Entering hour six of Le Mans, the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG went off at Arnage, dealing with an issue on the rear left before taking the corner especially hard, nursing the car back into the pits before receiving a radio message saying it was not looking good.
It looked to be a very similar issue to the one the Team Qatar with Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG had in FP1, which took several hours to repair.
The IDEC Sport #28 received a five-second penalty to be added to its pit stop time for cutting the exit of pit lane on an out lap, sitting eighth at the end of the hour.
Jordan Taylor (#101 Cadillac WTR) was given full agency to use up his tyres to do battle with former Rolex 24 teammate Kamui Kobayashi (#7 Toyota Racing), engaging him in a battle on lap 91, swapping positions to put Kobayashi ahead after he sent it down the inside at Arnage, before Taylor retook the position quickly after in the exit of the corner. Taylor would finish the hour P8, Kobayashi handing the car over to Mike Conway by then, sitting in P10.
The #183 AF Corse ORECA LMP2 brought out a caution when Francois Perrodo was spun at Karting in an incident involving the #79 Iron Lynx in LMGT3, who was three laps down. Perrodo quickly got moving again, and the race was back to green within the lap.
#38 Cadillac driver Sébastien Bourdais brought the car into the pit lane on lap 88, coming out and having a mild off-track excursion despite not warming up new Michelins, as the Cadillac only took fuel.
And in the most significant drama in Hyperar thus far, the #15 BMW had contact with the rear-running #3 DKR Engineering ORECA LMP2, with John Farano at the wheel, which forced the BMW Dries Vanthoor off the track. He then picked up a puncture and later lost the right rear tyre entirely on lap 99.
Le Mans native Bourdais maintained the lead in the #38 Cadillac, followed by Robin Frijns in the #20 WRT BMW, with Ryō Hirakawa in third position for the #8 Toyota.
In LMP2, Reshad De Gérus in the #343 Inter Europol Competition ORECA leads in class, followed by the #30 Duqueine Team car, now driven by Julien Andlauer after taking over from Doriane Pin. The #29 Forestier Racing by Panis car was still very much in the mix in third, driven by Louis Rousset, completing an all-French driver top three.
In LMGT3, Hadrien David, yet to pit, in the #78 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus maintained the Lexus’s chokehold on the top position in class, followed by Ian James in the #27, taking over from Zacharie Robichon. The other Lexus #87 sat in third position, never truly out of the action thus far.
Only one retirement and one other car out of circulation after six hours and 100 laps of racing. Up next comes the treacherous night-time hours.
Feature image © dailysportscar.com
