– Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and André Lotterer with promising chances
– Four-hour safety car phase in the early morning hours
– Manthey EMA’s Porsche 911 GT3 R leads the LMGT3 class
– 24 Hours of Le Mans finishes on Sunday at 4 pm
With eight hours left on the clock at Le Mans, four Porsche 963 are still holding their own in the same lap as the leader. The Porsche Penske Motorsport works team’s No. 5 hybrid prototype shared by Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and André Lotterer is hot on the bumper of the leading Toyota. In the LMGT3 category, both Porsche 911 GT3 R managed to defend their one-two positions for a long stretch. As heavy rain subsided, the four-hour safety car phase came to an end shortly after 8 am.
Changeable weather, heavy rain and a long full-course yellow phase during the night in Le Mans posed challenges for teams and drivers. The big decision was the choice between dry and rain tyres. The crew of the No. 6 Porsche 963 chose well: the works car systematically battled its way up the order from 13th place. On a wet track, Kévin Estre ultimately advanced to second place shortly after midnight. The Frenchman shares the hybrid prototype with André Lotterer from Germany and the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. At that time, the No. 38 entry fielded by Hertz Team Jota and driven by ex-Formula 1 champion Jenson Button, his British compatriot Philip Hanson and Oliver Rasmussen from Denmark was running sixth as the best customer Porsche 963.
Promptly at 4 am – halfway through the race – the three safety cars were deployed after heavy rain began to fall. They spearheaded the field for the next four hours until 8:15 am local time. When the race went green, Frédéric Makowiecki from France, Michael Christensen from Denmark and Australian Matt Campbell grabbed their chance in Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 car, catapulting into the same lap as the leader. Jota’s second car driven by Will Stevens and Callum Ilott from the UK and Frenchman Norman Nato did the same.
« We’re in second place with our number 6 car and all of our Porsche 963 are still in the race, so that’s good news, » says Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Racing LMDh. « The long stint behind the safety car, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily bode well for the cars and it’s exhausting for the drivers. However, it should stay dry for the rest of the race now. That means we can get back to normal racing. »
In the LMGT3 class, the two Porsche 911 GT3 R defended their one-two lead through the night. First place was held by the 911 of the customer team Manthey PureRxcing driven by Klaus Bachler from Austria, Germany’s Joel Sturm and Alex Malykhin from Great Britain. However, after a good two-thirds of the race, the vehicle had to pit for repairs due to an electronic fault. This handed the LMGT3 lead to Manthey EMA’s sister car helmed by the Austrian Richard Lietz, Morris Schuring from the Netherlands and the Australian Yasser Shahin.
TV coverage and live streaming of the race
The long-distance classic will be broadcast in Germany by the free TV channel Nitro from the RTL media group and on the sports channel Eurosport. The official apps of the FIA WEC and the Le Mans organiser ACO offer a paid live stream and live timing.
Drivers’ comments on the race so far
André Lotterer (Porsche 963 #6): « When I was in the car at the beginning of the race, we switched from slicks to wet tyres – and then immediately back again. That cost us a few positions. But we made progress in the first half of the night. We’re currently in second place and things are looking good for us. One very lengthy safety car period later and in still very slippery conditions, we now need to see who can maintain the pace at the front. The race continues to be very exciting and close! »
Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 963 #5): « When it started to rain again during the night, we opted to stay on slicks. Consequently, we lost about two-thirds of a lap. But that’s just the way it is. We’ll have to see what comes of it when all is said and done. »
Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #4): « There’s not a whole lot going right for our number 4 car in this race. When the rain started, we made the right decision and switched to rain tyres. The race organisers made a good call in bringing out the safety car: The conditions were simply too bad. It’s still raining – and our windscreen wipers aren’t working. »
Alex Malykhin (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): « We’re doing well in the race and our strategy is paying off. But there are a few technical issues with the car that had become more troublesome as time goes on. »
Preliminary standings after 16 of 24 hours
Hypercar class:
1. Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa (CH/NZ/J), Toyota #8, 198 laps
2. Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor (F/D/B), Porsche 963 #6, -2.329 seconds
3. Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen (I/E/DK), Ferrari #50, -4.972 seconds
6. Hanson/Button/Rasmussen (UK/UK/DK), Porsche 963 #38, -15.204 seconds
10. Campbell/Christensen/Makowiecki (AUS/DK/F), Porsche 963 #5, -22.834 seconds
11. Ilott/Stevens/Nato (UK/UK/F), Porsche 963 #12, -28.017 seconds
17. Tandy/Nasr/Jaminet (UK/BR/F), Porsche 963 #4, -2 laps
18. Andlauer/Jani/Tincknell (F/CH/UK), Porsche 963 #99, -5 laps
LMGT3 class:
1. Bachler/Malykhin/Sturm (A/UK/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, 179 laps
2. Lietz/Shahin/Schuring (A/AUS/NL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #91, -2.731 seconds
3. Hamaguchi/Pino/Sato, (J/RCH/J), McLaren #95, -17.393 seconds