24h Le Mans
The winner in the LMGTE Pro class wasn't known until the final lap of the race after a striking duel between the winning #97 Aston Martin Vantage of Jonny Adam and the #63 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R driven by Jordan Taylor, which ended up claiming the third step on the class podium!
After 24 hours of racing, three cars representing three different constructors were still contenders for the win, and the leader going into the last lap was not the competitor who finally won! Jordan Taylor, having difficulties with his tires and brakes in the wake of relentless attacks from Jonny Adam, fell victim to a flat tire after running straight through a gravel trap in the next-to-last lap, which allowed the British driver to overtake him. Unable to bounce back, the American was also overtaken by Henry Tincknell's #67 Ford and was forced to settle for third place on the class podium.
The first and second place competitors participating in the entire World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) scored 50 and 36 points, respectively (the 24 Hours of Le Mans counts double), but it wasn't enough for Jonny Adam, Darren Turner and Daniel Serra to snatch first place in the championship from Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell and Luis Felipe "Pipo" Derani.
On the other hand, the Chevrolet Corvette only runs in the U.S. so the points earned by Jordan Taylor, Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen went to Frédéric Makowiecki, Richard Lietz and Patrick Pilet in the #91 Porsche 911, still behind AF Corse's Ferrari drivers Davide Rigon and Sam Bird.
Most of the teams will go from driver trios to duos starting with the Nürburgring round, so the third drivers at the start at Le Mans, Silverstone and/or Spa have lost their chances to take home a trophy at the end of the season.
The Teams standings follow those of the Drivers, but the GT Manufacturer standings are different as only the best two cars can score points. Ford is therefore ahead of Ferrari with a nine-point lead, Aston Martin is paying for its lackluster early season with a 22-point deficit on Ford and Porsche trails already 45-points behind despite running a new car.
The 6 Hours of Nürburgring, the fourth round of the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC), will take place Sunday, July 16th.
PHOTO: Andy Priaulx, Luis Felipe "Pipo" Derani and Harry Tincknell are in the lead in the LMGTE Pro standings after the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
