LMP1

At 02:30 everything changed. The hopes cherished by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López suddenly evaporated. The car was forced into its garage with a faulty turbo. The operation was to cost them a shade under 30 minutes and stop their march towards victory. For the remaining 12 hours, all that remained was the hope of regaining ground on the two Rebellion R13-Gibson prototypes entered by Rebellion Racing who had slipped into the provisional podium places while the #7 was immobilised.

And yet the first half of the race had been a demonstration for the Hyperpole winner. By churning out stints without the slightest error, Mike Conway built up a comfortable lead of 40 seconds after an hour.  At the same time, a puncture had forced the #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid to make an impromptu pit stop. It seemed that nothing could stop the #7 when Kamui Kobayashi, the fastest man in the history of Le Mans, took the wheel. Quickest in terms of pure performance and spared by race incidents, the #7 seemed invincible. That elusive victory was finally on the cards.

The #8 was the only car on the same lap after a quarter of the race and seemed to be playing the role of bodyguard to perfection. Just an illusion. The experienced, dedicated trio of Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley had ambitions of their own and ran an error-free race. Despite an alert shortly after dark due to a cooling problem on the right front brake, resolved during a 10-minute pit stop, they seamlessly stepped into the void left by their sister car's misfortune. Taking the lead shortly after mid-race, they suffered no further worries and won comfortably by five laps.

The rapid, consistent trio of Phil Hanson/Filipe Albuquerque/Paul Di Resta avoided the technical snags and incidents that plagued the LMP2 class to clinch victory for the #22 Oreca 07-Gibson. The early stages saw many competitors do battle at the sharp end of the field. The fact that some teams deliberately opted for alternate strategies added to the exciting uncertainty. The first stint – always shorter at Le Mans due to the starting procedure and formation lap – was followed by a short second stint too for some of the cars to avoid a bottleneck in the pit lane. As a result, the lead changed hands many times.

The situation began to become more settled shortly before midnight. Five candidates emerged at the top of the standings: they included the United Autosports #22 and #32 Oreca 07-Gibsons of Phil Hanson/Filipe Albuquerque/Paul Di Resta and Will Owen/Alex Brundle/Job Van Uitert respectively. They were joined by the JOTA #38 Oreca 07-Gibson of Anthony Davidson/Antonio-Felix Da Costa/Roberto Gonzalez, the Panis Racing #31 Oreca 07-Gibson of Nicolas Jamin/Julien Canal/Matthieu Vaxivière and the G-Drive Racing #26 Aurus 01-Gibson of Roman Rusinov/Jean-Eric Vergne/Mikkel Jensen. Five contenders for one crown. 

At 06:40, the #32 Oreca 07-Gibson fell victim to an oil leak and dropped out of the battle, but left the way open to its sister car. Hanson, Albuquerque and Di Resta in the United Autosports #22 Oreca 07-Gibson controlled the race throughout the morning to cross the finish line in first place. Their task was facilitated somewhat by several favourites succumbing to damage – a rare occurrence in LMP2.

LMGTE Pro

Although reduced to a three-way tussle between Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche, the LMGTE Pro class always promised to be an exciting affair. Yet Porsche was conspicuous by its absence despite coming prepared for a showdown. As 2020 marked the fiftieth anniversary of its first Le Mans win, the Porsche 911 RSR-19s sported special liveries in tribute to the 1970 vintage. Alas, from the start the two 911 RSR-19s were decidedly off the pace. Hyperpole winner Gianmaria Bruni dropped down the standings like a stone. The German machines’ lack of top speed was as plain as day. It shaped up to be a two-way battle between Aston Martin and Ferrari.

The Italians held the edge as nightfall approached. The AF Corse #51 and #71 Ferrari 488 GTE EVOs of Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Daniel Serra and Davide Rigon/Miguel Molina/Sam Bird respectively seemed at home in the late summer conditions. After midnight, the tussle on the track continued between Maxime Martin (#97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR) and Serra. Racing wheel-to-wheel for several minutes before their staggered pit stops, neither man gave an inch.

One car dropped away from the LMGTE Pro lead group just before the halfway stage. The #71 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO fell victim to a puncture. Sam Bird’s machine limped back to the pits, scuppering all hopes of a podium place. The #97 Aston Martin Vantage AMR of Maxime Martin/Alex Lynn/Harry Tincknell finally won the day. The winning margin of 1:33.164 bears witness to the intensity of the fight.

LMGTE Am

An Aston Martin also tasted success in the LMGTE Am class, but not the #98 works Aston Martin Vantage of Paul Dalla Lana/Ross Gunn/Augusto Farfus that spent a long period among the class leaders. Dalla Lana – who has been in pursuit of a Le Mans win for several years – failed to contain the attacks of the TF Sport #90 Aston Martin Vantage AMR of Salih Yoluc/Charles Eastwood/Jonathan Adam. Worse still, the car was handicapped by suspension issues that lost it time in the early hours of the morning. 

Clearly quicker, the TF Sport trio won with a margin of 49.752 seconds. Riccardo Pera (Dempsey-Proton Racing #77 Porsche 911 RSR) got the better of François Perrodo (AF Corse #83 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO) just after 10:30. That overtaking manoeuvre at the first Mulsanne Straight chicane proved decisive in the fight for second place. An Aston Martin, a Ferrari and a Porsche on the podium – what a fine assortment!