LMP
Into Hour 7, and with the sun falling low towards the horizon there were deep shadows across the track alternating with bright slanting rays to dazzle the drivers. An awkward time.
Not half as awkward as explaining himself to team manager, co-drivers and perhaps Pierre Kaffer was going to be for Vaxiviere. Notification flashed across the screens to confirm that the #28 TDS Racing Oreca had been given a very modest, by most people’s appraisal, 7 minute Stop/Go Penalty for needlessly causing the collision with the Risi Ferrari. Although sending a serious message for what was generally viewed as careless driving, the consensus was that this was a lenient penalty, giving the circumstances.
After a long haul, Kazuki Nakajima had moved through to arrive right on the tail of the #1 Porsche. The duel was on for second place, all the way down the Mulsanne and round to Indianapolis, where Lotterer made the best of a pair of Corvettes to fend off the Japanese driver’s advances. It didn’t take long for the gap to close down again, but the performance of the two LMP1’s was visibly well balanced. Nakajima, nearing the end of his stint and on a lighter fuel load, pitted the Toyota at the end of a 13 lap stint for fuel and then rejoined.
Way back down the order, near the nether regions of the timing screens, something stirred. Brendan Hartley, strapped into the cockpit of the long-delayed #2 Porsche 919, was out to prove a point, and a new best for the car of 3:19.782 was reasonable evidence that the #2 car was still determined to make a fist of this race, albeit from 53rd overall.
Having returned to the track after his pitstop, Nakajima was bearing down on the back of Lotterer’s Porsche like a demon possessed. Raw pace saw the #8 car swoop past Lotterer’s 919 and immediately start putting distance on the Porsche. Lotterer wasn’t totally beaten though and was making the Toyota’s job of pulling away far from easy.
Nearing half-nine, Vitaly Petrov recorded a new fastest race time for the #25 Manor Racing Oreca, clocking 3:29 to complete the lap two seconds quicker than anyone else currently in LMP2. Shortly afterwards he pitted the #25 from fourth as the latest cycle of stops ensues, hoping to reduce his 10 second gap to the third placed #38 JCDC Racing Oreca, Ollie Jarvis now aboard again.
Joining the fray after his pitstop and driver change, Tor Graves made the most of an intra-team drag race down the second half of the Mulsanne to get by Vitaly Petrov into Mulsanne Corner; the #24 Manor fractionally lighter on fuel, as confirmed by the fact he then pitting at the end of the lap.
With the race seemingly well-managed by the leading pair of Rebellion Orecas, there was change coming just outside the top three of Senna, Piquet Jr and Jarvis. Vitaly Petrov’s pace continued to be solid in the #25 CEFC Manor, but it was Nelson Panciatici in the #35 Alpine who was now starting to figure. After a steady run towards the lower regions of the top 10, the French driver had triple-stinted before Andre Negrao had held steady for the past couple of hours. The #35 car was now up to fifth before taking its next scheduled stop and was emerging as one to watch. Panciatici’s stop allowed Tor Graves back into Manor formation, fifth again behind Petrov.
Sarrazin’s outright lead now stood at just over 16 seconds, with Nakajima’s pace in the #8 car eating into the #7 car’s dominance. Lotterer’s Porsche hadn’t fallen so far adrift, despite the apprent ease of Nakajima’s earlier pass, and the German was evidently still pushing hard. The gap had narrowed again to just 10 seconds. This had become something of a stand-off as the Le Mans evening light began to fade.
Panciatici, back on track and with full tank of fuel, was still able to haul in omn Tor Graves. Nose to tail through the Porsche curves, the Alpine looked unsettled in its attack on the Manor car, going way off line at the Karting left hander. Graves defended well, but in the draft of the passing #2 LMP1 Porsche the #35 Alpine had the advantage into the second Mulsanne chicane, re-establishing itself in fifth place.
So, as we closed off the seventh hour, the prototype standings were
LMP1
1. #7 Toyota TS050 – 114 laps. Best of 3:18.694
2. #1 Porsche 919-Hybrid – 20 seconds
3. #8 Toyota TS050 – 1:09 minutes
4. #9 Toyota TS050 – 3:40 minutes
5. #2 Porsche 919-Hybrid – 17 laps
LMP2
1. #31 Vaillante Rebellion Oreca – 108 laps
2. #13 Vaillante Rebellion Oreca
3. #38 Jackie Chan Racing
3. #25 CEFC Manor TRS Racing
4. #35 Signatech Alpine
5. #24 CEFC Manor TRS Racing
GTE
The GTE Am lead battle took a twist as the seventh hour opened and the sun began to set over La Sarthe. The #98 Aston was reported for speeding in the pitlane and also made an unscheduled stop to change only the front right tyre. Further down the class order, Richard Wee had his second off of the race when he lost the back end while rounding Mulsanne and ended up with the rear wheels stuck in the gravel. A slow zone and telehandler was required to extricate the car.
The situation in GTE remained finely poised through hour seven, with Turner in the leading #97 Aston the best part of 30 seconds up on Priaulx in the #67 Ford, with Mucke a further 50 seconds adrift, running third but out of sync in the #66 due to its early slow puncture. Gavin was close behind in the #64 Corvette, ahead of the #69 Ford of Westbrook.
Behind him were the two works Ferraris, first the #71 Ferrari of Bird, who was being closely watched by race control after numerous track-limits infringements, followed by Rugolo in the sister #51.
GTE Pro
1 #97 Aston
2 #67 Ford
3 #66 Ford
4 #64 Corvette
5 #71 Ferrari
6 #51 Ferrari
GTE Am
1 #98 AMR Aston
2 #84 JMW Ferrari
3 #62 WeatherTech Ferrari
4 #90 TF Sport Aston
5 #55 SoR Ferrari
6 #77 Proton Porsche
