LM24, HOUR 10: PEUGEOT HOLDING STEADY AS FERRARI, PORSCHE FALTER
Nico Muller and Peugeot were in control of the 24 Hours of Le Mans after ten hours. Muller inherited the lead of the race after Ryo Hirakawa brought the No. 8 Toyota GR010 to the pits during a full course yellow period that encased the second half of the hour.
Perhaps more noteworthy, however, was the No. 50 Ferrari that was wheeled into the garage in the closing minutes of the hour. Antonio Fouco was running fourth when the car was brought in. The team set to work on the front of the car in search of a leak. The car was still in the garage at the end of the hour and is two laps down but likely to lose more.
Coincidentally, it was the second Hypercar with a leak of some form after the No. 5 Team Penske Porsche 963 suffered a water leak and dropped down the order.
The developments in recent hours have meant Toyota, Ferrari, and Porsche all have just one car left in contention for the second half of the race.
Earlier in the hour, Hirakawa had gained the top spot after he pounced on Peugeot’s Muller once the field resumed green-flag racing following a safety car for an incident that had resulted in the retirement of Toyota’s No. 7 GR010.
Hirakawa followed Sebastian Bourdais past the No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 on the start at the Dunlop Chicane. Bourdais was regaining his status on the lead lap for the No. 3 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R while Hirakawa was moving through to take the race lead.
The No. 2 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R is second but much of the field is cycling through pitstops after a full course yellow.
A pair of LMP2 runners ran into trouble with the most consequential incident befalling the No. 63 Prema Racing ORECA 07. Daniil Kyvat was at the wheel when circuit cameras captured the car sliding backward through the Porsche Curves with heavy damage to the rear of the car after impacting the barrier on driver’s left. Kyvat climbed from the car uninjured, but the incident meant the end of that team’s race.
Earlier in the hour, the No. 28 Jota ORECA 07 of Pietro Fittipaldi found himself beached in the gravel at the first chicane after contact with the No. 65 Panis Racing ORECA 07. Fittipaldi was running fifth at the time of the incident.
It’s still the No. 34 Inter Europol Competition ORECA 07 in the lead of the race in LMP2. The No. 30 Duqueine ORECA 07 of Rene Binder is second and the No. 41 Team WRT ORECA 07 of Rui Andrade is third but pitstops are complicating the always-close running order in LMP2.
In GTE Am, Matteo Cairolli in the No. 56 Project 1 – AO Porsche 911 RSR passed Francesco Castellaci in the No. 54 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE for the lead of the class. Ahmad Al Harthy in the No. 25 ORT by TF Racing Aston Martin Vantage was third.
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2023-06-11T00:17:18Z dg43tfdfdgfd