Ferrari Clinches The 24 Hours Of Le Mans After A 50 Year Hiatus

The 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a wild one, with the lead changing hands numerous times throughout the race. In the end, it was Ferrari who came out on top, winning their first Le Mans since 1965. The #51 Ferrari 499P Hypercar, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi, led for most of the race, but was never able to shake the Toyota GR010-Hybrid of Brendon Hartley, Sébastien Buemi, and Ryo Hirakawa. The two cars were neck-and-neck for most of the race, but it was the Ferrari that had the better luck.

Hartley had a spectacular quadruple stint, driving for over four hours without a break. But it was a mistake by Hirakawa that ultimately cost Toyota the race. With just two hours to go, Hirakawa spun off at Arnage and damaged the car. The Toyota team was able to repair the car, but it lost too much time and was unable to catch the Ferrari.

The Ferrari's victory was a long time coming. The Italian manufacturer had not won at Le Mans since 1965, and their return to the top of the podium was met with great fanfare. The win was also a personal triumph for Pier Guidi, who had finished second at Le Mans in 2017.

The Cadillac Racing Hypercars finished in third and fourth places after a solid, consistent race. The #2 Cadillac V-Series. R clinched the final podium spot for Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, and Richard Westbrook. The #50 Ferrari 499P that started the race in pole position finished in fifth place. Hyperpole winner Antonio Fuoco also produced the fastest in-lap race with a time of 3:26.984 on lap 306.

The #708 and #709 Glickenhaus 007s finished sixth and seventh respectively despite a fright for the #709 crew with 20 minutes to go when Franck Mailleux hit the barrier at the Daytona Chicane. Jim Glickenhaus can be proud of his team’s performance. The #93 Peugeot 9X8 was eighth and the #5 Porsche 963 of Porsche Penske Motorsport was ninth.

LMP2

The LMP2 class also produced an enthralling head-to-head since daybreak between the #34 Oreca 07-Gibson fielded by Inter Europol Competition and the #41 Oreca 07-Gibson of Team WRT. Swiss driver Fabio Scherer held off fellow countryman Louis Delétraz to clinch victory for the Polish team. A memorable weekend for Polish sport after the French Open win yesterday for Iga Swiatek! Rookie Scherer shared driving duties with Pole Jakub Smiechowski and Spaniard Albert Costa.

Former race winner Neel Jani brought home the #30 Duqueine Team Oreca to round out the podium. JOTA, looking for a second successive class win, figured strongly in the early stages but fell away as the race went on. IDEC Sport mounted a challenge too, but its final charge was halted by a puncture with less than two hours left on the clock.

LMGTE Am

For its final hurrah, the LMGTE Am class was as exciting as ever. Numerous cars swapped the lead almost lap by lap. A ‘gang of four’ consisting of the #33 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, the Iron Dames’ #85 Porsche 911 RSR-19, the #25 ORT by TF Aston Martin Vantage AM, and the #86 GR Racing Porsche played out the final act.

At the chequered flag, Corvette clinched a hard-fought win ahead of the TF Sport-backed Aston Martin and the Porsche 911 RSR-19 of GR Racing. Sadly, the all-female Iron Dames team, who had been in the top three for most of the day, missed out on a historic podium spot.

Seasoned American endurance racer Ben Keating secured his second straight LMGTE Am win after his success last year in the Aston Martin of TF Sport. This was his first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the Chevrolet Corvette. This extremely intense class victory is therefore a proud moment for the man who sells the brand in his Texas dealerships.

Innovative Car

The Garage 56 NASCAR Cup-inspired Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 accomplished everything the Hendricks Motorsports team set out to achieve and then some! They not only got to the end of the 24 hours, despite a late gearbox problem that caused some heartache, but they also challenged the LMGTE Am leaders for much of the race. Congratulations to the team behind the project!

Overall podium

#51 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse ­| Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi | 342 laps

#8 Toyota GR010-Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Sébastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/ Ryō Hirakawa | +1:21.273

#2 Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac Racing | Earl Bamber/Alex Lynn/Richard Westbrook | 341 laps