Le Mans 24 Hours 2015 The 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours
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Turvey gets past Bird, Jota is up to second, a world away from where they were 22 hours ago.
The #51 Ferrari has finally emerged from the pits. It has retained third in GTE Pro and is two minutes ahead of the #95 Aston.
An hour and 20 minutes to go and Gavin's cruising in the Corvette - but in the unofficial 'GTE podium' we've got Am cars second and third!
In Pro, second is a fine reward for the #71 Ferrari after its qualifying woes.
In Pro, second is a fine reward for the #71 Ferrari after its qualifying woes.
LMP1 order - 1h20m to go:
1 #19 Porsche
2 #17 Porsche
3 #7 Audi
4 #8 Audi
5 #18 Porsche
6 #2 Toyota
7 #9 Audi
8 #1 Toyota
1 #19 Porsche
2 #17 Porsche
3 #7 Audi
4 #8 Audi
5 #18 Porsche
6 #2 Toyota
7 #9 Audi
8 #1 Toyota
What should be the penultimate pitstops in LMP2 have been completed cleanly. Lapierre still leads Turvey and Bird with 73 minutes remaining.
Rain
Rain reported at the second Mulsanne chicane.
Gavin pits in the class-leading Corvette, which is miles clear now. This would be a third Le Mans class win for Gavin.
LMP2 order with 70 minutes to go:
1 #47 ORECA (Lapierre)
2 #38 Gibson (Tuvey)
3 #26 Ligier (Bird)
4 #28 Ligier (Derani)
5 #34 Ligier (Vanthoor)
6 #48 ORECA (Chandhok)
1 #47 ORECA (Lapierre)
2 #38 Gibson (Tuvey)
3 #26 Ligier (Bird)
4 #28 Ligier (Derani)
5 #34 Ligier (Vanthoor)
6 #48 ORECA (Chandhok)
Rain
Rain is now being reported at Indianapolis.
Dumas hands over the #18 Porsche, which started the race in pole position, to Jani. The car is in fifth, having fallen down the order when both drivers involved in this switch went off at the end of the Mulsanne Straight in very similar fashion in the night.
Krohn in the #40 Ligier is crawling back to the pits with a left-rear puncture. That's the legacy of a collision with another LMP2 car at the Ford Chicane.
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@NISMO: "13:58. Thanks for all your fantastic support. We are now all willing the No.22 home. 1 hour to go."
Di Grassi muscles his way through some traffic, including the #17 Porsche which is clearly in 'get home safe' mode now with Hartley at the wheel in second place.
Di Grassi's #8 Audi is 1m28s behind the podium-sitting #7 of Treluyer, and replays show the #7 car is still pushing, with a big slide coming out of Mulsanne corner.
The leading Porsches are still lapping in 3m22-23s roughly, so they're not exactly crawling to the finish. Treluyer's Audi has just set a 3m18s in third.
Corvette's advantage is a handsome one to have with 50 minutes remaining, four laps and not a Pro car in sight.
Rigon is still an almost equally comfortable second, while Bruni's not going to have a problem holding third against the #95 Aston Martin provided the Ferrari holds together.
Rigon is still an almost equally comfortable second, while Bruni's not going to have a problem holding third against the #95 Aston Martin provided the Ferrari holds together.
In GTE Am, must we remind you who is leading?
It's been sheer dominance from the #98 Aston Martin, which is fluctuating from being a lap ahead of the #72 SMP Ferrari and two laps ahead.
It's been sheer dominance from the #98 Aston Martin, which is fluctuating from being a lap ahead of the #72 SMP Ferrari and two laps ahead.
So, with 50 minutes remaining, here's how things stand:
Overall
1 #19 Porsche (Hulkenberg)
2 #17 Porsche (Hartley)
3 #7 Audi (Treluyer)
4 #8 Audi (Di Grassi)
5 #18 Porsche (Jani)
6 #2 Toyota (Conway)
7 #9 Audi (Albuquerque)
8 #1 Toyota (Buemi)
LMP2
1 #47 ORECA (Lapierre)
2 #38 Gibson (Turvey)
3 #26 Ligier (Bird)
GTE PRO
1 #64 Corvette (Gavin)
2 #71 Ferrari (Rigon)
3 #51 Ferrari (Bruni)
GTE AM
1 #98 Aston Martin (Dalla Lana)
2 #72 Ferrari (Bertolini)
3 #77 Porsche (Seefried)
Overall
1 #19 Porsche (Hulkenberg)
2 #17 Porsche (Hartley)
3 #7 Audi (Treluyer)
4 #8 Audi (Di Grassi)
5 #18 Porsche (Jani)
6 #2 Toyota (Conway)
7 #9 Audi (Albuquerque)
8 #1 Toyota (Buemi)
LMP2
1 #47 ORECA (Lapierre)
2 #38 Gibson (Turvey)
3 #26 Ligier (Bird)
GTE PRO
1 #64 Corvette (Gavin)
2 #71 Ferrari (Rigon)
3 #51 Ferrari (Bruni)
GTE AM
1 #98 Aston Martin (Dalla Lana)
2 #72 Ferrari (Bertolini)
3 #77 Porsche (Seefried)
Crash
We wrote too soon!
Paul dalla Lana has had a huge shunt in the #98 Aston. The front end is wrecked.
The car speared left on the entrance to the first part of the Ford chicane and ploughed into the wall.
Paul dalla Lana has had a huge shunt in the #98 Aston. The front end is wrecked.
The car speared left on the entrance to the first part of the Ford chicane and ploughed into the wall.
The rear wheels of the #98 spin desperately as dalla Lana tries to get it moving, but the Vantage is well and truly stuck.
Marshals are finally attending to the stricken Aston, which is slowly being moved.
Dalla Lana is out of the car and looks shaken, but is hopefully uninjured. That was a big hit.
The #72 Ferrari will probably take the lead in a couple of laps.
Dalla Lana is out of the car and looks shaken, but is hopefully uninjured. That was a big hit.
The #72 Ferrari will probably take the lead in a couple of laps.
So, while it's all drama in GTE Pro, the two Porsches are still circulating happily in first and second overall.
The #8 Audi of Di Grassi heads into the pits.
Di Grassi returns to the track. Treluyer has also pitted for fuel.
With 40 minutes remaining, Lapierre is 60 seconds clear at the front of LMP2. Turvey and Bird are still the balance of the top three.
Green flag
The wreck of the #98 Aston Martin has been cleared up, so the slow zone is gone.
Bird pits in the G-Drive entry for - they will hope - one final time, and rejoins the race.
Turvey follows Bird's lead and pits aboard the Jota entry. They've had quite a 24 hours - as they did here 12 months ago. A very casual stop with one last fuel load taken on board and the McLaren tester is on his way.
The pace is relatively tame at the front, with t leading Porsches circulating 7-9s off their maximum pace. And why not? After al, it's the last 35 minutes and they have a one-two within their grasp. No sense risking any reliability problems or mistakes.
Gavin pits the Corvette C7.R from the GTE Pro lead. Just over half an hour to go and the Chevy squad is just stroking it home now.
Krohn's eventful day isn't over yet. The #40 has been handed a one-minute stop-go penalty for speeding in pitlane.
If you are part of a sweep on the number of 'decisions' stewards would make during the race, you might be interested to know that that's the 64th.
If you are part of a sweep on the number of 'decisions' stewards would make during the race, you might be interested to know that that's the 64th.
The #72 SMP Ferrari has long since taken the GTE Am lead, with the #77 Proton Porsche through into second as well.
Lapierre's work is done. He's pitted for the final time to hand the KCMG entry over to Bradley, who put the car on pole way back on Wednesday night.
Bradley dedicated pole position to his uncle, who passed away during the week - you would expect a similar sentiment is coming post-race.
Bradley dedicated pole position to his uncle, who passed away during the week - you would expect a similar sentiment is coming post-race.
So, Porsche is now 30 minutes away from victory with the #19 (Hulkenberg/Tandy/Bamber) leading the #17 (Bernhard/Hartley/Webber)
Has been a fine performance from all three drivers in the #19 car (who have a grand total of two Le Mans starts prior to this race under their belts!)
It's been a tough Le Mans for Audi. Currently, Treluyer is third in #7, Di Grassi fourth in #8 and Albuquerque seventh in #9. But it has given Porsche a proper run for its money.
As for Toyota, it's been a chastening experience for the reigning Wold Endurance Championship-winning team. It's two cars are sixth and eighth.
Toyota Le Mans 2015
Twenty minutes remain and all is well in GTE.
In Pro:
1. #64 Corvette
2. #71 Ferrari
3. #51 Ferrari
In Am:
1. #72 SMP Ferrari
2. #77 Dempsey-Proton Porsche
3. #62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari
In Pro:
1. #64 Corvette
2. #71 Ferrari
3. #51 Ferrari
In Am:
1. #72 SMP Ferrari
2. #77 Dempsey-Proton Porsche
3. #62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari
The #18 Porsche, in fifth place, has paid what should be its last visit to the pits. Jani at the wheel.
Since AUTOSPORT arrived at the circuit on Wednesday morning, we've seen this grandstand in many different states of capacity. It was fairly quiet during practice, then built up on Saturday before the race and gradually thinned out over the evening.
Today, the fans have returned to the start-finish straight, and it's packed with people keen to see the cars greet the chequered flag. They - along with Porsche, KCMG, Corvette and SMP - have 20 minutes to wait.
Today, the fans have returned to the start-finish straight, and it's packed with people keen to see the cars greet the chequered flag. They - along with Porsche, KCMG, Corvette and SMP - have 20 minutes to wait.
By: Scott Mitchell, AUTOSPORT staff, Mitchell Adam, Glenn Freeman, Edd Straw, Gary Watkins
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