LE MANS, France — Ferrari ending 50 years of absence in 24 Hours of Le Mans by overthrowing the mighty Toyota in the centenary activity of the most iconic sport car racing in the world.
The last time Ferrari competed at Le Mans was in 1973 but returned to the Circuit de la Sarthe this year as part of the new supercar category featuring mixture technology.
The superclass comes from a convergence of rules that both allow rivals from the US sports car series, the IMSA, to compete at Le Mans, while creating an attractive platform that automakers see as the opportunity to showcase their street. car technology.
Ferrari has developed its program — an effort for two competing cars in the World endurance Championships — for several years following a strategy similar to what was described in “Ford v Ferrari,” the film focuses on the pressures in the boardroom and the drama surrounding Ford’s successful 1963 attempt to end Ferrari’s reign at Le Mans.
Only this time, Ferrari is trying to take down a giant; effort for two Toyota Gazoo cars, entered the two-round two-round race that ended Sunday with a five-year winning streak.
Toyota was dealt a blow before the race even started as race officials this week added more weight to the dominant GR010s in a controversial “performance balance” tweak designed to level playground.
Ferrari in a pair of 499Ps rushed and swept the front row in qualifying and handled every challenge from Toyota. Its chances were supported overnight when Kamui Kobayashi was dropped from the race, making it a two-on-one in favor of Ferrari.
The trio of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi – with Ferrari Formula One driver Charles Leclerc trailing in the garage – were easy winners. The trio took a solid lead even before defending the race winner Ryō Hirakawa locking brake in his Toyota and hit a wall with 1 hour 44 minutes left.
It takes about three minutes to repair got into the car, not enough time to help Chip Ganassi Racing, the team that carried the American flag at Le Mans for IMSA.
The 100th anniversary marks the first year that IMSA’s flagship class is allowed to attend at Le Mans and the new superclass has brought Cadillac back to both IMSA and WEC with Ganassi, same for porsche with Roger Penske in the 86-year-old’s attempt to win the very few races that were missing from his roster. It also attracted a host of new producers interested in motorsport, helping draw an audience of more than 300,000 sold-out spectators to the 8,467-mile (13,626 km) track.
Ganassi Cadillacs were running in third and fourth when Hirakawa turned – eliminating the defending champion’s chance of a repeat. But it quickly created an opportunity for one or both of the Cadillacs to improve their finish.
Toyota did a perfect job when it came to pit stops and the Cadillacs didn’t hit the mark. The WEC team of Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook took last place on the podium, while the IMSA team of Le Mans native Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon finished fourth.
Ferrari’s second car finished fifth, one place ahead of Team Penske’s top finish Porsche. His two other 963s both had to be retired early.
The third Cadillac produced by Action Show Raced out of IMSA, crashed on the first lap of the race and never contested. That group is supported by IMSA and NASCAR owner Jim France, who successfully brought a vintage car to Le Mans to represent the American series during its 75th anniversary season.
NASCAR last showed up at Le Mans in 1976 and returned this year with a second-year Next Gen model. The Car “Garage 56” built by Hendrick Motorsports, chevrolet and Goodyear, NASCAR’s most winning tire team, manufacturer and supplier of the past 75 years.
No 24 Camaro was in a class that raced itself against no other car. The original goal was simply to finish the race and introduce NASCAR – but The project led by Chad Knaus is so outstanding that until the brake failure when about five hours left, it looks like the roster of seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, 2009 Formula One champion Button Jenson and former Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller could actually beat the entire GTE AM field 21 cars.
The time it took to fix the brakes makes that unquestionable, and it sounds like a letdown for all that NASCAR has achieved. The car that crashed then needed to have the transmission replaced, but the engine lasted a long time and the car overcame the checkered flag to host a champagne party for the NASCAR effort.
The car ranks 39th in the 62-car sector – good enough to be 10th among GTE cars. Camaro came in second when it had to stop to change brakes.
