H15: Le Mans traps the drivers

After Benoir Tréluyer's accident and the departure of the safety car, many drivers were trapped even though, paradoxically, visibility was better. But the participants had warned before departure: dawn is the most difficult time to pilot. Indeed, night and darkness cause drivers to be vigilant, a vigilance which evaporates when daylight arrives. And that’s when fatigue begins to make itself felt.

It is even lucidity that is sometimes lacking. Still in front of his stand while his engine is smoking, Matthieu Lahaye (Pescarolo Mazda no. 35) still decides to set off, while small flames spring from under his bodywork. Fortunately, his team recalled him in the next round. At the same time, the Porsche 997 n°80 of the Flying Lizard team crashes into a security wall. There Ferrari 430 from the Hankook Team is experiencing an engine overheating problem. These two cars end up giving up.

In the LMP2 category, the Porsche RS Spyder of Navi Team Goh, second behind that of the Essex team, was also damaged following contact, like the No. 10 Oreca, which collided with the No. 430 Ferrari 99. . More serious damage for the No. 30 Lola-Judd of the Racing Box team, which had to stop before entering the last third of the race. For its part, the No. 23 Ginetta-Zytek of Strakka Racing did not give up but made a mistake at the entrance to the pit line. He does a few maneuvers to get off to a good start. It is therefore a field which is beginning to be wary of this tricky dawn which enters the final straight line of the 24 Hours race.