24h Le Mans
Under the orders of official starter basketball idol LeBron James, the 62 cars set off for an exciting, challenging 24 hours. The 91st edition of the 100-year-old race is under way. This time tomorrow, we will have a winner.
Shortly before the traditional grid ceremony, a stunning collection of cars that have marked the history of the race took to the track for two laps of honour. Among them, the Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6, the very first Porsche entered for Le Mans (a 1951 356 SL Coupé), the 1972 Matra MS670, the 1980 Rondeau M379 and the amazing sounding 1991 Mazda 787B. The essence of Le Mans in a stunning display. Then, it was time for this year’s field to take their turn in the limelight.
A fighter jet flypast shortly before 13:30 marked the formation of the starting grid.
All eyes then turned to the Centenary Trophy designed by the Paris Mint and sponsored by longstanding ACO partner Rolex. This year’s winners will be presented with the impressive prize to treasure forever.
Several personalities were spotted soaking up the Centenary atmosphere next to the 62 competitors during the grid ceremony – among them Charles Leclerc, Dua Lipa and Tom Brady.
The traditional flypast from the Patrouille de France announced that the start was imminent. Nerves jangled as the formation lap set off. This year’s Grand Marshal Tom Kristensen led the field to the Tricolore flag.
Cars in all three classes – Hypercar, LMP2, and LMGTE Am – which run on the 100% renewable fuel specially-developed by TotalEnergies, gracefully approached the start line for the rolling start. All 300,000 trackside spectators held their breath as the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans, 4th round of the FIA WEC, field was released. One hundred years after it was by founded by Emile Coquille, Georges Durand and Charles Faroux, the world’s greatest endurance race is under way again.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary is also an anniversary for Ferrari. In 1963 – the first year starting positions on the grid were determined by the fastest times in practice – Pedro Rodríguez took the first ever pole position at Le Mans. In 1973, the prancing horse locked out the first row, Jacky Ickx/Brian Redman having set second best time behind Arturo Merzario/Carlos Pace. Fifty years on, the red team repeated the performance with Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen in pole position ahead of Antonio Giovinazzi/James Calado/Alessandro Pier Guidi.
An incident packed first lap ensued with the Toyota GR010-Hybrids pressing hard from the off. Light pre-race rain over the Mulsanne Straight side of the circuit had left the track slippery. Jack Aitken in the #311 Cadillac V-Series.R of Action Express Racing fell foul of the greasy surface and careered into the barrier on exiting the Daytona chicane. He managed to crawl back to the garage with the body in tatters and the front left wheel at an unconventional angle.
Mark Kvamme beached the #32 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07-Gibson at the same chicane. The safety car inevitably came out but Sébastien Buemi in the #8 Toyota GR010-Hybrid had time to breeze past Nicklas Nielsen in the polesitting #50 Ferrari 499P to move into the lead entering Indianapolis.
The new safety car procedure enabled the #38 Porsche 963 of Hertz Team JOTA – starting the race down in 60th place having failed to record a qualifying time – to move up ahead of the LMP2 and LMGTE Am fields.
When racing resumed, Mike Conway in the #7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid emulated Buemi to move into P2 behind the #8 sister car. A game of cat and mice ensued between the Japanese manufacturer’s #7 machine and the two Ferrari 499Ps. Nielsen in the #50 managed to squeeze through into second place before pitting just before the hour mark.
