Yours truly has changed his mind, finding a live stream of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, online, just before the start as the satellite for the Velocity coverage was not working. So, as the pre-race is well underway, soon, we will have a race start. It's Toyota, vs. everyone else in the race this year. What will happen? The cars are on the grid, now, lined up echelon style along the front straight. In ten minutes, we will have a start to this motor race. Toyota has locked out the front row, with the #8 TS050 Hybrid of Fernando Alonso, Kazuki Nakajima, and Sebastien Buemi. Toyota are the favorites, but watch for Rebellion and SMP as well. Drivers, start your engines. It's now time for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as tennis legend Rafael Nadal gives the command.
The cars roll off, behind the safety car. Problems for the ByKolles CLM P1/01, however. Will that car move? Yes. The last few cars get away. ByKolles is still having issues getting away from the grid. Oliver Webb, Tom Dillman, and Dominik Kraihamer will have a long race ahead. The cars file onto the Mulsanne straight. The final formation lap is underway and in a short time, we will start this motor race. The field forms up, two by two. Pit crews hoping their cars will last the distance. 24 hours on the clock. We're underway! A spin right away as the DragonSpeed entry of Ben Hanley spins in the esses. Down the Mulsanne at speed for the first time. Ford and Ferrari are wrestling in LM GTE Pro already! Both Toyota's lead down the Mulsanne, through Mulsanne corner and down to Arnage for the first time.
One of the Rebellion's is coming. Andre Lotterer at the wheel of it. These early laps could set the tone for the first few hours. Stephane Sarrazin runs ahead of Andre Lotterer in the SMP Racing BR01. The #1 Rebellion pits with the whole front clip missing. That was the accident we saw at the start. DragonSpeed leads LMP2. Roberto Gonzalez of Mexico, Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela, and Nathaniel Berthon of France, share that car. Porsche leads LM GTE Pro. Gianmaria Bruni leads Kevin Estre. It's the #91 with the Rothman's livery, leading #92, painted like the "Pink Pig" 917 from 1970. We see a battle developing between Stephane Sarrazin and Thomas Laurent. These are the petrol LMP1 cars as opposed to the Toyota's with their hybrid systems.
Pit stop time for the #37 Jackie Chan DC Racing entry, shared by Jazeman Jafaar, Weiran Tan, and Nabil Jeffri. Three Malaysian drivers. That car has gone to the garage for repairs. Two of the Ford GT's are third and fourth in class in LM GTE Pro. Buemi and Sarrazin are separated by almost three seconds on the road. Porsche and Ford continue to duke it out in GTE Pro, with a Ferrari in close pursuit. Nathaniel Berthon has his hands full with Paul Loup Chatin in LMP2. The best battle on track is in GTE Pro. Ford, Porsche, Ferrari. James Calado is alongside Patrick Pilet. Sebastien Buemi and Mike Conway are battling on the straight.
Will Stevens and Nicolas Lapierre are running nose to tail in LMP2 behind one of the Rebeelion cars. Meanwhile, the Toyota's are beginning to work through the GTE traffic. Traffic will be constant from now, until the end of the motor race. The Gulf Porsche 911 RSR, car #86 pits. That's the all British Gulf Racing entry for Mike Wainwright, Ben Barker, and Alex Davison. Correction, as Alex Davison is Australian. Stephane Sarrazin makes a move on Thomas Laurent down the Mulsanne straight. Rebellion #3 pits. The retro livery factory GT Porsche's continue to race each other. Rothman's vs. Pink Pig. Pit stop time for Toyota #8 and Sebastien Buemi stays in the car. The sister Toyota will go into the lead.
That's the Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Jose Maria Lopez driven car. The #22 United Autosports car goes way off the road! Phil Hanson, Filipe Albuquerque, and Paul di Resta share the car. Not sure who is driving, but they made it to pit lane. Ferrari on Ford in GTE Pro, into Indianapolis! The new BMW M8 GTE's are in this fight, too. Martin Tomczyk and Augusto Farfus start the cars for BMW MTEK. Pulling out to pass the Ford in Arnage, and a little argy bargy along the way! Tomczyk is told by his crew to keep going and keep gaining places.
40 minutes into the race and battles in LMP2 are simmering. Porsche #92 in pit lane for service and a driver change. More pit action for the GTE Pro contenders. Ford, Ferrari, and Porsche are all in the lane, including cars #91 and either #93, or 94. Corvette also pits. SMP Racing with the #17 car is up to third overall, and that is the BR01 of Matevos Isaakyan of Russia, his countryman Egor Drudzhev, and Stephane Sarrazin, the veteran French sports car driver. GTE Am pit stops for Spirit of Race and TF Sport, as well as MR Racing. The two Aston Martin Vantage's run at the rear of GTE Pro, with Nicki Thiim and Jonny Adam, driving. Ferrari on Porsche, and ooh! Jeroen Bleekemolen puts the #85 Keating Motorsports Ferrari 488 in the gravel trap. Team owner Ben Keating, and Luca Stolz are the other drivers in that car.
Now, an LMP2 battle. It's Filipe Albuquerque vs. Giedo van der Garde. The Portuguese driver, vs. the Dutchman. Problems for the #6 Ginetta, slowing on track. An all British crew shares it. Alex Brundle, Oliver Rowland, and Oliver Turvey. Factory GTE cars race among the Prototypes. As this scrap continues, we have one hour in the books.
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