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WEC 24 Hours of Le Mans

Le Mans 2017: The race

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Green flag
The track is clear again.
Safety car
The safety car is due to come in this lap.
Radio Comms
Kobayashi is told to save fuel behind the safety car.
LMP1
Kobayashi is now behind the wheel of the leading Toyota, which has its lead back down to 2m08s.
GTE PRO
That stop drops the #67 Ford from third to 10th in class, but Tincknell had been struggling a little for pace in comparison with Serra and Sorensen, so perhaps this was an opportune moment for a full service for tyres as well as fuel. He's also handed over to Derani.
LMP2
There are multiple LMP2 cars with their right-side number lights not working. Race control will likely be having a look at that.
Pit stop
Conway has now pitted from the lead.
GTE PRO

Tincknell has pitted the #67 Ford under the safety car, which means being held at the pit exit. Until that point, none of the GTE Pro leading contingent had been disadvantaged by being caught behind the 'wrong' safety car.
LMP2
So in LMP2, the #13 Rebellion of Beche that now leads is in a different safety car pack to the #38 Jackie Chan DC ORECA that's in second and the #31 Rebellion ORECA that's third. That will translate into a handy lead at the restart.
Information
That has been hugely costly for the Porsche! Tandy is now almost six minutes behind Conway!
LMP1
Here's Jani's spin, not a moment he will want to be reminded about:
Information
Tandy has taken over the #1 car from Jani. It had already lost two minutes because of the safety car and it will now be even more.
Crash
Jani has now spun on the way into the pits!
Information
Remember, at Le Mans there are two safety cars at Le Mans. So what's crucial to the order is what pack you are in.
Pit stop
Senna has pitted in the #31 Rebellion ORECA. That car, now with Prost at the wheel, is being held at the pit exit. So the #13 Rebellion of Beche has the lead.
GTE AM
Here is Cameron's spin, which happened before the safety car:
LMP1
It just gets worse for Jani and Porsche - the gap is now 2m44s!
LMP1
Rather than helping the Porsche crew, this safety car appears to have cost Jani 30s to the leading Toyota. The gap is now over two minutes.
Radio Comms
"I am forced to put the safety cars out to remove the gravel that was left on the track by car 66," says the race director. We told you he wasn't impressed.
GTE PRO
Pla brings the #66 Ford back to the garage and it's wheeled straight indoors. Of the Fords, this was among the least likely contenders after dropping back when Mucke punctured in the second hour.
Safety car
SAFETY CAR!
Information
Pla's decision to shower gravel all over the track after Arnage has not gone down well with the race director, who sounds as close to 'animated' as he has all race. 
GTE AM
Duncan Cameron has spun the #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari.
Pit stop
Bradley brings the #40 Graff ORECA into the pits from sixth place.
GTE PRO
Sorensen has passed Tincknell for second place, restoring the Aston Martin one-two.
GTE PRO
Looks like Pla spun off backwards under braking and was unlucky not to come to a halt on the asphalt - he's wedged in the gravel and is having to be towed out.
GTE PRO
This is Pla's view in the Ford at the moment: 
Slow Zone
We've got a slow zone coming to cover the #66 Ford's recovery.
Crash
Pla has gone off onto the escape road in the #66 GTE Pro Ford at the left-hander that follows Indianapolis.
Yellow flag
Yellow flags at the exit of Indianapolis.
LMP1
In case you've forgotten about it, the #8 Toyota is still in the pits. It has been almost 90 minutes now since the car first entered the garage.
Information
We are just past midnight here at Le Mans. That's nine hours in the books.
LMP1
Conway is continuing to deliver the goods for Toyota at the moment, with the #7's lead stretching to 1m11s over Jani in the Porsche.
LMP2
Buret bangs in the #23 Panis Barthez Ligier's fastest lap of the race.. That's in 13th place.

By: Matt Beer

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