Morning has indeed made it's way to Circuit de la Sarthe. Yours truly, has been catching some winks. But now, it's time. It's time, to get serious. We are headed for the last seven or so hours of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We're just within the distance of a regular six hour FIA WEC race.
Nick Tandy continues to lead for Porsche AG. Passion, dedication, and commitment, are keys to this race. Let's take a look at some of the pieces in this puzzle, missed from the last report. The GTE Pro battle is still hot and heavy as we go through a highlights package. In hour thirteen, one of the Ferrari's had a fuel fire. In hour fourteen, another Ferrari, and another fire. Yikes. The #64 Cirvette had a slow brake change. In hour sixteen, the #12 Rebellion R-One went off the road and into the tires.
Problems for the #7 Audi R18 eTron Quattro, losing bodywork at high speed. Hour seventeen, the #7 was two laps down. Road Goethe had a bigh wreck. He was sent to the infield medical center. In hour eighteen,. the #17 Porsche passes the #9 Audi. In hour 19, the race continues to pit lane, as the Corvette passed the Ferrari in LM GTE Pro. Was this an unsafe pit release? Porsche, KCMG, Corvette, and Aston Martin, are the class leaders right now.
The #64 is OK, and there's no pit stop penalty. These boys had real trouble, and crashed the sister car in qualifying. But, they've soldiered on with one car, after Jan Magnussen had it's mega hit in qualifying. Currently, we are under a safe zone, and we see the cars slowing down. The #42 car for Strakka Racing is off the road. Le Mans hits nostalgic and emotional areas towards the end of the race. Porsche and Audi are battling. The story is coming true as we reach the final sections of this event.
Porsche #19 is in the lane. The spirit of this race, makes Le Mans magic, and the coolest place on earth. Nick Tandy is in the pits, and they almost wanted to take the car back to the garage on the dolly's. The #17 Porsche had a pass in a no pass zone. The #19 car has been trouble free. Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber, have proven themselves from the GT ranks. Lets hope the fairytale continues as we watch Timo Bernhard in the #17 machine. I know. I know. We've had lots of breaks in coverage for other events.
But the drama of this race, has not let up. This facility at Le Mans, is huge. Now, we watch the battle for the final podium spot in LM GTE Am, being contested. Scuderia Corsa vs. Dempsey Proton Racing. Marco Seefried vs. Jeff Segal. Right behind is the #99 Aston Martin until Fernando Rees hit the #46 LMP2 car, after a brake change. #46 is the Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca 05 Nissan of Pierre Thiriet, Ludovic Badey, and Tristan Gommendy, an all French squad.
For Scuderia Corsa, the drivers and the car, are here. But, the pit crew has to repair the Tudor Championship car for the next Tudor Championship event at Watkins Glen in a couple weeks. The Farnbacher team is pitting the car, here at Le Mans for Segal and company. Tommy Milner leads LM GTE Pro by nine seconds over the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Toni Vilander. Vilander shares with Gianmaria Bruni, and Giancarlo Fisichella. We have a long way to go. Still the distance of a regular FIA WEC race.
#51 won Le Mans last year. Corvette Racing wants their eighth win at Le Mans. They have not won Le Mans since 2011. Nothing would be sweeter. The #64 (#4 in the Tudor Championship), needs a win. Le Mans, would be the perfect place to do it. Under five hours left in this race. Problems for Mark Patterson in the #48 Murphy Prototypes Oreca Nissan, as he spins in Mulsanne corner. That was close as the Corvette was behind it. Ford vs. Chevrolet, will start again next year with the Ford announcement. Four cars at Le Mans next year. Two from the U.S. and two from Europe.
Now, every pit stop will be critical from now until the end of the race. The #64 Corvette is in the lane. Meanwhile, Mark Patterson is headed in. He shares with Nathaniel Berthon of France, and India's Karun Chandhok. This team has a new car. Many LMP2 cars were designed, ten years ago, when the Champion Racing Audi R8 won this race. We watch Mitch Evans in the #38 Jota Sport Gibson 015S Nissan. Evans, from New Zealand, shares with Brits Simon Dolan and Oliver Turvey.
We watch some of the pit action, and the crew members are up all night to service the car, damaged, or undamaged. The drivers get to go rest, get a shower, and a hot meal. The crew guys have been out there for a day and a half. Oh no. Problems for the #37 SMP Racing BR01 Nissan. This car needs to slow down so the tire won't shred and rip the bodywork apart. The car is shared by the Russian trio of Mikhail Aleshin, and the Ladygin brothers, (Kirill and Anton). The Michelin tire stayed intact.
In years past, that thing would have split apart, and become like a saw blade, tearing the bodywork to shreds. By regulation in LMP2, the teams have to buy a stock tire, whereas, GTE Pro and LMP1 has a specific, confidential tire, that only their factory programs, get. Neel Jani is having hybrid power issues in the #18 Porsche. He needs to do a reset, like a Control, Alt., Delete, on your laptop computer.
Some drivers remember the H pattern gearbox and analog gauges. There are very few sports cars made with an H pattern transmission, especially with hybrid technology etc. These guys are far more advanced even, than Formula One. These cars produce huge acceleration, huge speed, and over 1,000 horsepower. The #9 Audi is in the lane. Lots of new drivers, don't even know how to shift the old cars, when they race vintage races.
Toyota passes Nissan. Stephane Sarrazin is the wheel man in the #2 machine, sharing with Alexander Wurz and Mike Conway. Austria, Britain, and France, are the represented nations, in the car. Wurz is the 1996 Le Mans winner, with Porsche. He shared an open top TWR Porsche Spyder with Davy Jones from the United States, and German, Manuel Reuter. Porsche is in the pits. So is Audi. It's the #7 car.
The #72 SMP Racing Ferrari of Viktor Shaitar, just went off the road. He will be falling into the clutches of his competition if he can't get out of the gravel trap. He made a mistake in Indianapolis. Viktor Shaitar is out of the gravel trap. But, he's spewing gravel all over the road. Nick Tandy is like, "I gotta get outta here!" Slow motion pictures of the crewmen working on the #8 Audi. Gianmaria Bruni turns fastest lap in LM GTE Pro at 3:54.9. Wow! That's quick, for a GTE car. Ferrari runs a little more downforce.
However, they don't have the straight line speed that the Corvette does. Viktor Shaitar has made it into the pit lane. But, the car, is sinking like a stone. They are a lap up on Jeff Segal. But, they'll lose spots. Nick Tandy made a name for himself running for Porsche North America in the American Le Mans Series and the Tudor Championship. Now, he's leading the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Amazing. The #72 car is doing a brake change, and the right hand wing mirror is busted.
Jeff Segal and Marco Seefried, both pick up a lap in LM GTE Am. Can Nick Tandy win overall at Le Mans? We keep asking the question. Years ago, the team manager always had to tell the drivers to focus on a lap time. But today, the cars are so advanced, the team manager, has to be a strategist. Put your fastest guy in first. Put your reliable driver in at the end. Are drivers good in the rain? Good at night? Sometimes, a team manager will see a shrewd decision pay off.
Tommy Milner is having his lead eaten into by Gianmaria Bruni. The Ferrari has fresher tires than the Corvette right now. Bruni is fresh. He doesn't make a mistake either. He's a great driver in a Ferrari. He's got right rear damage. But it's not severe. The #91 Porsche pitted. Richard Lietz, at the wheel. They have one bullet left in the gun. They were not quick in qualifying and are down to one car, just like Corvette. But, they're running well. Don't count them out for a podium. The #53 SRT Viper for TI Automotive, has lost a number plate, I think.
We watch slow motion shots of the Aston Martin. This is the #98 of Matthias Lauda, sharing with Pedro Lamy and Paul Dalla Lana. The only difference between LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am is tire technology. We watch the #17 Porsche hit the pit lane. Yours truly cannot wait to see the new Ford GT next year. It looks like a race car. It's a GT car. But, it looks like a prototype. Speaking of prototypes, the lap times and tumbling. Andre Lotterer did a 3:18.4 and backed it up with a 3:19.2. Problems for the #68 Porsche. This is the #68 Team AAI Porsche in GTE Am with Han-Chen Chen, Gilles Vannelet, and Mike Parisy.
The sister car (#67), has Jun-San Chen, Xavier Maassen, and Alex Kapadia. Porsche #18 is in the lane. Neel Jani, out. Marc Lieb, in. The Prototype driver changes are very relaxed and very synchronized. The GTE driver changes, are a shade more frantic. Race Director Edoardo Freitas calls for a drive through penalty for the #7 Audi for disrespect of the slow zone. He took off before reaching the slow zone. He was side-by-side with another car, did not leave a gap, and almost passed.
Dr. Ullrich is pleading his case. But, it's to the sin bin for Andre Lotterer. Nick Tandy continues to lead. Tommy Milner still has the LM GTE Pro lead for the sole factory Corvette. Gianmaria Bruni is flying, and catching the #64 Corvette of Tommy Milner. We've got about four hours to go. Right at four hours. Loic Duval in the #8 Audi has loose bodywork. Meanwhile, Edoardo Freitas calls on the radio, "the track is declared wet." So, you can change to a wet tire compound.
This is a strategy call. Ooh. Is there rain? It doesn't seem likely. Jordan Taylor takes over the Corvette. Townsend Bell is going to take over the #62 Ferrari, with fresh tires right out of the tire warmers. This will put the cat among the pigeons. The sun is out on pit lane. The call is on the front straight. No rain. Hello? Edoardo? What's up, man? The #8 Audi is in the lane. Now, will the Audi fix loose bodywork? This is not a scheduled stop for them. Correction. Iit is. Put some bear bond on the sidepod.
Do they have a latch problem? There's no cracks, tire marks, or damage. One of the Audi's earlier, did have cracked bodywork. There is light rain out there, or, there could be. Porsche is saying they want to make sure the rain light is on on the car. The flashing rain lights on the rear of the prototypes was mandated after Kazuki Nakajima's wreck at Spa back in May, (a race that will be blogged, when yours truly, has time).
The #91 Porsche is in the garage. The #17 Porsche 919 of Timo Bernhard gets caught in an indecisive moment behind a Ferrari and flies off into the gravel trap! Wow! Did the Ferrari even see him? Yikes! Lucky save! Richard Lietz is at the controls of the #91 Porsche. They are two laps up on the #71 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Davide Rigon. Lietz is now losing time. The #19 Porsche is in the pits. Earl Bamber takes over from Nick Tandy. More rain. It is down at Tetre Rouge, or zones six and seven.
Porsche is looking for their 17th win. Audi is looking for win number fourteen. Slippery track at Tetre Rouge and the first chicane on the Mulsanne Straight. There's a tire carcas in the middle of the road, and it's another issue for the #27 SMP BR01 prototype, losing a left front tire carcass. You have to sloow the car down, or you will destroy the tire. Andre Lotterer is being told that there's light rain and it's OK for slick tires. Where is the rain? But, race engineer Lena Gade is doing very well.
If the slick tires are up to temperature, they'll handle the slight dampness. But if there's standing water, that's trouble. If there's a sheen, it's an issue. Hot tires on a slightly damp track is no worry. Yellow in Zone 29 (Indianapolis). So, the slow zone is activated again. If the rain builds up, force majeur will come into play, and put the cat among the pigeons. Hopefully we don't see too much change in the conditions. Yellow zone 29 is at the entry to the Porsche Curves.
Jordan Taylor is now driving the #64 Corvette. Gianmaria Bruni is in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari. Jordan Taylor, will finish the race, more than likely. Oliver Gavin will be next into the car, however. A Porsche goes down the escape road to re-enter the Mulsanne straight. The #53 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper has lost both first and second gear in their transmission. Ugh! Olivier Berretta is making his 20th straight start at Le Mans.
Emmanuel Collard has the most starts at Le Mans of anyone else. He is in one of the Ferrari's and will pass the stricken Viper. Stephane Sarrazin is pushing in the Toyota. But, he will not be in contention today. The Toyota just seems to have stopped developing. Always run at your best. Porsche found reliability. Audi continues to develop. Maybe Toyota is still developing. But, they've been way, way off the pace. This is an updated car. But, they did not make as many gains as Porsche and Audi.
Anthony Davidson drives the #1. He had a colossal wreck with a Ferrari, a few years ago. There are rain warnings being thrown out, but there is none at the moment. The #17 Porsche pits. But, Toyota is having a really fraught race. Drivers are motivated if they hear on the radio, "you have a chance for the podium." Never give up. This race is huge for manufacturers. Porsche are 1-2. Audi is still pushing hard, too. But, the races for Toyota and Nissan, have been ones to forget, even though Nissan will undoubtedly be back, being that it's just their first year back, in sixteen years.
Trouble for Marco Bonanomi in the #9 Audi. Andre Lotterer moves to third overall. The crew went to take the nose off, and forgot they'd taped it on with bear bond. Something is wrong in the hybrid system. A massive vibration, like a flatspotted tire. #9 is out of the box, and off the dolly's. But, this reverses the order. Audi has to hope that problems befall both the #19 and #17 Porsche's. Audi is two laps behind Earl Bamber. Two laps, means you are 17 miles behind. Lotterer is one lap behind. So, he and Loic Duval are on the same lap.
The ASR system is not working on the Audi. Lotterer is still two laps down. Now, he's one lap behind. Bonanomi has to go straight. The motor sounds sick. They're really fast and have lots of power. But, they are a real pig when they aren't driving well. The #18 Porsche is in the lane. There's a driver change going on with the #18. This could be a routine stop. Tires, driver change, and fuel. Marc Lieb into the car.
Oops. They pulled Lieb out. A single stint. Romain Dumas, is in the car. But, can he do a three hour plus stint? That's a long, long time. Pedro Lamy and Gianmaria Bruni battle. Ferrari vs. Aston Martin. #98 is running well in LM GTE Am. We have a long way to go. Problems continue for the #91 factory GTE Pro Porsche. They are having a huge issue with the wheel. The tire is stuck in the bodywork and the crewman is heaving the tire to pry it out. The suspension hasn't moved and returned to full droop.
How painful, to have a multimillion dollar race car, that won't work. The #30 ESM HPD is off at Tetre Rouge. Scott Sharp is at the wheel. He's throwing rocks all over the road. This trouble. He spins, and, boom... hits the wall. Ugh! Now, they have to get the grinder out, and grind the wheel off. How do you get a new wheel on? Painful to watch. It's like being in the dentists office, getting a cavity polished.
The Ferrari and the Corvette will be passing the Porsche, soon. Jordan Taylor runs a 3:54.8. Two seconds faster than LM GTE Pro pole! One of the Audi's is in pit lane, with damage. It's #8. They are taking the #8 Audi into the garage. The #9 had an issue with the hybrid system being inconsistent. They had to go through the whole hybrid system. Wow. Every Audi is having an issue except for Andre Lotterer in the #7. He turns the fastest lap at 3:17.4. This is fastest lap of the race, and a new in-race lap record! Yikes!
Timo Bernhard in the #17 Porsche is a lap down on his team mate, Earl Bamber. We're 21 hours in, and these blokes are turning qualifying laps! Now, your focus has to be sharpest, because mistakes are way too easy to make. Make your decisions and play them out, when you are tire. Your chances to make mistakes, are right now. Be at your best, but focus, even when you are super tired. Chairman of The Board for Porsche, Mattias Mueller, is in the garage. They want to beat Audi who has owned this race for so many years.
Porsche has 16 wins, and Audi has 13. They want to make it 17 to 13. A standard Tudor Championship sprint race is two hour, 45 minutes. So, we've got just over that distance, still to go. Earl Bamber says the car is good. Patrick Long is up to third in LM GTE Am. He ran the quickest lap for the #77 car at a 3:58.8. Pedro Lamy remains in the LM GTE Am lead. Pedro Lamy wants another win. #19 is in the lane. A completely routine stop. Bamber stays in the car.
We're into the final three hours. If you're ahead, the clock is your friend. If you're behind, it's your enemy. Rewind to hour sixteen, Nicolas Prost had an off track incident, hitting the wall. Mark Webber's Porsche ran around Rene Rast's Audi in hour eighteen. We are in for an exciting conclusion, as always, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Every year, this race, gets better. We watch Townsend Bell and Patrick Long for the final spot on the podium in LM GTE Am.
Patrick Long has two class wins at Le Mans. Townsend Bell wants a victory in his first Le Mans appearance. Wow. Whatr a race this is. We watch the Rebellion R One go by. Townsend Bell is measuring, sizing up, Patrick Long. He looks to pass, on the outside line to Mulsanne corner, and loses it! Yikes! Not a done deal yet. But, wow. These blokes were definitely playing dodge 'em cars.
Back to live action, we watch the #17 Porsche pit. Audi #8 has also had to replace an engine cover. We have to watch the Porsche/Audi battle. It's starting to go away from Audi. The competition level is really high. The drivers of the #9 car did superbly, but the race, has fallen away from them. Earl Bamber is a lap up on his Porsche team mate, Brendon Hartley. But, we have more problems. Our LMP2 leader is stopped at the side of the road! More on this, soon. This is bizarre! We watch Mitch Evans in LMP2.
But, the #47 KCMG car of Nicolas Lapierre, was stopped on the road. The marshals gave him a push and he's back on his way. KCMG started in the Asian Le Mans Series, and was told by a friend to come and race in Europe. KCMG is from Hong Kong. The #98 LM GTE Am class leading Aston Martin V8 Vantage of Pedro Lamy, pits. Romain Dumas is in the lane. He's had issues with his hybrid system. Nicolas Lapierre lost two minutes with his spin, and Sam Bird is coming, too. Jota Sport, with Oliver Turvey is actually second. They want two LMP2 wins at Le Mans, consecutively.
Andre Lotterer broke Filipe Albuquerque's record at 3:17.475. Jackie Oliver set the lap record in a Porsche 917 in 1971, at 3:18.40, despite tighter corners, and also, updates to the course. Amazing! Audi had the outright pace and Porsche had the reliability. If Porsche wins, then Audi will be scratching their heads, going, "what happened?" Toni Vilander is in the #51 Ferrari. Bruni is a quick shoe. Maybe Giancarlo Fisichella will be fast. Now, we see a battle beetween the Corvette and the other Ferrari.
The #47 goes by them both. Look here. Townsend Bell is going for it, as we approach just two and a half hours left in the 83rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. One more update, will be coming. The Bell/Long battle heats up. How does he get around? Patrick Long knows where to place the car. We've still got a ways to go. Ferrari is quicker down the straights. The Porsche is better under braking. Reverse engineer your race plan for the last two and a half hours. The #62 Scuderia Corse Ferrari is in for a pit lane speeding penalty. Ouch!
Andre Lotterer is being told he's quicker than the Porsche of Brendon Hartley. Mitch Evans for Jota Sport says it's been a tough first Le Mans for him. Mitch Evans' dad tried to qualify for Le Mans in 1996, and didn't. He crashed. Then, he set a land speed record in a high horsepower Porsche, run by Mauro Baldi. A tire blew at high speed. Mitch Evans is doing well in his first Le Mans. Wow. Mitch Evans has a bright future. Mark Webber is his mentor. An amazing story, too, about his dad.
Earl Bamber is in pit lane for a fuel only stop. The #7 Audi is being wheeled into the garage. Lucas di Grassi dipped into the 3:17 bracket now. All the Audi's have run under the previous best lap record set in 1971. Audi has run quickest, but they've been fraught with problems. Last year's winners, from Audi, they did not win that event, without problems. A little over two hours to go at Le Mans.
After the penalty for the Ferrari, the gap between Patrick Long and Townsend Bell in LM GTE Am is 1:44. Benoit Treluyer is third overall, in the #7 Audi. Audi #7 has won the first two races. Now, I just gave away the results of Spa. That race, was in May. No worries, blokes. I'll still cover it. Audi has had ultimate pace. But, they did not vie for pole. They focused on race setup. Andre Lotterer needs to pit, and fix the engine cover. The Audi team is not running the best Le Mans they've had at all. Far from it.
Andre Lotterer was not happy before getting in the car. It looked like, when he had his balaclava on, he was sad, and had tears in his eyes. #7 is back on the road now, with Benoit Treluyer at the controls. Two hours, twelve minutes remaining. A Porsche 1-2 followed by two Audi's. We have just over two hours to go. But, thats a long way. We watch the Ferrari of Toni Vilander leading the Corvette of Jordan Taylor.
Gianmaria Bruni is going for his fourth Le Mans win. Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella, both want their third Le Mans triumphs. Jordan Taylor brings the Corvette into the lane. They've had a bit of a dry spell. They haven't won in four years. Oliver Gavin will take the car home. Oliver Gavin has had four wins and seven podiums at Le Mans. Gavin has not had the best season in the Tudor Championship across the pond.
James Calado in the #71 Ferrari is still running. He did not race here last year. Calado wanted a Formula One career. But he's becoming a good GT racer. So many drivers tried to get to F1 and might have done some racing in F1. If you don't break into F1, you go sports car racing. It is a race of great lengths and many moves, beginning in the morning and going through the night. At dawn, battle scarred cars, will still be racing. But those who go so far, and run laps, they know that laps will earn nothing.
We've still got two hours to go. It will be quite the run to the finish. BR is in the lane, and running into it'[s pit equipment. The threshold for the last part of the race is a four hour stint. You can only do four hours out of any six and fourteen hours maximum. No sign of rain, but cars still have their flashing red rain lights on. The change of direction with these prototypes is breathtaking. The #19 has run like a train.
Is the light dimming? We've got a car (Toni Vilander), slowing, running a 4:17 lap. He either spun, or is having mechanical problems. Box, box, box. #51 is in the lane. Oliver Gavin goes by and will lead LM GTE Pro. The car is headed for the garage, but there's no rush. The crew tells Toni Vilander to stay in the car. Vilander is clicking the shifter paddles trying to get the car in gear. Corvette leads GTE Pro with their sole entry.
AF Corse are beside themselves after their problems. Toni Vilander is gutted. He made a mistake and broke something in the back of the car. The #47 Oreca 05 Nissan is still leading LMP2. They could win from pole with fast lap, in class, and get a grand slam. The #51 Ferrari did not clout a curb. Maybe the sister car #71 did. In the late stages of a 24 hour race, you are talking to the car saying, "hey pal, get me home." We have an hour and 45 minutes to go.
Soon, we'll be starting the last blog entry, of this Le Mans 24 Hours. Oliver Gavin is inches away from the curb. But, he's comfortable, right on the ragged edge. Watching Oliver Turvey in the #38 car. We're inside an hour and forty minutes remaining at Le Mans. We have one hour and 36 minutes to go. Sam Bird and Oliver Turvey battle in LMP2. Chris Cumming is slow. Meanwhile, Porsche is in the lane. Nico Hulkenberg will finish the #19 car.
Brendon Hartley is second overall. No chasing. They'll just close this thing out and get a finish. Gianmaria Bruni is suited up. Will he take the Ferrari back on track? James Calado was driving the AF Corse car. But maybe, Davide Rigon, has taken over. Raindrops could be in the lane. Hmmm.
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