Yahoo Autos LM24, Hour 18: No. 51 Ferrari remains ahead of improving No. 8 Toyota
Just six hours to go and in each class it feels like we are no closer to being able to predict who will take the top honors.
The Hypercar battle between Ferrari and Toyota continues. The No. 8 Toyota is now a minute back with Sebastien Buemi at the wheel, the team losing a chunk of time at its 22nd stop due to the team changing to medium tyres.
Buemi’s pace has improved as a result of the fresh Michelin tyres being mounted, but he has been unable to take any significant chunks out of the gap to Antonio Giovanazzi in the No. 51 499P that leads with the sun out over the circuit and the crowds trackside beginning to build back up.
The No. 2 and No. 3 Cadillacs continue to run metronomically in third and fourth.
More Le Mans/WEC!
Garage 56 Le Mans engine tech with the NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1 Cup car
LM24 Hour 22: Lead positions held as conclusion of the race nears
LM24 Hour 21: No. 51 Ferrari once again pulling away
In LMP2, the battle for the lead has gone quiet. The Polish Inter Eurpol ORECA is now 44 seconds clear of the No. 41 WRT ORECA of Rui Andra, who is now having to monitor the gap behind the No. 30 Duqueine ORECA that’s closing in with Neel Jani strapped into the cockpit.
GTE Am meanwhile, continues to swing like a pendulum, with a flurry of Bronze drivers burning their final chunks of their drive time throughout the morning. ORT by TF’s Aston Martin now leads after a superb effort from Charlie Eastwood to climb the order. The No. 33 Corvette is second, despite the team losing time to an emergency service stop while the pit lane was closed under FCY. The team had to come in twice in short succession as a result.
Ben Keating though, in what is expected to be his final stint, has been as strong as ever since climbing in. He took seconds a lap out of fellow Bronze PJ Hyett in the Project 1 Porsche and snuck past to take second. The Iron Dames Porsche is still in the fight too, sitting just outside the top three with Rahel Frey aboard and pushing hard.
The top four with six hours to go are within 30 seconds of each other, with so much still to play for.
During the hour there was a significant milestone for Hendrick Motorsports, its faultless run with the Garage 56 modified NASCAR Cup car continued and Mike Rockenfeller climbed to 28th overall, ahead of all the GTE Am teams for the first time in the second half of the race.
