Le Mans 24 Hours 2015 The 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours
Live Text
Sort by
The front bodywork is off the #1 Toyota, but there's also lots of attention being paid to the rear-end of the car.
Twitter
@PorscheRaces: "#Porsche919Hybrid no 18 with short stint, slow puncture suspected, now on track with @RomainDumas."
That explains the unscheduled stop from earlier, then.
That explains the unscheduled stop from earlier, then.
Bamber pits the #19 Porsche, as expected.
Here we go, it's taken a couple of laps, but the #99 Aston is in position to attack the #64 Corvette for the lead.
The dramas for the #18 with that suspected puncture mean it has dropped behind the #19 in the battle for fourth. Dumas is now 10s behind Bamber.
Twitter
@NISMO: "No.22 is back into the race after the brake change."
Treluyer had Hartley's lead down to 43s a couple of laps ago, but it's back out to 50s now, and he's only 6s ahead of the #9 Audi of Albuquerque.
Very slow first sector for Rees costs him five seconds to race leader Milner!
The #51 Ferrari has pit. Toni Vilander takes over.
The #51 Ferrari has pit. Toni Vilander takes over.
Sarrazin pits the #2 Toyota, while the #1 remains in the garage being worked on after Davidson brought it in with damage.
The Greaves entry was last shown being pushed back up the hilly infield towards the fence. With that change, KCMG leads TDS Racing by 2m35s, albeit having made one fewer pitstop. The Murphy entry is third, ahead of Signatech Alpine, the #26 G-Drive entry and Team SARD Morand.
We suspected KCMG would be close to having to make a pitstop, and it has now done so, following a 12-lap stint. Lapierre stays in the ORECA 05.
Twitter
@ByKOLLES: "Engine caught fire... Team is ok"
The #1 Toyota returns to the track after repairs. Davidson is out of the car, with Nakajima taking over. Remember, Nakajima was a real doubt for this race after his Spa shunt before he made a superb recovery.
The #99 Aston is likely to pit from second this lap, although the #97 in third and class-leading Corvette should go a bit longer.
The withdrawal of the slow zone has hurt race leader Hartley - he lost 21s to Treluyer last time around to the gap is now down to 29s in the battle for the lead.
Albuquerque remains 10s behind Treluyer in the #9 Audi.
Albuquerque remains 10s behind Treluyer in the #9 Audi.
As Milner continues, Rees pits in the #99 Vantage. The Brazilian's had a decent stint.
That should be fuel and tyres for the Vantage, and we expect a first stint in the race for Alex MacDowall.
That should be fuel and tyres for the Vantage, and we expect a first stint in the race for Alex MacDowall.
Here's how the five cars on the lead lap stand:
1 #17 Porsche (Hartley)
2 #7 Audi (Treluyer), +30.440s
3 #9 Audi (Albuquerque), +41.375s
4 #19 Porsche (Bamber), +1m55.919s
5 #18 Porsche (Dumas), +2m00.245s
1 #17 Porsche (Hartley)
2 #7 Audi (Treluyer), +30.440s
3 #9 Audi (Albuquerque), +41.375s
4 #19 Porsche (Bamber), +1m55.919s
5 #18 Porsche (Dumas), +2m00.245s
Treluyer pits for another tank of fuel, starting the last segment of his quadruple stint, and relinquishing second to the #9 car of Albuquerque for now.
Rees stays in the car, so Aston continues to triple-stint its drivers.
Christensen pits the Porsche and hands over to Jorg Bergmeister.
Christensen pits the Porsche and hands over to Jorg Bergmeister.
The #17 Porsche driven by Hartley that leads will be the next frontrunner in.
Turner pits the second-place #97 Aston. He's ended up a very lonely third since his spin earlier.
Hartley pits the #17 car from the lead, handing it over to Webber for his first appearance in the race.
The longer stop for the driver change means Albuquerque leads in the #9 Audi.
The longer stop for the driver change means Albuquerque leads in the #9 Audi.
A call for the Larbre team manager to race control immediately. A team member got in the way of one of the Toyota LMP1s during its stop a moment ago.
In GTE Am race news, though, it's still a strong lead for the #72 SMP Ferrari ahead of the #98 Aston. Nothing else to report really.
The #17's gap to Treluyer in the #7 Audi is just 20s now, owing to that driver change. But Audi will be making a change of their own at the next stop, so things will quickly even out.
Breaking news
The #17 - effectively the race leader - is under investigation for overtaking during a slow zone. That must have been while Hartley was still at the wheel, because we've not had a slow zone since Webber took over.
Milner pits the GTE-leading Corvette.
Twitter
The first Nissan is now some 10 laps behind leader Hartley, with the others much further down the order.
width="583"
With a flat battery behind Greaves' stoppage - the car is slowly falling down the timesheets - Lapierre has built his lead over Thiriet to 1m52s.
Signatech Alpine and Murphy are the only other LMP2 cars on the lead lap, but barely, with the bulk of the cars having made six pitstops.
Lapierre looked set to put a lap on Patterson in Murphy's ORECA down the front straight, while Panciatici is about 20 seconds up the road.
Signatech Alpine and Murphy are the only other LMP2 cars on the lead lap, but barely, with the bulk of the cars having made six pitstops.
Lapierre looked set to put a lap on Patterson in Murphy's ORECA down the front straight, while Panciatici is about 20 seconds up the road.
Long stop for the Corvette as Jordan Taylor jumps in to replace Milner, and that allows Aston to take a one-two: Rees in the #99 and Turner in the #97.
Di Grassi passes Albuquerque (with ease) to get the #8 Audi back on the lead lap. It's currently in sixth, a minute clear of Sarrazin in the Toyota that hasn't hit trouble (#2).
It seems like an age since Bird featured in the lead battle aboard the #26 G-Drive Ligier. He's back in the car now, after stints from Rusinov and Canal, and not wasting any time, setting its fastest lap of the day, a 3m39.787s.
He went faster again the next time around, logging a 3m39.434s. The entry is seventh, more than a lap down on KCMG, and 48 seconds behind Bird's immediate target, Cumming in the OAK Ligier. Although Cumming is now pitting.
He went faster again the next time around, logging a 3m39.434s. The entry is seventh, more than a lap down on KCMG, and 48 seconds behind Bird's immediate target, Cumming in the OAK Ligier. Although Cumming is now pitting.
A brief moment of comedy courtesy of the TV director, who cuts to a strange shot of a stationary Audi. After much exclamation in the media centre (and Audi's garage and hospitality units!), the shot zooms out to reveal that it's a static image on a wall of one of Audi's units here.
Relief all round on the Audi faces in the pits, and laughter in the media centre. Bravo, Mr Director.
Relief all round on the Audi faces in the pits, and laughter in the media centre. Bravo, Mr Director.
The #22 Nissan has just done its fastest lap of the race - a 3m39.593s in the hands of Buncombe. Its currently 22nd.
Webber gets all crossed up with one of the OAK LMP2s through the esses, costing him around three seconds.
Second and third in class, Thiriet and Panciatici have pitted, with the latter handing over the Signatech Alpine to Capillaire.
Through that, Patterson has moved into third and Lapierre leads by 2m41s.
Meanwhile, TV cameras appear to have caught the two OAK Ligiers in interesting moments - the #35 trying not to get in Webber's way too much, and Cumming having a half-spin in the #34.
Through that, Patterson has moved into third and Lapierre leads by 2m41s.
Meanwhile, TV cameras appear to have caught the two OAK Ligiers in interesting moments - the #35 trying not to get in Webber's way too much, and Cumming having a half-spin in the #34.
Twitter
@oliverjameswebb: "Starting the race was amazing. Back in in 1 hour. We are currently P5."
width="583"
Di Grassi pits the #8 Audi from sixth, having got it back on the lead lap.
What is there to report in GTE Pro? The #99 car is streaking clear, thanks to easily Rees's strongest of his three consecutive stints.
Taylor's bringing the #64 Corvette back into the fight for second, and isn't far behind the #97 Aston, in which Turner seems to be struggling slightly.
Taylor's bringing the #64 Corvette back into the fight for second, and isn't far behind the #97 Aston, in which Turner seems to be struggling slightly.
The lead has changed in GTE Am, thanks to the fifth pitstop for the #72 Ferrari - which puts the #98 Aston back to first.
By: Scott Mitchell, AUTOSPORT staff, Mitchell Adam, Glenn Freeman, Edd Straw, Gary Watkins
Published:
Page:
