One of the Hypercar headliners in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans (12-16 June), the BMW M Hybrid V8, is a real feat of engineering and innovation. Here's more about the German prototype entered in the race by BMW M Team WRT.

24H Le Mans

24 Heures du Mans

Ferrari secured an 11th 24 Hours of Le Mans win, the second in a row for the 499P after the Centenary success. Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 499P add their name to the annals of the French endurance classic alongside those of last year's victors Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi.

<p>After a race heavily affected by rain that upset many a plan, Ferrari came out on top once again. Let&#39;s take a look back at the highlights of this unprecedented vintage that saw 23 hypercars face off.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>The 499P, a legend in the making</h2>

<p><strong>A surprising yellow Ferrari</strong></p>

<p><a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ferrari-wins-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-centenary-57668" target="_blank">After storming to victory in last year&rsquo;s Centenary race</a>, Ferrari was obviously on many observers&rsquo; list of potential winners of the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was a surprise to no-one that the 499P was always well placed among the frontrunners. The fact that, for much of the race, the red factory cars played second fiddle to the yellow private entry shared by Robert Kubica/Robert Shwartzman/Yifei Ye was much less expected.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-92nd-24-hours-of-le-mans-is-underway-58819" target="_blank">From the off</a>, the #50 and #51 factory cars set the pace. Nicklas Nielsen, in the #50, seized the lead from Porsche Penske Motorsport&rsquo;s Laurens Vanthoor in the polesitting #6 Porsche 963. Antonio Giovinazzi (#51 Ferrari 499P) followed suit and overtook the Belgian. <strong>The pair of factory Ferrari 499Ps were top of the pile after just 13 minutes</strong>. At the same time a little further back, Robert Kubica (#83 Ferrari 499P) had started the race in an equally determined manner to climb to fifth place from a starting position of 12th.</p>

<p><strong>The tifosi&rsquo;s dreams of total domination</strong> by the Prancing Horses were, however, washed away when the capricious weather began to interfere.</p>

<p>As the first drops of rain began to fall from the slate-grey skies around 17:40, the teams had to decide quickly on their strategy. Several hypercars &ndash; such as the #51 Ferrari, the #4 Porsche and the #7 Toyota &ndash; switched to wet-weather tyres very early. Andr&eacute; Lotterer, who had already relieved Laurens Vanthoor, opted for the same choice for the #6 Porsche 963. It proved to be the wrong option. This was when Kubica came into his own. The #83 499P was the only one to be shod in soft slicks. As the track dried, Robert Shwartzman took over from Kubica and took off. His lead steadily increased, lap after lap.</p>

<p><strong>Saturday evening threw another spanner in the works. </strong>The rain returned just before ten o&rsquo;clock and a series of pit stops ensued. Once again, AF Corse picked the right strategy for the #83. It switched quickly to wet-weather Michelins &ndash; like the #5 Porsche 963 &ndash; and in the persistent rain, <strong>the #83 Ferrari began to lap 30 seconds quicker than its slick-shod rivals</strong>. However, at 22:37, drama struck. Kubica came flying up behind the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 driven by Dries Vanthoor. The Belgian had no intention of being overtaken as staying on the lead lap could prove decisive should the Safety Cars be called to action. The inevitable collision sent the German hypercar into the barrier. Vanthoor clambered out, his race over. The stewards found Kubica guilty of shunting his opponent and inflicted a 30-second penalty to be served at the following pit stop. The punishment, served at 00:30, pushed the yellow Ferrari down the standings. It was not to be seen again at the very top of the list. When Yifei Ye pulled up in the pits, smoke billowing from beneath the car, the #83 Ferrari 499P&rsquo;s game was over.</p>

<p><strong>The long wait</strong></p>

<p>At that point, <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/12-hour-round-up-porsche-at-hypercar-helm-valentino-rossis-race-ends-58826" target="_blank">a three-way battle</a> between Porsche Penske Motorsport, Toyota Gazoo Racing and Ferrari AF Corse was taking shape.</p>

<p>The single Isotta Fraschini entry put in a fine d&eacute;but but was unable to rival the class leaders. The Lamborghini SC63s showed great reliability, but were a long way behind. BMW was never in a position to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the V12 LMR&rsquo;s win in the best possible way. The #15 M Hybrid V8 was eliminated by a collision with the #83 Ferrari 499P. The #20 was off the pace from the outset, with several technical issues.</p>

<p>Home hopes were dashed on Saturday evening when both Alpine A424s suffered engine failure and Peugeot dropped out of the lead lap after less than three hours of the race.</p>

<p>Of the dozen hypercars on the lead lap at midnight, it was the #8 Toyota GR010-Hybrid shared by the Toyota Gazoo Racing trio of S&eacute;bastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/Ryo Hirakawa that would head the field through the night. All the official timing sheets from 01:00 to 09:00 showed the Japanese machine on top. Would Toyota lay the foundations for a solid win overnight, in keeping with the pure tradition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans? No. Timing sheets do not tell the whole story. They do not reveal the unpredictability of this 2024 vintage.</p>

<p><strong>The Ferrari-Porsche-Toyota trio spent the night watching each other&rsquo;s every move</strong>. But watch is all they could do. They could neither act nor fight. Le Mans at night is often magical, but this year, it was just appallingly wet. Race Control brought out the Safety Cars once again and kept them in operation for almost four-and-a-half hours. <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/16-hour-round-up-wet-weather-puts-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-on-hold-58829" target="_blank">Le Mans was on hold </a>but the release was to be all the tastier.</p>

<p>The drivers were like caged lions, waiting to be released so they could hunt down their prey. <strong>No overtaking, no attacks. Discipline was the order of the night. It was all about saving fuel and avoiding mistakes on track and in the pits</strong>. Some drivers chatted with their team to beat the monotony. Others appreciated the calm, albeit temporary. The sprint resumed.</p>

<p><strong>The final shootout</strong></p>

<p>Seven hours from the end, 11 cars were still on the lead lap and could still entertain hopes of victory. The rain ceased, the battle was intense in this lead group, with skirmish after skirmish.</p>

<p>Not all manufacturers were up to the fight. Cadillac lost two cars. An oil leak on the #3 Cadillac V-Series.R (S&eacute;bastien Bourdais/Renger van der Zande/Scott Dixon) and a spectacular accident for Pipo Derani in the #311 Cadillac V-Series.R.</p>

<p><strong>Porsche suffered too.</strong> Felipe Nasr in the #4 963 hit the tyre wall at Indianapolis. The #5 and #6 963 were up with the pace but appeared uncomfortable. The drivers couldn&rsquo;t raise their game to chip off the tenths that make all the difference.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The pace picked up at midday. Antonio Fuoco&rsquo;s 46th lap had long been the fastest in 3:29.208. But at 12:15, <strong>Alex Palou (#2 Cadillac V-Series.R, Cadillac Racing) stunned the crowd: 3:28.938 on lap 253, before Kamui Kobayashi (#7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid) eclipsed it on the following lap (3:28.756).</strong></p>

<p>The rain returned for a final flourish just before 14:00. A few spots turned into heavier drizzle in the first sector, from the home straight to the Daytona chicane. Some crack under the pressure. Brendon Hartley drove off at Mulsanne Corner with the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid after a nudge by Alessandro Pier Guidi (#51 Ferrari 499P). A Ferrari one-two was on the cards. <strong>Finally, the #7 Toyota&nbsp;GR010-Hybrid of Jos&eacute; Mar&iacute;a L&oacute;pez/Kamui Kobayashi/Nyck de Vries split the red-robed Ferraris. A gap of just 14.221 seconds at the chequered flag!</strong></p>

<h2>United Autosports returns to winning ways</h2>

<p>LMP2 was wide open as several teams staked their territory in an unpredictable m&ecirc;l&eacute;e over the course of the 24 hours. At the start of the race, Hyperpole victor Louis Del&eacute;traz led the pack in the AO by TF #14 Oreca 07-Gibson. But as time ticked on and his co-drivers took over, the pecking order switched. As the teams tweaked their strategies, the Vector Sport #10 (Ryan Cullen/Patrick Pilet/St&eacute;phane Richelmi) and the AF Corse #183 (Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo/Ben Barnicoat/Nicolas Varrone) moved into the lead.</p>

<p>With a previous Le Mans win comfortably under his belt, Ben Keating experienced a rocky first relay and went off several times. He was part of a high-profile lineup with teammates Filipe Albuquerque and Ben Hanley.</p>

<p>On Sunday, the Inter Europol Competition #34 and Cool Racing #37 each had their moment in the limelight, <strong>but at the chequered flag, United Autosports took the honours for the first time since 2020.</strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Porsche claims the inaugural LMGT3 win</h2>

<p>It was nigh on impossible to predict the outcome of this new class with nine manufacturers lining up LMGT3-regulation cars on the grid on Saturday. Many of them topped the tables at some point during the race.&nbsp;After its last victory at Le Mans in 1995, secured in rainy conditions, McLaren returned to repeat history. They started off strong in class pole position with the Inception Racing #70 720S LMGT3 Evo2 driven by Brendan Iribe/Ollie Millroy/Frederik Schandorff, but the car finished in 13th place. The United Autosports #59 and #95 &ndash; numbered as a nod to McLaren&rsquo;s past victories &ndash; fared no better.</p>

<p>Lexus was very much in the spotlight, with the Akkodis ASP Team&rsquo;s #78 and #87 RC F LMGT3s. <strong>It was an encouraging first for the oldest GT3 on the grid, which is due to be replaced in 2026.</strong></p>

<p>We had high hopes for Valentino Rossi to pull it out the bag in the #46 BMW M4 GT3. The multiple Moto GP champion led the race, aided by Maxime Martin&rsquo;s sterling early contribution. But Ahmad Al Harthy lost control of the car on the pit exit, causing damage that prevented it from continuing. The #31 is the only survivor from the WRT clan.</p>

<p>The Ford Mustangs made a remarkable d&eacute;but, with Proton Competition getting the best out of a car that they&rsquo;re still getting to grips with. We can expect to see them return for the win.</p>

<p>The Iron Dames were impressively consistent, with occasional forays to the top spot. But it was Porsche that truly left its mark on this 92nd race. The symbolically numbered #92 held its own throughout the race but encountered gearbox problems. <strong>The Manthey EMA #91 Porsche 911 took over, with Yasser Shahin/Morris Schuring/Richard Lietz behind the wheel. They set an impressive pace and successfully shook off the opposition, putting all but the BMW #31 M4 GT3 back a lap.</strong></p>

<h2><u>OVERALL Top 5</u></h2>

<p>1.&nbsp;#50 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse |&nbsp;Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen |&nbsp;311 laps<br />
2.&nbsp;#7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing |&nbsp;Jos&eacute; Mar&iacute;a L&oacute;pez/Kamui Kobayashi/Nyck de Vries |&nbsp;+14.221<br />
3.&nbsp;#51 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse |&nbsp;Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi |&nbsp;+36.730<br />
4.&nbsp;#6 Porsche 963 | Porsche Penske Motorsport |&nbsp;K&eacute;vin Estre/Andr&eacute; Lotterer/Laurens Vanthoor |&nbsp;+37.897<br />
5.&nbsp;#8 Toyota GR010-Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing |&nbsp;S&eacute;bastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/Ryo Hirakawa |&nbsp;+1:02.824</p>

<h2><u>Other class winners</u></h2>

<ul>
	<li>LMP2 &ndash;&nbsp;#22 Oreca 07-Gibson | United Autosports |&nbsp;Oliver Jarvis / Bijoy Garg / Nolan Siegel |&nbsp;296 laps</li>
	<li>LMGT3 &ndash;&nbsp;#91 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 | Manthey EMA |&nbsp;Yasser Shahin / Morris Schuring / Richard Lietz |&nbsp;280 laps</li>
</ul>

<h2><u>Retirements</u></h2>

<ul>
	<li>#54 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Vista AF Corse |&nbsp;Thomas Flohr / Francesco Castellacci / Davide Rigon &ndash; Crash</li>
	<li>#35 Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team |&nbsp;Paul-Loup Chatin / Ferdinand Habsburg-Lothringen / Charles Milesi &ndash; Engine failure</li>
	<li>#9 Oreca 07-Gibson | Proton Competition |&nbsp;Jonas Ried / Maceo Capietto / Bent Viscaal</li>
	<li>#36&nbsp;Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team | Nicolas Lapierre / Mick Schumacher / Matthieu Vaxivi&egrave;re &ndash; Engine failure</li>
	<li>#15 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | Dries Vanthoor / Raffaele Marciello / Marco Wittmann &ndash; Collision damage</li>
	<li>#46 BMW M4 LMGT3 | Team WRT |&nbsp;Ahmad Al Harthy / Valentino Rossi / Maxime Martin &ndash; Crash</li>
	<li>#30 Oreca 07-Gibson | Duqueine Team |&nbsp;John Falb / James Allen / Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (LMP2 Pro/Am) &ndash; Engine damage</li>
	<li>#66 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | JMW Motorsport |&nbsp;Giacomo Petrobelli / Larry ten Voorde / Salih Yoluc</li>
	<li>#45 Oreca 07-Gibson | Crowdstrike Racing by APR |&nbsp;George Kurtz / Colin Braun / Nicky Catsburg (LMP2 Pro/Am)</li>
	<li>#27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team |&nbsp;Ian James / Daniel Mancinelli / Alex Riberas &ndash; Crash</li>
	<li>#4 Porsche 963 | Porsche Penske Motorsport |&nbsp;Mathieu Jaminet / Felipe Nasr / Nick Tandy &ndash;&nbsp;Crash</li>
	<li>#95 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo | United Autosports | Hiroshi Hamaguchi / Nicolas Pino / Marino Sato</li>
	<li>#59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo | United Autosports | James Cottingham / Nicolas Costa / Gr&eacute;goire Saucy</li>
	<li>#3 Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac Racing |&nbsp;S&eacute;bastien Bourdais / Renger van der Zande / Scott Dixon &ndash; Engine failure</li>
	<li>#83 Ferrari 499P | AF Corse |&nbsp;Robert Kubica / Robert Shwartzman / Yifei Ye &ndash; Hybrid system problem</li>
</ul>

<p><u><strong>Fastest lap in race:</strong></u> Kamui Kobayashi | #7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing |&nbsp;3:28.756 (Lap 254).</p>

Ferrari wins the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans

Shortly after 8:00 am, with the rain abating, the Safety Car was directed back to base after being on track for well over four hours. Racing could resume!

<h2>Multiple Hypercars on the same lap</h2>

<p>The <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-safety-car-procedure-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-58788">Safety Car procedure</a> has the effect of bunching up cars on the same lap. In the case of the Hypercars, there were 11 of them after 16 hours! Up front were the #6 Porsche 963, both Toyota GR010-Hybrids, the #50 Ferrari 499P and the AF Corse #83 Ferrari with very little between them. The AF Corse outfit also led the LMP2 field with their Pro/Am line-up of Ben Barnicoat, Nico Varrone and Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo, shadowed by the #37 COOL Racing Oreca 07-Gibson after Malthe Jakobsen overtook the #22 United Autosports Oreca, with the Vector Sport #10 prototype also in the mitwitter.</p>

<p>A large clutch of nine LMGT3s were also on the lead lap with a healthy blend of manufacturers represented, led by two Manthey Porsche 911s.</p>

<p>The LMGT3-leading #92 Porsche 911 of Manthey PureRxcing was pushed into the garage with suspected gearbox problems, while Ryo Hirakawa reported understeer on the #8 Toyota Hypercar.</p>

<p>Just after 9:00 am, the Toyota Gazoo Racing pit crew decided to put slicks on the #7 GR010-Hybrid &ndash; the first in the class to gamble on the switch. With very little to choose between so many cars, winning the race will come down to such tyre strategy, race management and a certain amount of good fortune.</p>

<p>While a yellow flag calmed traffic on the Mulsanne Straight after Charlie Eastwood ground to a halt in the TF Sport #81 Corvette, Felipe Nasr ran off and into the tyre barrier at Indianapolis. <strong>The Brazilian driver got out of the Porsche Penske Motorsport #4 Porsche 963 and the telehandler was called into action.</strong> Meanwhile, the leading Hypercars were all back on slicks as the track dried out.</p>

<h2>Safety Car called out for third time</h2>

<p>At 09:35, the Heart of Racing <strong>#27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 spun out of control and flipped onto its roof </strong>by the impact with the tyre wall. Driver Daniel Mancinelli was able to extricate himself, but the accident naturally resulted in a third Safety Car period being enforced.</p>

<p>During the Safety Car procedure, Eastwood was able to get the #81 Corvette moving from the Mulsanne Straight as far as the Porsche Curves where it stopped once again with an apparent gearbox problem. Meanwhile, Nico M&uuml;ller also ran off and into the barriers at Indianapolis. The Swiss driver could set off again once the #93 Peugeot 9X8 had been helped out of the gravel.</p>

<p>Another Hypercar in trouble was the #3 Cadillac V-Series.R with Scott Dixon at the wheel. After stopping on the Mulsanne Straight, the Kiwi was able to bring the car slowly back to the Cadillac Racing garage but was losing oil.</p>

<h2>The tension cranks up</h2>

<p>Racing resumed after almost an hour under Safety Car procedure. By opting to stay out of the pits, Earl Bamber in the #2 Cadillac assumed the race lead, at the head of a train of seven Hypercars in a three-second interval. Patrick Pilet in the Vector Sport #10 Oreca topped the LMP2 class, with Akkodis ASP&rsquo;s Jack Hawksworth at the wheel of the #87 Lexus fronting the LMGT3 pack.</p>

<p>A fierce battle ensued at the head of the field with Shwartzman, Fuoco and Kobayashi attacking three abreast.</p>

<p>The #311 Cadillac V-Series.R fielded by invitee Whelen Cadillac Racing was out of the leading bunch down in 15th place. In his efforts to make up ground, Luis Felipe Derani came a cropper at Indianapolis. He managed to scramble back to the tarmac, but his machine has suffered extensive damage.</p>

<p>With Bamber pitting the #2 Cadillac, Antonio Fuoco took the race lead in the #50 Ferrari 499P by dent of a superb manoeuvre to overtake Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Makowiecki in the #5 Porsche 963.</p>

<p>The Frenchman subsequently pitted the Porsche 963, before learning he had been hit with a drive-through penalty for a slow zone infringement. The Hertz Team Jota #38 Porsche was hit with the same sanction. Bamber regained the lead for Cadillac Racing with a bunch of rival Hypercars in the pits. Fuoco re-emerged in second place in the #50 Ferrari, while Shwartzman slipped the #83 Ferrari in front of Buemi&rsquo;s #8 Toyota as the Swiss was descending the pit lane. <strong>The American factory team&rsquo;s hopes were now pinned on the #2 V-Series.R with the announcement of the #3 sister car&rsquo;s retirement.</strong></p>

<p>The field was slowed to 80 kph for a few minutes as a Full Course Yellow was ordered at 11:45. The United Autosports #59 McLaren, lying in seventh in the LMGT3 class on the lead lap, had come to a standstill between Arnage and the Porsche Curves.</p>

<p>Last year&rsquo;s winning LMP2 team, Inter Europol Competition, snatched the LMP2 lead from the Vector Sport #10 car as midday approached. There are still six Oreca 07-Gibsons on the same lap.</p>

<p>The #91 Porsche 911 of Manthey EMA continues apace at the head of the LMGT3 field, with the Team WRT #31 Lexus closely behind.</p>

<p>As the clock struck midday, smoke puthered from the brakes of the AF Corse #83 Ferrari 499P.&nbsp; Its challenge for the win has undoubtedly vanished.</p>

<h2>Top Five after 20 hours</h2>

<ol>
	<li>#50 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen | 248 laps</li>
	<li>#83 Ferrari 99P | AF Corse | Kubica/Shwartzmann/Ye | +4.685</li>
	<li>#6 Porsche 963 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor | +6.011</li>
	<li>#2 Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac Racing | Bamber/Lynn/Palou | +1:02.681</li>
	<li>#8 Toyota GR010-Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa | +1:04.463</li>
</ol>

<h4><strong>Other class leaders</strong></h4>

<ul>
	<li>#34 Oreca 07-Gibson | Inter Europol Competition | Śmiechowski/Lomko/Novalak | 237 laps</li>
	<li>#91 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 | Manthey EMA | Shahin/Schuring/Lietz | 225 laps</li>
</ul>

<h4><strong>Retirements after 20 hours</strong></h4>

<ul>
	<li>#54 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Vista AF Corse | Flohr/ Castellacci/Rigon &ndash; Accident damage</li>
	<li>#35 Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team | Chatin/Habsburg-Lothringen/Milesi &ndash; Engine failure</li>
	<li>#9 Oreca 07-Gibson | Proton Competition | Ried/Capietto/Viscaal &ndash; TBC</li>
	<li>#36 Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team | Lapierre/Schumacher/Vaxiviere &ndash; Engine failure</li>
	<li>#15 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | Vanthoor/Marciello/Wittmann &ndash; Accident damage</li>
	<li>#30 Oreca 07-Gibson | Duqueine Team | Falb/Allen/Simmenauer (LMP2 Pro/Am) &ndash; Engine failure</li>
	<li>#46 BMW M4 LMGT3 | Team WRT | Al Harthy/Rossi/Martin &ndash; Accident damage</li>
	<li>#45 Oreca 07-Gibson | Crowdstrike Racing by APR | Kurtz/Braun/Catsburg (LMP2 Pro/Am) &ndash; TBC</li>
	<li>#66 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | JMW Motorsport | Petrobelli/ten Voorde/Yoluc</li>
	<li>#27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 | Heart of Racing Team | James/Mancinelli/Riberas</li>
	<li>#4 Porsche 963 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Jaminet/Nasr/Tandy</li>
	<li>#59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo | United Autosports | Cottingham/Costa/Saucy</li>
	<li>#3 Cadillac V-Series.R | Cadillac Racing | Bourdais/van der Zande/Dixon</li>
</ul>

<h4>Fastest lap</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Antonio Fuoco, #50 Ferrari 499P &ndash; 3:29.208 (lap 46)</li>
</ul>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

20-hour round-up – Thrilling climax in perspective as seven Hypercars jostle for top spot

Spectators who have grabbed a few hours’ sleep in their tents, caravans and motorhomes at the Circuit des 24 Heures will wake up to an increasingly muddy campground. On the track, the teams have had to deal with rain that has been falling non-stop for the last four hours, neutralising the race. Safety first.

<h2>Racing on the back-burner</h2>

<p>Race Control announced <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/12-hour-round-up-porsche-at-hypercar-helm-valentino-rossis-race-ends-58826">the introduction of the safety cars at 3:45 am</a> as the steady rain turned into a deluge. The go-slow continued through the night and through daybreak, suspending any meaningful competition. Race leadership swapped hands between the Porsche Penske Motorsport #6 Porsche 963 and the Toyota Gazoo Racing #8 and #7 Toyota GR010-Hybrids as they entered and left the pits while the team bosses and mechanics gazed desperately at the control screens, pleading for the sign of a restart.</p>

<p>In the meantime, Lamborghini Iron Lynx&rsquo;s Romain Grosjean in the #16 Lamborghini SC63 occupied himself with a plumbing job in his cockpit.</p>

<p>As the clock ticked towards 8:00 am, the safety car procedure was winding down with the race due to restart in the 17th hour.</p>

<h2>Status&nbsp;Quo in LMP2</h2>

<p>During the neutralisation period, the AF Corse #183 Oreca 07-Gibson led the LMP2 field around the sodden track, ahead of the COOL Racing #37 and the Inter Europol Competition #34.</p>

<h2>Porsche one-two in LMGT3</h2>

<p>The leader of the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Teams, Manthey PureRxcing, holds top spot with its #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 behind the safety cars, ahead of the Manthey EMA #91 Porsche, followed by the #27Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 of Heart of Racing Team. Sadly, Team WRT&rsquo;s #46 BMW M4 LMGT3, whose line-up included MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, is out of the race. An earlier accident by teammate Ahmad Al Harty resulted in the car&rsquo;s retirement.</p>

<h4><strong><u>Top Five after 16 hours</u></strong></h4>

<ol>
	<li>
	<p>#8 Toyota GR010-Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa | 196 laps</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>#6 Porsche 963 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor | +1.053</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>#50 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen | +2.300</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>#7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid | Toyota Gazoo Racing | L&oacute;pez/Kobayashi/de Vries | +3.895</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>#83 Ferrari 499P | AF Corse | Kubica/Shwartzmann/Ye | +13.780</p>
	</li>
</ol>

<h4><strong><u>Other class leaders</u></strong></h4>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p>LMP2&nbsp;&ndash; #183 Oreca 07-Gibson | AF Corse | Perrodo/Barnicoat/Varrone (LMP2 Pro/Am) | 187 laps</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>LMGT3 &ndash; #92&nbsp;Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 | Manthey PureRxcing | Malykhin/Sturm/Bachler | 177 laps</p>
	</li>
</ul>

<h4><span style="font-size: 1.0625rem;">​</span><strong><u>Retirements</u></strong></h4>

<ul>
	<li>#54 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Vista AF Corse | Flohr/ Castellacci/Rigon &ndash; Accident damage</li>
	<li>#35 Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team | Chatin/Habsburg-Lothringen/Milesi &ndash; Engine failure</li>
	<li>#9 Oreca 07-Gibson | Proton Competition | Ried/Capietto/Viscaal &ndash; TBC</li>
	<li>#36 Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team | Lapierre/Schumacher/Vaxiviere &ndash; Engine failure</li>
	<li>#15 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT | Vanthoor/Marciello/Wittmann &ndash; Accident damage</li>
	<li>#30 Oreca 07-Gibson | Duqueine Team | Falb/Allen/Simmenauer (LMP2 Pro/Am) &ndash; Engine failure</li>
	<li>#46 BMW M4 LMGT3 | Team WRT | Al Harthy/Rossi/Martin &ndash; Accident damage</li>
	<li>#45 Oreca 07-Gibson | Crowdstrike Racing by APR | Kurtz/Braun/Catsburg (LMP2 Pro/Am) &ndash; TBC</li>
</ul>

<h4><u><strong>Fastest lap</strong></u></h4>

<p>Antonio Fuoco, #50 Ferrari 499P &ndash; 3:29.208 (lap 46)</p>

16-hour round-up –Wet weather puts the 24 Hours of Le Mans on hold

The first half of the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans has been marred with inconsistent weather conditions. With 12 hours to go and thanks to a safety car intervention, Porsche Penske Motorsport's Porsche 963 slipped into the Hypercar lead ahead of heavyweight opponents like TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, Ferrari AF Corse and Cadillac Racing.

<p>With&nbsp;12 hours in the&nbsp;rearview, Porsche Penske Motorsport, TOYOTA GAZOO&nbsp;Racing and&nbsp;Ferrari AF Corse are in a threeway battle for the lead and the top 9 Hypercars are all on the same lap!</p>

<p>Porsche Penske Motorsport held P1 as the clock chimed 04:00, but TOYOTA GAZOO&nbsp;Racing was unfazed. Like it did in April at the 6 Hours of Imola, the Japanese constructor is relying&nbsp;on its vast experience to choose the right strategy&nbsp;and outmaneuver rivals. The team&#39;s drivers are also performing flawlessly. The #8&nbsp;GR010 Hybrid shared by&nbsp;S&eacute;bastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/Ryo Hirakawa is second ahead of Cadillac Racing&#39;s #3&nbsp;Cadillac V-Series.R.</p>

<p>The race has seen its share of twists over the last four hours: AF Corse&#39;s #83&nbsp;Ferrari 499P incurred a 30-second penalty following contact with BMW M Team WRT&#39;s #15&nbsp;BMW M Hybrid V8, forcing the latter to retire.</p>

<p>A second&nbsp;neutralisation phase got underway at 03:45 when the rain intensified and Whelen Cadillac Racing&#39;s #311 Cadillac V-Series.R spun out at the Tertre Rouge &quot;S&quot;. The two&nbsp;Toyotas quickly refuelled and switched to wet tyres, resulting in handing the #6 Porsche 963 Hypercar the lead.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;LMP2 category has also kept spectators on the edge of their seats. The fight for the top spot ramped up between Nielsen Racing&#39;s #24 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson and AF Corse&#39;s #183, but at 02:44, the&nbsp;#24 then driven by&nbsp;David Heinemeier Hansson hit Proton Competition&#39;s #77 Ford Mustang LMGT3 at the Tertre Rouge &quot;S&quot;. The British team surrendered&nbsp;the lead to the Italians.</p>

<p>The engine of Duqueine Team&#39;s #30 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson entrusted to John Falb/James Allen/Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer failed&nbsp;approaching&nbsp;the Daytona chicane.</p>

<h2>Valentino Rossi&#39;s Chances Dashed</h2>

<p>In LMGT3, Team WRT&#39;s #46&nbsp;BMW M4 LMGT3 suffered a race-ending incident when Ahmad Al Harty lost control of the&nbsp;car in the descent between the Dunlop chicane and the&nbsp;Tertre Rouge&nbsp;&quot;S&quot;.&nbsp;He shared the car with Maxime Martin and nine-time&nbsp;world champion motorcyclist&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/valentino-rossi-continues-building-his-legacy-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-58712" target="_blank"><u>Valentino Rossi</u></a></strong>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The LMGT3 category has delivered a stunning duel between&nbsp;Porsche and&nbsp;McLaren for P1.&nbsp;Manthey PureRxcing&#39;s #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 driven by Aliaksandr Malykhin/Joel Sturm/Klaus Bachler is positioned&nbsp;ahead of the #91 Porsche and United Autosports&#39; #59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo. The top 8 in the category are all on the same lap.</p>

<h4><u><strong>Top 5 overall at mid-race</strong></u></h4>

<p>1. #6 Porsche 963 | Porsche Penske Motorsport &ndash; K&eacute;vin Estre / Andr&eacute; Lotterer / Laurens Vanthoor &ndash; 171 laps<br />
2. #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | TOYOTA GAZOO&nbsp;Racing &ndash; S&eacute;bastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa +7.748s<br />
3. #2 Cadillac V-Series.R |&nbsp;Cadillac Racing &ndash; Earl Bamber / Alex Lynn / Alex Palou +2:10.410<br />
4. #51 Ferrari 499P |&nbsp;Ferrari AF Corse &ndash; Alessandro Pier Guidi / James Calado / Antonio Giovinazzi +2:13.371<br />
5. #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid | TOYOTA GAZOO&nbsp;Racing &ndash; Jos&eacute; Mar&iacute;a L&oacute;pez / Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries +2:22.995</p>

<h4><u><strong>LMP2 and LMGT3&nbsp;leaders</strong></u></h4>

<p>LMP2 |&nbsp;#183 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson |&nbsp;AF Corse &ndash; Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo / Ben Barnicoat / Nicolas Varrone (LMP2 Pro/Am) &ndash; 163 laps<br />
LMGT3 |&nbsp;#92 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 | Manthey PureRxcing &ndash; Aliaksandr Malykhin / Joel Sturm / Klaus Bachler &ndash; 152 laps</p>

<p><strong>Retirements:</strong></p>

<p>#54 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Vista AF Corse &ndash; Thomas Flohr / Francesco Castellacci / Davide Rigon &ndash; Incident<br />
#35 Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team &ndash; Paul-Loup Chatin / Ferdinand Habsburg-Lothringen / Charles Milesi &ndash; Failed engine<br />
#36 Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team &ndash; Nicolas Lapierre / Mick Schumacher / Matthieu Vaxivi&egrave;re &ndash; Failed engine<br />
#15 BMW M Hybrid V8 | BMW M Team WRT &ndash; Dries Vanthoor / Raffaele Marciello / Marco Wittmann &ndash; Contact<br />
#9 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson |&nbsp;Proton Competition &ndash; Jonas Ried / Maceo Capietto / Bent Viscaal<br />
#30 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson |&nbsp;Duqueine Team &ndash; John Falb / James Allen / Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (LMP2 Pro/Am) &ndash; Failed engine<br />
#46 BMW M4 LMGT3 |&nbsp;Team WRT &ndash; Ahmad Al Harthy / Valentino Rossi / Maxime Martin &ndash; Incident<br />
#45 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson |&nbsp;Crowdstrike Racing by APR &ndash; George Kurtz / Colin Braun / Nicky Catsburg (LMP2 Pro/Am)</p>

<p><strong>Fastest lap:&nbsp;</strong>Antonio Fuoco, #50 Ferrari 499P, 03:29.208 (46th lap)</p>

12-hour round-up – Porsche at Hypercar helm, Valentino Rossi's race ends

24 Heures du Mans 2024

<h2>4,306</h2>

<p>The&nbsp;BMW M Hybrid V8&#39;s P66/3 engine was built with a staggering 4,306 parts (1,006 different types)</p>

<h2>1,030</h2>

<p>This is the minimum point the car must reach&nbsp;(without a driver) to comply&nbsp;with the Hypercar regulations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and&nbsp;FIA&nbsp;World Endurance Championship..</p>

<h2>1999</h2>

<p>The year of BMW&#39;s only overall win&nbsp;at the 24 Hours of Le Mans thanks to the V12 LMR driven by Yannick Dalmas, Pierluigi Martini and Joachim Winkelhock.</p>

P90473353_highRes_munich-ger-26th-july_3000x2000.jpg

<h2>1,900</h2>

<p>Not including the engine, the&nbsp;BMW M Hybrid V8 was built with approximately&nbsp;1,900 individual parts.</p>

<h2>640</h2>

<p>The horsepower of the&nbsp;BMW M Hybrid V8.</p>

<h2>60</h2>

<p>A total of 60 people are involved in the tests and races in which the car participates.</p>

<h2>25</h2>

<p>The number of BMW M Motorsport employees who carried out&nbsp;the litany of&nbsp;tests to develop the German Hypercar.</p>

<h2>20</h2>

<p>Last June, BMW announced a&nbsp;collaboration with Ethiopian-born, New York-based artist&nbsp;Julie Mehretu to create the livery of the 20th&nbsp;BMW Art Car destined for the 2024 24 Hours&nbsp;(12-16 June) to continue a 50-year tradition to the delight of fans.</p>

M12_BMW_Art_Car_julie_with_car_01_v01b_lk_le_10a.jpg

M05_BMW_Art_Car_plain_perspective_front_v09a_lk_le.jpg

<h2>6</h2>

<p>The number of drivers entrusted with this Hypercar for the 2024 FIA WEC season: the&nbsp;#15 for&nbsp;Dries Vanthoor, Raffaele Marciello and Marco Wittmann, and the #20 for&nbsp;Sheldon van der Linde, Robin Frijns and Ren&eacute; Rast.</p>

24H LE MANS

92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans – BMW M Hybrid V8 key stats

4,306

1,030

1999

1,900

640

60

25

20

6

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