Le Mans 24 Hours Live!

If you want to keep up with the entire Le Mans 24 Hours but none of the available TV or streaming options suit you – or you don’t have enough caffeine and matchsticks to last the duration – let GTPlanet help out.

We’ll be keeping up with the race throughout and bringing you live updates right here for every car, from before the waving of Le Tricolore through to the traditional formation finish. Don’t worry if you have to catch some shuteye – we’ll keep you up-to-date with anything you might miss in the meantime.

We’ll also be live Tweeting throughout the race on @GTPlanetNews so if you’re at the circuit feel free to get in touch with us or send us your images and comments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyrcKvv-4pE

Pre-race
The field is already down to 55 cars, as the #63 LM GTE Pro Corvette Racing entry has been withdrawn. This follows a significant crash in the third qualifying session on Thursday when Jan Magnussen left the track in the middle of the Porsche Curves. Ex-F1 driver Jan – father of ex-F1 driver Kevin Magnussen – escaped the accident without injury, but the car was too damaged to participate in today’s race.

During this morning’s warm-up, the #50 LM GTE Am Larbre Competition Corvette also came to grief in the Porsche Curves, but the team has got the car ready for the race this afternoon.

There’s bad news of a different flavour for the LMP1 Nissan trio and the ByKolles entry. Neel Jani’s qualifying lap record of 3’16.887 puts the four cars outside 110% of the pole position time and all four are relegated to the back of the LMP pack, behind all of the LMP2 entries. The cars will start 29th, 30th, 31st and 32nd, with the ByKolles car leading the Nissans.

14.45

Heading out to the grid, the #12 Rebellion Racing car has an off at the Dunlop Chicane, but continues on its way without damage.

Meanwhile the #23 Nissan GT-R LM won’t be starting from 31st as originally intended, rather it’ll be making a pitlane start following clutch issues in this morning’s warm-up.

14.55

The 54 car convoy is now heading out onto a parade lap – we’re minutes away from the green light!

15.00

Green light and the 83rd 24 Heures du Mans is go!

15.04

A clean first lap from just about everyone. The Nissans are carving through the LMP2s down Hunaudieres – Harry Tincknell in the #22 has passed six of the lower category cars already – while Loic Duval in the #8 Audi catches Nico Hulkenberg at the Ford Chicane to break up the Porsche 1-2-3.

15.08

All three Audis are now past Nico Hulkenberg. It’s still a German 1-2-3-4-5-6 though!

Meanwhile, off the track, the race start is under investigation and the #67 997 has a 5 minute stop-go penalty for changing the engine after a fire destroyed most of the car after Q3. The #23 Nissan, to be driven by Jann Mardenborough, hasn’t left its garage yet…

15.18

The #45 Ibanez Racing LMP2 has received a penalty for a jump start, while there’s a change for the lead in LM GTE Pro as Nicki Thiim passes Richie Stanaway – both in Aston Martins.

Neel Jani in the 2nd place #18 Porsche 919 has set a new fastest lap of 3’20.485 – the top 6 cars are now all running faster than the 2014 pole position time…

15.22

At last the third Nissan GT-R LM gets underway (at the second time of asking) and Jann Mardenborough joins the race on lap 6.

15.30

Phew, what a half hour! The class leaders are:

LMP1 – 1 #17 (Porsche); 2 #18 (Porsche); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #46 (Thiriet); 3 #26 (G-Drive)
GTE Pro – 1 #95 (Aston Martin); 2 #99 (Aston Martin); 3 #51 (AF Corse)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP); 3 #77 (Dempsey)

15.35

We’re now into the first pit window as many of the LMP1 cars are jumping in for fuel.

15.47

As is so often the case, problems spring up immediately after a pit stop as Lucas Ordonez driving the #21 Nissan GT-R LM is getting some extra fresh air – the left-hand gullwing door has popped open and he’s going to have to pit again.

15.59

The #92 GTE Pro Manthey Porsche has had a major incident with the #13 Rebellion LMP1 and the #42 LMP2 Strakka at the first Mulsanne chicane. The car is on fire and the driver Patrick Pilet is out sharpish. This has brought the safety car out for the first time.

16.00

Wow, that’s the first hour already. The cars were on for a race distance record with 18 laps completed, but that safety car might put a dent in that.

The current class leaders are:

LMP1 – 1 #17 (Porsche); 2 #18 (Porsche); 3 #8 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #46 (Thiriet); 2 #47 (KCMG); 3 #26 (G-Drive)
GTE Pro – 1 #95 (Aston Martin); 2 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari); 3 #99 (Aston Martin)
GTE Am – 1 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 2 #98 (Aston Martin); 3 #55 (AF Corse Ferrari)

16.05

It looks like the two LMP2 cars involved in the incident with the Manthey Porsche were caught out by oil that the Porsche was laying down all by itself. That makes for our first car lost during the race and we’re down to 54.

16.23

The clean up from the #92 Manthey Porsche’s oil tantrum has finished and the safety cars peel in – we’re racing again!

16.30

The safety car has juggled the order a bit up at the front, but there’s only 3.6s between all 6 cars. It’s Porsche-Porsche-Audi-Porsche-Audi-Audi now – and the Toyotas are dropping off the back of that gaggle.

16.33

How quickly things change! Andre Lotterer takes both the Porsches ahead of him in two corners and the #7 Audi takes the race lead.

16.44

Pit stops have changed the order again and while he’s out in front, Timo Bernhard has taken the opportunity to get the hammer down in the #17 Porsche. He’s the first car under 3’20 with a 3’19.346. For GT Academy fans, Jann Mardenborough is also the first Nissan driver to get under 3’40 with three of 3’39 laps back to back.

16.58

Things have quietened down a bit as drivers are ploughing a rhythm now. Still, Le Mans never sleeps and there’s a flurry of incidents in LMP2. First the #28 G-Drive Ligier faces a 1’55 stop go penalty for pitlane speeding – while the #30 and #40 Ligiers of Extreme Speed and Krohn come together at the first chicane.

17.00

That’s 2 hours done and we’re still on for record pace with 31 laps completed. As yet, there’s been no driver changes or tyres for any of the LMP contenders – and the class leaders are now:

LMP1 – 1 #7 (Audi); 2 #17 (Porsche); 3 #18 (Porsche)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #46 (Thiriet); 3 #41 (Greaves)
GTE Pro – 1 #95 (Aston Martin); 2 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari); 3 #97 (Aston Martin)
GTE Am – 1 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 2 #77 (Dempsey Porsche); 3 #88 (Abu Dhabi Porsche)

17.10

The #96 Aston Martin in GT Am class has had an unseen incident at Ford Chicane and has headed into the pits for some pretty radical surgery.

17.20

Audi takes the fastest lap for the first time – amazingly on tyres that have done 140 minutes already – with Lotterer’s 3’18.865. That’s faster than the car managed in qualifying and by a good chunk… Ominous.

17.29

Our first driver and tyre change in an LMP1 car as Anthony Davidson hops into the #1 Toyota and takes on some fresh boots. He’s followed in by #17 and #18 Porsches which both make driver changes to Brendon Hartley and Marc Lieb respectively.

17.30

GT Academy update time!

The two GT Academy-driven Nissans are now 10th and 14th in class, with that #23 car driven by Jann Mardenborough still fighting from the back of the field having started 6 laps down, but lapping faster than any of his teammates.

In LMP2, Gaetan Paletou has yet to drive, but his #41 Greaves car is 3rd in class and 12th overall – actually leading his LMP1 colleagues.

17.35

Oddly, the #7 Audi has just taken a second pitstop just 3 laps after the last one – with a driver change swapping Andre Lotterer out for Benoit Treluyer. A puncture seems to be to blame.

17.36

A driver change in the Nissan GT-R LMs. For the #22 Lucas hops out and Mark Shulzhitskiy gets in, while Harry Tincknell’s excellent position has been taken over by Michael Krumm. Despite alarmist fears over FWD tyre use, the Nissan seems no worse that its conventional rivals.

17.50

A concertina of minor incidents has lead to a pretty major one. Firstly Benoit Treluyer got himself in all sorts of trouble in the #7 Audi in the Porsche Curves, but rescues it. This was followed by some mystery debris on the track that seems to have come from an LMP2.

With a “slow zone” established for that debris situation, the #8 Audi of Loic Duval has nosed into the outside barrier before Indianapolis, before being collected by a Corvette. The #51 Ferrari 458 seems to have been involved as well, losing a large portion of tyre.

17.58

The safety cars have been deployed again – there’s bits of car everywhere!

18.00

It hardly seems like any time at all, but we’re now three hours into the race!

Time to update the standings with all the class leaders – though these incidents involving the Audis may shake the order up a little!

LMP1 – 1 #17 (Porsche); 2 #9 (Audi); 3 #18 (Porsche)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #46 (Thiriet); 3 #36 (Signatech)
GTE Pro – 1 #97 (Aston Martin); 2 #71 (AF Corse Ferrari); 3 #64 (Corvette)
GTE Am – 1 #53 (Riley Viper); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #88 (Abu Dhabi Porsche)

18.20

The #8 Audi is repaired and back out with Lucas di Grassi at the helm in 8th place – but the barriers are still being repaired.

The incident seems to have been precipitated by a group of GTE cars slowing down for an indicated slow zone while Duval arrived at high speed due to the marshalls waving green flags – and having nowhere to go. It appears to be a much lesser impact than it could have been, thankfully.

18.22

While we were distracted watching replays of the Audi crash, the #23 Nissan has sneaked in and Jann Mardenborough has given way to Max Chilton. From dead last and 6 laps down, Jann’s pulled the Nissan up to 51st with a good chance at getting into a scrap at some of the other LMP1 cars later in the race, so a good first session.

18.27

And that’s the third 997 911 that’s had an engine fire this weekend. The #88 Abu Dhabi GTE Am car is burning on the Mulsanne and might be our second official retirement…

18.42

That was one hell of a safety car period, but we’re now back underway!

18.52

A significant moment for Nissan and the #23 car – Max Chilton has got past the CLM ByKolles car… They’re now 11th, 12th and 13th in class and no longer the lowest-placed LMP1 car!

19.00

Darren Turner fighting for the lead in GTE Pro in the eye-melting #97 Aston Martin finds himself suckered into spinning it at the first Mulsanne chicane and drops down to 4th as a result – just in time for the hourly update!

LMP1 – 1 #17 (Porsche); 2 #7 (Audi); 3 #9 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #46 (Thiriet); 3 #34 (OAK Racing)
GTE Pro – 1 #64 (Corvette); 2 #99 (Aston Martin); 3 #71 (AF Corse Ferrari)
GTE Am – 1 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 2 #98 (Aston Martin); 3 #53 (Riley Viper)

19.09

Filipe Albuqerque in the #9 Audi has now set a lap record for this configuration and, it seems, a highest average speed for any lap of the Le Mans 24 Hour circuit at 3’18.477 and 247.2km/h (153.6mph).

19.12

Not happy with that, he does it again the next lap, with a 3’17.647 and 248.2km/h (154.2mph)! He’s now just 0.5s behind race leader Brendon Hartley…

19.30

We’re in a bit of a mid-race lull at the moment as the initial frantic phase is over and done – but the racing is still close. The first six cars in LMP1 are still on the same lap as each other, as are the first three LMP2 cars. In LM GTE there’s six cars on the lead lap – with the two Pro leaders just 4s apart and an Am car mixing it up with the rest.

Meanwhile Mark Shuzhitskiy’s #21 Nissan is tumbling down the order as it sits in the garages – though we don’t yet know the reason.

19.53

Whatever the reason, it’s fixed now and Mark’s back out and immediately down into the 3’39s. His best is less than a tenth slower than Jann’s low Nissan benchmark. He’s lost a few laps though.

20.00

The fifth hour is upon us already and there’s a suggestion that there’ll be some rain in the next hour so the leaders may be radically different in 60 minutes. Nevertheless, as the hour rolls by, the class podiums are:

LMP1 – 1 #17 (Porsche); 2 #9 (Audi); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #41 (Greaves); 3 #46 (Thiriet)
GTE Pro – 1 #64 (Corvette); 2 #99 (Aston Martin); 3 #97 (Aston Martin)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #53 (Riley Viper)

20.10

The #22 Nissan has been into the pits with a braking issue. One side was so overheated that when the brakes were changed the old disc burned a hole into the floor. It’s now back out with new tyres, more fuel and a new driver – Alex Buncombe.

A bit of a calamity for the other GT Academy driver though as the #41 Greaves LMP2 car has come to a halt in the Esses and has had to be recovered by one of Le Mans’ special Manitou tractors.

20.20

Gaetan hasn’t yet had a chance to drive the #41 and reports come from the pitlane that the car’s battery has gone flat. Hopefully someone has some jump leads and can get the LMP2 out soon.

20.40

Alex Buncombe in car #22 is the third Nissan driver to break into the 3’30s, with a 3’39.5!

20.47

As everyone’s at opposite ends of their pit cycles, Albuquerque relinquishes the lead to everyone’s favourite Australian ex-F1 driver, Mark Webber… Go @AussieGrit!

21.00

25% of the race is now done and it’s been pretty eventful thus far – but with only two retirements so far and the drivers settling into a slightly less agitated pace, activity is likely to die down over the night time hours.

Still, at this point the standings look like this:

LMP1 – 1 #17 (Porsche); 2 #7 (Audi); 3 #9 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #46 (Thiriet); 3 #48 (Murphy)
GTE Pro – 1 #99 (Aston Martin); 2 #64 (Corvette); 3 #97 (Aston Martin)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #83 (AF Corse Ferrari)

21.30

The new drivers in the Nissans are laying down benchmarks, Tsugio Matsuda becomes the 4th GT-R driver to hit a 3’39, but then Olivier Pla takes the #23 car to a 3’37.9.

21.43

Aside from position swaps in the pits, it’s all going rather quiet on the dusky track – but it’s now confirmed that we have a third retirement. The #41 Greaves LMP2 car won’t start again and it’s a non-finisher. Hard luck on Gaetan who never got to race it.

22.00

The rain hasn’t arrived yet, but the darkness is rapidly falling as hour 7 wanders past. With 112 laps completed, the current standings are:

LMP1 – 1 #9 (Audi); 2 #17 (Porsche); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #46 (Thiriet); 3 #36 (Signatech)
GTE Pro – 1 #64 (Corvette); 2 #97 (Aston Martin); 3 #99 (Aston Martin)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #83 (AF Corse Ferrari); 3 #72 (SMP Ferrari)

22.05

Just as Pla was setting new fast laps in the Nissan, he’s gone straight on at one of the chicanes and has to nurse the car back to the pits.

Still, it was a better outcome than Romain Dumas in the #18 Porsche who’s just gone steaming into the tyres at Mulsanne…

22.10

Well, we say it’s a better outcome. Jani’s taken over the fixed car after 90s in the pits – while Olivier Pla’s Nissan is still sitting there…

22.28

Pla’s issue was diagnosed as brakes (again!). They’ve been changed and he immediately sets a 3’38 lap…

22.48

The LMP2 Signatech Alpine #36 has had a significant off, requiring a safety car in order to recover it as all four corners are smashed – and everyone pits to take advantage. However the #21 Nissan is in the garage for a clutch change, while the #22 has had to dive in to have a sensor changed under the bonnet.

23.00

Well, we’ve reached the 8 hour mark – one third race distance – with 125 laps completed and we’re behind the safety car again, so positions are pretty static.

LMP1 – 1 #9 (Audi); 2 #17 (Porsche); 3 #19 (Porsche)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #46 (Thiriet); 3 #26 (G-Drive)
GTE Pro – 1 #64 (Corvette); 2 #97 (Aston Martin); 3 #99 (Aston Martin)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #83 (AF Corse Ferrari); 3 #72 (SMP Ferrari)

We’re now up to four official retirements too. The #92 Manthey Porsche was first to retire after 14 laps, followed by the #88 Abu Dhabi Porsche on lap 44. The LMP2 #41 Greaves Motorsport retired on lap 71 with what appeared to be an electrical fault that driver Gary Hirsch spent a considerable time trying to fix by the roadside and, just before the 8hr mark, the #50 Larbre Corvette was also retired with 94 laps on the board.

We still have a couple of creaking doors though. The #96 Aston Martin sustained severe damage and is currently sitting 56 laps down undergoing repairs, while the #4 LMP1 ByKolles keeps dragging itself out of the pits for a few laps before returning.

23.08

The safety car dives in with the lead cars 4 just 5s apart again and we’re racing again!

23.18

Oh no, problems for the #97 Aston Martin Art Car – pulling well off the track and stopping in the middle of the slow zone around Mulsanne.

23.35

It’s still nip and tuck at the very front of the race with less than a second between Mark Webber in the #17 Porsche and Marcel Fassler in the #7 Audi. A couple of minutes ago they went either side of a GTE Porsche they were lapping – but now Webber has just been given a one minute stop-go penalty for overtaking under yellow flag conditions!

23.38

It’s catching – the lead LMP2 car, #47 KCMG Oreca, also gets a penalty for a yellow flag infringement…

23.45

Aston Martin has now confirmed that the eye-melting #97 won’t be returning and it’s our fifth retirement of the race.

Unfortunate news. Our #97 Vantage GTE has stopped out on track and will not return. It's a bitter disappointment for the team #teamAMR

— Aston Martin Racing (@AMR_Official) June 13, 2015

00.00

It’s a new day in France now and we’ve ticked off 9 of the 24 hours, so it’s time to look at the various class podium places again.

LMP1

1. Porsche #19; 141 laps
2. Audi #9; +5s
3. Audi #7; +23s

LMP2

1. KCMG Oreca #47; 128 laps
2. Thiriet Oreca #46; +1’21
3. Ligier Nissan #26; +3’19

GTE Pro

1. Aston Martin #99; 122 laps
2. Chevrolet #64; +46s
3. Manthey Porsche #91; +1’53

GTE Am

1. Aston Martin #98; 121 laps
2. SMP Ferrari #72; +2’17
3. AF Corse Ferrari #83; +2’50

00.10

The previously unimpeachable #22 Nissan GT-R LM has hit a problem – or more specifically, a boat load of someone else’s crash. Harry Tincknell has collected something in the dark at Indianapolis and obliterated much of the front bodywork on #22.

00.12

Since misery loves company, Oliver Pla’s #23 Nissan has now ground to a halt at Arnage with an unknown problem…

00.15

Tincknell seems to have clattered into a tyre carcass at absolutely flat chat coming into Indianapolis. Since that took out his headlights, amongst other things, that’s a proper brown flag moment.

Oliver Pla’s car has made its way back to the pit and Jann Mardenborough has been stuffed into it pending repairs.

00.30

Nissan is keeping the #22 in the pits for a while, but it’s not out for the count just yet. All three Nissans have already done 1.5 times a normal WEC race distance – not bad for a first outing.

00.48

It never rains but it pours at Nissan. The #21 has had some kind of major calamity at the second Mulsanne chicane and has lost its entire front-right wheel. Sparking down the rest of the Mulsanne, Matsuda eventually pulls the car off to the side and it may be curtains.

00.59

And that’s the end of #21’s race as the retro IMSA-liveried Nissan is retired following damage sustained on lap 116.

01:00 unfortunately we cannot get the No.21 back to the pits, so it has retired.

— Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) June 13, 2015

01.00

10 hours down now and just 6 cars have left us – sadly including both the Aston Martin art car and the #21 Nissan GT-R LM. With 159 laps in the bag now, the rest of the field looks like this:

LMP1 – 1 #7 (Audi); 2 #19 (Porsche); 3 #9 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #46 (Thiriet); 3 #26 (G-Drive)
GTE Pro – 1 #64 (Corvette); 2 #99 (Aston Martin); 3 #91 (Manthey Porsche)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #83 (AF Corse Ferrari)

01.20

The #18 Porsche goes straight on at Mulsanne corner again. Only made it as far as the gravel trap this time, luckily…

02.00

Drivers have settled into their night rhythm now and there’s eleven hours in the history books. With rumours of rain arriving at 4am and persisting through to the end of the race, there’s still excitement to come.

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #9 (Audi); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #46 (Thiriet); 3 #26 (G-Drive)
GTE Pro – 1 #99 (Aston Martin); 2 #64 (Corvette); 3 #91 (Manthey Porsche)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #77 (Dempsey Porsche)

02.44

Nissan fans rejoice – the #23 is back on its way!

02.53

And now the #22 joins it! Rumours of retirement prove greatly exaggerated…

03.00

And that’s halfway! It’s been a bit of a slog in the wee small hours, but here’s the full half distance standings…

1. Porsche #19 LMP1; 192 laps
2. Audi #9 LMP1; +1’03
3. Audi #7 LMP1; +1’07
4. Porsche #17 LMP1; +3’09
5. Audi #8 LMP1; 191 laps
6. Porsche #18 LMP1; 190 laps
7. Toyota #2 LMP1; 189 laps
8. Toyota #1 LMP1; 185 laps
9. Rebellion #13 LMP1; 180 laps
10. KCMG Oreca #47 LMP2; 175 laps
11. Thiriet Oreca #46 LMP2; 174 laps
12. G-Drive Ligier #26 LMP2; +1.5s
13. Murphy Oreca #48 LMP2; 173 laps
14. JOTA Sport Gibson #38 LMP2; +2’21
15. G-Drive Ligier #28 LMP2; 172 laps
16. Strakka Dome #42 LMP2; 171 laps
17. Oak Ligier #34 LMP2; 1’27
18. Rebellion #12 LMP1; 170 laps
19. SMP BR01 #27 LMP2; 166 laps
20. Ibanez Oreca #45 LMP2; +1’06
21. Aston Martin #99 GTE Pro; 165 laps
22. Corvette #64 GTE Pro; +1’15
23. Extreme Ligier #31 LMP2; +2’10
24. AF Corse Ferrari #51 GTE Pro; +2’30
25. Manthey Porsche #91 GTE Pro; 164 laps
26. Oak Ligier #35 LMP2; 163 laps
27. SMP Ferrari #72 GTE Am; +50s
28. Aston Martin #98 GTE Am; +1’00
29. Team SARD Morgan #43 LMP2; 162 laps
30. Dempsey Porsche #77 GTE Am; +1’39
31. Scuderia Corsa Ferrari #62 GTE Am; +2’30
32. AF Corse Ferrari #71 GTE Pro; +3’15
33. Pegasus Morgan #29 LMP2; 161 laps
34. Aston Martin #95 GTE Pro; +33s
35. Riley Viper #53 GTE Am; +1’25
36. JMW Ferrari #66 GTE Am; 160 laps
37. AF Corse Ferrari #55 GTE Am; +1’55
38. AF Corse Ferrari #83 GTE Am; 158 laps
39. AAI Porsche #68 GTE Am; +50s
40. AF Corse Ferrari #61 GTE Am; +1’25
41. AAI Porsche #67 GTE Am; 155 laps
42. Extreme Ligier #30 LMP2; 152 laps
43. Krohn Ligier #40 LMP2; 151 laps
44. SMP BR01 #37 LMP2; 146 laps
45. Nissan #23 LMP1; 133 laps
46. ByKolles #4 LMP1; 131 laps
47. Nissan #22 LMP1; 125 laps
48. Aston Martin #96 GTE Am; 125 laps

We’re now up to seven retirements, with the heavily damaged #21 Nissan our only LMP1 loss, the #36 Signatech and #41 Greaves out of LMP2 and the #97 Aston, #50 Corvette, #88 and #92 Porsches falling off the classification.

03.05

It made it to half way, but the #66 has just had a colossal fire in the pits… It doesn’t look good.

03.25

Did anyone think that the Nissans would be taking it easy? No-one told Jann Mardenborough and Harry Tincknell. Jann’s just smashed Nissan’s best with a 3’36.876 – faster than the car qualified!

03.55

We’re not hearing of any serious injuries stemming from that #66 Ferrari fire – some burns to members of the pitcrew and we wish them a speedy recovery.

04.00

We’re on the homeward stretch now – more hours done than there are left to go. With those 11 hours remaining, here’s the standings:

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #7 (Audi); 3 #9 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #46 (Thiriet); 3 #26 (G-Drive)
GTE Pro – 1 #99 (Aston Martin); 2 #64 (Corvette); 3 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari)
GTE Am – 1 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 2 #98 (Aston Martin); 3 #62 (Scuderia Corsa Ferrari)

04.05

The Nissan GT-R LM #23 is back in the garage for some remedial suspension repairs. We guess no-one told Jann that driving the wheels off it is a metaphor…

04.15

Remember when two 997 911s caught fire? It’s leaking to Ferrari as the second 458 in the last hour and a bit goes up in flame. This time it’s the #61…

04.50

The race for the GTE Pro lead between the #99 Aston Martin and #64 Corvette has been going on all race. It had leaned back in to just 2s, but the #99 pits for new brakes. Don’t worry – the Chevrolet will need to do that too!

05.00

Here’s the standings with just 10 hours left to go!

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #7 (Audi); 3 #9 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #26 (G-Drive); 3 #48 (Murphy)
GTE Pro – 1 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari); 2 #64 (Corvette); 3 #91 (Manthey Porsche)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #77 (Dempsey Porsche)

05.02

Commentator’s curse. The #99 Aston Martin has just returned to the pits with major damage – and the Thiriet LMP2 is also missing from the LMP2 leaders. The two have collided out at the first Mulsanne chicane…

05.25

Is that sunrise? It barely seems like any time at all since that fell under the western horizon…

05.45

The first reports of rain are hitting the track, though it seems to be only a light drizzle at the Porsche Curves.

06.00

15 hours down, 9 left – so here’s your current standings:

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #9 (Audi); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #26 (G-Drive); 3 #48 (Murphy)
GTE Pro – 1 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari); 2 #64 (Corvette); 3 #91 (Manthey Porsche)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #77 (Dempsey Porsche)

06.30

The #12 Rebellion car goes off at Indianapolis. Yellow flag as the car has to be removed from the tire barrier and gravel trap with the crane.

06.45

Trouble for the #7 Audi, which seems to be missing a rear fender. Nico Hulkenberg’s Porsche leads by a clear lap from the Audis of Rast and Fassler. With eight hours still to run, it’d be foolish to write off any of the top runners yet – but Porsche is certainly in a strong position.

07.00

Two thirds of the race is now done, so let’s take a look at the standings…

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #9 (Audi); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #26 (G-Drive); 3 #48 (Murphy)
GTE Pro – 1 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari); 2 #64 (Corvette); 3 #91 (Manthey Porsche)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #62 (Scuderia Corsa Ferrari)

07.40

The safety car is deployed after a serious single-car accident involving the #96 Aston Martin. Now that’s a car that’s been in the wars…

08.00

The order is a little shaken up now, thanks to the three safety car system used by Le Mans and the various cars taking the chance to dive into the pits for a refresh. Nonetheless, after 17 hours it all looks like this:

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #9 (Audi); 3 #17 (Porsche)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #26 (G-Drive); 3 #38 (Jota Sport)
GTE Pro – 1 #64 (Corvette); 2 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari) 3 #91 (Manthey Porsche)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #62 (Scuderia Corsa Ferrari)

08.05

It looks like that #96 Aston Martin crash was a heavy old hit. Driver Roald Goethe was conscious throughout, but has been taken to hospital as a precaution…

We can confirm that Roald is conscious and talking on the radio but will go to the medical centre. We'll keep you updated.

— Aston Martin Racing (@AMR_Official) June 14, 2015

08.10

The safety car peels in and Mark Webber uses the kerfuffle to zip up past the #9 Audi into second place!

08.55

The #55 AF Corse Ferrari has ground to a halt at Indianapolis. Driver Alex Mortimer has run it out of fuel… d’oh!

09.00

That’s now 75% race distance – it’s just a regulation distance FIA WEC race from here on… The standings now look like this:

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #17 (Porsche); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #26 (G-Drive); 3 #38 (Jota Sport)
GTE Pro – 1 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari); 2 #64 (Corvette); 3 #91 (Manthey Porsche)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #62 (Scuderia Corsa Ferrari)

09.25

Uh-oh. The #42 Strakka has stopped dead in the worst imaginable place for a team – on the pit straight, 8 miles from the pit entry…

09.35

It’s worth noting that the lead #19 Porsche has just completed its 300th lap. At this pace we won’t quite make the 390 lap mark – thanks to the safety cars for that.

10.00

Another hour in the bag and that’s 19 of them done. With just under 21% of the race remaining, here’s the hourly standings!

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #17 (Porsche); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #26 (G-Drive); 3 #38 (Jota Sport)
GTE Pro – 1 #64 (Corvette); 2 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari); 3 #91 (Manthey Porsche)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #62 (Scuderia Corsa Ferrari)

10.10

The Strakka never really got going again, and it’s now our 10th retirement…

Afraid that it is over for us

— Strakka Racing (@StrakkaRacing) June 14, 2015

10.55

A drive through penalty for the #7 Audi for “disrespecting a slow zone”… It looks like it’s for a wild manouevre alongside the #19 Porsche, rather than speeding.

10.59

Well, this should make things a bit more interesting… the ACO has just declared that the track is “wet”…

11.00

Only four hours remaining now – practically a sprint race – and just to add some more fun into the mix, the circuit has just been declared “wet”…

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #17 (Porsche); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #26 (G-Drive); 3 #38 (Jota Sport)
GTE Pro – 1 #64 (Corvette); 2 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari); 3 #91 (Manthey Porsche)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #62 (Scuderia Corsa Ferrari)

11.05

Heart in mouth moment for Timo Bernhard in the #19 Porsche as he skips straight over the gravel at the first chicane. Lucky, lucky boy!

11.50

Apparently the news that this is an endurance race hasn’t filtered through to Andre Lotterer, who sets a new lap record of 3’17.475 at 248.5km/h. The only lap faster than that was Neel Jani’s pole position…

12.00

As morning gives way to afternoon, we’ve crossed off 21 of the 24 hours and the sharp end looms. Only 12 cars so far have retired – and the two remaining Nissans are running last and second last of the runners respectively.

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #17 (Porsche); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #26 (G-Drive); 3 #38 (Jota Sport)
GTE Pro – 1 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari); 2 #64 (Corvette); 3 #71 (AF Corse Ferrari)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #77 (Dempsey Porsche)

12.10

The fight for 3rd in GTE Am is looking interesting as Townsend Bell spins the Ferrari 458 trying to pass the Dempsey 911 round the outside of Mulsanne.

12.15

Since Lotterer is on one, here’s a quick comparison of the class fastest laps and pole positions:

LMP1
Qualifying – #18 Porsche 3’16.887
Race – #7 Audi 3’17.475

LMP2
Qualifying – #47 KCMG 3’38.032
Race – #38 Jota Sport 3’36.679

GTE Pro
Qualifying – #99 Aston Martin 3’54.928
Race – #99 Aston Martin 3’54.246

GTE Am
Qualifying – #98 Aston Martin 3’55.102
Race – #53 Riley SRT Viper 3’55.896

12.30

Townsend Bell has recovered from his spin and is right back under the engine of Patrick Long in the Dempsey Porsche… Both will pit soon and break the race up, but no doubt service will resume soon afterwards…

12.40

There’s some problems at Audi. The #9 has been running with an unhappy hybrid system for much of the morning, while the #7 has just been wheeled into its garage…

12.55

A bum note for the Nissans at this point. In order to be classified, a car needs to complete 70% of the race winner’s distance. That means that even if all the cars ahead of it retired right now, the #22 car cannot lap fast enough to reach a classified finish. The #23 could still make it but it would require a very odd set of circumstances…

13.00

2 hours remain now – essentially a full distance F1 race – and the standings are now:

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #17 (Porsche); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #38 (Jota Sport); 3 #26 (G-Drive)
GTE Pro – 1 #51 (AF Corse Ferrari); 2 #64 (Corvette); 3 #71 (AF Corse Ferrari)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #77 (Dempsey Porsche)

13.10

Massive problem for the GTE Pro class-leading AF Corse Ferrari 458. The car’s massively slow out of Mulsanne Corner and picked off with ease by the #64 Corvette. Oliver Gavin then puts a lap on, passing the stricken Ferrari again while it’s being worked on in the pits.

13.25

The rain has effectively stayed away, with mere suggestions since about 5am – but there’s drips and drops in the pit lane…

13.40

The #23 Nissan has gone straight on at the entry to Porsche Curves and nearly parked up on the roundabout out of town. The marshalls are hurriedly applying gobs of carbon dioxide to the front-right wheel as the brakes smoke merrily…

13.45

Nissan has been working to defy physics for the last 10 months and it seems now that its cars are trying to defy chemistry. Ignoring the fire extinguishers, the #23 erupts into flame as Jann hurriedly evacuates himself (and gets out of the car too). I think we can class that as a retirement.

13.50

And then there was one…

13:50. Unfortunately the No.23 has had to retire with a terminal gearbox problem. @Jannthaman is ok. Heartbreaking so near the end.

— Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) June 14, 2015

13.55

We haven’t been covering it particularly, because this post would be four times as long as it otherwise would be, but we think that the #40 Krohn LMP2 now has the record for the most amount of spins in a race. To be fair it has been running without any traction control and the most recent incident was precipitated by being smashed into by the #29 Morgan, but still…

14.00

Squeaky bum time – it’s the last hour. 23 hours gone, 13 retirements and the leaders look like this:

LMP1 – 1 #19 (Porsche); 2 #17 (Porsche); 3 #7 (Audi)
LMP2 – 1 #47 (KCMG); 2 #38 (Jota Sport); 3 #26 (G-Drive)
GTE Pro – 1 #64 (Corvette); 2 #71 (AF Corse Ferrari); 3 #95 (Aston Martin)
GTE Am – 1 #98 (Aston Martin); 2 #72 (SMP Ferrari); 3 #77 (Dempsey Porsche)

It’s also worth noting that the #98 Aston Martin that’s 1st in GTE Am class is actually second overall in the GTE category!

14.10

Ruh roh… There’s now rain everywhere… Light, but still rain.

14.13

Oh no, the #98 Aston Martin GTE Am lead car is absolutely mangled at the Ford Chicane. That is almost certainly going no further. Possibly the first influence of the rain?

14.30

We think that all of the driver changes and pitstops are done now so, barring unexpected occurrences – and this is the Le Mans 24 Hours, so that’s always likely – this should just be a charge to the flag…

14.44

Rain reported again up and down the Mulsanne…

14.50

Heavier rain is now seen from the top of Mulsanne right down to Maison Blanche at the exit of Porsche Curves. This is a track with 23hr50 of rubber laid down on it – so there could be a twist in the tail. Or a pirouette or five…

Don’t count your chickens just yet!

15.00

That’s the chequered flag and Nico Hulkenberg takes the win in the #19 Porsche!

1. Porsche 919 #19 LMP1; 395 laps
2. Porsche 919 #17 LMP1; 394 laps
3. Audi R18 #7 LMP1; 393 laps
4. Audi R18 #8 LMP1; 392 laps
5. Porsche 919 #18 LMP1; 391 laps
6. Toyota TS040 #2 LMP1; 387 laps
7. Audi R18 #9 LMP1: +2’35
8. Toyota TS040 #1 LMP1; 386 laps
9. KCMG Oreca #47 LMP2; 358 laps
   
10. JOTA Sport Gibson #38 LMP2; +48s
11. G-Drive Ligier #26 LMP2; +1’47
12. G-Drive Ligier #28 LMP2; 354 laps
13. Murphy Oreca #48 LMP2; 347 laps
14. SMP BR01 #27 LMP2; 340 laps
15. Extreme Ligier #31 LMP2; 339 laps
16. Ibanez Oreca #45 LMP2; 337 laps
17. Corvette C7R #64 GTE Pro; +3’48
    
18. Rebellion R-One #13 LMP1; 336 laps
19. Pegasus Morgan #29 LMP2; 334 laps
20. SMP Ferrari 458 #72 GTE Am; 332 laps
    
21. AF Corse Ferrari 458 #71 GTE Pro; +41s
22. Dempsey Porsche 991 #77 GTE Am; 331 laps
23. Rebellion R-One #12; 330 laps
24. Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 #62 GTE Am; +19s
25. AF Corse Ferrari 458 #51 GTE Pro; +1’04
26. AF Corse Ferrari 458 #83 GTE Am; +1’05
27. Aston Martin V8 Vantage #95 GTE Pro; +2’23
28. Extreme Ligier #30 LMP2; 329 laps
29. OAK Ligier #35 LMP2; 328 laps
30. Manthey Porsche 991 #91 GTE Pro; 327 laps
31. AF Corse Ferrari 458 #61 GTE; 326 laps
32. Krohn Ligier #40 LMP2; 323 laps
33. SMP BR01 #37 LMP2; 322 laps
34. Aston Martin V8 Vantage #99 GTE Pro; 320 laps
35. AAI Porsche 991 #68 GTE Am; +1s
36. JMW Ferrari 458 #66 GTE Am; +1.5s
37. Team AAI 997 #67 GTE Am; 316 laps

15.20

That’s all from us for the 2015 24 Heures du Mans… See you next year!

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