Having had some time to think about the race, I realised this is the best race I've watched in ages. It is the best Le Mans race I've watched since I started watching in 2004.
The only more exiting race to watch might've been the Bergmeister vs Magnussen finish at Laguna Seca in 2009.
LMP1
Judging by the performance of Toyota so far in this WEC season, my hopes weren't really that high. At Spa I felt the high downforce package was the only reason they ever led that race. And at Silverstone they weren't really competitive.
The hybrids have proven to be extremely unreliable so far this year. Not a single manufacturer in LMP1 has been spared from reliability issues.
Can I just remind everyone that 30 seconds was what seperated 1st and 2nd after 24 hours of racing untill the #2 was struck with a slow puncture? They've been literally leapfrogging each other for 24 hours. As a fan of both, I could not have asked for a race more exiting than this one.
I could barely watch the final 2 hours. Ultimately Toyota has yet again thrown a lot of money at this race without a victory. Their Le Mans campaign seems to be heading the same direction as their F1 campaign: So much resources and effort into a project with that win as the goal, and ultimately not succeeding at it.
No doubt the TS050 was the best overall car at this year's race, sadly in the end it blew up. Seeing the issues Toyota has had this year, you only had to wonder when that issue would knock on their door during the race. Porsche threw everything they had at Toyota, and in the end I feel they got handed the victory. But it goes without saying that they deserved it just every bit as much as Toyota. The #2 could've blown up as well, and a Toyota 1-2 was very likely throughout the entire race.
Audi simply shot themselves in the foot with the R18. It isn't particularly fast, and it is incredibly unreliable. The worst shape I've ever seen from Audi, even 2009 wasn't this bad for them. They've made the car far too complex, making every repair taking way too much time than is needed.
LMP2
Not much to say here for me. LMP2 cars seem bulletproof, and I have infinite respect for Frederic Sausset and the entire team. Seeing the entire team congratulating each other, and seeing the tears flow was beautiful to watch. I'm curious to see how next year's LMP2's will perform knowing that they will get an increase in power and aero.
GTE Pro
Fully deserved win by Ford. The entire BoP fiasco is blown out of proportion by the fans. I've heard Chevrolet admitting they've no pace compared to Ford during the race, but not a single interview have I heard where either Aston, Porsche, or Chevrolet were complaining about the BoP for Ferrari and Ford. It's purely an advanced GT car compared to the competition. I love the way the GT looks, I love the way it sounds... What's not to like about it? The C7 sounds like 50-year old tech in a new jacket, and I've grown weary of the Vantage. I'm glad something entirely new stirred up the GT class. I do, however, wonder how things played out if AF Corse weren't so miserable...
GTE Am
Uhm, whatever. No victory for Pat Long. /sadface.