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24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours.
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The eagerly-anticipated centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours is the first in which cars built to the new-for-2023 LMDh ruleset have been eligible to compete.
Toyota is seeking a sixth consecutive victory at the world's most famous endurance race, while Ferrari on its first factory effort in the top class in half a century and fellow returnee Porsche are gunning for their 10th and 20th victories respectively.
A field of 62 cars, including the Garage 56 NASCAR entry and 21 GTE Am machines on the category's Le Mans swansong, will take the start at the Circuit de la Sarthe at 4pm local time and race through the night.
Join us here for live updates throughout the race.
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Crash
Replays suggest Prette charged into the back of the slowing #7 Toyota and #35 Alpine on the exit of the Esses.
Kobayashi is stopped on the Mulsanne straight! It seems the engine has cut out and his engineer is trying to help him get the Toyota going again.
Rojas is crawling back with damage on his left-front including a broken light.
Kobayashi has got the Toyota going again now but it's only a crawl and this could be another retirement for a leading contender!
Replays show Rojas was also coming in hot behind the incident as it unfolded and he was unable to avoid clipping one of the cars blocking the road ahead of him.
Pit stop
The #35 Signatech that half an hour ago was running in the top four has made it back to the pits and has been wheeled back into the garage for rapid repairs.
Crash
Kobayashi is out of the car! And the race for another of the favourites is seemingly over!
So the order is now the #94 Peugeot leading the #50 Ferrari and the #2 Caddy but both Nielsen and Bamber are over a minute behind leader Pier Guidi.
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It appears it was the #39 Graff ORECA of Giedo van der Garde that was running slowly on the outside of the Esses, and Kobayashi was hesitant to pass him - that meant there was nowhere to go for the fast approaching JMW Ferrari of Prette, who vaulted over the Graff car, and for Rojas who struck Kobayashi.
Resigned faces in the Toyota garage as the #7's victory hopes are now over - this is the first time one of the Japanese machines hasn't made the finish at Le Mans for six years!
There is huge damage on the Graff car, which has wheelmarks visible on the tub. Meanwhile Gatting pits from second in GTE Am.
We're barely a third of the way through this race and already there's been more drama today than there has been in the whole 24 hours for some editions.
Safety car
And now we have a safety car - presumably to recover the stricken Toyota! So this could be quite a while before racing gets back under way.
Pit stop
Gatting has stayed aboard the Iron Dames Porsche that runs second in GTE Am, while Rigon has also pitted and swapped back to Castelacci. Martin Rump takes over again from Richard Lietz.
Before the safety car Scherer had an 8s lead in LMP2 over Kubica, but that will evaporate now. Barnicoat runs third, with Fittipaldi (Jota) fourth, Binder (Duqueine) fifth, then Jakobsen sixth (Cool), Allen (Algarve Pro) and Maldonado the last man on the lead lap for Panis Racing.
This safety car has come as a terrible blow for Muller in the #94 Peugeot as its 90-second lead will now be reduced to nothing. The #50 Ferrari, the #2 Caddy and then the #51 Ferrari are the next cars with the sole remaining #8 Toyota the last remaining car on the lead lap.
Pit stop
Speaking of Muller he's now taken the opportunity to stop under this safety car.
Muller is now waiting at the end of the pitlane as the red light is currently on in anticipation for a safety car queue to pass.
The LMP2 leaders have also come in, with Smiechowski slotted into the InterEuropol car. A wise choice to use up some of his silver drive time.
Those cars queueing in the pits have now been released and Muller retains the lead.
Kubica also came into the pits, and handed over to Andrade, the silver in WRT's #41 crew. Meanwhile Negrao rejoins in the #35 Signatech ORECA after 17 minutes in the pits, losing three laps.
Pit stop
A flurry of other Hypercars now dive in, including both Ferraris and the #2 Cadillac that occupied positions second to fourth.
While this safety car period continues, here's an interesting stat. Jaminet's retirement in the #75 before the Ferrari and Toyota madness was the first ever for a car in the Hypercar category.
The #8 Toyota of Hirakawa is now up to second as it's the only of the leading Hypercar contenders not to stop during this safety car.
Interestingly, IDEC and Prema's #63 car delayed early on by debris have got themselves back onto the lead lap in LMP2.
The TF Turkey crew has been back in the garage for a fair while now and looks resigned to retirement. It did make a brief return to the track following its contact with Ugran.
The restraint showed by Stephen Lickorish in making a single packet of Oreos last three days is deserving of utmost praise. They have made a reappearance on the middle of Autosport's desk, with at least three still in view. Dangerous, given we're already one Toblerone down from the three-pack.
For those wondering, the Oreo restraint was actually a deliberate strategy knowing we might need a boost when flagging during a 1230am safety car...
Things didn't look great for Jota's LMP2 squad earlier when Rasmussen found the barriers at Tertre Rouge, but its now back up to fourth in the queue.
Jamie Klein has been down to the paddock to speak with Fabio Scherer about his sore left foot. He says there was a collision in the pitlane with the Corvette earlier in the race, but doesn't want to know if it's broken despite the swelling as he hopes to part of the driver lineup to the end.
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Plenty of stops in the classes under the safety car. GTE Am leader Cairoli has come in and dropped to third behind Gatting and Castelacci. Rump in fourth is a lap down, likewise Huffaker, al-Harthy and Ian James.
Pit stop
Smiechowski has made another pit visit in the InterEuropol ORECA which cycles Andrade to the lead. He was only in three laps ago, so presumably they've topped off the tanks in he knowledge he will only lose one place.
The #22 United ORECA is in the pits having a nose change. Its been an eventful race for that car after its heavy contact with the Pedersen Porsche while Lubin was at the wheel which incurred a three-minute penalty.
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"It was crackers," is a particularly apt description from Alexander Sims of the earlier stages of the race when the rain arrived. The whole contest has been topsy-turvy so far.
Interestingly, Cairoli stayed in the Project 1 car under that safety car, which is somewhat surprising. The safety car would be an ideal point to use up some bronze drive time. But maybe they want to let PJ Hyett have some kip.
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Gatting is still out front in GTE Am, but surely owes a stop soon.
This never-ending safety-car period is starting to get towards its end as the two safety car trains are now being told to merge. But it will still be a few laps before the order is sorted out.
Following these latest incidents we're already seemingly up to 12 retirements from this race - bear in mind there were only eight cars that retired in the whole of last year's race!
By: Autosport Staff
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