Just when the drama at the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans seemed scarce, there’s been a major flashpoint with four hours and 50 minutes to go involving the leading #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P.
Alessandro Pier Guidi had just taken emergency service under a Full Course Yellow for debris, but needed to come back down for its full-service stop after the FCY was withdrawn. Entering the pit lane, Pier Guidi clipped the grass and spun out.
Not only did Pier Guidi lose precious time from the spin, but he also faced an investigation for crossing the pit entry line as he spun around. It was an offense that gave Sebastien Bourdais in the #38 JOTA Cadillac a drive-through penalty when he had a ‘false start’ coming down to the pits (he responded by resetting the fastest lap of the race at 3:26.063). The Stewards ultimately deemed no further investigation was needed into Pier Guidi’s spin.
That elevated Ye Yifei in the privately entered #83 AF Corse Ferrari into the overall lead with just four hours to go. The factory #50 of Nicklas Nielsen is now second, ahead of the #51 now driven by James Calado.
Laurens Vanthoor in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 is now within reach of the overall podium as it stands, ten seconds off the #51 Ferrari in fourth.
Toyota Gazoo Racing supporters’ hearts were broken just a few minutes ago: on his out lap, Ryo Hirakawa suffered a left-wheel nut failure, skipped through the gravel, nearly collected the #94 Peugeot 9X8 – and after all that, the #8 Toyota GR010 HYBRID could only crawl, agonisingly slowly, for over ten kilometres around the Circuit de la Sarthe until it got back to the pits.
The #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R has now moved up to fifth place in Toyota’s absence.
Nick Yelloly in the #43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA 07-Gibson is starting to fight back in the LMP2 lead battle, putting a bit more distance between himself and Esteban Masson in the second-placed #48 VDS Panis Racing car.
Behind them it’s still the #28 IDEC Sport car in third, and the #199 AO by TF car leading LMP2 Pro/Am comfortably.
It’s still business as usual at the very sharp end of LMGT3, led by the #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 LMGT3 R – but there’s been another big development in the race for the podium spots.
The #78 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F suffered a left-rear suspension failure in the third sector. Finn Gehrsitz limped the car back to the garage and the #78 crew, which had been running solidly in the top five all day long, is now out of the race – the 11th official retirement so far, and the seventh in LMGT3.
Riccardo Pera in the Porsche is still keeping the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 of Alessio Rovera out of reach; Rovera is second ahead of the #81 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette, the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage , and the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus, rotating throughout the top five.
