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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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The lead for Ryo Hirakawa's Toyota is currently at 12 seconds. So it's still incredibly tight at the top of the Hypercar category: one slip by the Japanese racer and Alessandro Pier Guidi's Ferrari will be past.
Well, I'm pleased to say I survived the darkest hour! James Newbold and Stephen Lickorish, fresh from long, deep slumbers, will take you through the next three hours. Richard Asher signing off - see you for the run to the flag later on!
Thanks Richard. We're refreshed by the sound of crisp engine noise from our walk back into the media centre, and the sight of superb on-track battles in LMP2! Scherer's foot worries don't appear to be concerning him at all, do they?
Breaking news
If, like us, you're just returning to the action following some slumber, here's a recap of what's happened in the past few hours: https://www.autosport.com/le-mans/news/le-mans-24h-h15-toyota-locked-in-lead-battle-with-ferrari-/10481404/
And it's not just in P2 where there's a fierce fight. Pera (in the GR Porsche he thumped the barriers with during the sudden shower into the Porsche Curves) has just snatched second in GTE Am from Rigon's #54 AF Ferrari.
We're on course for another fight at the very front, too. Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari has closed to eight seconds of the leading #8 Toyota of Hirakawa and was two seconds quicker on the most recent lap.
Bronze driver Takeshi Kimura continues to lead the GTE Am class in the hitherto dependable Kessel Ferrari, 1m37s ahead of Pera - whose next target 3s up the road is the Garage 56 NASCAR with Jimmie Johnson at the wheel.
Pit stop
Major bodywork change being undertaken down at Glickenhaus for Berthon in the #709 that is currently five laps off the lead in eighth place, but might be about to drop further back.
Vanthoor is clearly pushing in the #6 Porsche that's in fourth place overall and has a massively wide moment at Indianapolis but just about gets away with it and continues.
Johnson was three seconds slower than Pera last time by, and two seconds slower than Rigon. Both pass the seven-time NASCAR Cup champion, who is demoted to fourth in the unofficial non-prototype ranking.
Over the past few days at Le Mans, there has been bright sunshine at this time in the morning but that's certainly not the case today. There's a distinctly gloomy start to the day and the lights are still shining bright on many of the cars.
LMP2 poleman Chatin has driven a storming stint in the IDEC car and is pulling away from Pino. What was a battle for third is now a one-sided affair, the Frenchman gapping his young Chilean adversary to the tune of 9s. Kubica has stayed with Scherer since losing the lead though, and is 3s behind the InterEuropol man.
You can tell we're now in a quieter phase of this crazy race as the TV coverage cuts to Calado getting an arm massage down in the Ferrari garage as his fellow #51 driver Pier Guidi is hunting the leading Toyota.
Mechanical problem
But there's some drama now and the Vanwall is smoking at the Porsche Curves - could this be a rare mechanical retirement rather than a crash-related one? Double yellow flags are covering this one.
Yellow flag
Replays have shown it was a proper old-fashioned engine failure for the Vanwall as smoke pours from the rear of the car and we're now heading into a slow zone at that part of the track. Vautier was in the car at the time of the woe.
Pit stop
The slow zone made for a good time for some pitstops in the LMP2 ranks. Kubica remains aboard the second-placed WRT entry, as Binder takes over from Pino at Duqueine. Lafargue has also replaced Chatin at IDEC and is demoted to fourth. All are still on the lead lap, as is Maldonado's Panis car.
Pit stop
Scherer has also come in, and stays ahead of Kubica. Meanwhile there have been some GTE Am stops, with Wainwright taking over the GR Porsche that had been second in Pera's hands.
Green flag
With the Vanwall now pushed behind the barrier, the slow zone has come to an end and we're back to green-flag racing.
Pit stop
More stops in the Hypercar class as van der Zande pits the #3 Cadillac from fifth and further back the #5 Porsche has also pitted.
And a new nose is being prepared for the sole Toyota that narrowly leads from Pier Guidi's Ferrari.
The overall leaders are now separated by less than a second! And both are potentially about to pit.
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Confirmation after his earlier shunt at the Porsche Curves that de Gerus's Cool ORECA is now out of the race. Let's hope to see Pagenaud back again next year - a welcome return to the race for the 2019 Indy 500 winner who was last here in 2011.
Pit stop
Both leaders do indeed dive into the pits with Hirakawa just heading Pier Guidi!
Down at Ferrari there's a driver change as Calado climbs aboard to take Pier Guidi's place while a damaged splitter is replaced on the Toyota.
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But the Ferrari has the fractionally quicker stop and Calado emerges in the lead!
Pit stop
A few notable pitstops to cover off in GTE Am. Rigon handed over the #54 Ferrari to Flohr, with the factory man's extra laps behind the wheel relative to GR's bronze Wainwright enough to get the Italian car out of the pits ahead. Both have dropped behind Gatting's Iron Dames Porsche through that sequence. Meanwhile Cairoli is back aboard the Project 1 'Rexy' Porsche in fifth, after taking over from silver Gunnar Jeanette, and storming up on the pair ahead.
And Calado is now pulling away with the lead already up to nearly six seconds!
There are reports it was a brush with a squirrel that caused the damage to the Toyota's splitter. Even the local wildlife is now getting involved in the drama of this race.
Of course, wildlife interference is nothing new in motorsport. We've seen numerous yellows at Bathurst due to curious kangaroos, and who can forget when Anthony Davidson's Super Aguri hit a groundhog while on course for points in the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix?
Pit stop
Back to the action and there's a driver change in the #2 Cadillac that was third with Bamber being replaced by Lynn.
The battle for third that was threatening to materialise in LMP2 between a trio of silvers is being thwarted by Binder's pace. He's pulled 7s on Lafargue, although Maldonado is sticking doggedly with the IDEC car that occupies fourth.
Off track
Cairoli was on a charge trying to catch the bronze drivers ahead of him, but won't be doing so in a hurry by throwing his car at the scenery. He's a tad fortunate to get away with a spin at Mulsanne Corner.
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The top eight in the GTE Am class are all still on the lead lap. And among their number now is Nicky Catsburg in the Corvette which was two laps in arrears several hours ago. He's in seventh, 20s behind al-Harthy ahead.
Calado is keeping his gap over Hirakawa to around the six-second mark out in front. Lynn is 2m05s down on that lead fight having just taken over the #2 Caddy. We must admit, we're fans of his Derek Bell tribute livery.
Pit stop
Loic Duval has brought the #94 Peugeot in and handed over to Nico Muller. That car is now running 11th after its crash with Menezes at the wheel earlier on.
The 88 Porsche which Jonas Reid crashed at Indianapolis earlier on is now a confirmed retirement, as is the D'station Aston which had electrical problems.
They're both a lap down after various scrapes, but Bourdais and Estre are battling hard for fourth, the 963 that suffered a puncture earlier looming large in the mirrors of the #3 Caddy which got rear-ended by a GT car into a slow zone earlier.
The delayed #50 Ferrari after its ECU fluid leak makes its most recent pitstop from tenth.
Pit stop
Meanwhile in the Panis ORECA Maldonado has handed over to Job van Uitert. That car remains fifth in LMP2, although drops off the lead lap as a result of his stop. Scherer has pulled 24s on Kubica out in front.
Pit stop
Another pit visitor is the GTE Am-leading Kessel Racing of Kimura, which returns to the track with a handy lead over the Iron Dames Porsche.
By: Autosport Staff
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