Ferrari wins world renowned Le Mans 24 hour race
Ferrari won the renowned race after a 50-year absence!
Italian supercar maker, Ferrari emerged victorious at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, securing their 10th overall win and their first since 1965, and their first time competing in the race since 1973. Despite encountering last-minute issues with their no. 51 499P LMH car, the team managed to overcome the obstacles. During the final pit stop, the no. 51 car, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi, and James Calado, faced difficulty restarting. This allowed the second-placed no. 8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid LMH to close in, but after nearly a minute of trying, Pier Guidi successfully restarted the car and clinched the victory.
The no. 8 Toyota finished in second place, 81 seconds behind the Ferrari. Third place was claimed by the no. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh. Ferrari showcased their dominance early on, with their no. 50 499P securing pole position alongside the no. 51 car. Although the no. 50 car faced setbacks during the race due to a damaged radiator, it fought back to finish in fifth place. The no. 4 V-Series.R LMDh claimed fourth place.
Porsche endured a challenging race. The no. 6 963 LMDh crashed early on, followed by a battery problem that caused further time loss. The no. 5 car, initially in contention for a top-five finish, suffered a broken driveshaft in the closing hour, relegating it to ninth place. Porsche customer team Jota also faced misfortune, as their leading car, the no. 38 963, crashed into the barriers during the fifth hour and finished in 13th place.
Glickenhaus Racing achieved an impressive feat by securing the sixth and seventh positions with their no. 708 and no. 709 007 LMH cars, maintaining a perfect finishing record at Le Mans. However, both cars required pit stops for repairs after going off the track at different stages of the race.
In the LMP2 class, the no. 31 Oreca 07 of Inter Europol Competition emerged victorious, driven by Jakub Śmiechowski, Fabio Scherer, and Albert Costa. The GTE Am class saw the no. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R of Corvette Racing taking the win, with Ben Keating, Nico Varrone, and Nicky Catsburg behind the wheel.
A notable entry in the race was the Hendrick Motorsports' no. 24 Camaro ZL1 NASCAR race car, participating as a Garage 56 exhibition entry. Piloted by Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button, and Mike Rockenfeller, the car finished 39th out of 62 starters. Although it initially led the GTE race cars, repairs to its driveline cost the team an hour.
After the event, Ferrari solidified their position in the Manufacturers' standings of the 2023 World Endurance Championship, remaining in second place and narrowing the gap with Toyota to 19 points.
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Joseph Catley - SYPC Media Manager
