Le Mans 24 Hours 2015 The 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours
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The #13 Rebellion has rejoined the circuit, and it's making its way back to the pits with damage to the front bodywork after that clash with a GT car and the Strakka down at the first Mulsanne chicane.
Twitter
@StrakkaRacing: "Replacing rear wing, cut in tyre."
Yellow flag
There is a lot of oil down on the racing line on the approach to the first Mulsanne chicane. Marshals are at work trying to dry it out with powder, as the field files by on the right-hand side.
Before the safety car, Gommendy led LMP2 by seven seconds, over Bradley and Bird - who is taking advantage of this caution to make a pitstop.
With Bird pitting and handing over to Rusinov, Vanthoor is now third, ahead of Lancaster, Chatin, Berthon and Webb.
With Bird pitting and handing over to Rusinov, Vanthoor is now third, ahead of Lancaster, Chatin, Berthon and Webb.
Heavy front-end damage on the Rebellion #13 as it comes back to the pits. The cars goes into the garage, where the team will check out if it's bodywork-only or something more serious underneath.
Twitter
Positivity from Jota after its gearbox troubles:
@JotaSport: "Gearbox potentiometer replace @OliverTurvey reports all good now. We came back last yr from a longer early pit stop."
@JotaSport: "Gearbox potentiometer replace @OliverTurvey reports all good now. We came back last yr from a longer early pit stop."
LMP1 lead order behind the safety car:
1 #17 Porsche
2 #18 Porsche
3 #8 Audi
4 #7 Audi
5 #9 Audi
6 #19 Porsche
7 #1 Toyota
8 #2 Toyota
And, fortunately, all eight are in the same safety car queue so nobody has been disadvantaged.
1 #17 Porsche
2 #18 Porsche
3 #8 Audi
4 #7 Audi
5 #9 Audi
6 #19 Porsche
7 #1 Toyota
8 #2 Toyota
And, fortunately, all eight are in the same safety car queue so nobody has been disadvantaged.
Bernhard Le Mans 2015
Here's the average pace for the leading LMP1 cars between their pit-stops and the deployment of the safety car:
1 Duval, 3m22.976s
2 Bonanomi, 3m22.908s
3 Hulkenberg 3m23.119s
4 Lotterer, 3m23.389
5 Bernhard 3m24.161s
6 Jani, 3m24.712s
7 Buemi, 3m25.872s
8 Wurz, 3m27.449s
1 Duval, 3m22.976s
2 Bonanomi, 3m22.908s
3 Hulkenberg 3m23.119s
4 Lotterer, 3m23.389
5 Bernhard 3m24.161s
6 Jani, 3m24.712s
7 Buemi, 3m25.872s
8 Wurz, 3m27.449s
We've just had a replay of Wurz spinning the #2 Toyota at the second chicane, seemingly under safety car conditions.
Bertolini has taken over lead of the GTE Am class.
Bertolini Le Mans 2015
This is the GTE Pro order under the safety car. All the cars are together, fortunately:
1. #95 Aston, Thiim
2. #51 Ferrari, Bruni
3. #97 Aston, Mucke
4. #99 Aston, Stanaway
5. #64 Corvette, Gavin
6. #71 Ferrari, Calado
7. #91 Porsche, Lietz
1. #95 Aston, Thiim
2. #51 Ferrari, Bruni
3. #97 Aston, Mucke
4. #99 Aston, Stanaway
5. #64 Corvette, Gavin
6. #71 Ferrari, Calado
7. #91 Porsche, Lietz
And the GTE Am order:
1. #72 SMP Ferrari, Bertolini
2. #98 Aston, Lamy
3. #55 AF Corse Ferrari, Griffin
1. #72 SMP Ferrari, Bertolini
2. #98 Aston, Lamy
3. #55 AF Corse Ferrari, Griffin
The #13 Rebellion leaves the garage, it's heading back into the action after that shunt caused by oil from the GTE Porsche.
Toyota was the real winner under this safety car. It was falling to around a minute off the lead with both cars before the race was neutralised. Now it has both cars back within 20s of the front.
In LMP2, Gommendy and Bradley will restart together at the front of the field, while the pack led by third-placed Vanthoor is 85 seconds further back.
Yellow flag
We're now onto the fourth lap of the safety car.
A look at the times from the first GTE Pro stint shows Thiim firmly in control in the #95 Aston.
He was stretching his lead comfortably with a series of quick laps. The half-dozen before the stop was very impressive:
3m56.908s
3m56.723s
3m56.790s
3m57.147s
3m56.539s
3m56.414s
How's that for consistency around an 8.47-mile track?
He was stretching his lead comfortably with a series of quick laps. The half-dozen before the stop was very impressive:
3m56.908s
3m56.723s
3m56.790s
3m57.147s
3m56.539s
3m56.414s
How's that for consistency around an 8.47-mile track?
Restart is imminent.
Green flag
The safety cars pull in, we're back racing at Le Mans, with Jani and Duval chasing Bernhard for the lead in LMP1.
Twitter
@OAKRacingLive: "@kevinestre is getting ready for a driver change on the #34!"
The GTE Pros come across the line...line astern. Didn't think that word order through.
It's Thiim, Bruni, Mucke, Stanaway, Gavin, Calado. Great roster of talent there.
It's Thiim, Bruni, Mucke, Stanaway, Gavin, Calado. Great roster of talent there.
Bernhard breaks away, and behind it's all kicking off. The Audis are all at it on Jani's tail, with Lotterer passing Duval for third.
Bonanomi then attacks Duval as well, with Hulkenberg briefly making it three-wide on the Mulsanne!
Duval slips back to the third of the Audis, and Hulkenberg passes him into the Porsche Curves. A painful restart for the #8 car that was third just a minute ago.
Bonanomi then attacks Duval as well, with Hulkenberg briefly making it three-wide on the Mulsanne!
Duval slips back to the third of the Audis, and Hulkenberg passes him into the Porsche Curves. A painful restart for the #8 car that was third just a minute ago.
Jani's mirrors are full of Audis. Lotterer is all over him as they head back onto the Mulsanne. Up front, Bernhard is 1.5s clear of this fight.
The Toyotas, which restarted behind the Porsches and the Audis, have already slipped five seconds behind sixth-placed Duval's #8 car.
Lotterer, Bonanomi, Hulkenberg, Duval - that's the train on Jani's tail right now as they head from Mulsanne corner to Indianapolis.
Twitter
@KrohnRacing: "Pit stop 2: @barbosaracing suffered LR flat tire @MichelinAlley pitted under caution."
The #9 Audi of Bonanomi is now on its 12th lap since it stopped. That will be the frontrunning car in for a scheduled stop, although the safety car will have allowed it to save fuel and extend the stint length.
The incident between the expired #92 Porsche and the two cars that tripped over each other behind its apparent blown engine at the Mulsanne chicane – the #13 Rebellion LMP1 and the #42 Strakka LMP2 – is under investigation.
Hulkenberg passes Bonanomi's Audi for fourth into the second Mulsanne chicane.
The leaders have caught a train of GTE cars - this could shake things up. Jani is right on Bernhard's rear wing for the lead, and the #7 Audi is there too.
In the fight for third in GTE Am Long has got the #77 Porsche ahead of the #55 Ferrari.
Lancaster pits from P4 in LMP2 and rejoins, while leader Gommendy peeled into pitlane a lap later. That leaves Bradley in the lead, about 40 seconds clear of the next pack.
Bernhard, Jani and Lotterer have broken away in that traffic, and they are nose-to-tail! Lotterer is looking very feisty as they cross the line, and he passes Jani for second into Turn 1, before having a look at Bernhard as well into the chicane.
He doesn't make it stick, but he passes him on the exit instead - Audi leads!
He doesn't make it stick, but he passes him on the exit instead - Audi leads!
Vanthoor has also pitted, handing the Honda-powered OAK Ligier over to Estre.
Bonanomi and Hulkenberg pitted while that was going on, and Hulkenberg just hangs onto track position in their fight. They were fourth and fifth before stopping.
Traffic, and specifically getting out of the way of the LMP1s, has cost the #99 Aston fourth. Stanaway's strong start has morphed into a tricky battle as he slips behind the #64 Corvette.
Gavin on the move. Thiim leads by 3.8s out front.
Gavin on the move. Thiim leads by 3.8s out front.
Hulkenberg in the #19 Porsche and Bonanomi in the #9 Audi have both taken on fuel only, so their tyres head into their third stint.
The Porsches are using their power advantage to climb all over Lotterer's #7 Audi, but he's keeping them at bay on the run to Indianapolis. We're nearly into the Audi territory of the lap, where he'll look to catch some breathing space. What a cracking fight.
Should see the #8 Audi in next. Then the leading #7 a lap later.
Sure enough, with the help of some traffic, Lotterer extends his lead through the final sector to 1.6s. Bernhard second, Jani third.
Duval pits the #8 Audi from fourth place.
Duval pits the #8 Audi from fourth place.
By: Scott Mitchell, AUTOSPORT staff, Mitchell Adam, Glenn Freeman, Edd Straw, Gary Watkins
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