24 heures du Mans – Porsche #2 wins the thriller
Against all odds, the #2 Porsche won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, ahead of the #32 Jackie Chan LMP2 and the #13 Rebellion Vaillante! Once again, the double clock lap lived up to all its promises.
It was written, 2017 was supposed to be the year of revenge for Toyota after the cruel disappointment of 2016. All the elements had been put in place, including the commitment of a third car, following a much more cautious strategy than the rest of the LMP1 field.
Everything seemed to be going well, with the Toyota #7 in the lead from the green flag for over 10 hours, just ahead of the sister car #8, which was battling with the Porsche #1. By 11 PM, the top three cars were within 25 seconds of each other while the Porsche #2 was stuck in the pits for over an hour and twenty minutes due to an issue with its energy recovery system. It was thought then that only the Porsche #1 could prevent Toyota from finally securing its first victory at Le Mans.
Unfortunately, for the Japanese team, things went awry in the middle of the night. It started with #8, which fell victim to the same technical issue as its German competitor. Even if it was able to get back on track, it was now 29 laps behind the leader, still held by #7.
It was only the beginning of the agony for Toyota, which then saw the leading car also fall victim to a technical incident. This time, it was the clutch that failed, and the Toyota was forced to retire deep in the forest. In an incredible turn of events, 15 minutes later, it was Toyota’s last contender that fell victim to traffic, as the #9 was hit by an LMP2 at the end of the straight. The penalty was not long in coming: a puncture and major damage to the rear of the car. Thus, a second iron curtain was lowered in the pit lane.
In these conditions, it was thought that nothing could prevent the Porsche #1 from securing another victory since it had more than a 13-lap lead over the first LMP2! But this time, lightning struck the Porsche pit as André Lotterer was forced to abandon his car on the track due to an oil supply problem with his engine.
If we found three LMP2s in the lead, the question was whether the Porsche #2 would be able to make up its two-lap deficit. It did, and the LMP1 was able to reclaim the lead at the start of the final hour of the race. But the podium was still not set in stone as André Negrao made a mistake in his Alpine, which was in third place overall. The Brazilian was able to get back on track but only in fifth position. Therefore, it was the Rebellion Vaillante #13 that managed to occupy the final step of the podium.
The only consolation for Toyota was the second place in the LMP1 standings and ninth overall for the #8. This still scores valuable points for the championship, but it will take a long time to recover from such a mishap.
The battle was no less intense in GT Pro, between Corvette #63 and Aston Martin #97, which fought until the very last lap! Indeed, Jonathan Adam tried everything to take the advantage. He was able to find the opening at the start of the final lap of the race. Jordan Taylor’s misadventure was complete as the Corvette driver experienced a brake problem and struggled to complete his last lap. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to save his second place, snatched at the last moment by Ford #67.
