Le Mans Hour 18: No. 51 Ferrari extends leads at 3/4-mark
As we head into the final 6 hours of the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #51 Ferrari is still out in front, six hours away from a Ferrari 1-2-3 hat trick at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
The intense competition at the 24 Hours of Le Mans continued unabated during the night. Due to different pit stop rhythms, the lead changed again and again.
After the last round of pit stops, Kubica lost crucial seconds in traffic on his out lap, now sitting seven seconds off the lead in the #83 Ferrari but 34 seconds ahead of the #50 in third, Antonio Fuoco currently at the helm to complete the top three lockout since sunrise.
The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 sits fourth, 13 seconds behind Fuoco and 55 seconds off the overall lead. The #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 HYBRID is hanging in there in fifth, but 40 seconds back from the Porsche.
“We were in the lead from time to time, but the Ferrari are making life really difficult for us,” said Urs Kuratle after the sunrise in Le Mans. The Director Factory Motorsport LMDh added: “We had to take a few penalties. That shouldn’t happen to us from now on. I’m curious to see how the race will develop over the next few hours.”
“When the track temperatures dropped, we were not only able to close the gap to the leaders with the number 6 car, but even took the lead again,” explains Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “However, our lead was wiped out by a safety car period. The Ferrari have been extremely strong since the sun came up. We can’t keep up with them at the moment. I hope that will change again during the course of the day.”
The #15 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8, and the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R trail the top five.
LE MANS LMP2
Inter Europol Competition is six hours away from its second LMP2 win in three years. The #43 ORECA 07-Gibson has fought back from a big pit lane miscue to retake control of the race, and Nick Yelloly continues to inch away to lead over the #48 VDS Panis Racing ORECA of Oliver Gray in second by 20 seconds.
LE MANS LMGT3
Richard Lietz is six hours away from his sixth career Le Mans GT class win, and back-to-back LMGT3 class wins in the #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 LMGT3 R. The baby blue Porsche has controlled the action since the #46 Team WRT BMW retired from the race.
Lietz leads by more than a minute over the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296, comfortably second ahead of the #81 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette in third.