24 Hours of Le MansFIA WEC

2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: List of Confirmed Retirements

3 Mins read

It is a universally acknowledged truth of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, that you go to bed with everything fine and wake up to find you favorite car’s garage door is down. This is a list of all the confirmed retirements in the 2015 running of the Grand Prix d’Endurance along with the reasons they dropped out.

#92 Porsche Team Manthey 911 RSR:

The factory entered Porsche 991 retired on lap 14 after an oil fire caused by contact at the Forza Motorsport Chicane. It was the first retirement of the race leaving only the #91 to carry the Porsche banner in LM GTE Pro.

#88 Abu Dhabi Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR:

The LM GTE Am class Porsche also suffered a fire in the early part of the race, after 44 laps.

#41 Greaves Motorsport Gibson 015s-Nissan:

Gary Hirsch was at the wheel of the Gibson LMP2 car when it suffered an electrical failure and was stranded out on track. Hirsch worked for a while to repair the car, which turned in 71 laps before the issue but it was not possible to fix at the side of the road.

#36 Signatech Alpine Alpine A450B-Nissan:

The Signatech Alpine LMP2 car was the victim of a substantial accident at Mulsanne corner as night fell over Le Sarthe. Signatech managed 110 laps.

#50 Larbre Competition Corvette C7.R:

The Larbre Competition LM GTE Am Corvette was forced into retirement on its 94th lap after a gearbox failure. It left the #64 as the only Corvette in the race.

#97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8:

The Aston Martin art car ground to a halt out on track and could not be repaired at the side of the road. There has been no confirmation of the reason for the retirement on its 110th tour.

#21 Nissan GT-R LM Nismo:

The Nissan GT-R LM Nismo was forced into retirement when it lost a wheel out on track. Tsugio Matsuda did manage to bring the car back to the pits before retiring though. The #21 car managed 115 laps and has been joined sporadically in the pits by it’s two team mates, though both the 22 and 23 continue to make appearances on the track.

#43 Team SARD Morand Morgan EVO-Sard:

One of only two Morgan LMP2 cars entered into the race, the Team SARD Morand machine retired in smoke out on the race track. It covered 162 laps of the track before Pierre Ragues was forced to park it.

The #46 retired following an accident. (Credit: FIA WEC)

The #46 retired following an accident. (Credit: FIA WEC)

#46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca 05-Nissan:

Tristan Gommendy was forced to abandon the #46 Oreca coupe after an accident at the Forza Chicane. The car slewed across the front of the Hanergy sponsored #99 Aston Martin but the GT car made it back to the pits and rejoined the race. Thiriet by TDS Racing managed 204 laps.

#96 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8:

At the very end of the seventeenth hour, Roald Goathe lost control of the #96 Vantage on the way out of the Porsche curves. After a heavy impact the car received outside assistance and Goathe was taken to the medical centre. While the car has not been officially retired, we understand that either the outside assistance or Goathe moving more than ten meters from the car automatically retires the entry. The car turned in 187 laps.

#55 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia:

After 241 laps, Matt Griffin tweeted, “No fuel, no go. Were done for this years @24hoursoflemans.” There is nothing official from the team.

The retirement was made official with just four and a half hours left of the race.

#42 Strakka Racing Dome S103-Nissan:

The Strakka Racing machine initially slowed to a stop directly opposite the Audi pit wall perches. It was dragged to a place of safety on a rope then Nick Laventis got it going again, but only as far as the Dunlop Esses. The car was finally retired amid rumors of only having fifth gear and video evidence of a substantial fluid leak from the back of the car. The car managed 264 laps before retiring.

#23 Nissan GT-R LM Nismo:

The second of three GT-R LM Nismos to retire, Jann Mardenborough was forced to concede defeat when the gearbox on his revolutionary front wheel drive LMP1 car failed. The car turned in 234 laps before dropping out with just minutes over an hour left to go.

#53 Riley Motorsport SRT Viper:

The TE Automotive and ViperExchange.com Viper retired inside the final hour of the race after run which saw them turn in 304 laps. We are waiting for a reason but we suspect a gearbox failure.

#34 Oak Racing Ligier JS P2-Nissan:

Within seconds of the Viper retiring, we also received news that the #34 Oak Racing Ligier retired in the garage. The team had been working on a problem at the rear of the car, again, we think the gearbox.

#98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8:

Paul Dalla Lana was on his outlap for the final stint of the race when the car carried straight on at the Ford Chicane. The front end of the car was a mess and the class leading car was done.

Avatar photo
366 posts

About author
I am a photographer, writer and podcast presenter, specialising in GT and Endurance racing. I've been with The Checkered Flag since 2014, covering a wide range of racing series from Formula Ford to Formula 1, with British GT the main focus of my work. You can hear me monthly on the British GT Fans Show which can be found in our Recommended Listening section.
Articles
Related posts
FIA WEC

Sebastien Bourdais: "We played the long game"

2 Mins read
Cadillac Racing stuck to their plan achieved a great fourth place finish in the Qatar 1812km. Read the drivers’ reactions here.
FIA WEC

Kevin Estre: "It wasn't nearly as easy as it might have looked from the outside"

3 Mins read
Read what the Porsche Motorsport drivers have to say about their triumphant weekend at the Qatar 1812km.
FIA WEC

Callum Ilott Secures Podium Finish in Hypercar Debut with Hertz Team JOTA

2 Mins read
Callum Ilott shines in Hypercar debut with Hertz Team JOTA, securing podium & FIA World Cup lead in thrilling Qatar race.