24h Le Mans
Get all the major moments from the 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans! Today, 59 cars hit the track for the free practice and qualifying sessions.
The #17 and #28 ORECA 07-Gibsons left the track during the second free practice this afternoon between 14:00 and 17:00. At the wheel of the #28, driver Paul Lafargue lost control of his car exiting the Michelin chicane. He was unharmed. In the #17, Dwight Merriman hit the wall coming out of the Karting corner. The French team's mechanics have their work cut out for them. They are working against the clock to repair the two cars (chassis change for the #28), are hoping to hit the track tomorrow morning for the fourth free practice between 10:00 and 11:00.
Team manager Nicolas Minassian sums up the situation in this video:
Peugeot Sport has erected a giant lion near the Dunlop chicane. At 4.8 meters tall and 12.5 meters long, he overlooks the track and competitors in the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans. The lion is proof positive of Peugeot Sport's participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship starting in 2022. The French marque is expected to reveal more details about its involvement tomorrow at 14:00 at a press conference at the circuit.
The Spotter Guide is the perfect tool to follow the 88th 24 Hours and familiarise yourself with the various car liveries. It will help you identify the 59 cars participating in the race this weekend.
This year, a name well-known to 24 Hours of Le Mans aficionados is on everyone's lips: Felbermayr. Horst Felbermayr, Jr., entered in Proton Competition's #78 Porsche 911 RSR along with Michele Beretta and Max Splunteren. The driver had not been seen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2011. Back then, he shared the wheel with his father, Horst Felbermayr, Sr., also at the wheel of a Porsche. Sadly, the two men did not make it to the chequered flag due to an incident on Sunday morning. Horst Felbermayr, Jr.'s particiation this year is emotional as his car is painted in the blue livery of his father who passed away in early 2020. The #78 sports a black stripe on its bonnet, a direct tribute to the late Sr.
Today, the 34 competitors in the 2020 Road to Le Mans also hit the track. In LMP3, the #14 Ligier of the Eurointernational team dominated the two sessions. In a time of 3:47.054, Niko Kari beat last year's pole position. In GT3, Iron Lynx's #8 Ferrari and the #2 Porsche 911 GT3-R fielded by the Pzoberer Zürichsee by TFT team clocked the fastest times of the two sessions respectively. Thursday morning's free practice was interrupted two minutes from the end by a competitor's exit into a gravel trap. Qualifying for the two Road to Le Mans races will take place tomorrow morning from 08:30 to 09:10.
