As we took some time to refuel and repair our OM team, the #8 Toyota took the lead of the race, and drama for Rebellion, BMW and Jackie Chan DC Racing.
About half an hour before the 16-hour mark, we saw the first lead change in hours. Yes, it was a Toyota swapping with a Toyota, but given how little things have changed across the order, this is actually quite exciting and raises a few more questions. Will Toyota do whatever they can to keep the #8 in front? If the #7 retakes the lead, will team orders force them to give it up at the last minute?
? Leader change !
The @Toyota_Hybrid #8 is now leading the race ahead of its sister #7#LEMANS24 pic.twitter.com/Sz7l6K9Zom— 24 Hours of Le Mans (@24hoursoflemans) June 17, 2018
LMP1
It might still be Toyota, Toyota, Rebellion, Rebellion but it’s not been plain sailing for the Swiss team. The #3 wound up back in the garage just before 4 am local time for some repairs to the underbody and during the following hour, Neel Jani brought the #1 in for an unscheduled stop and a trip into the garage for an as yet unknown reason. Trouble for both Rebellions may have made things interesting for a little bit, but both returned to 3rd and 4th as they were, the #3 ahead of the #1.
The remaining LMP1 runners – the #11 SMP Racing, #10 Dragonspeed and #5 Ginetta keeping to themselves much further down the order.
LMP2
As with LMP1, in LMP2 the order remains essentially unchanged. The unshakable G-Drive continues to solidify its lead at the front of the field, while the #23 Panis Barthez Competition Ligier and #36 Signatech Alpine continue to swap around for second and third.
A few dramas further down in class, Giedo van der Garde found himself in hot water as his #29 Racing Team Nederland Dallara appeared to be spewing more flames than usual from the exhuast. Giedo managed to get back to the box and after a ten-minute delay was back out on the circuit. Jose Gutierrez in the #40 G-Drive/GRAFF Racing Oreca wasn’t so lucky as he found himself backwards in the wall at the Porsche Curves – an immediate retirement for the team.
Slow zone – the #40 @GDrive_Racing driven by José Gutierrez has had a spin and now sits facing the wrong way on the track. #LEMANS24 #WEC pic.twitter.com/htwdzLekok
— 24 Hours of Le Mans (@24hoursoflemans) June 17, 2018
Engine troubles claimed the #34 Jackie Chan DC Racing of Ricky Taylor, Come Ledogar and David Heinemeir-Hansson, marking the 7th retirement of this race. The TDS Racing Oreca had to return to its garage briefly, but after a quick turnaround, Loic Duval was attacking the circuit setting purple sectors all over the place – he was the first LMP2 to hit the 3:27 laptimes.
GTE Pro/Am
Can you guess who’s at the front of GTE Pro? That’s right, it’s still the #92 Pink Pig Porsche ahead of the #91 Porsche, just as it was four hours ago. And it’s still The #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche, the #85 Keating Motorsports at the head of the GTE Am field.
The most exciting things to happen during the late night/early morning were a brief trip into the gravel for Andy Priaulx in the #67 Ford, and a brief battle (for fifth in GTE Am) between Fisichella’s Spirit of Race Ferrari and Le Mans debutant Patrick Lindsey’s Team Project1 Porsche livened up the track for a bit.
Things started to get spicy as dawn drew in, as a spin for the #84 JMW Motorsport car saw it drop down the order – a shame as it had been running brilliantly through the night. Currently unexplained problems for the #82 BMW as Alexander Sims spun himself into the barriers at Porsche Curves, seemingly unaided – the team later took the decision to retire the #82.
? Retirement of the #82 @BMWMotorsport #BMWM8GTE after hitting the barrier a few minutes ago#LEMANS24 #WEC pic.twitter.com/VOBCFSPBJl
— 24 Hours of Le Mans (@24hoursoflemans) June 17, 2018
