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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Fassbender has also somehow managed to bring the Proton Competition Porsche back to the pits after he around the houses trip back to race track following contact with the #61 AF Corse. The Fassbender Porsche has been wheeled back into the garage.
The leading #38 Jota LMP2 has come in for a swift stop. Antonio Felix da Costa stays behind the wheel.
Chevrolet is telling us that it's a suspension problem for the #63 Corvette. By the sound of it, it was a problem at the left rear corner that caused the puncture rather than vice versa.
The #8 Toyota continues to lead after that round of stops, but the gap to the #7 is down to two seconds. Conway is hunting down Buemi. Great scrap.
The #708 Glickenhaus that was spun by Pla has come back into the pits, but it is crabbing significantly at the rear. The team has wheeled it into the garage.
Don't know if anyone else caught a glimpse of right rear of the Glickenhaus as it was pulled back into the garage. The tyre wall was in a right old state. The conclusion has to be that the tyre gave out mid-corner in Tertre Rouge, and that caused him to spin.
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While Fassbender's Porsche is being rebuilt in the garage for the second time this week after his disc failure in FP1, and the Glickenhaus mechanics continue to work on the #708 car, here's what happened to Pla from on-board:
The crabbing #708 Glickenhaus is now dropped down the order and is outside the top 10 now, two laps down. It means the #38 Jota leading the LMP2 class has moved to fourth overall.
The #708 Glickenhaus has rejoined the race after a great job by the team to fix the rear of that car after Pla's crash. Pla has stayed behind the wheel and has rejoined in 16th overall, behind the Richard Mille Racing LMP2, driven by eight-time World Rally champion Sebastien Ogier on his Le Mans debut.
A mechanic down in the Proton pit is taking a boot to the #93 Porsche after Michael Fassbender's accident. I would suggest that someone takes a boot to the actor's posterior. He's been out there lapping some way over four minutes and his lack of pace was undoubtedly a contributory factory to that accident with Vincent Abril in the AF Corse Ferrari.
The battle at the front is getting seriously tasty. The #8 Toyota (Beumi) leads the #7 (Conway) by 0.8s!
The third placed #709 Glickenhaus has come in for a quick service. The entry is two laps down on the leading Toyotas that are split by 0.6s now.
We have an outright lead change! Buemi in the #8 Toyota has let the #7 Toyota driven by Conway into the lead.
Now ahead, the #7 Toyota has moved into a 1.7s lead over the #8 Toyota. in GTE Am, the #93 Porsche that was involved in a crash with Michael Fassbender at the wheel has now rejoined with Aussie Matt Campbell at the helm.
The #38 Jota ORECA is the big winner in a Slow Zone period once again. Da Costa went into it just over a minute ahead of the Prema with Kubica at the wheel and is now more than two minutes ahead. They can be a bit of a lottery, but the thinking is that these local virtual safety cars are fairer than the real thing. We all know that the three-car safety car set-up at Le Mans can destroy the race.
In GTE Pro, the leading Porsche have pitted. The Team Penske LMP2 has also taken service with Dane Cameron taking over from Emmanuel Collard, who is taking part in his 25th Le Mans (putting him fifth outright in the number of total involvements, putting him beyond Jan Lammers and Francois Migault on 24). That entry is ninth in class on Penske's first Le Mans since 1971.
That's eight hours in the books. Class leaders: Hypercar: #7 Toyota LMP2: #38 Jota GTE Pro: #92 Porsche GTE AM: #79 Weathertech Racing
Just as we type that the #7 Toyota has pitted handing the lead back to #8 Toyota.
The two Porsches have be split at the top of the GTE Pro class. Bruni #91 Porsche has slipped to third, behind the #51 Ferrari driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi. The #63 Corvette, which had led the class, has rejoined the race after a rear suspension failure.
The #8 Toyota (Buemi) has pitted and rejoined ahead of the #7 Toyota (Conway) after the latest round of stops. The overcut has worked here to produce a genuine lead change. This fight continues with 0.7s separating the pair.
Buemi has radioed the team asking if it is necessary for Conway in the chasing #7 Toyota to push this hard given the team's two lap advantage over the third-placed Glickenhaus.
Buemi was quicker on his in-lap by about a second and then gained a second in the pits. That was enough to overturn a deficit that stood at just 1.3s before Conway came into the pits a lap ahead of him. The two Toyotas really do look evenly matched right now.
If you want to catch up on what has happened in the last four hours; here is our eight hour report: https://www.autosport.com/le-mans/news/le-mans-24-hours-toyotas-swap-places-corvette-hopes-implode/10320702/
The #8 Toyota (Buemi) has extended the lead over the #7 Toyota (Conway) to 1.7s.
Yellow flag
We have the yellow flags out. The #93 Porsche is beached in the gravel at the Dunlop chicane with Michael Fassbender back at the wheel.
The #41 WRT LMP2 is stuck in the gravel at the Porsche curves with Norman Nato in the car. Two active slow zones now.
Recovery crews are attending to the Fassbender Porsche now.
A double slow zone, two at once at different places around the circuit. There could be some big winners and big losers when we come out of this.
The #51 AF Corse has pitted which has handed second in class to the #91 Porsche.
The battle at the front continues to rage between the two Toyotas. Mike Conway #7 is hassling the #8 driven by Sebastien Buemi. Only 0.2s separating the pair.
Green flag
All slow zones now clear.
Buemi, carving through traffic, has now moved the #8 Toyota into a 3.6s lead over Conway in the #7 Toyota.
Again! The #38 Jota has increased its lead again during a slow zone. But that one wasn't all down to luck. The team opted to bring da Costa into the pits early and he's now two and a half minutes up on the Prema car with Kubica at the wheel. The British team is tightening its grip on this race as it seeks its first class win here since 2017.
The leading GTE Am Weathertech Racing Porsche has come in for a service and rejoins in the class lead with Thomas Merrill back at the wheel.
The #41 Realteam by WRT LMP2 leaves the pits after its stint in the gravel at the Porsche Curves with Norman Nato aboard earlier, which caused a slow zone.
Yellow flag
We have yellow flags out at Arnage.
The #7 Toyota has come in for a scheduled stop. The leading #8 Toyota is expected to take service shortly and comes in this lap.
Buemi has radioed the team asking the #7 Toyota to back off again. Brendon Hartley has taken over the #8 Toyota while Jose Maria Lopez is now in the #7.
Yellow flag
There is a slow zone from Mulsanne to Arnage.
By: autosport.com
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