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Le Mans - Hours 15-18 recap: Attrition strikes

It has been a morning of attrition. Indeed, there has been quite a bit of chaos, as we have seen historically when the machines are tired, the men are tired, and things go 'bump' in the morning.
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It should still be noted nonetheless that at least among the LM P2 class runners, the attrition rate is still somewhat lower than usual. The class is noteworthy for its fragility, but this year we should see nearly a dozen at the finish which demonstrates the success of the class. The American-based Starworks Motorsports HPD continues to lead the category.

Some of the more spectacular moments occurred in the GTE classes. The No. 61 AF Corse Ferrari had a seemingly innocent puncture. However, it occurred far away from the pits and Brian Vickers had to slowly nurse the car back. As it entered the pit lane the flailing rubber and metal ignited a fire and the front of car became brighter than the usual Ferrari red. Full compliments are due to the crew as they got the car back to their garage and repaired the damage in a very short time. The Le Mans weekend of the No. 74 Corvette didn't improve as it tapped the wall, returned slowly to pits for repairs and, after returning to the race, had another accident on its out lap. Once again they returned but both of the GTE Pro Corvettes are now hopelessly - and very uncharacteristically - out of contention.

The No. 23 Signatech Oreca-Nissan represented one of the Prototypes taking to the gravel. Similarly the No. 35 Oak Racing Morgan-Nissan was a similar predicament and the No. 30 Status Grand Prix Lola-Judd slowed on course, eventually retired with no alternator.

The now-dominant Audis were not without their dramas as the No. 1 R18 e-tron quattro encountered a slight amount of damage while avoiding a trio of spinning Porsches. With consummate Audi efficiency, the repairs took a mere 30 seconds and Marcel Fässler quickly got back up to speed, although he did lose the lead to the No. 2 Audi of Tom Kristensen. These two engaged in a brief but entertaining intra-team dice that very nearly collected both cars. A bit further back Loic Duval turned up the wick and set the fastest lap of the race in the No. 3 Audi. This helped move him into fourth place, ahead of the Rebellion team and making for a dramatic Audi 1-2-3-4.

Photo: CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS (LE MANS, SARTHE) 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, 17TH JUNE 2012. The No.61 AF Corse-Waltrip Ferrari 458 Italia.