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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.
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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Gary Watkins
Don't forget that in this battle for the lead that Pier Guidi is on the fresher tyres. That explains - at least partially - why the Ferrari is gaining on the Toyota so quickly.
Bad timing for the #8 Toyota it gets held up behind a backmarker in the Porsche Curves. The leaders are together!
Into the pits comes the Panis Racing LMP2 entry. Tijmen Van Der Helm drops a position to P4, promoting the Duqueine Team #30 onto the class podium as things stand...with 5 hours, 13 minutes remaining...
Lead change! A drag down to the second chicane and the #51 Ferrari just gets in front of the #8 Toyota.
The #51 Ferrari crew don't care that there's over five hours left. Round of applause from everyone and the lead of the race again.
As well as on track, there has been serious attrition in the media centre as well - we're talking coffee machines. At the start of the race, there were five perfectly functional Nespresso machines. With five hours to run, just one is still standing. We're crossing our fingers it goes the distance.
Remember that slow zone that was deployed to repair the barrier at Indianapolis? Well good news, its finally been lifted meaning we have green running all around the circuit.
Jenson Button is currently behind the wheel of the mightily impressive Garage 56 NASCAR Camaro. He's 36th in the overall classification, just 12 seconds off the tail of the #96 Aston Martin GTE entry.
With five hours left, here's the running order in the Hypercar class:
1. #51 Ferrari
2. #8 Toyota
3. #2 Cadillac
4. #3 Cadillac
5. #93 Peugeot
With five hours to go the top of LMP2 is:
1. #32 Inter Europol Competition
2. #41 WRT
3. #30 Duqueine Team
4. #65 Panis Racing
5. #IDEC Sport
In the battle for the LMP2 class lead, Scherer gained a minute on Deletraz through the slow zone coming in on his 249th lap. The Inter Europol Competition entry leads by 1:40s.
Worth noting that despite the action at the very front, behind the #2 Cadillac of Earl Bamber still remains on the lead lap.
Missed by the cameras, Frey has lost significant time on the chasing #25 Aston Martin. Her last lap was some 20s down on Eastwood with the margin now dropping below 19s.
We promised drama in LMP2, and its delivering, as Van Der Helm has lost fourth in class to Horr in the #48 Idec Sport entry.
As the Iron Dames car pits for fuel, tyres and a driver change - Frey climbing out and Sarah Bovy getting in - Eastwood puts in a personal best lap time. The #25 Aston Martin takes the lead.
At the top of LMP2, Scherer pits a lap after Deletraz stops for the 25th time. The pair remain first and second in class with a comfortable margin to P3.
After the drama of the lead change at the head of the field not long ago, things have calmed down a bit. Pier Guidi's lead in the #51 Ferrari currently 7.6s and growing.
Bovy exits the pits in third in GTE, as Keating also makes a positional gain for Corvette. The #85 Iron Dames Porsche trails by 1:18s.
Further problems for the #6 Porsche which is way down the order. A pitstop of 10m36s after a 'high voltage system' issue.
Scott Dixon pits the #3 Cadillac from fourth place. A strong showing from the Kiwi who remains behind the wheel for another stint.
In comes Eastwood. He climbs out and is replaced by Michael Dinan in the GTE #25 Aston Martin. Keating assumes the lead for Corvette and the Iron Dames move back up to P2.
The #8 Toyota mechanics are performing a small exercise drill in the garage, presumably in preparation for another stop. Or maybe they just like a bit of Sunday morning exercise?
Pit stop
In comes the #51 Ferrari and #8 Toyota. Fuel only for the leading car, but Sebastien Buemi hands over to Brendon Hartley.
The reason for Button's recent stop of over 10 minutes was that a brake change was required, we have been told. This dropped him back to ninth in the unofficial non-prototype class.
Good news if you're a Ferrari fan. The #51 leaves the pits with no need for a power cycle like at the previous stop and extends the lead over the #8 Toyota.
A change in the top three of LMP2, as Pino drops back to P4 in the #30 Duqueine Team entry while in the pits. Van Der Helm goes back into the top three.
Pier Guidi told by his race engineer about breaching track limits at Tertre Rouge. It's the #51 car's fourth warning, so still some way off before they will be issued a penalty.
A huge moment for GTE leader Keating in the #33 Corvette. He took far too much speed into the Dunlop Chicane and lost the rear. At the end of this lap, he will pit for a driver change.
The order in LMP2 shifts again - one again, this is through the pitstop shuffle. Van Der Helm drops from P3 to P5 as he remains in the Panis Racing car for another stint.
In comes the GTE leading Corvette. Keating is out, Varrone is in and the #33 returns to the track in P3.
40 seconds separate the top three cars in GTE, with the Iron Dames leading by three seconds from the ORT Aston Martin. The #33 Corvette is 37 seconds further back.
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A huge crash in GTE! Michael Fassbender loses the rear of the #911 Proton Competition-run Porsche and slams into the wall. Big damage, but he is able to recover the wreckage back to the pits.
Before that crash, Fassbender was running P9 in class. With significant damage to the right-rear, his car is wheeled back into the garage for what is likely to be a lengthy stop - if not a retirement.
As a result, there has been a slow zone declared towards the end of the lap.
Pit stop
Another lengthy pitstop for the #6 Porsche as it is currently undergoing a battery change. It's been a difficult race for all three Porches in the Hypercar class.
Handshakes in the garage and resigned looks on faces. Fassbender's off in the #911 Proton Competition Porsche appears to have brought the day to an early end for the team.
Hartley in the #8 Toyota gets blocked slightly into the Dunlop Chicane. Gap to the leading #51 Ferrari stands at 19s and is continuing to grow.
We said the Hypercar Porsches were having a tough race, and it just gets worse. The #38 Jota Porsche is now in the garage due to a failed accident data recorder.
With the slow zone still in place through the final sector, WRT and Alpine both pit their cars that are battling for P6 in LMP2.
Scherer pits from the lead of LMP2. He had a two-minute lead to the WRT prior to entering the lane.
By: Autosport Staff
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