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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We're told that the problem with the #77 Porsche is a collapsed wishbone on the lower right side.
The #92 Porsche gets its last driver change: Michael Christensen hops in. You'd expect most of the drivers getting in now - and the tyres going on now - to make it to the end. Just the LM P2 tyres might be marginal for some - we've heard that the lead car is now beginning to lose the tyres in the middle of the third stint. And a stint is usually just over half an hour...
Roberto Gonzalez is done for the day in the leading LM P2 Jota car - Will Stevens will take the car to the flag assuming all goes to plan for the class leaders. The only real threat to that car at the moment is a Hypercar - the #708 Glickenhaus is within 30 seconds. Class victory will be more important to Stevens and his crew than defending fourth overall, however.
The Priaulx car's demise lifts the #98 NorthWest AMR Aston into third with David Pittard at the wheel. Porsche has comfortably been the quickest car in GTE Am, but we could yet have two Astons on the podium with Keating still leading Merrill by 66s.
There's a battle for 8th going on in GTE Am at the moment, where a Mann (Simon) is under attack from a lady (Michelle Gatting). We'll assume that the Dane is no relation to former England cricketer Mike.
Dear oh dear, nightmare stuff for the #77 Proton-Dempsey Porsche crew that was firmly in contention for a GTE Am podium. Seb Priaulx brings it back to the garage for checks. He now rejoins, but the second-generation racer is now down to 14th in class and eight laps down.
Two hours to go!
The second Glickenhaus car, as crashed by Olivier Pla many hours ago, has just one more LM P2 car to pick off before it can join its sister car in the top four overall. That Jota car is 35 seconds ahead -- but on the evidence of the last lap it's six seconds slower. And all things being equal, it certainly can't count on doing fewer pitstops than the Glickenhaus Hypercar either!
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Developments in GTE Am: Thomas Merrill has lost a few seconds with a trip into the gravel at the entry to the Porsche Curves. If that was a result of pushing too hard to catch Ben Keating in the TF Sport Porsche, then it's advantage Keating!
The latest round of stops in GTE PRO is complete. The leading Porsche #91 managed 14 laps in that last stint, as opposed to the two AF Corse Ferraris, who ran 15 and were out for just over an hour. But all these protagonists should be able to reach the end quite comfortably on two further stops, and from the outside things look good for Richard Lietz up front with a 40s lead.
I promised you a comparison between the top two cars in LM P2. And now I can deliver: Gonzalez was two seconds quicker than Colombo last time around. As our doyen Gary Watkins pointed out earlier in the feed, he's disappointing those who thought the Mexican's stints might be a chance for Prema Orlen Team's #9 car to catch up. Unless there's any kind of fitness issue for the 'silver' driver in the afternoon heat...is that clutching at straws?
Sebastien Buemi rolls into the pits in the leading Toyota. He remains unmoved in the cockpit as the fuel goes in, then gets away without a hitch. He and his team-mates will be nervous as the clock ticks down -- they've got a fast car, but one that's been known to shut itself down without anyone asking it to. That's the main reason Buemi's car has the comfortable lead it does -- just ask Jose Maria Lopez!
Jim Glickenhaus is seeing the positive side of what looks like a certain top three in the Hypercar class, and perhaps a 3-4 finish overall if the recovering #708 car continues its progress. "It looks possible we could have a car on the podium, and that's very emotional. Toyota is a giant company and probably makes more cars in three minutes than we make in three years."
Colombo has now also stopped for fuel, which swells the deficit to over two minutes. If they ever stop doing pit stops in LM P2, and the track retains its green status, we might just get a chance to compare his lap times with those of Gonzalez...
The Jota #38 car, which currently leads LM P2 in the hands of Roberto Gonzalez, just opened the next 'round' of stops in that crazy class - he's made a whopping 36 of them and that's par for the course. Gonzalez retains a lead of over a minute -- with the chasing Prema car of Lorenzo Colombo due in next. We're keeping an eye on lap times, but it's still a good lead when you've just stopped. We're green all the way around the track again, however, so there's freedom for his rivals to put pressure on him for the time being.
We've still got a slow zone in the Porsche Curves region thanks to that Schiavone accident. The track temperature is now well over 40 degrees, similar to what we had at the start yesterday. It's been an eventful race, but not in terms of weather!
Marvellous stuff Mr Newbold, thank you! It's a privilege to take you through the 90th running of this legendary race! The 20th anniversary of my first trip to La Sarthe, come to think of it. Slept under a bush in between watching Audi sweep the board in 2002. Wow, things have changed. Toyota are on the verge of a fifth straight win - one that will put them in a similar league to the ruthless Ingolstadt crews of yesteryear.
That's all from me, I'll hand back over to the capable hands of Richard Asher to bring us home to the finish. Nothing is settled just yet...
With three hours to go, Buemi leads for Toyota in the #8 car by 2m52s ahead of team-mate Conway in #7, with Westbrook still third in the #709 Glickenhaus. Gonzalez (#38 Jota) continues to head Colombo (#9 Prema) in LMP2, while in GTE Pro Bruni's #91 Porsche has 53s in hand over Serra in the #51 Ferrari. Keating in the #33 TF Aston is 80s ahead of Merrill's #79 WeatherTech Porsche in the Am class.
Derani has moved up to sixth overall in the #708 Glickenhaus, and is now 20s behind the second-placed LMP2 runner Colombo. Slowly but surely, the second 007 LMH is moving up the order after its off for Olivier Pla last night.
Gonzalez, a real silver rather than someone who won an FIA F3 race last year, is doing a stellar job. Jota had to put him back in the car because he hasn't done the minimum time demanded of him by the sporting rules. The 46-year-old just this moment passed five hours, so that means he has another hour to do.
All the while, Ben Keating continues to lead the Am class for TF - Tom Ferrier's crack Aston Martin team aiming for a second in in three years of that class after triumphing in 2020 then finishing runner-up last year. Can WeatherTech mount a comeback in the final three hours?
Crash
Oof, a big hit for Claudio Schiavone in the #60 Iron Lynx Ferrari in GTE Am. He gets off-line exiting the Porsche Curves as the LMP2 Panis ORECA flashed past him on the inside and spins into the barriers hard. That'll be day done.
Colombo lost four seconds to LMP2 leader Gonzalez last time around, and appears to be slipping back - the gap is now back towards two minutes. Cameron meanwhile has indeed taken fourth from Beche after the latter's drive-through penalty.
Following that stop for Hirakawa, Sebastien Buemi has climbed aboard the leading #8 Toyota. If he were to deliver victory today, it would be his fourth at Le Mans to put him level with Henri Pescarolo, Olivier Gendebien and Yannick Dalmas.
Pipo Derani is now behind the wheel of the #708 Glickenhaus and is fast closing on Jonathan Aberdein who is third in LMP2 in the #28 Jota machine. That's a looming battle for sixth overall, if not for class position.
The gap between the two Toyotas at the front of the field still stands around the three-minute mark. Hirakawa has just come into the pits in the leading #8 machine.
After Pier Guidi handed over the #51 Ferrari to Serra, the Brazilian finds himself 56 seconds down on the leading #91 Porsche of Bruni in the GTE Pro class lead. Will there be any more twists in the tail of this class that has had so many twists and turns so far?
Following the latest stop for the GTE Am class leader Ben Keating, there's 1m48s between him and the pursuing WeatherTech Porsche of Thomas Merrill. Harry Tincknell is still third in the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche, but 55s down on the identical WeatherTech example.
Yellow flag
We've got yellow flags out at Arnage. Mark Kvamme's JMW Ferrari has spun and has its rear wheels buried in the gravel. It was assisted by Zach Robichon in the #93 Proton Porsche, the two running 16th and 17th respectively in GTE Am although Robichon is four laps behind.
A drive-through penalty has been handed to the #13 TDS ORECA, which is set to cost it a place to the Penske crew with Dane Cameron nine seconds behind Mathias Beche.
Colombo is giving this his best shot. He's quicker than LMP2 leader Gonzalez and has chipped the gap down to 55s, which is the smallest its been for some time now.
But, as we type, Pier Guidi comes in one lap later and hands over to Daniel Serra. He's aiming for a third GTE Pro class win after triumphing with Aston Martin (2017) and Ferrari (2019).
After a scheduled pitstop from the lead in GTE Pro, Bruni's #91 Porsche has rejoined behind the #51 Ferrari of Pier Guidi - who took on fuel during his unplanned visit to collect a new right-rear after his earlier slow puncture. The ebb and flow of this race is fascinating.
Da Costa has hopped out of the LMP2-leading #38 Jota machine, with Gonzalez taking over. There's a minute between the leader now and the pursuing Colombo.
Julien Andlauer has vacated the #79 WeatherTech Porsche that was running second in GTE Am. Back aboard now is Thomas Merrill, the bronze-rated American impressing with some very strong stints during the dead of night during which he didn't loose all that much time to Marco Sorensen. It was a mishap somewhere for Cooper MacNeil that ultimately dropped the 911 behind the TF car in the early hours of this morning.
Jonathan Aberdein is now aboard the #28 Jota car and chasing after second-placed man Colombo, the gap now a minute between them. Behind, in fourth, its still the #13 TDS driven by Mathias Beche with Dane Cameron lingering about 8s back in the Penske entry.
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File this latest post from Cool Racing's Ricky Taylor under the box marked 'relatable tweet'.
In comes Rasmussen from second in the #28 Jota ORECA in LMP2. That has ebbed and flowed over the last couple of hours depending through the pit cycles, with Prema's Lorenzo Colombo returning to the top spot. What hasn't changed is the position of dominance occupied by the #38 Jota team which continues to lead, with Da Costa soon set to make way for Gonzalez - who is getting his neck treated by a physio ready for his next stint.
By: autosport.com
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