Road to Le Mans – Dillmann and Mattschull win the first round

On the first lap, Maurice Smith failed in the gravel and COOL Racing lost any chance of doing well. Nicolas Schatz, seven-time French Mountain Champion accustomed to rapid action, made the All shot to complete the first lap in the lead... at low speed, a Yellow Zone being established on the first part of the circuit. In GT3, the best start was to the credit of Maxime Robin in the Team WRT Audi ahead of the GMB Motorsport Honda NSX of Mikkel Pedersen.

ROBIN Maxime, ROBIN Arnold, Team WRT, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II © Germain Hazard / DPPI

After 3 laps, Nicolas Schatz already had a comfortable lead of 11 seconds over Alexander Matschull while Freddie Hunt, son of the late world champion of F1 James Hunt was in third place. Behind this trio, Mathis Poulet and Dino Lunardi had a nice pass.

The Ligier JS P320 at the party

The Slow Zone was lifted on 4^rd tower but a violent exit from the Mercedes by Charles-Henri Samani after the Forest Esses led to a new neutralization zone and the start of the waltz of pit stops.

Big shunt for the No.83 Racetivity Mercedes.

Fortunately Charles-Henri Samani walked away from it and he got out of the car.

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Jonathan Brossard took over from Schatz but quickly lost contact with the lead of the race. Mads Siljehaug inherited the lead ahead of a Racing Spirit of Leman duo led by a Tom Dillmann of the great days. Dillmann only needed 2 laps to take first place and quickly widen the gap on his pursuers. In GT3, the peloton remained particularly tight as usual, with 2 laps to go, 5 cars separated by less than 4 seconds vying for victory.

BROSSARD Jonathan, SCHATZ Nicolas, ANS Motorsport, Ligier JS P320 © Paulo Maria / DPPI

After 1 hour of racing, Tom Dillmann crossed the finish line victoriously followed by Josh Skelton in the second Ligier of the Racing Spirit of Leman, offering a magnificent double to the Swiss team. On the last lap, after around ten changes of leader, the laurels in GT finally went to the Porsche of Fabio Babini and Emanuele Busnelli who stole victory from the Audi WRT of the duo Arnold and Maxime Robin in the last meters of the race.

BUSNELLI Emanuele, BABINI Fabio, Ebimotors, Porsche 911 GT3 R,© Germain Hazard / DPPI

This Le Mans stage was the opportunity to see the innovative H24 with electric-hydrogen engine on the track. Entrusted to Stéphane Richelmi, the prototype did not get involved in the fight for victory but presented its technology to the public at Le Mans in the most beautiful way, in motion!

H24 Racing © Frederic Le Floc'h / DPPI