117-721: The Audi R15 TDI , commonly abbreviated to the R15 , is a Le Mans Prototype (LMP) racing car constructed by the German car manufacturer Audi AG . It is the successor to the Audi R10 TDI . Like its predecessor, the R15 TDI uses a turbocharged diesel engine , although the R15's V10 engine is physically smaller than the R10's V12 . The smaller engine is pushed further toward the middle of
234-454: A lithium-ion battery , a first for Audi sports prototypes, as well as LED headlights and a unique system of LED rear lights that are mounted on the rear wing endplate. In the week leading up to the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans , rival Peugeot lodged a protest against the R15, claiming that its bodywork did not comply with regulations stating that parts of the bodywork cannot be fitted with the sole purpose of generating downforce. However, after
351-399: A suspension mounting fault in the third hour, giving the lead to the sister Peugeot squad of Anthony Davidson , Marc Gené and Alexander Wurz until they had to enter the garage to replace a failed alternator . Peugeot's third trio of Nicolas Minassian , Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazin led the following 144 laps before the engine failed due to connecting rod failure. This gave
468-434: A 4.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8. In seasons 2017 through 2020, the engine produced about 600 bhp . Dallara , Onroak Automotive (Ligier), Oreca and the joint-venture Riley Tech / Multimatic were selected by FIA as the four exclusive chassis constructors, which must be closed-cockpit designs. Before the start of the 2021 season LMP2 cars have been slowed down to ensure the necessary lap time difference between
585-565: A Peugeot 1–2 victory. At the R15's last race, two cars were entered in the Zhuhai 1000 km. Both cars were leading the 908s by thirty seconds after Sebastian Bourdais made contact with a GT2 Porsche. A late safety car session saw the Audi's lead shrink to thirteen seconds. Afterwards, controversial teamwork by Peugeot saw the No. 1 908 slow down the No. 7 Audi enough to let the No. two Peugeot come out of
702-458: A collision between Jacques Nicolet and Stephane Salini on the inside at the Ford chicane , the session was not halted. The weather remained dry for the final session that night. Only a few cars improved their lap times, and Bourdais's pole position time from the first session was not improved upon. Peugeot achieved their fourth successive pole position at Le Mans. Bourdais's No. 3 Peugeot led
819-586: A different race strategy. By pushing the French manufacturer to the limit, three of the Peugeot cars experienced engine problems due to connecting rod failure towards the latter part of the race. With engine troubles for three of the Peugeots that forced the cars to retire before the end of the race, and an early exit by the No. 3 due to a suspension failure, the three Audis would finish 1–2–3 (the No. 9 took first,
936-434: A factor, saying, "It's all about who is fast and who is slower." Kristensen did not believe Priaulx had seen his approaching car, saying, "It's Le Mans, so you should always expect the unexpected – and in a way I guess you could say I didn't expect that enough, but when there's a BMW driving with three very good and professional drivers, I would expect them to see me and not change the racing line when I'm coming [behind] with
1053-515: A fuel pick-up issue forced him to stop at Arnage corner, effectively ending his crew's running. In the final half-hour, Bourdais improved Lapierre's lap time to 3 minutes, 19.711 seconds, giving the No. 3 Peugeot provisional pole position . The sister Nos. 1 and 3 Peugeots of Alexander Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin were second and third, with Lapierre's No. 4 Oreca car fourth. Mike Rockenfeller and Benoît Tréluyer 's No. 9 and 8 Audis were fifth and sixth. Kane's lap of 3 minutes, 36.168 seconds put
1170-637: A full 7 laps down the order. The No. 1 Audi clinched a podium finish, finishing in third place. Audi announced on 25 August, 2009, that two R15s would race at the 2009 Petit Le Mans . Both Audis led for approximately 90% of the race, but a late spin during the final rain-soaked caution handed the victory to one of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs entered by Team Peugeot Total. This loss was Audi's first since competing in Petit Le Mans since their initial attempt at Road Atlanta back in 2000. In response to losing
1287-543: A left-rear puncture that required bodywork repairs, Leventis' No. 42 Strakka retained the LMP2 lead over Guillaume Moreau 's No. 35 OAK Pescarolo by five laps. Lotterer locked the No. 8 Audi's tyres at Arnage Corner and collided with the tyre wall, necessitating a pit stop for new front bodywork. After a brief battle, Wurz in the recovering No. 1 Peugeot passed Lotterer for second at the Michelin chicane before falling back behind
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#17327807032491404-474: A lot more speed." He later said that he had forgiven Priaulx, "At the time it was very frustrating, but when you look at the whole picture it is not so bad. We have finished on the podium. It's part of the way things work at this race." Priaulx admitted he was disappointed to have been a contributing factor in the accident, commenting, "It wasn't like a last minute thing that I decided to go left, but he had committed. People have told me I am not, but my gut feeling
1521-557: A major oil fire. Bernhard, Dumas and Rockenfeller maintained the lead the No. 9 Audi had held for the final 133 laps. They achieved their first Le Mans victories and Audi's ninth since its first in 2000 in a record-breaking 397 laps, covering 5,410.713 km (3,362.061 mi). They finished one lap ahead of Fässler, Lotterer, and Tréluyer's sister No. 8 car in second, and Capello, Kristensen, and McNish's No. 7 car followed two laps later in third to complete an Audi podium sweep. The No. 42 Strakka HPD car of Kane, Leventis, and Watts led
1638-482: A single open-cockpit class of World Sports Cars equivalent to LMP1. This formula continued up to 1996, with many manufacturers embracing the LMP and WSC classes, including Ferrari , Porsche , and Mazda . In 1997, the first European series based around Le Mans Prototypes was launched, known as the " International Sports Racing Series ". Using classes similar to LMP1/WSC and LMP2, these cars were known as "SR1" and "SR2" by
1755-585: A track, the LMP1s were the fastest closed-wheel racing cars used in circuit racing. Le Mans Prototypes are considered a class above production-based grand tourer cars, which compete alongside them in sports car racing . Later, LMP1 designs included hybrid cars that use electric motors to assist acceleration. The Le Mans Prototype LMP1 class has been replaced by Le Mans Hypercars in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and in
1872-570: A vibration, which the team determined was caused by a wheel turned on the rim. Drive shaft failure forced Nygaard to enter the garage to allow mechanics to replace it, but the team dropped to third behind Policand's No. 72 Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette 15 minutes after he started the No. 52 Young Driver AMR car for its final stint. Duval relieved Lapierre in the No. 4 Oreca Peugeot and pulled within ten seconds of Rinaldo Capello 's third-placed Audi when Duval retired with flames shooting out of his car's right-hand underside into Indianapolis corner due to
1989-744: Is considered the world's most prestigious sports car race and is part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport . In 2009, the ACO approved a series of rule changes for the race. It accepted cars eligible for the FIA GT1 World Championship if they were entered in any one of the ACO-administered championships in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), Le Mans Series (LMS) or Asian Le Mans Series (ASLMS). In
2106-442: Is denoted in gray. There was a 45-minute warm-up session held on the morning of 12 June. Due to a wet track caused by overnight rain, cars were driven on intermediate rain tyres , and several drivers were caught out by the damp surface. Audi and Peugeot traded fastest laps until McNish's No. 7 Audi lapped quickest overall at 3 minutes, 51.401 seconds. In second place was Gené's No. 1 Peugeot, and his teammate Montagny's No. 3 entry
2223-461: Is that I am responsible, but sometimes I am very hard on myself." Pagenaud affirmed Peugeot would return to win at Le Mans in 2011 and described the team's emotions after all three of their cars retired, "Everyone in the team is in tears. This team is like a family and to win this race would have meant so much to us." Davidson was pleased with his race performance and felt he could demonstrate his ability at Le Mans after being judged on his results in
2340-677: The 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 2009, under the control of Joest Racing . Peugeot , its rival, with its 908 HDi FAP , took the top two spots in the 24-hour race, ending Audi's five-win streak that lasted back to 2004 with the gasoline-powered R8 . Audi did not defend their American Le Mans Series , or Le Mans Series titles with the R15 TDI. The R15 TDI features a 5.5 litres (336 cu in) Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) turbodiesel V10 engine , rated at over 600 PS (440 kW ; 590 bhp ) and 1,050 newton-metres (774 lbf⋅ft ) of torque. The electrical system uses
2457-608: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , FIA World Endurance Championship , IMSA SportsCar Championship , European Le Mans Series , and Asian Le Mans Series . Le Mans Prototypes were created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The technical requirements for an LMP include bodywork covering all mechanical elements of the car. As of 2023, there are two classes within Le Mans Prototypes, designated LMP2 and LMP3 . While not as fast as open-wheel Formula One cars around
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#17327807032492574-526: The Bentley Speed 8 , which won in 2003 with an Audi-developed engine, was also a closed-cockpit car. The R15 TDI's final start came at the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring , where it competed as an upgraded R15++, as the R18 was still being developed at the time. Le Mans Prototype A Le Mans Prototype ( LMP ) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including
2691-494: The Circuit de la Sarthe , near Le Mans, France , before 238,150 spectators. It was the 78th 24 Hours of Le Mans as organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). A Peugeot 908 HDi FAP shared by Sébastien Bourdais , Pedro Lamy and Simon Pagenaud started from pole position after Bourdais set the fastest overall qualifying lap in the first qualifying session. The team led for the opening two hours before retiring with
2808-515: The French tricolour to start the race. The ambient temperature for both days was predicted to be around 20 and 23 °C (68 and 73 °F). During a reconnaissance lap , Neel Jani 's No. 80 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche sustained a left-rear puncture after going over a screw, overshooting the Dunlop Chicane, and mounting the kerbs ; the car's bodywork was undamaged. Lamy in
2925-681: The Rolex Sports Car Series chose to use the FIA's SR1 and SR2 formula instead. 1998 saw a great expansion for the ACO's LMP classes. Following the cancellation of the IMSA GT Championship at the end of 1998, the ACO allowed for the creation of the American Le Mans Series. This series used the same class structure as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, meaning it was the first championship to use the LMP name. At
3042-714: The World Sportscar Championship had to offer, older Porsche 962s were allowed entry in Category 3. To further increase the size of the field, small open-cockpit race cars using production road car engines which were raced in small national championships were allowed in Category 4. Later, ACO announced its intentions to completely replace the Group C cars with Le Mans Prototypes . Two classes were created, with LMP1s running large displacement custom-built engines that were usually turbocharged, and LMP2s using
3159-423: The rear wing against the wall. Both vehicles were repaired in time for the first qualifying session. The first of three two-hour qualifying sessions to set the race's starting order with the quickest lap times set by each team's fastest driver began late on the night of 9 June, in dry and cool conditions. Nicolas Lapierre set the early pace in the No. 4 Oreca Peugeot with a 3 minute, 21.192 second lap until
3276-822: The 2015–2019 first-generation ruleset were the Ginetta-Juno P3 , Ligier JS P3 , Norma M30 , ADESS-03 , and the Ave-Riley AR-02. The cars were eligible in a number of series, such as the Asian Le Mans Series, the European Le Mans Series, as well as the V de V Endurance Series and the IMSA Prototype Challenge . A number of championships for the class have also been created, such as the FRD LMP3 series and
3393-475: The 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Petit Le Mans to the Peugeot 908s, Audi updated their R15 for the 2010 season, creating the R15 Plus. 2010 regulations reduced the size of diesel LMP1 air restrictors and turbocharger boost pressure. However, despite this, Audi's engineering team, led by Ulrich Baretzky, was able to achieve engine power and performance that was comparable to the 2009 powerplant. Aerodynamic efficiency
3510-632: The 24 Hours of Le Mans from the 2021 season . Non-hybrid LMP1 cars were eligible to be "grandfathered" for two more seasons and compete alongside the new class for the 2021 to 2022 seasons. Starting from the 2023 season of WEC and IMSA SportsCar Championship, Le Mans Hypercars are joined by Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) cars. These two kinds of prototypes will form the top class of endurance racing: Hypercar in WEC and Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) in IMSA. Le Mans Prototypes have used various names depending on
3627-417: The 78th edition of the event, took place on the 13.629 km (8.469 mi) Circuit de la Sarthe road circuit, near Le Mans , France, from 12 to 13 June. The race began in 1923 when automotive journalist Charles Faroux , Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) general secretary Georges Durand and industrialist Emile Coquile agreed to hold a test of vehicle reliability and durability. The 24 Hours of Le Mans
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3744-630: The ACO two days later to remove the Tokai University Courage-YGK vehicle from the reserve list so that the university could focus on the following year and build a hybrid powertrain . Modena Racing Group (MRG) did not confirm to the ACO their race entry with a Ferrari F430 GT2 before the entry deadline in May. Team Felbermayr-Proton thus had a second Porsche 911 GT3 RSR promoted to the race in lieu of MRG. That same month, PK Carsport withdrew its Chevrolet Corvette C6.R due to
3861-818: The British LMP3 Cup. First-generation cars were powered by a 5.0-litre normally-aspirated Nissan VK50 V8 engine , producing 310 kW (420 hp). A 2nd Generation ruleset was introduced for 2020, with new cars introduced: the Ginetta G61-LT-P3 , Ligier JS P320 , Duqueine D-08 , and the ADESS-03 Evo. These cars can be built from its predecessors using an upgrade kit. The new LMP3 prototypes are used in Asian Le Mans Series, Michelin Le Mans Cup , IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge , European Le Mans Series, and Prototype Cup Germany. For
3978-650: The Corvette for second in LMGT1. Beretta's No. 64 Corvette and Johnny O'Connell 's sister No. 63 car battled for the LMGT2 lead, with Bruni's No. 82 Risi Ferrari closing in on Beretta and O'Connell. Over the next four hours, Bruni and Beretta traded the lead several times because of the Risi Ferrari's superior ability to conserve fuel over the Corvette. At the start of the fourth hour, Peter Dumbreck lost control of
4095-467: The FIA. 1998 saw the creation of another series of Le Mans Prototypes, with the new United States Road Racing Championship attempting to break away from the IMSA GT Championship. To differ from IMSA'S WSC class, the USRRC named their open-cockpit prototypes " Can-Am " in an attempt to resurrect the sportscar championship of the 1970s. However, the USRRC collapsed before the end of 1999, with the series becoming
4212-461: The Ford Chicane. Tréluyer damaged the No. 8 Audi's nose on the kerbing almost immediately, and the resulting pit stop moved the No. 9 car back ahead. The No. 1 Peugeot maintained first until Gené relinquished the lead the car had held for 59 consecutive laps; the car was pushed into the garage with alternator failure, necessitating a new alternator and electronic control unit. The stop lost
4329-559: The Highcroft LMP2 entry second in class until a water leak problem and a cooling system pressure fault forced him to enter the garage several times and drop down the class order. Roland Berville beached the No. 50 Saleen in the gravel near the pit lane entry, causing concern at Larbre Compétition. Mechanics removed gravel from under the car, but it maintained its LMGT1 lead over the Young Driver team by six laps. Gavin retired
4446-482: The Highcroft entry was closing the gap to Watts, while Gene in the No. 1 Peugeot was gaining on McNish's fifth-placed No. 7 Audi. After colliding with the rear of Mutsch's No. 60 Matech Ford and pushing him wide to the inside under braking in the tenth hour, Yvon removed the No. 24 OAK Pescarolo's front-left corner in a collision with the barriers at the Ford Chicane. Because marshals were needed to remove debris from
4563-692: The Hypercar category, a single aero kit has been made mandatory across the whole season and is limited to the Le Mans specification in the WEC; the ELMS teams have retained the right to switch between the aero kits. LMP3 is an entry-level prototype class intended for introducing young drivers and new teams to endurance racing before they progress to the higher classes of prototype racing, LMP2 and ultimately Hypercar. LMP3 uses closed-cockpit chassis, which can be built by any licensed constructor. Cars eligible for
4680-406: The LMGT1 lead after both drivers made pit stops under safety car conditions. The safety cars had divided the field at the front, leaving three factory Peugeots 57 seconds ahead of the three Audis. Kane's No. 42 Strakka and Brabham's No. 26 Highcroft entries battled for the LMP2 lead. Montagny had made a pit stop earlier than teammate Lamy but Montagny's stop was two seconds quicker than Lamy, moving
4797-455: The LMGT2 lead despite setting no laps during the session due to its race-specific gearbox and engine. The two Corvettes of Oliver Gavin and Antonio García overtook the No. 95 AF Corse SRL Ferrari for second and third in category. There were fewer incidents during the session as teams concentrated on the race. After the third qualifying session, the No. 82 Risi Ferrari was subjected to an ACO scrutineering inspection. Scrutineers failed
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4914-540: The LMP regulations, as the ACO once again split the open-cockpit LMP class. The two new classes became known as "LMP900" and "LMP675", with the numbers denoting the minimum weight requirements (in kilograms) for each class. The LMP900s were to be more powerful and faster in top speed, but also heavier and more cumbersome. The LMP675s were to be smaller and more nimble, yet lack the top speed of the larger class. Both classes were intended to be able to compete for overall wins. Audi , Chrysler , Cadillac , and Panoz opted to use
5031-540: The LMP1, Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), LMGT1 and Le Mans Grand Touring 2 (LMGT2) categories, but the ACO thought of increasing the pit lane capacity to 56 cars with the intention of enabling teams to enter "a specific and innovative project" in future years and thus took steps to ensure the additional pit was operational on 4 June. Teams that won their class in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as those that won championships in other Le Mans-based series and events such as
5148-545: The LMP2 and a new class—Hypercar. In the original version of the new ruleset, revealed in November 2020, only the power of the Gibson engine has been reduced—to 560 bhp. Right before the start of the season, the cars were further weakened, by trimming an additional 20 bhp to a total of 540 bhp. The minimum weight of the cars has also been increased by 20 kg and has been set at 950 kg. Furthermore, mirroring
5265-515: The LMP900 formula, while MG were the only major manufacturer to attempt the LMP675 class. The LMGTP class also continued, with Bentley being the only manufacturer to build a closed-cockpit prototype after the regulation changes in 2000. In 2017, in order to limit the costs, FIA introduced a new set of LMP2 regulations, which will be locked in through 2020, aiming for a significant power increase, to
5382-836: The LMS, the ALMS, the ASLMS, the FIA GT Championship and the Petit Le Mans received automatic entries. Some championship runners-up in certain series were also given automatic invitations. An entry was also granted to the LMS Green X Challenge, which was a season-long award based on car fuel economy during each LMS event. Because entries were pre-selected to teams, they were limited to a maximum of two cars and were not permitted to change their vehicles or category from one year to
5499-633: The Le Mans Grand Touring 1 (LMGT1) class in a Saleen S7 -R, securing Larbre Compétition its fifth Le Mans category victory. The class order and podium was completed by David Hart , Stéphan Grégoire , Jérôme Policand sharing Luc Alphand Aventures ' Chevrolet Corvette C6.R and the Young Driver AMR 's Tomáš Enge , Peter Kox and Christoffer Nygaard in an Aston Martin DBR9 . A Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997 GT3-RSR won
5616-426: The Le Mans Grand Touring 2 (LMGT2) category with drivers Wolf Henzler , Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz . Team Farnbacher 's Ferrari F430 GT2 shared by Dominik Farnbacher , Leh Keen and Allan Simonsen were two laps adrift in second and the class podium was completed by BMS Scuderia Italia 's trio of Marco Holzer , Timo Scheider and Richard Westbrook in a Porsche 997 GT3-RSR. The 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans ,
5733-416: The No. 1 Peugeot twelve minutes, and it fell four laps down in seventh. Jaime Melo 's No. 82 Risi Ferrari retired from the LMGT2 lead when the car was forced to the garage to unsuccessfully fix intermittent gear selection issues. This moved Gavin's No. 64 Corvette to the category lead, with teammate Magnussen in second place in the No. 63 car. Strakka's No. 42 car maintained its lead in LMP2, but Brabham in
5850-415: The No. 2 Peugeot to first. Soheil Ayari attempted to lap Jean-François Yvon 's No. 24 OAK Pescarolo at Mulsanne turn, but the two cars collided and Ayari's No. 6 Oreca spun. Dirk Müller stopped the No. 79 BMW on the first Mulsanne Straight chicane before the second hour concluded to conduct an inspection after feeling a right-rear problem. Müller discovered a right-rear puncture and drove cautiously to
5967-480: The No. 2 car and moved the No. 1 entry into the overall race lead. During a routine pit stop, Romain Dumas ' No. 9 Audi hit a television camera operator working for Speed , removing the car's right-front side-view mirror and knocking the camera operator to the ground. The camera operator was stretchered out of the pit lane with a broken shoulder and a gashed leg. Kristensen, driving the fourth-placed No. 7 Audi,
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#17327807032496084-547: The No. 64 Corvette on the Mulsanne corner exit with smoke billowing from the left-hand exhaust, a lasting legacy of Collard's earlier collision with Davidson. Giancarlo Fisichella locked the front tyres on the No. 95 AF Corse Ferrari and entered the escape road at Indianapolis corner. The resulting pit stop to repair front-end damage lost the Ferrari second in LMGT2 to Simonsen's No. 89 Farnbacher Ferrari. Despite suffering
6201-602: The No. 70 Marc VDS Racing Team Ford GT past the No. 60 Matech car to second in class behind Enge's category-leading Young Driver AMR Aston Martin. Similarly, AF Corse SRL's No. 95 Ferrari of Toni Vilander took second in LMGT2 with a lap almost three seconds faster and gained four positions in class. Despite crashes for Manuel Rodrigues' No. 13 Kolles Audi in the Porsche Curves, the No. 13 Rebellion Racing Lola B10/60 of Jean-Christophe Boullion at Karting corner, Mike Newton 's No. 25 RML entry at Tertre Rouge turn and
6318-405: The No. 8 Audi. Wurz had unlapped the lead Audi before retiring in the pit lane with white smoke billowing from the engine compartment's right-hand side turn due to connecting rod failure. The No. 1 Peugeot's retirement moved Kristensen's No. 7 Audi to third overall and Lapierre's No. 4 Oreca Peugeot to fourth. Rockenfeller made an unscheduled pit stop in the race-leading No. 9 Audi because he felt
6435-415: The No. 8 took second, and the No. 7 took third), with all cars exceeding the previous distance record of 5,335.313 km (3,315.210 mi) set in the 1971 race by Dr. Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep : the winning No. 9 car, led by Mike Rockenfeller and two Porsche factory drivers Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas , set not only a record-tying number of laps around Le Mans of 397 laps, but eclipsed
6552-410: The No. 82 Risi Competizione Ferrari on provisional pole in LMGT2 despite a broken gearbox output shaft requiring the attention of mechanics in the garage for most of the session. Jan Magnussen and Emmanuel Collard 's Nos. 63 and 64 Corvettes were second and third in class. Separate accidents for the No. 88 Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche's front-right blocking the circuit and Matías Russo with
6669-417: The No. 85 Spyker C8 at Indianapolis corner and was collected by Frederic da Rocha's No. 38 Pegasus Racing Norma after going off the track again in the Porsche Curves. Da Rocha's car was thrown into the outside barrier and sustained irreparable damage to its rear end and transmission, forcing it to retire to the garage. During a pit stop cycle, Anthony Davidson was faster than his Peugeot teammate Sarrazin in
6786-420: The No. 96 AF Corse Ferrari exiting the Porsche Curves disrupted the session. Russo was taken to the medical centre after the session and found to be unharmed. Due to heavy damage to the car and a lack of spare parts, AF Corse withdrew the No. 96 Ferrari from the race. Following an earlier downpour, the circuit was damp for the second session on June 10, but it quickly dried as qualifying progressed. Wurz led
6903-404: The Peugeot. Audi had now been able to achieve both the speed and reliability combination that they considered sufficient to match the Peugeot challenge for Le Mans. A full squad of three cars was entered for the next race, which was the 2010 Spa 1000 km, finishing third (#7, behind the two Peugeots - No. 3 took first, No. 2 took second), fifth (#9), and twelfth (#8), respectively. Audi treated
7020-672: The Strakka HPD ARX-01 car on provisional pole in LMP2, ahead of Brabham's Highcroft entry and Olivier Pla 's Quifel ASM Team Ginetta - Zytek GZ09S/2 car. An early lap by Enge in the Young Driver AMR Aston Martin was enough to lead the LMGT1 category. Enge's lap was two seconds faster than Thomas Mutsch in Matech's second-placed No. 60 Ford followed by LAA's Corvettes of Julien Jousse and Jérôme Policand in third and fourth. Gianmaria Bruni put
7137-498: The Wednesday free practice session, the ACO rejected Peugeot's protest. At the 2009 Le Mans, Audi was unable to continue its winning streak that dated back to 2004. The No. 3 R15 ran off at Indianapolis Corner at the beginning of the race but eventually finished 17th. The No. 2, driven by Luhr, crashed and retired. In the evening, the No. 1 Audi lost a lap to the leading Peugeot, which was faster, and further technical issues dropped it
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#17327807032497254-532: The car catching fire at the FIA GT1 World Championship meeting at Silverstone Circuit , stopping the team from having adequate preparation and resources for Le Mans. AF Corse had a second Ferrari F430 GT2 added to the event due to PK's withdrawal. The financially struggling Pescarolo Sport and Sora Racing withdrew their Pescarolo-Judd entries and the KSM Lola B07/40 -Judd car and Matech Competition 's second Ford GT 1 following failed negotiations for
7371-488: The car than in the R10, resulting in a more neutral weight balance that gives the car better agility around the corners than its predecessor. The car was tested for the first time in December 2008 and made its competition debut at the 2009 12 Hours of Sebring race, 21 March 2009. The R15 got off to a perfect start by winning the 12 Hours of Sebring, setting a new race record in the process. Three R15 TDIs participated in
7488-486: The car to sixth overall. Just before half distance, Sarrazin's No. 2 Peugeot led the race, followed by Dumas' No. 9 Audi and André Lotterer 's sister No. 8 entry. Strakka's No. 42 car, driven by Leventis, maintained the LMP2 lead because his team outperformed Highcroft. Gardel's No. 50 Larbre Saleen led Jousse's No. 73 LAA Corvette by two laps in LMGT1, while Collard's No. 64 Corvette led his teammate García's No. 63 entry in LMGT2. Nicolas Minassian replaced Sarrazin in
7605-488: The car's inspection because the gurney flap on the rear wing was 2 mm (0.079 in) too low, demoting the vehicle to the back of the LMGT2 starting order. The No. 64 Corvette was promoted to pole position in LMGT2, with the sister No. 63 car second in class. The No. 13 Rebellion Lola car's tub was sent to a nearby carbon fibre workshop because a small hole needed repairing. Pole position winners in each class are indicated in bold . The fastest time set by each entry
7722-424: The circuit, the safety cars were dispatched for the third time for nine minutes. Yvon returned to the garage for repairs to the No. 24 car. Mutsch also entered the pit lane for repairs, ceding the LMGT1 class lead to Gabriele Gardel 's No. 50 Larbre Compétition Saleen. When racing resumed, Davidson's No. 1 Peugeot collided with Alesi's slower No. 95 AF Corse Ferrari on the inside at the Dunlop Chicane and went into
7839-410: The class became a battle between Leinders' No. 70 Marc VDS Ford and Peter Kox 's No. 52 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin as Patrick Long progressed to third in LMGT2. Nigel Mansell crashed the No. 5 Beechdean Motorsport Ginetta Zytek at high speed into the barriers between Mulsanne and Indianapolis turns due to a slow left-rear puncture that the team failed to detect because that part of the circuit
7956-459: The class order and podium. Following the No. 64 Corvette's retirement, the No. 77 Felbermayr-Proton Porsche won in LMGT2, earning Lieb and Richard Lietz their second category wins and Wolf Henzler his first. Team Farnbacher finished two laps behind the Porsche in second, and BMS Scuderia Italia were another nine laps behind in third. The top three teams in each class collected trophies on
8073-544: The distance record outright at a distance of 5,410.7 km (3,362.1 mi). Post-Le Mans Audi did not collect any more victories and lost all three remaining races to the Peugeot 908, which happened to be part of the ILMC championship. Audi fielded two cars into the Silverstone 1000 km, but the No. 7 crashed and retired. The sole remaining No. 8 finished third. At Petit Le Mans, two cars were entered, but both lost to
8190-478: The early morning; the No. 35 OAK Pescarolo was driven into the garage, and Olivier Pla 's No. 40 Quifel-entered car went off the circuit at Arnage corner but recovered with marshal assistance. Some teams, including Beretta's No. 64 Corvette, swapped brake discs and callipers at this point in the race. Due to connecting rod failure, smoke and fire began billowing from the right-hand exhaust of Montagny's race-leading No. 2 Peugeot at Tertre Rouge corner. The Peugeot
8307-930: The event of an accident, there would now be three safety cars deployed rather than two as observed in LMS rounds, and illuminated number panels were mandated for night conditions. Pit stops were lengthened due to new tyre switching regulations designed to prevent open-cockpit vehicles from gaining an advantage. In August 2009, the ACO issued a revised set of technical regulations aimed at achieving parity between diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles. Diesel restrictors, restrictor advantages, and petrol restrictors were reduced in size, while petrol restrictors and Aston Martin Le Mans Grand Touring 1 (LMGT1) engine restrictors were increased in Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) cars. In comparison to petrol-powered cars, LMP1 diesel engine vehicles' minimum weight ballast
8424-407: The final 267 laps of LMP2 to win by six laps over the second-placed No. 35 OAK Pescarolo and nine laps over the third-placed No. 25 RML Lola car. Larbre Compétition held their four-lap lead in LMGT1, and Berville's, Julien Canal 's and Gardel's No. 50 Saleen achieved the team's fifth class victory. The No. 72 LAA Corvette in second and the third-placed No. 52 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin completed
8541-438: The final hour for the category pole. Due to traffic, Brabham was unable to better Highcroft's lap and finished second. Enge's first session lap in the Young Driver AMR Aston Martin was unopposed in LMGT1, giving him his sixth category pole position in eight years. The Marc VDS Ford was second after Leinders' second session lap, and Grosjean improved the No. 60 Matech Ford's best lap to third. Bruni's No. 82 Risi Ferrari retained
8658-452: The garage for repairs to the front bodywork. On cold tyres, Nick Leventis spun the No. 42 Strakka HPD into the inside Dunlop Chicane gravel trap but was recovered by a tractor, losing the LMP2 lead temporarily to Werner's No. 26 Highcroft car when Leventis made a pit stop for checks. When racing resumed, Rockenfeller's No. 9 Audi ran wide leaving the Porsche Curves, and his teammate Tréluyer's sister No. 8 entry overtook him for third into
8775-507: The gravel trap, but he recovered with marshal assistance after losing 90 seconds to Kristensen's No. 7 Audi and making a pit stop for new front bodywork. Due to a puncture on his No. 42 Highcroft car that sent him into the gravel, Marino Franchitti lost two and a half laps to Watts' No. 26 Strakka car but remained second in LMP2. Duval drove the second-placed No. 4 Oreca Peugeot into the garage for 15 minutes due to repairable right-hand side driveshaft failure and other technical issues, dropping
8892-407: The hands of Mike Rockenfeller. Later in the race, No. 1 had to serve a penalty for speeding in pitlane. The No. 2 ran at the front, exchanging the lead with the Peugeot until a shunt by one of the Peugeots at turn 17 put Capello out of contention with a suspension failure. The No. 2 finished fourth overall, albeit five laps down from the winning Oreca Peugeot. Throughout its career, the R15 won three of
9009-455: The heavily damaged car. The third hour saw Lamy enter the garage to retire the race-leading No. 3 Peugeot because the lower front-right suspension mounting point to the chassis was pulled out of the tub from mounting the kerbs too hard. The retirement promoted Oreca's No. 4 Peugeot to third and Tom Kristensen 's No. 7 Audi to fourth. Enge's No. 52 Young Driver AMR car had been lapping faster than Xavier Maassen 's No. 73 LAA car and overtook
9126-509: The high-profile Formula One series. He said he and Peugeot were inspired by potential victory before his quadruple stint was over. Strakka team manager Piers Phillips praised the team, saying, "Strakka is here for the long term, and this win, as fantastic as it is, is not the peak of our ambitions. It's the platform from which we can move forward. We've proved a point, set a precedent, and raised expectations." Canal admitted that his team did not expect to win in LMGT1, and team owner Jack Leconte
9243-525: The investment firm Genii Capital to purchase Pescarolo, marking Pescarolo's first Le Mans non-entry since 2000 . In June, the ACO announced that the first reserve Race Performance Radical SR9 -Judd car would receive the 56th entry to retain a LMP and GT entry balance. All teams had a single four-hour free practice session on June 9. Peugeot led from the start, with Franck Montagny 's No. 2 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP lapping fastest at 3 minutes, 20.034 seconds. His teammate Sébastien Bourdais ' No. 3 Peugeot
9360-497: The lead to an Audi R15 TDI plus driven by Audi Sport North America 's Timo Bernhard , Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller and they held it to the finish. It was Bernhard, Dumas and Rockenfeller's maiden Le Mans victory and Audi 's ninth overall since 2000 . The Audi Sport Team Joest trio of Marcel Fässler , André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer finished one lap behind in second, and their teammates Rinaldo Capello , Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish completed an Audi sweep of
9477-476: The next or their automatic invitation would be revoked. The ACO required automatic entries to confirm that berths had been taken up prior to January 2010. On November 19, 2009, the ACO released its final list of automatic entries, which included 29 teams. Automatic entries were rejected by Corvette Racing , Lowe's Fernández Racing , Patrón Highcroft Racing and Speedy Racing Team Sebah and Vitaphone Racing Team . During its yearly press conference, which
9594-440: The overall podium another two laps behind in third. Strakka Racing 's HPD ARX-01C car, driven by Jonny Kane , Nick Leventis and Danny Watts , won the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) category after leading the final 267 laps. They were six laps ahead of the second-placed OAK Racing trio of Jan Charouz , Matthieu Lahaye and Guillaume Moreau in a Pescarolo 01 - Judd . Roland Berville, Julien Canal and Gabriele Gardel won
9711-450: The pit lane, where it was discovered that the BMW's underside was damaged by kerbstones when Müller stopped. Not long after Leinders lost control of the second-placed LMGT1 No. 70 Ford due to an underinflated left-rear tyre from running on the same tyre compounds since the start and struck the tyre wall in the downhill Esses with the car's right-rear. Leinders returned to the pit lane to retire
9828-546: The pits just two seconds ahead. The race ended with Peugeot No. 2 winning four seconds ahead of the Audi. Audi did not win the LMP1 Le Mans Series team championship or the ILMC LMP1 championship. The R15's final race was at the 2011 Sebring 12 Hours. Both cars ran in the 2010 configuration with new restrictors. The No. 1 Audi finished fifth overall after two consecutive tyre punctures and rear bodywork damage at
9945-427: The podium and appeared in the press conference. Dumas felt that despite some of the French press's predictions to the contrary, he believed he could win, adding: "We knew we had reliability, and that was very important I think – and we had no problems on the car. It just kept running and running without any mistakes." Bernhard commented, "We talked about it, among the three of us, about how it would feel just to stand on
10062-494: The podium with the whole crowd on the bottom cheering and then a couple of days later we achieved that." Rockenfeller expressed delight at having achieved his objective of winning at Le Mans, "I managed to win, with Timo (Bernhard) and Romain (Dumas). Thank you to everyone. My thanks to Audi, to the Joest team, our crew. Great!" Audi technical director Ralf Jüttner heralded the winning-Audi's distance record as reliability not becoming
10179-456: The pole-position No. 3 Peugeot kept the lead for the first few laps, with factory teammates Montagny and Gené trading second and third on the third lap. Lapierre's No. 4 Oreca Peugeot kept McNish's No. 7 Audi from passing him for fourth. Mike Lewis retired the No. 19 Autocon Motorsports Lola after Arnage turn on lap one due to gearbox input shaft failure. Julien Jousse 's No. 73 LAA Corvette overtook Mutsch's No. 60 Matech Ford for third in LMGT1 as
10296-421: The race as a setup exercise for car configuration at Spa that would then be used for the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans . The 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans race got off to a tightly contested start, with Peugeot occupying the top spots (as they did for qualifying) and for a large part of the race. However, it was apparent throughout the race that Audi was unable to match the pace of the Peugeots and was working according to
10413-417: The race's fourth safety car intervention, which lasted nine minutes and allowed marshals to clear debris from the circuit and repair the damaged Armco barrier in the Porsche Curves. After the restart, Lieb's No. 77 Felbermayr-Proton Porsche had taken over the LMGT2 lead that the No. 64 Corvette had held for 141 consecutive laps, with Allan Simonsen's No. 89 Farnbacher Ferrari second in class. Franchitti kept
10530-454: The race-leading No. 2 Peugeot, extending the car's lead to a single lap over Lotterer's second-placed No. 8 Audi after it suffered a right-rear puncture on the out-lap and a leaking airjack during a routine pit stop that lost him another 30 seconds. Rockenfeller, and later Timo Bernhard and teammate Lotterer, went faster around this point, while Minassian lapped faster to extend the No. 2 Peugeot's overall lead. The No. 60 Matech Ford GT, which
10647-399: The range of 150 horsepower (which is expected to lead to a four-second decrease in lap time at Le Mans). Gibson Technology is the exclusive engine supplier for LMP2, producing a four-litre normally-aspirated V8. Biofuels , specifically petrol with 10% ethanol and biodiesel ( BTL ), are allowed in both LMP1 and LMP2 categories. The fuel tank size and minimum weight for non-hybrid cars
10764-541: The same procedure would be followed for LMP entries. The other two drivers' names were optional but recommended until May 12, 2010, following the 2010 1000 km of Spa . Dome withdrew its Dome- Judd S102 LMP1 coupe on April 5, 2010, after its partnership with French partner OAK Racing ended, possibly due to budget constraints. The first withdrawal allowed the LMP2 Pegasus Racing Norma MP200P -Judd car to compete. Yoshimisa Hayashi asked
10881-494: The same time, the ACO greatly altered their LMP classes. The smaller LMP2 class were briefly eliminated, while a new class of closed-cockpit prototypes was allowed in, known as "LMGTP" (Le Mans grand touring prototype). These cars were evolutions of production-based road cars that the ACO considered too advanced and too fast to fall under the GT class regulations, forcing the ACO to promote them as prototypes. In 2000, changes were made to
10998-475: The second generation, engines were upgraded to the 5.6-litre Nissan VK56 , increasing horsepower to 340 kW (455 hp). For 2025, the engines used in the class are set to be replaced with the twin-turbocharged 3.4-litre Toyota V35A , bringing about a power increase to 350 kW (470 hp). LMPC ( Le Mans Prototype Challenge ) was an earlier entry level class, introduced in 2009, consisting of competitors running identical Oreca FLM09 cars. The class
11115-470: The series in which they compete. The FIA 's equivalent cars were referred to as Sports Racers (SR) or Sports Racing Prototypes (SRP). The American IMSA GT Championship termed their cars World Sports Cars (WSC), while the short-lived United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) used the classic Can-Am (CA) name for their prototypes. Since 2004, most series have switched to referring to these cars as Le Mans Prototypes . The American Le Mans Series ,
11232-500: The session with a 3 minutes, 23.238 seconds lap, but the No. 1 Peugeot remained second overall after Wurz was unable to lap faster amongst slower cars. The sister Peugeots of Sarrazin and Simon Pagenaud were second and third. Brabham gave the debuting Highcroft HPD ARX-01C entry provisional pole position in LMP2 with an improved lap of 3 minutes, 34.537 seconds, overtaking Strakka's car by 1.6 seconds. The Quifel ASM Team Ginetta remained third in category. In LMGT1, Bas Leinders moved
11349-461: The session with the day's quickest lap, 3 minutes, 20.212 seconds. Audi improved all three of their cars during the session to be 2.2 seconds behind the four Peugeots. Rockenfeller's No. 9 Audi qualified fifth, with McNish's No. 7 car sixth and Marcel Fässler 's No. 8 entry seventh. In LMP2, HPD-powered cars took the first three places. Watts set a 3 minutes, 33.079 seconds lap in Strakka's car in
11466-429: The sixth hour ended, Bryce Miller crashed the No. 92 JMW Motorsport Aston Martin at the Porsche Curves hard enough to force the car to retire, bringing out the safety cars for the second time to allow marshals to clean the track and extricate the stricken car. During this slow period, Manuel Rodrigues damaged the No. 14 Kolles Audi's front-left against the wall at the right-hand kink before Indianapolis turn and drove to
11583-434: The smaller displacement production-based engines. Both classes were required to have open cockpits. However, LMP1 cars that year were just former Group C cars, some still with closed cockpits ( Toyota 94C-V , Courage C32 , Kremer K8 Spyder , Porsche 962C GTI , ALD C289 and Alpa LM). At the same time, the IMSA GT Championship announced the end of their closed cockpit GTP and Lights classes, deciding as well to replace them with
11700-532: The successor to the IMSA GT Championship and the predecessor of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, officially referred to the cars simply as Prototypes (P1, P2, or PC). An LMP is commonly referred to as a Le Mans car in the media. The first use of what would become Le Mans Prototypes was at the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans . In an attempt to increase the number of entrants beyond the small field of Group C competitors that
11817-436: The ten races it entered; Sebring in 2009, Paul Ricard and Le Mans in 2010. With a change in Le Mans prototype engine regulations planned for 2011, Audi developed the closed-top R18 to succeed the R15. Wolfgang Ullrich cited favourable changes to pitstop regulations and aerodynamic efficiency as the reasons for adopting a closed-cockpit design. The R18 was Audi's first-ever coupe since the failed Audi R8C in 1999 , although
11934-446: Was subject to adjustment to reduce the difference in performance between hybrid and non-hybrid cars. There were no limits on the number of cylinders for any type of engine. Bodywork was required to cover all mechanical elements of the car, so that they couldn't be visible when the car is viewed directly from the front, side, or top. The LMP1 cars were generally the most powerful, with higher straight-line speeds. The LMP1 category
12051-472: Was abandoned on the Mulsanne Straight because Montagny could not return to the pit lane, ceding the overall lead the car had held for 144 successive laps to Bernhard's No. 9 Audi. García retired the No. 63 Corvette from second in LMGT2 into Indianapolis corner with a sudden engine crank sensor failure. Lieb's No. 77 Felbermayr-Proton Porsche moved to second, and Vilander's No. 95 AF Corse Ferrari
12168-421: Was also a major area of focus in 2010. The frontal area of the car was redesigned to reveal the raw crash structures. The front fenders were also lowered in an effort to reduce drag, while the concept of air running through the car was abandoned for a more conventional design. The air channel that exited to the side of the car was redesigned, resulting in a more conventional configuration, and a new headlight concept
12285-432: Was approaching a slow Andy Priaulx on the racing line because Priaulx's No. 79 BMW had a front-left puncture in the high-speed Porsche Curves. Kristensen spun backwards into the tyre wall after Priaulx steered left in the first right-hand corner to left him through. Kristensen was recovered from the gravel, but the pit stop to replace the damaged rear bodywork cost the No. 7 Audi three laps and fell to seventh. Before
12402-406: Was attempting to lap an unsighted Collard on the inside in the Porsche Curves. Collard spun backwards into the barrier, severely damaging the Corvette's rear. He was unhurt. Collard had difficulty returning to the garage for rear-end repairs and component changes, which took 32 minutes. Davidson, however, was immediately able to return to the pit lane and repair the Peugeot. The accident necessitated
12519-399: Was broadcast live on the internet on the afternoon of February 4, 2010, the ACO announced the full 55-car list for Le Mans, plus ten reserves. Except in cases of force majeure , the ACO required each entry to confirm a nominated unreplaceable driver. Any withdrawn team after the 1 February 2010 would be replaced by a reserve entry by category, with a GT car replacing another GT vehicle, and
12636-609: Was dropped in European Le Mans Series in 2014 . As the cost of running an LMPC team was found to be comparable to that for an LMP2 team, the class was dropped after the 2017 season in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans The 78th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 78 24 Heures du Mans ) was a non-championship 24-hour automobile endurance race for teams of three drivers each fielding Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Grand Touring (GT) cars held from 12 to 13 June 2010 at
12753-475: Was increased by 30 kg (66 lb) to 930 kg (2,050 lb). No other class's minimum weights were changed. The ACO Selection Committee received 84 entry requests between the opening on 21 December 2009 and the deadline on 20 January 2010, with priority given to manufacturer and full-time teams in one or more Le Mans-based championships such as the 2009 LMS , the 2009 ALMS and the 2009 ASLMS . It initially planned to grant 55 entries divided between
12870-430: Was introduced. Audi stated that they had improved the fuel tank and cooling system as well. The new vehicle was a success at the 2010 8 Hours of Le Castellet, winning five laps ahead of the next competitor, Aston Martin. The Oreca Peugeot, which was supposedly its rival, dropped a full eight laps down the order because the airjacks failed to come off. Audi continued to go flat out and, in the end, finished ten laps ahead of
12987-483: Was not covered by telemetry. Safety cars were deployed for 31 minutes to allow track marshals to repair the Armco barriers. A motionless Mansell remained in the car until doctors transported him by ambulance to the track's medical centre for check-ups and then to the local hospital. The accident gave Mansell amnesia, haematoma on his brain and a neck injury. When the safety cars were withdrawn, Mutsch passed Kox for
13104-503: Was now third in class. Jousse retired the No. 73 LAA Corvette, which was second in LMGT1, off the track as it approached the Indianapolis corner due to a sudden transmission component failure. This moved Christoffer Nygaard 's No. 52 Young Driver AMR car and Policand's No. 72 LAA entry to second and third in class, respectively. Davidson's No. 1 Peugeot caught Collard's LMGT2 class-leading No. 64 Corvette off guard while Davidson
13221-429: Was retired at the end of the 2020 season, replaced by a new top class of the endurance racing: Hypercar . From 2017, in order to limit the costs, FIA introduced a new set of regulations, which will be locked in through 2025. The rules allow a significant power increase (150 horsepower) which is expected to lead to a four-second decrease in lap time at Le Mans. Gibson Technology is the exclusive engine supplier, producing
13338-966: Was second-quickest, with Loïc Duval 's No. 4 Team Oreca Matmut Peugeot third. Marc Gené was the slowest Peugeot factory driver in fourth in the No. 1 car, and the fastest Audi was Allan McNish 's No. 7 Audi R15 TDI plus in fifth. Aston Martin Racing 's No. 009 Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 of Darren Turner was the fastest petrol-powered LMP1 car in eighth. Despite a fuel system issue, David Brabham 's No. 26 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01C car lapped fastest in LMP2 at 3 minutes, 38.691 seconds. Jonny Kane 's No. 42 Strakka Racing -entered HPD ARX.01 and Thomas Erdos ' No. 25 RML Lola B08/80 - HPD cars were second and third in class. Young Driver AMR 's No. 52 Aston Martin DBR9 of Tomáš Enge led in LMGT1 from Stéphan Grégoire 's No. 72 Luc Alphand Aventures (LAA) Corvette. Olivier Beretta 's No. 64 Corvette led LMGT2 and
13455-544: Was third amongst all LMGT entries, ahead of Marc Lieb 's second-placed Team Felbermayr-Proton No. 77 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR . Romain Grosjean damaged the rear of the Matech Competition 's No. 60 Ford GT against the Armco and tyre barrier entering the Porsche Curves, stopping the session for half an hour. His teammate Rahel Frey lost control of the sister No. 61 Ford in the same sequence of corners, removing
13572-452: Was third in LMGT1, was retired after attempts to restart the engine with oil and water were unsuccessful. Enge's Young Driver car outpaced the No. 73 LAA Corvette for third in LMGT1. Werner's Highcroft LMP2 car lost more ground to Strakka's class-leading entry when it entered the pit lane to replace the rear wing section and another pit stop that was delayed by a faulty left-front wheel nut . Erdos moved RML's No. 25 entry to third in LMP2 in
13689-553: Was third. The quickest LMP2 time was 4 minutes, 8.262 seconds set by Marco Werner in Highcroft's entry over Erdos' second-placed RML car. Leinders' Marc VDS Ford GT was fastest in LMGT1, while Jean Alesi 's No. 95 AF Corse SRL Ferrari led in LMGT2. Tim Greaves damaged the No. 41 Team Bruichladdich Ginetta-Zytek vehicle's front-left, and the No. 73 LAA Corvette had a left-rear puncture . At 15:00 local time on 12 June, in front of 238,150 spectators, Rolex CEO Bruno Meier and triple Olympic skiing champion Jean-Claude Killy waved
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