The 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans ended with drama and excitement all the way to the chequered flag. The no2 Porsche 919 Hybrid of Earl Bamber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard fought back from 54th place after the front axle had to be replaced early in the race.
The no1 Porsche was leading the race with 3 hours and 45 minutes remaining when the car dramatically slowed and stopped on track. Andre Lotterer was forced to abandon the car and the LMP2 class no38 Jackie Chan DC Racing was leading the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall.
However the crew of the no2 Porsche never gave and pushed hard. With just over an hour remaining on the clock they passed the leading car to take the lead in one of the most dramatic comebacks in the history of Le Mans. In his role as Grand Marshal, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard’s former teammate and fellow FIA World Champion Mark Webber presented the team with their trophies on the podium.
The no8 Toyota Gazoo Racing was the only other LMP1 class car to take the chequered flag, Sebastien Buemi finshing in 9th overall after the front motor had to be replaced during the night and dropping the car too far down to get onto the overall podium. Buemi crossed the line 9 laps behind the lead Porsche. The Swiss driver had the consolation of setting the fastest lap of the race with a 3m18.604 but still short of the official lap record of 3m17.475.
It was drama all the way in the LMGTE Pro category as the race was decided on the final lap of the race.
The no63 Chevrolet Corvette of Jordan Taylor was leading by less than two seconds from Jonny Adam in the no63 Aston Martin Racing. Taylor was struggling with grip and had gone off the track at the second chicane, skidding across the gravel trap but he managed to maintain his lead as he collected it up. Adam pressed the American and as they came across the line the Aston Martin hit the front as they began their final lap.
At the chequered flag it was the no97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage that crossed the line with the no67 Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK Ford GT of Harry Tincknell, Andy Priaulx and Pipo Derani in second place, with Taylor bringing the Corvette home in third place. The podium belonged to Aston Martin as Jonny Adam, Darren Turner and Daniel Serra celebrated in true motor sport style.
Two LMP2 class competitors stood on the overall podium at Le Mans with the no38 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca07-Gibson of Ho Pin Tung, Oliver Jarvis and Thomas Laurent taking second overall and first in LMP2 ahead of the no13 Vaillant Rebellion crew of Nelson Piquet Jr, David Heinemeier-Hansson and Mathias Beche finishing in second place two laps behind the lead LMP2 car.
It was a double podium for the Jackie Chan DC Racing as the no37 crew of Alex Brundle, David Cheng and Tristan Gommendy finished fourth overall and third in LMP2 three laps behind their teammates.
The LMGTE Am finished as a 1-2-3 for Ferrari with the no84 JMW Motorsport F488 of Dries Vanthoor, Rob Smith and Will Stevens took the win 1 lap ahead of the no55 Spirit of Race Ferrari of Marco Cioci, Duncan Cameron and Aaron Scott. The win for JMW Motorsport was extremely sweet as this was the first run for the team’s new F488 on the back of winning the European Le Mans Series race at Monza last month in the old Ferrari 458 Italia. The no62 Scuderia Corsa F488 took the final podium place on the LMGTE Podium.
Round 4 of the FIA World Endurance Championship will be in Germany at the Nurburgring on Sunday 16th July.
