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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Ed Jones is still due to pit again in the #28 Jota, but for now it is a team 1-2 in LMP2, as Deletraz in the #9 Prema is cycled back to third place in class.
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Going back to the Fassbender line from earlier, as Gary Watkins rightly points out, it hasn't been a superb performance by the high profile Le Mans rookie, so that comment was more tongue-in-cheek given the profile he's brought to the race, rather than his exploits on the track.
There's every incentive for Alpine to keep going here, but on the other hand no rush to make repairs. The Alpine crew, remember, were leading the Hypercar points coming into Le Mans. Back in the LMP1 era, P2 cars scored points in what might be termed the overall championship, but that is no longer the case. So fifth-place points are there to be taken by Lapierre, Vaxiviere and Negrao, though they're gonna do no better than that unless there are dramas for the machinery from Toyota and Glickenhaus ahead of them.
The Alpine has got going again with help from the marshals, but Vaxiviere is reporting the damage is "more than bodywork". It's been a race to forget for the French squad.
Crash
Disaster for the #36 Alpine, Vaxiviere has suffered a heavy crash. The #86 GR Racing Porsche had a wobble in front of him which unsettled the #36 and it was a one-way trip into the gravel and the wall.
I'm not sure one of my colleagues back home in Autosport Towers should be calling Fassbender a Le Mans star. Reckon there's a good argument for him sticking to the day job!
The slow zone from Iribe's earlier crash is still in place which is keeping lap times in check, as the leading #8 Toyota pits. Hartley takes fuel and a clean-up of his screen before returning into the lead.
Part-time movie star, full-time Le Mans star Michael Fassbender is getting back in the #93 Proton Competition Porsche for another stint, but has to wait a little longer as the car is wheeled into the garage for some rear wing work.
There's still seven hours to go in this race, but the gaps to the leaders in Hypercar and LMP2 have stretched to over a lap, so unless disaster strikes the focus will turn to both GT classes. In GTE Pro the #64 Corvette, #51 AF Corse Ferrari and 91 Porsche remain on the class lead lap, and in GTE Am the top four are sticking to the lead lap.
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The #83 AF Corse driven by Perrodo suffers a half-spin trying to lap a GT train at Arnage and struggles to get going again having been sent facing the wrong way. Just as Perrodo does get moving, the #708 Glickenhaus does that exact same thing and Pla is lucky not to make contact.
The #3 DKR Engineering gets back to the pits for a new front-end and tyres before getting going again.
In GTE Am, the #33 TF Sport Aston Martin continues to lead with Keating at the wheel. Still a long way to go in this race but it has a handy 90s-odd advantage over the chasing pack.
Crash
Now the #3 DKR Engineering ORECA has locked up and run off at Mulsanne corner, with Horr trying to keep it pinned through the gravel trap, but ended up clipping the tyre barrier and has got stuck.
Yellow flag
That crash has triggered a slow zone, as the marshals get to work cleaning up the track and repairing the outside barrier which Iribe struck at speed.
Crash
It looks like race over for the #56 Team Project 1 Porsche, Iribe has crashed at the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight and has destroyed the front-end of the car. Iribe has pulled over at the exit of the chicane with the car throwing up fluid.
The #92 Porsche is back out on track after its earlier off, with Vanthoor at the wheel, but is way down the GTE Pro order in sixth place and three laps behind the leading #64 Corvette.
A significant moment in LMP2 battle, if we can call it that. Stevens continued in the #38 Jota car, while Kubica handed over to Deletraz in the #9 Prema entry. Those extra seconds in the pits mean that the Swiss is now a full lap behind. That gives Jota an all-important cushion.
Lopez had a slow puncture: that was just an eight-lap stint. Not exactly whats required when you're trying to make up a whole bunch of time.
The #75 Iron Lynx Ferrari has done a Christensen, locking up at Mulsanne and goes through the gravel, and after getting going again the front-right tyre explodes and spills debris on the track. That triggers another slow zone as the car crawls back to the pits.
Lopez, now free from the earlier front motor battery issue, pits with a slow puncture, to add to the huge amount of work ahead to overhaul a whole lap on the leading #8 Toyota.
Breaking news
Here's the latest report update on an enthralling Le Mans 24 Hours:
New overall leader, the #8 Toyota, comes in for a scheduled pitstop and continues without too much fuss. Hartley has a lap-and-a-bit lead now, which is a huge margin in equal machinery.
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Toyota team director Leupen has confirmed the issue that lost the #7 its lead: “In this case, the battery of the front motor had to be completely discharged and unfortunately it took longer and so the #7 lost the lead.”
Will Stevens is back in the leading LMP2 car, the #38 Jota, in a bid to resist Kubica's chase in the #9 Prema. The pair are split by around 90s at present.
Speaking to TV about his off, Christensen says he had a slow puncture on the rear of his #92 Porsche, but holds his hands up for the mistake and going off into the gravel which caused the right-front tyre to let go in a big way.
While that was going on the #79 WeatherTech Porsche, that was fighting for the lead in GTE Am, spins but narrowly avoids both traffic and the walls to get going again.
Lopez was asked to do multiple electrical recycles in the pits. Crucially Toyota has avoided having to drag the car back into the garage, but #7 has still gone a lap down to the sister car.
Another power cycle is completed by Lopez in the pitbox, which appears to solve the issue for now, and he's refuelled and gets going again. But that's put the #7 car one lap down on the #8 sister car.
Lopez pits immediately and he is asked to do another power cycle. The car isn't currently safe to touch due to the hybrid issue, so the mechanics cannot help with the car despite it being right in front of them in the pits. Agony!
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"Stop the car and power cycle," Lopez is told over Toyota team radio. The #7 Toyota has got going again after around a 90-second stoppage, with the #8 sister car picking up the lead.
More drama - this time for the overall leader! The #7 Toyota has stopped on track coming out of Arnage.
Christensen gets the wounded #92 Porsche back to the pits, letting the Porsche mechanics to assess the damage. In short, there's a lot of it.
Toyota has told us that the #8 car has had a puncture, a right rear. Buemi called it just before a scheduled pitstop. Looks like a lucky escape in terms of the time lost.
Christensen is limping back to the pits but that's got to end its GTE Pro victory hopes. The #92 Porsche is coming around the Porsche curves and is already down to fourth place. There's so much damage, it might even be terminal for the car.
Oh my! The #92 Porsche, leading in GTE Pro, has suffered a major tyre let go. Christensen went through the gravel at Mulsanne and after getting back on track and up to speed the right-front tyre explodes and the debris rips off the front bodywork.
There's also been a driver change in the leading #7 Toyota, with Lopez taking over from Conway, to see the gap between the leaders briefly stretch to 22s.
The #86 GR Racing Porsche has spun into the gravel at the Porsche curves, but is able to get going again under its own power.
By: autosport.com
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