Two hours of racing are complete in the Centenary Edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and pit strategy is shaking up the early running order – while fans watching in person and around the world on their televisions, phones and computers have been treated to incredible battles, overtakes, and pursuits in the Hypercar class!
What’s not been as pleasant to the eyes are three big crashes which have brought out extended Slow Zone interventions.
The #2 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R of Earl Bamber leads by 4.2 from the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963 of Michael Christensen, which is the good news for the Chip Ganassi Racing-run Cadillac Racing squad. The bad news is that the gold #3 Cadillac has gone to the garage after being hit from behind to spark a multi-car crash underneath the Dunlop Bridge.
Just minutes ago, Bourdais – who was running as high as second overall – was slammed from behind by Ulysse de Pauw in the GTE-Am class #21 AF Corse Ferrari, who couldn’t react in time to Bourdais slowing in front of him. Gustav Birch in the #55 GMB Motorsport Aston Martin was also involved, he too couldn’t react quick enough.
After spending the last 72 hours reviving the car after a fire in Hyperpole Qualifying, Bourdais brought his battered #3 Cadillac back to the garage for repairs, a devastating blow for the Le Mans native and his co-drivers Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon. Amazingly, he remained on the lead lap after some quick repair work.
De Pauw was able to get out of his #21 Ferrari, which had its front end ripped off, and Birch was also able to walk away unhurt from his #55 Aston Martin.
Christensen leads his Porsche team-mate Felipe Nasr in the #75 Porsche, but the top three at the top of the hour in Hypercar are due a pit stop. Behind them, the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 HYBRID of Sebastien Buemi is fourth and has made one more pit stop than those ahead of him.
The #311 Action Express Racing Cadillac is back in the race, 16 laps down, after Jack Aitken’s opening-lap crash at the first Mulsanne Chicane.
There’s also been high drama and a bit of carnage in LMP2.
One hour and 28 minutes into the race, Rodrigo Sales lost control of his #14 Nielsen Racing Oreca 07-Gibson, with Earl Bamber’s #2 Cadillac closing in behind him on the approach to the Dunlop Chicane. Sales crashed into the barrier on the right side, the impact sheared the entire front-right quarter off.
Sales was able to walk away from a crash that any punter would attribute simply to a gentleman driver like himself stepping over the limit
But just seven minutes later there was another LMP2 crash, this time involving a decorated pro: Ricky Taylor came out of Tertre Rouge and then spun and crashed along the left-side barrier at Antares.
Taylor got out and walked away from the wrecked #13 Tower Motorsports Oreca, which had already been rebuilt after co-driver Steven Thomas’ perplexing crash in practice on Wednesday.
Robert Kubica has cycled to the lead in the #41 Team WRT Oreca, leading by over seven seconds from the #36 Alpine Elf Team Oreca of Charles Milesi.
Milesi gained significant time after the first round of pit stops and was even leading his class earlier this hour. Pietro Fittipaldi runs third in the Jota #28, still within striking distance of the lead and trying to catch Milesi in front of him.
Paul-Loup Chatin, who led early on, has dropped to eighth after pit stops in the IDEC Sport #48 Oreca.
At the top of the second hour, Matteo Cairolli still leads GTE-AM in the distinctive green liveried Project 1- AO Porsche 911 RSR-19, the car due an imminent fuel stop.
Ben Barker is turning on his typical form, running second for GR-Racing, the #86 dual-liveried Porsche trailed by Rahel Frey’s #85 Iron Dames 911-RSR-19. Richard Lietz’s #911 Proton Competition entry runs fourth on the road, a dominant Porsche 1,2,3,4 at this early stage of the race.
The #98 Northwest AMR Aston Martin was reversed into its garage with loose front-end bodywork, no impact damage as such, but the bonnet clearly out of position.
The most significant pit caller though was the #33 Corvette C8.R, Ben Keating taking over the car from Nicky Catsburg and returning to the fray, collecting track limits caution as the Bronze Hyperpole winner began a long campaign of recovering three laps lost.
An incident in GTE-Am may have significant consequences for the Hypercar category, however. Coming through the Slow Zone at Dunlop Esses, Ulysse De Pauw’s #21 AF Corse Ferrari thumped Gustav Birch’s GMB Motorsport Aston Martin, the incident also tagging the back of the #3 Cadillac V Series. R. Evidently, the Belgian had got on the power too eagerly.
Running 53rd overall due to a handover to Jenson Button, the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 had moved up and down the overall running order, mixing it with the quicker LM GTE-Am cars 3:52.097 the best lap for Mike Rockenfeller. 26 laps run without issue, the drivers were cycling single stints and staying out of trouble as yellow zones gave the field plenty to think about.
