead of the #9 Prema driven by former F3 driver Lorenzo Colombo. But now the #38 Jota is in pitlane and Antonio Felix Da Costa jumps in.
The leading GTE Pro #92 Porsche pits and rejoins after a slick stop. It rejoins second in class behind the #63 Corvette.
A difficult race for the #23 United Autosports LMP2 has been made tougher. Alex Lynn has had to serve a stop-go penalty after an unsafe release incident with a Porsche earlier.
The #46 Team Project 1 Porsche is out of the race. The car in which Matteo Cairoli led the class early had vibrations after a trip into the Indianapolis gravel with Nicolas Leutwiler at the wheel, which the team has since tried to fix several times. "They changed the tyres, the rear diffuser, stabilisers and checked the car several times. In the end, the car is so damaged that safety can no longer be guaranteed," we are told by Porsche's spokesperson.
The leading #63 Corvette has picked up a puncture and is limping with Antonio Garcia at the wheel. The #92 Porsche now leads GTE Pro.
The #63 Corvette has made it back to the pits, but is wheeled into the garage.
Following Garcia's problems, it is now a Porsche 1-2 in GTE Pro. Estre in the #92 car leads Bruni in #91, with Pier Guidi's #51 AF Corse Ferrari moving into third despite being penalised earlier for track limits. Brake problems mean Tandy's #64 Corvette that led early doors is now fourth, ahead of the #52 Ferrari that lost ground when Molina sustained a puncture in contact with a prototype at Tetre Rouge.
Ok time for a bit of a class leaders update: Hypercar: #8 Toyota LMP2: #38 Jota GTE Pro: #92 Porsche GTE Am: #79 Weathertech Racing
Yellow flag
We have a yellow zone. The reason being contact between the #93 Proton Competition Porsche driven by film star Michael Fassbender and the #61 AF Corse Ferrari piloted by Vincent Abril at Indianapolis.
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Replays show Abril was diving to the inside of Fassbender on the fast right-hander on the approach to the Indianapolis left-hander. Abril, the GTE class poleman, has been wheeled into the garage with a broken left-rear.
We have a #708 Glickenhaus (Olivier Pla) facing the wrong way at Tetre Rouge. Replays show he spun after hitting a kerb on an out lap.
The #7 Toyota has come into the pits for a service. The #708 Glickenhaus has managed to get going again after its spin at Tertre Rouge.
By: autosport.com
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