From 24-lemans.com
Under the orders of Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies and Official Starter of this 90th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 62 competitors set off for 24 hours of racing. See you tomorrow, at 4 p.m., to find out the big winner!
In front of a huge crowd and under a bright sun, the 90th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was launched at 4 p.m.
It was at 1:15 p.m. that the competitors started the grid, on the starting line, after leaving the track in the hands of Gérard Larrousse and Henri Pescarolo, driving two Matras to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1st victory. of Matras.
On the starting grid, in the middle of the 62 competitors who were impatiently awaiting the start, wandered several personalities (Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Arnaud Ducret, Squeezie and many others).
At 3:42 p.m., the H24, the performance prototype developed by H24Racing, completed a lap of honor. At the wheel, Stéphane Richelmi, who took part in the two rounds of Road to Le Mans (Thursday evening and Saturday morning) with this electric-hydrogen prototype.
A few minutes before the start, the Patrouille de France made its big comeback to the delight of the spectators. This moment marked the start of the formation lap for the 62 drivers and their machines, which are running for the first time in the history of the Le Mans classic with 100% renewable fuel. Gérard Larrousse, Grand Marshal of this 90th edition, guided the cars for these last moments before the race.
The long-awaited moment arrived at 4 p.m. 62 competitors took the start of the biggest endurance race in the world. 24 hours of racing and emotions await them now.
Several aspects were taken into account and explain this choice. Ferrari AF Corse is developing a global approach in line with the ACO's CSR strategy and responding to the three EngageMans: for the planet, for a responsible economy and for everyone. The Italian team has also committed to ISO 20121 certification, which represents the standard for sustainable events. The jury also decided to award a special prize to Luís Felipe "Pipo" Derani. The Glickenhaus driver competes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a unique helmet painted by Jisbar, which will then be auctioned off to help the GRAACC hospital in Sao Paulo which, for 30 years, has
An excellent start for Toyota Gazoo Racing, which immediately put its two cars in the lead ahead of the Glickenhaus 007 LMH duo. The #36 Alpine A480-Gibson struggled somewhat and was nine seconds behind the leader after two laps. Note that the asphalt temperature is very high (56.2°C), conditions that the drivers did not have the opportunity to experience during this week of testing. After 45 minutes of racing, the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid took the lead while the #8 refueled.
An eventful start in LMP2: the #22 United Autosports Oreca 07 - Gibson driven by William Owen was hit by the #31 in the Dunlop curve, resulting in a slow zone. For this action, the team is penalized with a stop-and-go . The #41 suffered a puncture following this same incident. Not involved, the #47 Algarve Pro Racing, in the hands of Sophia Floersch was stopped not far away but managed to start again. In question, a gearbox problem apparently related to heat. In the pit stops, it was the Oreca #38 JOTA which came out on top of this tumultuous start.
Matteo Cairoli (Porsche #46) got off to the best start and quickly grabbed the lead. The #61 Ferrari, which started on pole, fell seven places in the first hour. On the third lap, the Ferrari #85 Iron Dames was seen in slow motion: suspicion of a puncture for the all-female crew, which came out of the pits after a short stop. In the pit stops, the #99 Hardpoint Motorsport Porsche regained the lead at 5 p.m.
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