2023 LM24, Hour 8: #51 Ferrari Goes Off, Peugeot #94 Leads Again

There’s been a major break in the action, eight hours into the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans – as the leading #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P has gone off just before the top of the hour!

Alessandro Pier Guidi had just come off a monster stint as the rain had dissipated and the track had dried out. But just after a pit stop, he spun through the first Mulsanne Chicane and found himself beached in the gravel long enough to concede the lead!

This has moved the #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 of Nico Muller, who has continued an exceptional race driven by his team-mates Gustavo Menezes and Loic Duval, up to the lead, followed by the #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 HYBRID of Kamui Kobayashi, 30 seconds back.

Nicklas Nielsen gambled on a switch to slicks and is now third in the #50 Ferrari, which ensures at least one Ferrari in podium position after Pier Guidi’s off-course excursion.

Our first premier class retirement of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has come after eight hours of racing.

The #75 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 was last seen running slowly after shutting off at Tertre Rouge. Mathieu Jaminet brought the car back into the pits where it was diagnosed with a terminal fuel pressure problem, according to Porsche communications.

It’s the first retirement in the Hypercar era at Le Mans after two years without any retirements, albeit with a much smaller field.

Esteban Guerrieri also went for a spin in the #4 Vanwall Vandervell 680. Guerrieri was able to return after being fetched from the gravel in the Forest Esses, but Floyd Vanwall Racing Team’s entry is still eight laps down.

For now, the rain has lifted after a big shower in the previous hour, and the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P is still leading outright after a monster stint from the two-time GTE World Champion, Alessandro Pier Guidi.

Dominant driving in wet and dry conditions got him to a 72-second lead before he pitted towards the top of the hour.

There was also, big drama in LMP2 involving the #23 United Autosports Oreca 07-Gibson which had just taken the lead in the class.

Tom Blomqvist reported a loss of brakes when he crashed, the car sustained damage to the front and rear, and while Blomqvist was able to drive back to pit lane for repairs, he had to be taken to the medical centre for checks after the crash tripped the medical light in his car.

Blomqvist was okay, and the car was able to be repaired after 20 minutes for Josh Pierson to get aboard. But with United Autosports’ two cars now buried down the LMP2 order, their chances of winning have been virtually eliminated.

This puts Inter Europol Competition’s #34 car back up front, with Fabio Scherer leading Robert Kubica in the Team WRT #41 by 15 seconds.

Ben Barnicoat runs third in class in the AF Corse #80, which also gives his team the lead in LMP2 Pro-Am by about 30 seconds from the #45 Algarve Pro Racing car of James Allen (seventh outright in LMP2).

Both the Prema Racing #9 and Racing Team Turkey #923 have returned to the race after extensive repairs following the crash between Filip Ugran and Salih Yoluc, but both are nine laps down from the overall lead.

Matteo Cairoli’s lead is building well. He’s four seconds a lap quicker than Michelle Gatting’s Iron Dames Porsche, the #56 Project 1-AO entry forged ahead in the darkness to establish a gap of 1 minute 27 seconds at the top of the hour.

Davide Rigon’s AF Corse Ferrari was trying hard to stay in touch with the leaders, the #54 488 GTE EVO posting 3:59’s as conditions started to improve, the gap to the Iron Dames Porsche 1 minute 11 seconds.

The GTE-Am class is becoming one of high attrition.

Notable improvements are the #25 ORT by TF Aston Martin and the GR Racing Porsche, both cars now back in the top ten in class after their earlier difficulties.

The #33 Corvette was also making up lost laps. But having been caught out by a stewards’ safety car pit exit error, the car was still 2 laps adrift of the class leader, but at this rate of incident and attrition, anything seems possible.

Tomonobo Fuji’s #777 D’Station Racing Aston Martin had been brought to its garage having made it back into the top ten in class.

And the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is still running strong.