43 teams (fielding 61 cars) competed in the 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Super Finale of the FIA WEC 2018-19 World Endurance Championship. There were winners, of course, but also mechanical glitches, track incidents and early retirements. Joy for some, disappointment for others... Here’s a summary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the Jackie Chan DC Racing team, which ran in the LMP2 class.

24H Le Mans

Le Mans Series

24 Heures du Mans

FIA WEC

Sébastien Ogier is about to become the fifth WRC world champion to take the start in the 24 Hours some 16 years after the second place overall finish secured by former teammate and rival Sébastien Loeb against whom he will compete this weekend at the Rally de Portugal. Loeb was last seen at Le Mans in 2014 in the role of team owner.

In 2004, the participation of 1995 world rally champion Colin McRae in the 24 Hours was met with widespread enthusiasm in the U.K. The following year, Sébastien Loeb was undeniably the most highly anticipated rookie by French fans at the 73rd running of the race. His arrival for Test Day on 5 June was straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. After winning the Rally of Turkey, he hopped in a helicopter then boarded a private jet to head to the airfield near the 24 Hours circuit. At 18:16, less than 45 minutes before the end of Test Day (the end of which had been delayed for the occasion from 18:00 to 19:00), Loeb hit the track at the wheel of the #17 Pescarolo C60 for his 10 mandatory rookie laps…in the rain.

For his first participation, Loeb represented Pescarolo Sport along with Eric Hélary (1993 24 Hours winner with Peugeot) and Soheil Ayari. Forced to retire in 2005, Loeb rejoined the team the following year after earning his second World Rally Championship (WRC) title and establishing a new win record in a single WRC season (10). In 2006, he and Hélary teamed up with Franck Montagny, finishing second and trailing the winning Audi shared by Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner by four laps. It is the best result achieved at the 24 Hours by a world rally champion to this day.

Though Loeb has not returned to Le Mans as a driver, his team was one of the top contenders in the LMP2 class in 2014. That year, the ORECA 03-Nissan entered by Sébastien Loeb Racing sported the most coveted racing number of all at Le Mans: the number 24. Drivers René Rast, Jan Charouz and Vincent Capillaire finished fourth in LMP2 and eighth overall. At the end of the season, Capillaire won the closing round of the European Le Mans series in Estoril, Portugal with Swedish driver Jimmy Eriksson.

Loeb holds both the record for world titles (nine consecutive from 2004 to 2012) and wins (80) in the WRC. After the Monte Carlo Rally at the beginning of the year, he also became the oldest winner (age 47) in the WRC.

PHOTOS: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 2006 &amp; 2014 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: Sébastien Loeb in pit lane at the wheel of the #17 Pescarolo C60 in 2006; with Eric Hélary (at left), his teammate in 2005 and 2006; Loeb on his way to a second place finish; the ORECA 03-Nissan fielded in 2014 by the team owned by Loeb who at the time was a nine-time world rally champion; Loeb in the pre-grid before the start of the race in 2014.

24 Hours of Le Mans and the WRC [2] – Two top 5s for Sébastien Loeb

With Lamborghini officially announcing its plans to compete in the Hypercar class from 2024, we look back at the striking LMGT1-class Murcielago R-GT seen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 2006 to 2010.

Industrialist Ferrucio Lamborghini founded the company that bore his name in 1963. It initially specialised in the manufacture of farm tractors to meet growing demand in Italy, a country undergoing massive reconstruction following the ravages of the Second World War. Unlike other Italian marques such as Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Lancia, Lamborghini’s commitment to racing is relatively recent. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans the story really began in 2006, the company’s 55th anniversary year, although there had been one earlier attempt.

A 400 GT was the first Lamborghini to appear at Le Mans in 1975. Paul Rilly entered the V12-engined car in the GTX class for Roger Le Veve and himself. Unfortunately, an accident in free practice meant they were unable to qualify. The unexpected withdrawal of the NART crews by Luigi Chinetti could have opened the door for the car to be reinstated but Rilly missed the call to return it to the track.

Fast forward to 2006. The Japan Lamborghini Owners Club (JLOC) entered a Murcielago R-GT in the LMGT1 class – the elite class for Grand Tourers – that had attracted the likes of the Aston Martin DBR9, Corvette C6.R, Saleen S7-R and Ferrari 550 GTS. Designed and developed in the Reiter Engineering workshops in Bavaria, the Murcielago was driven by the Italian Marco Apicella, and Yasutaka Hinoi and Koji Yamanishi of Japan.  At the end of a race blighted by a spate of technical problems, the car failed to complete the final lap and, as a result, was not classified.

JLOC returned the following year with logistic support from local team DAMS. Atsushi Yogo replaced Hinoi. Hopes were high that the team would draw on their initial experience to field a more reliable car, but the black Murcielago R-GT did not fare any better. Apicella crashed heavily at the first chicane on the Mulsanne Straight during the first free practice session. The mechanics did a remarkable job to get the car back into shape for the race, but in vain. Gearbox failure ended the team’s race after a single lap.

In 2008 it was a Russian outfit, Interprogressbank Spartak Racing, who entered the Murcielago R-GT. Roman Rusinov, Mike Hezemans and Peter Kox drove the car that now sported a white livery and was supervised by Hans Reiter himself. A second place in class at the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps has given cause for renewed optimism ahead of the race. Unfortunately, technical issues struck once again, preventing the #55 Murcielago from completing 70% of the distance covered by the winning Audi R10 TDi, thus resulting in non-classification.

JLOC returned to Le Mans in 2009 with a car assembled in Japan. However, due to a lack of preparation, the Murcielago R-GT assigned to Yutaka Yamagishi, Marco Apicella and Atsushi Yogo got off to the worst possible start in free practice. A broken driveshaft on the opening lap forced Yogo to bring the car to a halt. As the team did not have a spare among its stock of replacement parts, it contacted Reiter’s workshops in Germany. The repairs were completed but during Thursday’s practice session, a major oil leak was detected. Apicella had seen enough and pulled out. In the race itself, the car completed a single lap before retiring. Not easily discouraged, JLOC returned in 2010 with a Murcielago LP670 R-SV. The objective was clear – finish the race. Once again, however, a whole series of technical problems put paid to those hopes and ultimately forced the crew to throw in the towel after 18 hours of the race.

Despite failing to achieve the sporting performances that aficionados of the cars with the raging bull emblem expected, the imposing physique and V12 engine of the Lamborghini Murcielago will always be remembered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

24 Hours of Le Mans – When the memorable Lamborghini Murcielago took on the LMGT1 class

Lamborghini announces development of its LMDh hybrid sports car prototype racing program. The racing car will be eligible for both IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship

Lamborghini Squadra Corse is developing its first LMDh prototype, which will debut in 2024 in the FIA World Endurance Championship (Hypercar class) and the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship (GTP class). Since 2015, Lamborghini has been competing at the pinnacle of GT racing, celebrating more than 40 titles and some unique achievements: the triple GTD class win at the legendary 24 Hours at Daytona between 2018 and 2020 was the first time a manufacturer won three times in a row. Now, the company’s commitment to the LMDh class is the step into the top level of sports car racing, allowing Lamborghini to compete for overall victories at the world’s most prestigious endurance races, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.

“This step up into the highest echelon of sports car racing marks an important milestone for our company,” stated Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini Chairman and CEO. “We will be measuring ourselves against the very best, on the most demanding proving grounds. On one hand, this will give our successful motorsports program even more visibility, but it will also allow us to test future technologies: our LMDh prototypes will become our most sophisticated open laboratory on four wheels.”

In keeping with the company’s racing credentials and heritage in innovation, Squadra Corse is making the step into a motorsport landscape driven by hybrid propulsion. LMDh is, therefore, the perfect fit with Lamborghini’s transition to hybrid technologies: by the end of 2024, the entire Lamborghini range will be hybridized.

LMDh stands for Le Mans Daytona hybrid and gives the name to the new sports prototype race car category debuting in 2023, giving the possibility to compete in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in the highest class. For Lamborghini, the LMDh program will run in addition to Squadra Corse’s GT platform, consisting of Super Trofeo and GT3, which remains the core of its customer motorsport operation.

Speaking about the entry into LMDh, Lamborghini Head of Motorsport Giorgio Sanna commented: “I am absolutely delighted that Lamborghini will be taking the next step in our motorsport journey, the step into LMDh and the top level of sports car racing. LMDh will play a special role in Lamborghini’s Motorsports strategy, giving us the unique opportunity to expand our customer racing activities to new platforms and enforce our long-term partnership with customer teams and drivers.”

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest commented: “To be joined by such a prestigious make as Lamborghini is fantastic for endurance racing. Hypercar, the discipline's new top tier, has attracted carmakers from across the globe. We are soon to celebrate the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and another golden age of endurance is just beginning. I for one am ready to enjoy it to the fullest.”

IMSA President John Doonan stated: “IMSA has enjoyed a longstanding partnership with Lamborghini dating back to the introduction of Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America a decade ago and continuing into a successful GTD program. We are proud that Lamborghini is confirming plans to grow its IMSA footprint even further in 2024 into GTP and the top category of prototype sports car racing. Having another manufacturer of this caliber make the commitment to race in GTP reinforces the LMDh technical platform that we developed alongside our partners at the ACO, and we cannot wait to see these new Lamborghini prototypes debut in the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.”

Frédéric Lequien, FIA WEC CEO, commented: “We are honoured that Lamborghini will join the Hypercar class of FIA WEC from 2024. Lamborghini is an iconic brand but it has never competed in the premier class of endurance racing before. They will join the FIA WEC at a very exciting time in its history. For the 2024 season there will be an exceptional line-up of marques competing in our premier class. The competition will be fierce but we have no doubt that Lamborghini will be in the thick of the fight. Lamborghini has been highly successful in other classes of endurance racing so we cannot wait to see them compete for overall victories at our iconic events.”

Richard Mille, FIA Endurance Commission President, said: “Having yet another renowned sportscar manufacturer joining the Hypercar ranks is great news and something everyone involved has been working towards. Owing to the convergence, the cars will compete on both sides of the Atlantic and thus the sport of endurance racing will thrive globally. I can’t wait to see Lamborghini’s challenger going against some other iconic brands active in the FIA World Endurance Championship as well as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.”

24 Hours of Le Mans - Lamborghini to compete in Hypercar starting in 2024

Italian outfit Prema Racing made it two wins from two starts in their debut season with Louis Deletraz taking the chequered flag 4.6 seconds ahead of the no22 United Autosports Oreca of Tom Gamble.

The win for the no9 Oreca didn’t come easily after two early penalties for a jump start and then crossing the pit exit line pushed Lorenzo Columbo down the order. However, a quick pitstop under Full Course Yellow put the Italian team back at the front.

Another penalty for Ferdinand Habsburg dropped the car back down the order again and a top five finish was on the cards before another fortuitous Full Course Yellow with 25 minutes to go put Louis Deletraz back to the front of the field following a quick pitstop.

The LMP2 podium was completed by the no37 Cool Racing Oreca, with Yifei Ye, who had been looking good for the victory prior to the FCY, finished just ahead of the no65 Panis Racing Oreca of Job Van Uitert.

The no34 Racing Team Turkey Oreca was the top LMP2 Pro-Am car for the second time in a row, with Jack Aitken crossing the line in 7thoverall, three places ahead of Mathias Beche in the no31 TDS Racing X Vaillante Oreca, which finished 2ndin Pro/Am after starting the race from the pitlane.

The LMP3 win went to the no3 United Autosports Ligier with Kay Van Berlo finishing well ahead of the two Cool Racing Ligiers, with the no27 Ligier of Antoine Doquin finishing ahead of the no17 Ligier of his Danish teammate Malthe Jakobsen.

The no14 Inter Europol Competition Ligier of Mateusz Kaprzyk was lying in second place but with just six minutes left on the clock, the Polish driver ended up in the gravel at Turn 3, promoting the two Cool Racing Ligiers that were behind him at the time.

History was made in the LMGTE Category with the first win for an Omani flagged team in ELMS history. The no69 Oman Racing with TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage of Marco Sorensen took the chequered flag after the car, which had been started by Ahmad Al Harthy, lead for almost the entire race distance.

It was a 1-2 for the team with the no95 Oman Racing with TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage AMR finishing second after Henrique Chaves took the flag nearly a minute behind his teammate.

The final podium position was filled by the no57 Kessel Racing Ferrari F488 GTE EVO, with Mikkel Jensen crossing the line a distant third behind the two Aston Martins.

CLICK <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/doc-prod/NYu7dPJw0tshkMtWag8C3haj.PDF">HERE</a> for the provisional result from the 4 Hours of Imola

ELMS – Prema Racing takes home win in topsy-turvy 4 Hours of Imola

24 Heures du Mans 2019

<h3>Team: Jackie Chan DC Racing</h3>

Class: LMGTE Am

Car:&nbsp;#37 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson

Drivers:

<ul>
	<li>David Heinemeier Hansson (8th&nbsp;participation)</li>
	<li>Jordan King (1st&nbsp;participation)</li>
	<li>Ricky Taylor (5th&nbsp;participation)</li>
</ul>

This year marked the Chinese team&#39;s fourth start in the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans. The #37 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson qualified in 20th&nbsp;position with a time of&nbsp;3:28.049 clocked by&nbsp;Ricky Taylor during the third session. In 11th position 14 hours into the race, the car was forced to retire with gearbox problems. &nbsp;

Car: #38 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson&nbsp;

Drivers:

<ul>
	<li>Ho-Pin Tung (6th&nbsp;participation)</li>
	<li>St&eacute;phane Richelmi (3rd&nbsp;participation)</li>
	<li>Gabriel Aubry (2nd&nbsp;participation)</li>
</ul>

St&eacute;phane Richelmi qualified the car in 15th&nbsp;position with a time of&nbsp;3:26.821 during the second session. During the race, a detour through a gravel trap at&nbsp;the&nbsp;Porsche Curves and a flat tyre delayed the the car&#39;s progress, but&nbsp;Richelmi, Ho-Pin Tung and&nbsp;Gabriel Aubry managed to finish in seventh place overall and second in the LMP2 class. Jackie Chan DC Racing ended the 2018-2019 FIA WEC season the runner-up&nbsp;in the FIA Endurance LMP2 Teams Trophy.

ACA_1924A_DSC_0129.jpg

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PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS, SUNDAY&nbsp;16 JUNE 2019, RACE. The #38 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson fielded by Chinese team&nbsp;Jackie Chan DC Racing driven by&nbsp;Ho-Pin Tung, St&eacute;phane Richelmi and&nbsp;Gabriel Aubry.

24H LE MANS

The 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans for Jackie Chan DC Racing (LMP2)

Team: Jackie Chan DC Racing

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24 Hours of Le Mans and the WRC [2] – Two top 5s for Sébastien Loeb

24 Hours of Le Mans – When the memorable Lamborghini Murcielago took on the LMGT1 class

24 Hours of Le Mans - Lamborghini to compete in Hypercar starting in 2024

ELMS – Prema Racing takes home win in topsy-turvy 4 Hours of Imola