The ByKolles car is still stopped on course with Paolo Ruberti having hoped to get into the car. Tom Dillman is filling in for Britain's James Rossiter who was originally signed up to drive. Toyota runs 1-2. G-Drive continues to lead LMP2. Ferrari leads LM GTE Pro and Keating Motorsport's Ford leads GTE Am. We have a slow zone again. We're definitely into the second half, here at Le Mans. You need strength in numbers to compete at Le Mans. Bring extra cars. Porsche, Jaguar, Ferrari, Audi, and others have run multi-car teams at Le Mans in the past. Again, this is a major issue for Porsche as we've seen so far. Porsche #92 is back out of the garage, but they've lost four laps. They won't get that back it doesn't seem. Their world championship chances have possibly evaporated. The ByKolles car has been towed away and we'll be back to green flag racing soon.
The #22 Ligier overshoots the chicane on the Mulsanne straight. Wondering who that is. I think it is the United Autosport car. That's the Filipe Albuquerque, Phil Hanson, Paul di Resta car. Kevin Estre's issue with the Porsche is an exhaust system problem. A great shame for Kevin Estre, unfortunately. The team Porsche may still bring the World Championship to Zuffenhausen. Dawn will be here, but it is taking it's sweet time. Still 10 hours plus on the board. Fernando Alonso is 32 sconds behind Kamui Kobayashi. The Rebellion car is still two laps down to both Toyota's, as Jean Eric Vergne leads Andre Negrao and Ho-Pin Tung are the top three in LMP2.
Ferrari leads GTE Pro, and in GTE Am, it is still the Keating Motorsports Ford GT with Felipe Fraga at the wheel of it, being followed by Charlie Eastwood in the Aston Martin and Rodrigo Baptista in the JMW Ferrari. The modern LED headlights are very powerful as Alesasndro Pier Guidi pits for a brake pad change. It is a quick, simple (relatively), procedure. Sebastien Bourdais has pitted the #68 Ford GT, and Seb is of course, from Le Mans. He has won his home race before. Ryan Briscoe has taken over the car, the New Zealander. The top seven cars in LM GTE Pro are all on the lead lap. Porsche, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari, and all four of the Ford GT's with their retro paint schemes.
The Rebellion goes purple in sector one at 31.6, with Nathaniel Berthon at the wheel of it. Berthon hit the pit lane, and so it was not a fastest lap. It was only a fastest first sector as the #91 and #93 Porsche's hit the pit lane. No brake changes for either of the Porsche's as yet. Nick Tandy came in ahead of Gianmaria Bruni. Antonio Garcia for Corvette leads Alessandro Pier Guidi for Ferrari, and Garcia has to hit the pit lane again yet. DragonSpeed in the pit lane, with Anthony Davidson at the wheel of it. Fernando Alonso gets a new tail section on the Toyota and Thomas Laurent is in the lane for Rebellion #3 for some reason.
Let's hope there isn't a real issue for Rebellion. On Alonso's car, Toyota changed the door and also the rear tail section. The Ford crew is catcdhing a catnap as the #63 Corvette is in pit lane with Antonio Garcia at the controls. Toyota #7 in the lane, making adjustments at the front of the car. No time lost for Kamui Kobayashi. 213 laps completed, 1,803 miles. Cars are more often left hand drive, because of fueling system safety. In Group C, there were fuel venting bottles, and so, modern cars, are more often left hand drive, as opposed to right hand drive which many of the Group C and the early LMP1 cars were. Ford GT #66 will take a full service pit stop. Brake pads will bechanged.
Indeed, this is the case. No brake pad change though, for the Stefan Mucke, Billy Johnson, Olivier Pla car. The Alpine name won Le Mans in the 1960s and the new Alpine is now being produced. Both LMP2 top cars are being renamed. An Alphine is an Oreca and the Oris is a Russian limousine. An Oris is a Russian limo. Gianmaria Bruni is running fourth in LM GTE Pro in Porsche #91. Risi Competizione are running a blue Ferrari instead of a red one, and the Prancing Horse is blue instead of black. Giuseppe Risi and Dave "Beaky" Sims, along with Rick Mayer. Jules Gounon, Pipo Derani, and Oliver Jarvis.
Nick Tandy and Gianmaria Bruni are still racing each other for the factory Porsche team. Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz could very well be LM GTE Pro champions. In the next hour, we'll see the sunshine. The graveyard shift is a great time here at Le Mans. Matt Campbell has come into the garage for a floor change on the #77 Dempsey Proton GTE Am Porsche which is still rear engine unless it is one of the mid-engine factory cars. Dawn is coming, and we're into the magic hour, as Matty Campbell comes back onto the track here at Le Mans as we see some off course over the curbs clattering for the #77 car.
The ByKolles car has not officially retired. Porsche is only saying the exhaust was the culprit for the woes of the #92 car. Kamui Kobayashi or Kazuki Nakajima could be World Champion, either one of them. Lots and lots of work before, during, and after the race. Everybody has to be packed up and out of Le Mans by 5PM on Monday afternoon. Pit stop time for SMP. Matteo Cairoli and company have had a litany of issues and they've been in the box, in the garage, for hours. Jeroen Bleekemolen continues to lead in LM GTE Am with their Wynn's liveried Ford GT. Daniel Serra has really been successful with his driving tonight.
Euan Hankey has put the #90 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage off the road at Mulsanne. A yellow flag at Mulsanne. We are looking at a slow zone for this one. Team boss Tom Ferrier and company are going to drop like a stone down the order. LMP1 cars in pit lane, and we see the #3 car is in the lane, having crashed through the front of a paint factory. It's no podium place for TF Sport. Rebellion are solidly third in the overall as the Aston Martin is craned away. Euan Hankey has to be getting seasick sitting in that car.
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