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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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Corvette is back into the race after spending 9 minutes and 45 seconds in the pits, at a cost of two laps.
Pit stop
Buemi now pits from the lead in the #8 Toyota during this slow zone, while the sister #7 also dives in as does the #6 Porsche of Vanthoor.
Crash
Another crash, and it's a big hit for Ricky Taylor in the delayed Tower Motorsports ORECA. He's into the barriers on the approach to the first Mulsanne Chicane.
After those stops, it's now the #8 Toyota of Buemi that has moved back into the lead from the #51 Ferrari of Calado with Bamber third in the #2 Cadillac. Vanthoor in the #6 Porsche means it's currently four different manufacturers in the top four.
To confirm our suspicions, it's day done for Nielsen, as Sales's car is lifted off the track with right-front wheel missing and fluids gushing from its underbelly.
Riberas has jumped back into the Heart of Racing/Northwest AMR Aston that Ian James took over during the safety car. But bonnet damage means he's coming slowly back to the pits.
The Garage 56 NASCAR has made its first pitstop, with Jimmie Johnson getting in. The lengthier stop means it has dropped back into the GTE Am pack.
Pit stop
And the two leaders now use this slow zone to make a pitstop and Nielsen hands over to Hyperpole star Fuoco.
We have a slow zone at the scene of that crash and things have closed up at the front of the overall order as Bourdais closes on Nielsen.
Yellow flag
No sign of a safety car just yet, but there is a slow zone in place.
Incredibly, Sales has kept the engine running. He reverses a few metres, but the right-front corner is completely gone. Surely, he won't be able to get that back will he?
Crash
Heavy crash for the Nielsen LMP2 of Rodrigo Sales into the first chicane. He speared off to the right of the road as the Bamber-driven Cadillac closed up behind him.
The front-right corner appears to be the issue on the GTE Am points-leading C8.R. We believe it's a damper issue.
Pit stop
It's good news for Cadillac as Aitken's stricken V-Series.R returns to the fray after about an hour and 15 minutes in the pits following his first-lap crash. But he's some 16 laps down on the leaders so it's going to be a long old race from here.
Mechanical problem
Problems for Corvette! Catsburg is wheeled into the garage.
In a dangerous development, Autosport has broken out the first of the Toblerone triple pack.
After his second stop, Milesi has emerged fifth in the LMP2 pack. Going off sequence and running in clear air has worked wonders for the Signatech driver.
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Gary Watkins
We've had it confirmed that the Toyotas switched to the medium Michelins. The sun is out and temperatures are definitely rising. Nielsen and Bourdais were early stoppers who didn't take tyres, which has played dividends for them as they sit 1-2 at the top of the leaderboard.
So, let's run down the Hypercar order after those early stops:
1. #50 Nielsen Ferrari
2. #3 Bourdais Cadillac
3. #8 Buemi Toyota
4. #2 Bamber Cadillac
5. #51 Calado Ferrari
6. #6 Vanthoor Porsche
Picariello and Rigon came in on the lap after Cairoli, so it's now the drivers who stopped under the safety car who have shuffled to the head of the GTE Am pack. Tincknell is chased by Catsburg, Barker and Eastwood.
The faster stop from Nielsen earlier in the Ferrari means he has emerged in the lead from Bourdais in the Cadillac, while Buemi is now third after changing tyres during his stop.
Through that first pitstop cycle in LMP2, Fittipaldi has moved up a place and now sits third at the expense of de Gerus.
Pit stop
And sure enough that trio of Hypercars does indeed now stop so everyone has visited the pits now.
Cairoli has pitted from the lead in GTE Am, so Picariello takes his turn at the head of the order. Porsche's pace is strong, evidenced by Tincknell passing Serra for third on track.
So it's now just leader Calado and two of the factory Porsches yet to stop from the Hypercar class following that flurry of pit activity.
Prema informs us that a big piece of debris from Aitken's crash was removed from Kvyat's ORECA at the last pitstop, and it will check for more the next time he comes into the pits.
Pit stop
Buemi now dives in from the lead the next time around on lap 15, and he's joined by Nasr in the best Porsche, followed by Bamber's Cadillac and the other Peugeot of di Resta.
Gary Watkins
Nielsen didn't take tyres at his early stop, but Conway did when he stopped on schedule. The Toyotas started on the soft Michelin slick, the Ferraris on the medium. It looked like Conway was having a bit of trouble with his tyres at the end of that stint.
Pit stop
Pitting off sequence means Milesi's spell in the lead is short, and he's followed in by fellow early pitters van der Garde, Jani and Martin, plus Sales in the Nielsen car.
Pit stop
Conway now pits from fourth place in the #7 Toyota following his slip down the order in the early laps after the safety-car restart. The #94 Peugeot of Muller also dives in.
Now he's into the GTE Am lead, can Cairoli hunt down Rockenfeller ahead? The Garage 56 NASCAR is rumbling away up the road just out of reach for 'Rexy' at the moment.
That early stop means Milesi leads for the time being by 9s in LMP2 from van der Garde, Jani and Martin in the patriotically Belgian-liveried DKR machine. Ricky Taylor is now in for his long penalty stop in the TDS-run Tower car.
Lead change in GTE Am, as Cairoli's first stint charge takes him through on Rigon. Picariello continues to follow in the Italian's wheeltracks and also moves ahead of the #54 Ferrari which is dumped back to third ahead of Serra and Rovera. Meanwhile Ryan Hardwick has had a spin at the first chicane.
Much of the attention has focused on the cars trying to pass Conway's Toyota, but up ahead Calado's Ferrari is now starting to close in on Buemi's lead Toyota, taking a second out of the Swiss driver's advantage.
Conway had resisted the Porsches for a couple of laps but now is passed by Nasr, who puts the lead #75 Porsche up to third.
Pit stop
One lap later comes the rest of the LMP2 pack headed by Chatin. Following him in are Kubica, Fittipaldi, Aubry, Albuqueque, Correa and Allen, with early stopper Milesi assuming the lead.
Pit stop
More LMP2 pitstops now, as Reshad de Gerus comes in from third in the Cool ORECA. Josh Pierson takes over from Tom Blomqvist in the #23 United car, van Uitert remains aboard the Panis machine while Salih Yoluc takes over the #923 TF-run Racing Team Turkey entry started by Dries Vanthoor.
Since making that pitstop under the safety car, Catsburg's Corvette has also been making rapid progress. He's up to seventh in the GTE Am ranks and second among those who have pitted, behind Tincknell, having come in a lap later than the initial quartet of stoppers including handy Porsche pedeller Richard Lietz.
Buemi is now almost five seconds clear of the lead Ferrari, so perhaps there's some differing tactics between the two Toyotas here as Conway attempts to fend off the Porsches for third.
By: Autosport Staff
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