Le Mans 24 Hours 2019
Live Text
Sort by
LMP1
We said "Nicely timed" about the Toyota stop, but it came just as one of the three safety car trains came past the pits.
LMP2
The RLR car, which had also stopped just before this safety-car period, is back up and running on the Mulsanne Straight.
Pit stop
The #7 car has also been in for a stop and is now at the end of the pitlane awaiting a green light. Kobayashi remains in the car.
To bring you up to speed, this is the RLR car - with Farano at the wheel - beached at Tertre Rouge before the safety car.
Green flag
The safety cars have been called in, and we're back up and running.
LMP1
Ah - so Toyota didn't keep Kobayashi in the car, the timing screen just hadn't updated because the #7 hadn't left the pits. Lopez is at the head of the field now.
GTE PRO
Lead change in GTE Pro as we return to racing, Serra in the #51 Ferrari has jumped the #92 Porsche of Vanthoor! We have a change for third as well, as Bamber's #92 Porsche is up ahead of the #63 Corvette of Rockenfeller.
GTE AM
Also worth noting that FCY played right into the hands of the Keating Motorsports Ford GT, which had its lead of around 35s over the Proton Porsche extended to a whopping 1m17s. Christian Ried is now having to fend off Euan Hankey's TF Sport Aston, which is up to third.
LMP2
The battle of the Silvers between Van Uitert and Thiriet was clearly weighted in favour of the former, but the battle of the Golds between Rusinov and Negrao seems a bit more evenly-matched. Negrao is catching the Russian and now sits just 2.6s adrift.
GTE AM
Ried pitted from second in the #77 Porsche, so Hankey's Aston is now up to second in Am.
LMP1
Lopez has increased his lead ever so slightly since the restart - he's now 1m07s ahead. Aleshin in the third-placed #11 SMP is now a lap down.
LMP1
Despite that sluggish stop for the #3 Rebellion, it's still in the fight. Laurent has just inherited fourth, as Sirotkin has pitted, and is 42s behind Aleshin.
LMP2
Change for third as Maldonado gets past Tung. That FCY really did cost the #38 crew dearly. Remember, they're in a winner-takes-all battle with the #36 Signatech crew for the WEC LMP2 title.
LMP1
Sirotkin rather stuttered out of his pitbox just then, but is back out on track without issue.
LMP2
Just half a second between Rusinov and Negrao now at the front - this could get spicey soon!
The ARC Bratislava car receives a tap
Pit stop
The #11 car is now in the pits, which temporarily promotes the #3 back up to third.
LMP2
Just eight cars left on the lead lap in LMP2 as Memo Rojas comes into the pits from ninth in the #48 IDEC Sport ORECA, which hasn't been the same force as it was last year.
Rain
A weather map up on the screens suggests that there might be some rain coming.
GTE PRO
Interesting dynamic here in the fight for second in GTE Pro. Vanthoor in the #92 and Bamber in the #93 are team-mates on the other side of the Atlantic in IMSA. In fact, they've been doing pretty well over there lately, winning the most recent two races in GTLM in Long Beach and Mid-Ohio.
As things have been so hectic, here's the top five in LMP1 in case you forgot
LMP1
The gap at the front between the Toyotas is going up. It's now 1m13s, about seven more than how it stood a couple of laps back.
Pit stop
Laurent has visited the pits in the #3 Rebellion and rejoins in fourth - 5.590s ahead of the #17 SMP car. So that's one position reclaimed already.
LMP1
Laurent's position is very much down to another rapid Rebellion stop - he rejoined 5.9s ahead of the #17, and his visit to the pits was 6s quicker!
LMP2
That was a physical pass by Negrao on the way into the second chicane. Rusinov edged him right over to the left-hand side of the track and in retaliation, Negrao forced him back to the right-hand side.
Pit stop
Jani pits the #1 Rebellion from sixth place, he stays in the car and cracks on.
Rain
Race control has declared a 'light shower level 1' until 20.38 local time. That's not for much longer, but we can see actual spots of rain on the camera lenses at the Esses this time.
GTE AM
We have an immobile GTE Am Porsche - it's the #86 Gulf Racing car of Thomas Preining. That could be a slow zone or a full-course yellow on its way...
GTE AM
Hmm, false alarm. Preining appears to be back on the move. That car is ninth in class, by the way - it ran third early on before Michael Wainwright took over.
Here's that very forceful pass in LMP2!
GTE PRO
Meanwhile, we have a Corvette in the barriers at the Porsche Curves!
Safety car
Safety car. That's a big one.
GTE PRO
It's the #64 car of Marcel Fassler, who got tangled up with the #88 Dempsey Porsche of Satoshi Hoshino.
Just before that Corvette incident, we had a brief stoppage for the Gulf-liveried Porsche
Pit stop
Spot on strategy from the top two in LMP2 - both Negrao and Rusinov quickly dash into the pits to recieve service.
GTE AM
Hoshino has the #88 Porsche back in the garage for a second time. He'd already had an off in the first hour, after taking over from GTE Am poleman Matteo Cairoli.
GTE PRO
The Corvette, meanwhile, is going nowhere. It's still stranded at the Porsche Curves, minus most of its front bodywork.
Fassler's Corvette suffered significant front damage
And here's the cause of Fassler's crash, it doesn't reflect well on Hoshino
By: Geoff Creighton
Published:
Page:
