Those of us hoping for one of the privateer LMP1 cars to crash the overall podium party as they did at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps had all of our hopes and dreams crushed overnight at Le Mans. Meanwhile, LM GTE Pro remains a fierce battle between two Ford GTs and a Ferrari 488 GTE.
Just a few hours earlier, there was hope for one of the privateer LMP1-class cars would show up to crash the manufacturers’ party with the No. 13 Rebellion R-One in fifth. Like the No. 12 earlier, the No. 13 needed to come into its garage to change its clutch.
The No. 1 Porsche 919 LMP1-H was forced into the garage for a serious repair, and the No. 7 Audi R18 LMP1-H had been struggling to claw back from its own trouble. It stopped on track in the eleventh hour and then continued slowly in with more issues. The No. 7 had to replace its turbocharger early on in this years race.
All of the privateer LMP1s are still running, however, they’re nowhere near the top of the standings anymore.
Both Toyota TS050s and the No. 2 Porsche 919 continue to battle it out for the lead. It’s the Energizer Bunny of Le Mans battles, and I couldn’t love it more. Here’s hoping all three of those cars remain fairly unbreakable to the very end. Currently the No. 6 Toyota TS050 leads, but the other two aren’t far behind.
Speaking of battles that just won’t quit, the two Ford Chip Ganassi Racing USA (USA! USA!) GTs and the Ferrari of Houston-backed Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE continue to duke it out for the LM GTE Pro lead. Currently the Risi Ferrari leads, but it looks like one of the American teams is going to take LM GTE Pro. Cue the bald eagle to shed a single, proud tear.
In LM GTE Am, the Jalopnik bump is real! Recent Q&A participant Jeff Segal leads the class in the No. 62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458.
The No. 36 Signatech Alpine holds on to that number one spot in LMP2 and currently sits in sixth place overall after the No. 1 Porsche 919 and all three privateer LMP1s have dropped far down the standings.
Of course, night time takes a toll on the drowsy and sleepy folks tend to drop wherever they can for a quick nap, as this cuddly Aston Martin Racing pair did.
Want to follow along in as much detail as one human can type out? Check out RennSport’s excellent live-blog here.