The #84 JMW Motorsport Ferrari extended their advantage atop the GTE AM class as the LMP2 and GTE Pro leads continued to change hands.
Neel Jani in the #1 Porsche continues to lead the way in LMP1, with a 17-lap advantage over the #2 Porsche with under a third of the race remaining.
LMP1
1st – #1 Porsche Team – Porsche 919 Hybrid – Jani/Lotterer/Tandy
2nd – #2 Porsche Team – Porsche 919 Hybrid – Bernhard/Bamber/Hartley
3rd – #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing – Toyota TS050 – Buemi/Davidson/Nakajima
Having dominated proceedings since difficulties struck the three Toyotas, the #1 Porsche comfortably retained a lengthy 17-lap lead in what has proved to be an attritional battle in the top category.
LMP2
1st – #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing – Oreca 07-Gibson – Tung/Laurent/Jarvis
2nd – #13 Vaillante Rebellion – Oreca 07-Gibson – Piquet Jr/Heinemeier Hansson/Beche
3rd – #31 Vaillante Rebellion – Oreca 07-Gibson – Prost/Canal/Senna
A narrow 11 second gap separated the top two in LMP2, as the Jackie Chan Racing #38 car defended a slender class lead throughout the 17th hour.
A fierce clash for sixth in LMP2 sparked in the early exchanges, with the #37 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca of Alex Brundle sweeping ahead of Tor Graves‘ CEFC Manor TRS Racing Oreca with the assistance of a GT car down the Mulsanne Straight.
The lowly #22 G-Drive Racing Oreca of Jose Gutierrez skated into the barriers on the exit of Indianapolis to prompt another slow zone, capping a dismal day for G-Drive after Roman Rusinov‘s second hour crash on Saturday.
GTE PRO
1st – #95 Aston Martin Racing – Aston Martin Vantage – Thiim/Sorensen/Stanaway
2nd – #63 Corvette Racing – Chevrolet Corvette C7.R – Magnussen/Garcia/Taylor
3rd – #91 Porsche GT Team – Porsche 911 RSR – Lietz/Makowiecki/Pilet
Despite early race difficulties, the #95 AMR Aston Martin battled back to the top, surging to top spot in GTE Pro, with the lead gap over the #63 Corvette ballooning to over a minute during the sunrise hours of Le Mans before the American outfit swept into the pitlane.
A driver change for the #95 saw Stanaway replace Sorensen, handing the provisional race lead to the #91 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR – only for Stanaway to reclaim the GTE Pro lead at the end of the 17th hour.
GTE AM
1st – #84 JMW Motorsport – Ferrari 488 GTE – Smith/Stevens/Vanthoor
2nd – #55 Spirit of Race – Ferrari 488 GTE – Cameron/Scott/Cioci
3rd – #62 Scuderia Corsa – Ferrari 488 GTE – MacNeil/Sweedler/Bell
JMW Motorsport continued to lead the way in GTE AM, furthering their race-leading advantage to 32 seconds ahead of the #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 as the morning unfolds.
A change for the ever-revolving final podium spot in GTE AM saw the #62 Scuderia Corsa of Townsend Bell complete a Ferrari top-three lockout, clambering above the #99 Beechdean AMR Aston Martin.
