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24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates
Updates and live commentary throughout the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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LMP2: The #41 Team WRT, driven by Yifei Ye, isn't giving up its victory push against its sister car as the Chinese driver sets his car's fastest lap of the race of 3m31.957s. The #31 Team WRT, with Mailleux at the controls, still holds a two-minute advantage out in front.
GTE Pro: We hadn't notified you before, but the #64 Corvette has rejoined after spending some time in the garage to replace the alternator. It's still showing as seventh in GTE Pro although the HubAuto car ahead of it has stopped and we believe is out. It only has one more lap to do to get ahead though.
Pit stop
LMH: Lopez has jumped back into the leading #7 Toyota, taking over from Kobayashi, with everything looking calm and controlled during the pitstop.
GTE Am: We've not updated you with the gap between the two leaders for a while now. Nielsen, who is putting in a marathon effort in this race, has 39s on pursuer Pereira.
GTE Am: Or at least that was the gap until Pereira pitted at the end of that lap, the 256th for the Aston.
LMP2: Following its double dose of heavy penalties (90s stop/go and drivethrough) during the evening, the #28 JOTA has impressed overnight to climb back up to third in class. Gelael is in the car and looking to eat into the 1m26s gap to the #41 Team WRT ahead.
Pit stop
LMH: Buemi in for a quick pitstop which sees the gap between the leaders restored to almost three minutes. We also have an update on the #8 Toyota from Gary Watkins...
GTE Pro: Tandy is back aboard the much-delayed #64 Corvette and has now surpassed the total number of laps completed by the now retired HubAuto car.
Quote
Gary Watkins: "Toyota is experiencing the same fuel issue with the lead car as with the #8. That explains why it has just done two eight-lap stints. Lopez has replaced Kobayashi after getting a briefing on how to manage the problem.
"A 'workaround' has stabilised the problem on #8. That was a 12-lap stint for Buemi, which compares with the eight or nine laps it had been doing. Sort of back to normal, or at least the target distance between stops for LMHs. The Toyotas have, of course, been doing 13 laps or more on a reasonably regular basis."
"A 'workaround' has stabilised the problem on #8. That was a 12-lap stint for Buemi, which compares with the eight or nine laps it had been doing. Sort of back to normal, or at least the target distance between stops for LMHs. The Toyotas have, of course, been doing 13 laps or more on a reasonably regular basis."
GTE Pro: There's seventy seconds now between class leader Ledogar and Taylor, who has Nielsen's GTE Am Ferrari conveniently in front of him and doing just enough of a pace to prevent the #63 Corvette from coming through.
GTE Pro: Taylor does now clear Nielsen - they're not in the same race after all - and continues his chase of Ledogar, who now comes into the pits.
LMP2: Habsburg is going through an intense warm-up ahead of getting back into the leading #31 Team WRT. Push-ups, burpees and all sorts with his full race kit and helmet on. Someone's perky this morning.
GTE Pro: Taylor now comes in too, as the leading Ferrari is wheeled into the garage! Could it be for something as simple as a brake change, or something more sinister?
GTE Pro: We didn't see whatever it was, but the #51 Ferrari is quickly back out of the garage again and released on track.
GTE Am: Meanwhile Lance David Arnold is going rather slowly in the #88 Proton Porsche, because he has a left-front puncture. That will dent his hopes of rising above that car's current hold on 12th in class.
GTE Pro: Ferrari has confirmed to us that it was a brake change for the #51 car. That was an impressively rapid stop - Ledogar still has 28s in hand over Taylor.
LMH: The battle for the final spot on the podium looks set to go down to the wire, as the #708 Glickenhaus cycles back up to third place following a stop for the #36 Alpine. The pair are currently split by 34s.
Pit stop
LMP2: A very warmed-up Habsburg pops into the #31 Team WRT for his latest stint in the class leader. The car retains a comfortable margin on the sister #41 car after the latest pitstops.
GTE Pro: There's just over 5s between the two Porsches in third and fourth, with Makowiecki fired up chasing after Jani.
GTE Pro: We've asked Corvette for clarity on whether the #63 car has had a brake change yet, and the answer is 'no'. Catsburg is back aboard that car now and doing a great job to keep the pressure up on Ledogar - who has new discs and pads remember - with the gap now at 23.7s.
Pit stop
LMH: The pitstop cycle completes once again to see the #36 Alpine move back into third as the #708 Glickenhaus stops for fuel.
GTE Pro: Who needs new brakes? That's Catsburg's mantra as he blasts in a 3m48.169s - that is the fastest lap so far.
Yellow flag
GTE Am: The yellow flags are out on the approach to the Dunlop Chicane. Christian Hook in the Rinaldi #388 Ferrari was spooked by Tandy coming through on his inside, ran wide and skittered into the gravel where he has come to a halt.
Pit stop
GTE Am: That brought out a slow zone which was good news for the class leader, as Nielsen had just pitted to hand back to Perrodo. Slowing everybody else down passing the scene of Hook's stranded car plays wonderfully for the #83 crew relative to the #33 Aston, which remember stopped under green a while back.
Pit stop
GTE Pro: Jani and Makowiecki also take advantage of the slow zones to pit in the third and fourth-placed Porsches.
Pit stop
LMH: The #8 Toyota pits during the slow zone so this could give them a decent gain against the leading sister car. Hartley is now in the car taking over from Buemi.
Pit stop
LMH: The #36 Alpine follows suit and also pits, which allows Vaxiviere to retain third place over the #708 Glickenhaus. The Alpine gets by the #388 Rinaldi Ferrari just as it gets going again at the Dunlop bridge after being recovered from the gravel trap, meaning the race is back to green again.
GTE Am: Now with Nielsen getting some well-earned rest, Perrodo needs to do his bit in the leading #83 Ferrari, but Pereira has got the bit between his teeth and is reducing the gap steadily. It was down at 37s last time around.
GTE Pro: Meanwhile, Castburg appears to have lost out through that slow zone - he's dropped back to 47s behind Ledogar in the see-sawing battle for the lead between the #51 Ferrari and #63 Corvette.
LMH: Now back up to full speed and Vaxiviere has a 13-second gap over Mailleux. Still a long way to go but that could prove a handy gain come the end of the race.
GTE Pro: Is that an eight-wheeled Porsche? No, it's just Kevin Estre back aboard the #92 car harrying Makowiecki's #91 for all he's worth in the battle for third.
LMH: The #709 Glickenhaus is continuing its slow crawl up the timing screen through the sea of LMP2s. Dumas is up to eighth overall with just three LMP2s ahead - all by one lap.
GTE Pro: There's the change for third. Estre on fresh tyres gets a better exit from the Ford Chicane and Makowiecki, realising the game is up, eases off to allow him through into the Dunlop Chicane.
Off track
LMP2: Not for the first time in this race the #29 Racing Team Nederland has a hairy moment. Van der Garde has a half-spin but avoids contact with the walls or the United Autosports car that was in close company at the time.
GTE Am: Pereira is inching closer. The #33 TF Sport Aston has the gap to Perrodo down to around 20s now and may soon be in striking range to re-take the class lead for the first time in a fair while.
Pit stop
LMH: Lopez will be letting out a sigh of relief in this pitstop. The Argentine gets his braking wrong slowing for the pitlane and skips over the gravel before getting the #7 Toyota under control. It won't have cost him too much time but it'll be a stern reminder of the risks out there for the leader.
GTE Pro: Makowiecki is trying hard to keep up with Estre ahead, perhaps too hard. The #91 Porsche skitters across the gravel at Mulsanne Corner, losing precious seconds as the #92 car gets ever-smaller in the distance.
GTE Pro: The gap between the GTE Pro leaders has stabilised somewhat since that slow zone inflated the gap between Ledogar and Catsburg. It's still 45s between the leading pair in the #51 Ferrari and #63 Corvette.
GTE Am: Pereira sets his personal best time on the last lap, a 3m50.150s. Chase mode is officially engaged in the second-placed TF Aston, which is now just 8.7s off leader Perrodo.
By: Loris Capirossi
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