H2: Audis resume in the lead
The Audis of Benoit Treluyer and Timo Bernhard lead from Peugeot's Alexander Wurz and Sebastien Bourdais as racing resumes at Le Mans
The course was neutralised for the majority of the hour while repairs were effected to the barriers outside the gravel trap at the Dunlop bridge, following Allan McNish's huge accident at the end of the previous hour.
The repairs took longer than expected and while the green flag was initially expected at 1640, the course did not go live until the turn of the hour. McNish was admitted to hospital for scans after his accident but is reported to be unhurt.
Franck Montagny reported a problem with brake balance in the #8 Peugeot and pitted under the safety car from third position. Stephane Sarrazin took over the 908 and left the pits in eighth.
When the safety car dived into the pits, Treluyer pounced for the lead and the two Audis instantly opened up a gap on the chasing Peugeots.
There was a change in the petrol-powered order under the safety car after Christophe Tinseau pitted the #16 Pescarolo, allowing Jeroen Bleekmolen through in the Rebellion Lola.
LMP2 frontrunners Alexandre Premat and Jan Charouz pitted 40 minutes into the hour while running under the safety car. Premat's ORECA-Nissan resumed fifth in class, while the Oak team swapped drivers and Shinji Nakano left the pits eighth in class. Jonny Kane assumed the lead but then spun while the course was still neutralised.
Kane held on to the LMP2 lead, followed by the Greaves Motorsport Zytek of Tom-Kimber-Smith, until he pitted just after the course went green.
Corvette Racing holds sway in GTE Pro as Oliver Gavin continues to lead from team-mate Olivier Beretta, with the Felbermayr-Proton Porsche.
Bourdais “surprised” Cadillac was beaten on pace in Daytona 24 Hours
Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac driver Sebastien Bourdais said he was surprised that the victorious Acura ARX-06 outperformed his new V-LMDh in the Daytona 24 Hours IMSA SportsCar Championship season opener.
Daytona 24: MSR Acura opens GTP era with win, Proton snatches LMP2 by 0.016s
Meyer Shank Racing scored its second consecutive victory in the Daytona 24 Hours in the first race for the IMSA SportsCar Championship's new GTP regulations, leading an Acura 1-2 finish.
Daytona 24, Hour 21: MSR Acura back in front with three hours left
The Meyer Shank Racing Acura was back in front with three hours remaining in the Daytona 24 Hours that opens the IMSA SportsCar season.
Ekstrom defeats Schumacher for fourth Race of Champions victory
Two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom took his fourth Race of Champions title at Pite Havsbad in Sweden after defeating Mercedes Formula 1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher in the final.
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
OPINION: There is plenty of excitement over the glut of manufacturers tackling the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship this season. The selection committee is set to face headaches over who it decides to admit and who gets turned away from the 2023 entry list, but history tells us that the smaller entrants have a place
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
OPINION: Fresh from hosting a controversial 2022 football World Cup, Qatar has added its name to the 2024 World Endurance Championship calendar. Although questions may be asked about its presence on the calendar, is it simply the price to pay for having a healthy racing championship?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
Toyota #8 trio Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa outscored their rivals in the last season before the World Endurance Championship’s top class gets ultra-competitive. Here's how their Hypercar battle with Alpine and the remaining class tussles played out in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.