24 Hours of Le MansFIA WEC

2015 24 Hours of Le Mans: Hour 14 Update – Audi closes in as LMP2 front runner is taken out

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While most drivers at this point of the race were comfortable in their pace, the start of the fourteenth hour saw Laurens Vanthoor setting a personal best time in the #34 OAK Racing Ligier JS P2 – HPD.

10 minutes later and Brendon Hartley was improving times for the #17 Porsche 919 Hybrid, setting the fastest overall lap for the car with  a 3m18.938s, this compares to the fastest overall time set by Felipe Albuquerque on lap 62 with a 3m17.674s.

Following a round of pit-stops the KCMG Oreca 05 – Nissan held a 56-second lead of the LMP2 class over the #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca 05 -Nissan.

As the hour progressed Benoit Treluyer set about closing the gap between his #7 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro and the lead #19 Porsche 91 Hybrid. Earl Bamber would respond but the New Zealander would still lose time. There would be drama for the sister #9 Audi which was being driven by Albuquerque after making contact with a GTE Ferrari, fortunately for all involved there was little damage.

2014 class winners JOTA Sport continued their effort to make up for lost time, at this point of the race they were sitting in fifth.

A small incident from Alex Kapadia in the #67 Team AAI Porsche 911 GT3 RSR at Indianapolis would bring out local yellow flags; As this was happening the #26 G-Drive Racing Ligier received a black and white bad sportsmanship flag for an unsafe return to track.

With only a few minutes left of the hour the #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca would be cruelly taken out of the running by an errant #96 Aston Martin Vantage which collided with the LMP2 second placed machine at the Forza chicane. A double yellow flag would be flown in the area as the Aston Martin limped back to the pits; Unfortunately for the TDS car that would take some time to be recovered.

Top 3 positions in each class after Hour 13 of the 83rd 24 Hours of Le Mans

LMP1

  • #19 Porsche 919 Hybrid – Hulkenberg/Bamber/Tandy
  • #7 Audi R18  e-tron quattro – Fassler/Treluyer/Lotterer
  • #9 Audi R18 e-tron quattro – Albuquerque/Bonanomi/Rast

LMP2

  • #47 KCMG Oreca 05 – Howson/Lapierre/Bradley
  • #26 G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 –Bird/Rusinov/Canal
  • #48 Murphy Prototypes Oreca 03R – Nissan – Chandhok/Patterson/Berthon

LM GTE Pro

  • #51 AF Corse – Vilander/Bruni/Fisichella
  • #64 Corvette Racing – Milner/Gavin/Taylor
  • #91 Porsche Team Manthey Porsche 911 RSR – Lietz/Christensen/Bergmeister

LM GTE-Am

  • #72 SMP Racing Ferrari 458 Italia – Shaytar/Bertolini/Basov
  • #98 Aston Martin Racing V8 – Dalla Lana/Lauda/Lamy
  • #62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia – Sweedler/Bell/Segal

Follow the action LIVE with the TCF live blog here

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Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Checkered Flag who grew up visiting race circuits around the UK also a freelance motorsport PR officer. Outside of motorsport a lover of music, photography, NBA and NFL.
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