Corvette pit stop at 5hr 29min.
Ferrari back in the lead.
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Corvette pit stop at 5hr 29min.
Ferrari back in the lead.
It's not how start but how you finish.
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It's not how start but how you finish.
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Corvette in the lead after the AFCorsa does a driver change at 4hr 15min.
It's not how start but how you finish.
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It's not how start but how you finish.
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Safety Car at 3hr 38min.....Corvette pits....fuel toped off.....
AFCorsa takes the lead.....Corvette a lap down now due to SC.
https://twitter.com/24hoursoflemans/...89343539191808
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9LEy0qXkAAzxn0.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9LE0cwWwAEiq_K.jpg
Last edited by jgonzalesm6; 16th June 2019 at 10:37.
It's not how start but how you finish.
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Corvette goes off track(cold tires) at 3hr 12min....taps the wall. Comes in the pits for safety check.
Corvete has left front suspension damage....in the garage.
AF Corsa extends lead
https://twitter.com/24hoursoflemans/...96012918804481
Last edited by jgonzalesm6; 16th June 2019 at 10:59.
It's not how start but how you finish.
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AF Corsa pits at 3hr 06min....
Corvette out at 3hr 05min....1 lap 3min down.
It's not how start but how you finish.
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The vette dropped a wheel on to the grass just before the inside kerb. And spun it.Originally Posted by jgonzalesm6
CAVALLINO RAMPANTE PER SEMPRE
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AF Corsa pits at 2hr 10min....tires and fuel.
It's not how start but how you finish.
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40 minutes left, all going well #51 has made it's last stop.
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Yess, thank you guys!
Finally, after 5 years, we win again.
It was not an easy sleep last night, thanks @Rob for the live timing link, it was very useful.
Forza Ferrari!
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Fantastic win!!! The boys didn't put a foot wrong!
Religion? Ferrari!
Congrats to our boys, great victory! Was worried after quali, but in the race, they were awesome
"If he can't do it with Ferrari, well, he can't do it." - John Surtees
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It was a WONDERFUL victory.
ps: did anyone notice after about 4 hour racing, the commentators were INCREDIBLY disdainful towards Ferrari and the AF CORSE pit crew?
On that note alone I am EXCEPTIONALLY happy that they WON!!!!!!
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Yes an awesome victory by our team in what was one of the most competitive 24hr Le Mans GT races of the last few years. Makes up for the loss when we were cheated by Ford a few years ago.
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Ferrari #51 was by far the best today, I believe it was not overtaken the whole race by any car on track (apart the beginning of the race) and won all 1 to 1 duels, either by defending or overtaking.
It was stronger and stronger as the race went on.
Great, Ferrari wins are so rare these days. It is so much sweeter against the Ford cheaters and both Porsche.
The Fords look really like a prototype, they simply have no place in this class. Good ridance!
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Enjoyed the race for the most part. I'm angry at what happened to the #7 car. Absolutely comical. With the lead they had built thanks to fantastic driving, especially from Mike Conway, they deserved to win that race. How the team though it was a good idea to replace only one tyre (and the wrong one at that), I will never understand. Shocking. The team deserve all the opprobrium coming their way.
Otherwise, it was good to see a Ferrari win for the first time in a long time. Daniel Serra did very well in the early running to get to the front and stay there. Also pleasing to see Bruni didn't win the championship.
Again though, safety cars at Le Mans need to be reconsidered. What's benefit of a safety car when a FCY is available? Last year, Porsche were handed the race, this time Ferrari were able to benefit by remaining at the front throughout.
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Forza Ferrari...bout time.
https://twitter.com/24hoursoflemans/...49627888934913
https://twitter.com/24hoursoflemans/...75462033367040
It's not how start but how you finish.
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The 24 hours of LeMans: EVENT MAXIMUM SPEED.
- Van Doorne 350.1km/h - #11 SMP Racing
- Stéphane Sarrazin 347.8km/h - #17 SMP Racing
- André Lotterer 343.4km/h
- #1 Rebellion Racing Rebellion R13 - Gibson LMP1
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9MY2OaXUAAInye.jpg
The LeMans24 Distance and Speed Average covered by competitors.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D9MaYjoX4AAZoRk.jpg
It's not how start but how you finish.
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Great result for the AF Corse team and a win for Ferrari at last! Shame the #71 car was retired overnight but the GTE AM cars also made a good showing for Ferrari, JMW in P3 and the others finishing further down the field. Managed to watch about 5hrs in total on Quest here in UK as I don't have Eurosport, it was well worth it. Bravo ragazzi!
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Antonello Coletta – Head of Ferrari Attività Sportive GT
“As we have said in the past, we just want to compete on equal terms with our rivals and that is just what happened in this edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We were able to give a display of how much talent there is in both this Ferrari and the fantastic AF Corse team. Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Daniel Serra were perfect and knew exactly how to maximize the strategy that our technical team and Amato Ferrari’s men have developed so splendidly. I’m extremely proud; we deserved to win this race in the GTE-Pro class once again, after such a long time, and to do it exactly 70 years after the first win in 1949 is also another reason to be happy. We finish the season with a smile on our faces even though we were sorry to see the retirement of car 71 and we are very pleased with the results obtained in the GTE-Am class. What we have achieved in the race today will motivate us to give even more in preparation for the new season which gets underway in September.
James Calado
Firstly, congratulations to the #92 Porsche boys on winning the title which was a great achievement. Being part of Ferrari and to win, especially on the 70th anniversary [of the marque’s maiden Le Mans win] as the first one, is really something special. We’ve put a lot of work into this over the last six months. A lot of preparation went into this and it’s something we really wanted more than anything. It wasn’t an easy race at all, a lot of up and downs. There were a few issues. The sister car had an issue, so we had to deal with that and change a few things. It was tough and very demanding, but we did it.
I’m very happy for these guys. It was Daniel’s second win in three races. He’s a super teammate and they’re both very quick and we’ve got an amazing team around us.
Alessandro Pier Guidi
It was a very good race. It was tough. There’s a lot of manufacturers and everyone can win. You have to push from beginning to end. And then being in a red suit on the podium and hearing the Italian anthem is really something special. Looking down and seeing so many people is really something you cannot forget.
Daniel Serra
It’s unbelievable. I’m a lucky guy to be at the right place at the right time. It’s just my third time and I’ve won twice. It’s difficult to realise that. It’s very special to be in red, I have to say. It was an amazing race. I have to say they both drove fantastically well... I just drove! They did the job to be honest. It was awesome to watch two guys who wanted it so much. They were on a mission. It was really nice to watch and to help them.
Last edited by Rob; 16th June 2019 at 19:11.
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shame ACO got onto James to shut down he done. Thanks to Ford got decent timing
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Was an epic race, yes sc helped us big time. But swings and round abouts as did same with #92 last year. So happy for all my good friends in the team. But also heart ache for #71 crew as they were strong upto midnight time. Pippo text me about that time said that had extra stop due to engine issues, we spoke few times more until just before 1am when car came back in. Then he told me engine is done.
Felt bad for astons, but cannt belkothey were that way off due to the bop adjustments.
Roll on silverstone.
Last edited by Rob; 18th June 2019 at 09:21.
Naughty Word Mod
If known mate, I would of told you to download the eurosport player and gave you me log in details. That had no advert coverage.Great result for the AF Corse team and a win for Ferrari at last! Shame the #71 car was retired overnight but the GTE AM cars also made a good showing for Ferrari, JMW in P3 and the others finishing further down the field. Managed to watch about 5hrs in total on Quest here in UK as I don't have Eurosport, it was well worth it. Bravo ragazzi!
I wimped out and fell asleep at about 3.30am and woke at 5ish.
Currently drinking peroni smiling ear to ear. So. Happy.
Naughty Word Mod
Really shocked about #7 car. I really really hope they did have proper issue and not staged for #8 to win. It makes me more mad as Saturday morning and the first 12hr Alonso had face like a slapped, you know what, and so moody. Then amazing he looked happy. The podium and even the team on last few laps looked uncomfortable. So sad #7 deserved that win.
Gimmi, I'm torn as we still friends and still good friends with Luca his race engineer who went over to Porsche last year from #51.
Did really enjoy this year's race, went by so quick.
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Hope you had a good stock of Peroni, I had a few ciders as it was the first Ferrari victory (apart from the robbed Canada GP) we've been able to celebrate for a while! I was just praying the #51 car would hold together, can quite understand you being over the moon having such close relations with the team. You know I'm a technophobe so your offer of downloading Eurosport is very kind but I'd probably make a complete hash of it!! Cheers amico!
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Le Mans 24 Hours: Wrapping Up GTE Pro, AF Corse Ferrari Beats Strong Factory Competition
#51 crew see off Porsche, Corvette and Ford challenge – but misery for Aston and BMW
Celebrating 70 years since Ferrari’s first appearance, and proving that the biggest budgets don’t always win Le Mans, AF Corse took a well-deserved victory at this year’s edition of the 24 Hours with its Ferrari 488 GTE in a thrilling exchange between closely matched GTE Pro machinery.
This had been the greatest showing in recent years of factory-supported GTE cars, the carefully calculated Balance of Performance delivering an exciting race – even though some teams would have reason to feel disappointed.
With the potential pace of the pole-sitting #95 Aston Martin Vantage (above) being neutralised by a pre-race performance adjustment, Nicki Thiim’s defence on the opening laps was brave but short-lived. A reduction in turbo boost combined with difficult tyre choices had put the British team on the back foot after a very convincing qualifying performance. Combined with accident damage for both cars, a retirement and a final place in class would be poor reward for its two-car effort.
This released a highly charged race at the front between the #63 Corvette of Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia and Mike Rockenfeller (above) and the #51 Ferrari that would last well into the final quarter of the 24 hours, with Garcia a particular star in the Corvette. The car showed real pace and presence at the head of the field early on and became the sole Corvette in the race after its #64 sister suffered a high-speed impact at the Porsche Curves.
Although the team admitted its cars were not quite where they wanted to be, Porsche was on a mission. All four factory 911 RSRs featuring in the hunt for the lead, at blistering pace the #92 (above) of Michael Christensen, Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor and the #93 car in the hands of Patrick Pilet, Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber spearheaded the first attack, trying very hard to pressure mistakes ahead.
The #91 entry of Richard Lietz, Gianmaria Bruni and Frederic Makowiecki and the #94 car of Dennis Olsen, Sven Muller and Matthieu Jaminet rose up through the field in support from further back. All bar the #94 Porsche seemed to be on a charge, up and down the top six as pitstops cycled throughout the evening and into the night.
Indeed, Porsche looked to be applying force that would be too hard to resist, but the #51 Ferrari and the #63 Corvette dug in hard, Calado’s pace in the Ferrari at the front really keeping the Porsches at bay during the night. With a cracked exhaust dropping the #92 car out of contention just before dawn, GTE drivers’ championship leaders Christensen and Estre had to hang in to finish 10th, securing their world title, while the #91 and #93 cars fought on for Porsche’s Le Mans honour.
Shorter intermissions through full-course yellow procedures adopted by race control seemed to have worked well in neutralising the field throughout this race, the general pace and order not spoiled by lengthy safety-car periods, as had been the case in GTE Pro last year. But an accident for the Racing Team Nederland LMP2 Dallara threw the race out of balance in the 21st hour, as the out-of-sequence, potentially race-winning #63 Corvette was held at the pit exit having completed a routine pit stop.
On a different fuel strategy to the rest of the GTE Pro front runners, the give-and-take nature of the system swung away from the Corvette at a crucial moment. Magnussen’s spin on cold tyres at the Porsche Curves curtailed Corvette’s 20th appearance at the Le Mans 24 hours, which had shown precision and a strong sense of victory from the very start of the race. The car would take the flag in ninth place.
The rate of attrition in this year’s race was reminiscent of previous ‘classic’ editions with cars and drivers starting to feel the strain.
“This may have decided GTE Pro now. The four cars at the top have been split across three safety cars, the Ferrari has been given a big advantage. Sometimes the safety cars give, sometimes they take. It’s a pity because the race was so close after an excellent battle for 20 hours. But maybe another will come? We will see!” said Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, the former Porsche GT boss, talking about the safety car. It was easy to forget how a safety car lined up a Porsche victory this time last year…
The Ford Chip Ganassi Team arrived at its last Le Mans appearance for the Blue Oval (in this iteration at least) with a strong four-car entry that promised much. Harry Tincknell, Andy Priaulx and Jonathan Bomarito’s #67 (above) was a star in qualifying and fought hard in the opening laps, but the sheer pace of the #92 and #93 Porsches drove the Ganassi team to withdraw from the arms race for the lead in a bid to stay out of trouble.
Chip Ganassi had stated: “We have four bullets in the gun and we’re going to use every one of them.” The bullets stayed loaded, however, the four Ford GTs grouping ominously towards the Sunday morning hours; on the pace, but not in any real position to threaten unless the race fell apart for someone ahead. A formation finish looked good, but not for the first time the Fords showed well, but not well enough… in this class at least.
#82 BMW Team MTEK | BMW M8 GTE | Michelin | Antonio Felix da Costa, Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn, Philipp Eng, Martin Tomczyk | Time: 3:56.742
BMW Team MTEK finished its 2018-19 WEC campaign at Le Mans with 11th and 14th positions in GTE Pro for its pair of M8 GTEs. Neither of its cars could match the pace towards the front and suspension problems dogged the team. Getting both cars to the line looked like hard work for their crews, who bow out of the FIA championship quietly.
The first win here then for the Prancing Horse since 2014, when Risi Competizione brought home the 458 GTE. Risi was here again with its unusually blue liveried 488 GTE (above) as the category’s sole privateer. Although the team didn’t get the Top 10 finish it wanted, Oliver Jarvis, Pipo Derani and Jules Gounon had overcome setup and tyre issues to deliver a hard-earned finish.
AF Corse’s victory celebration for Ferrari was wonderfully emotional and great to witness. Taking its total number of class wins here to three, this was the first win for Calado and Pier Guidi, Daniel Serra’s second (having won with Aston in 2017), as well as the first for the 488 GTE at Le Mans.
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Both FordGT's got DQ'd post race for fuel capacity infringement. lol
It's their last race anyways. No more 24hrs.
I wonder if they'll make a movie about that??? Ferrari vs Ford??
BMW is calling it quits as well. They looked horrible in that M8...no pace.
It's not how start but how you finish.
Darn Tootin'!
You must be so happy for your friends, mate... please extend my warmest congratulations. Feels great to celebrate a Ferrari win.
Last edited by Rob; 18th June 2019 at 09:22.
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AF Corse Confirms 2019/20 GTE AM WEC Lineups
For #54 and #83 Ferrari 488 GTEs
AF Corse has confirmed their two full season crews in the LM GTE Am class of the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The #54 Ferrari 488 GTE entry returns with an unchanged line-up: Thomas Flohr, Giancarlo Fisichella and Francesco Castellacci looking to follow up an impressive Super Season with a run at the title in the VistaJet-backed car.
The #83 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE sees the return of 2016 class Champions François Perrodo and Emmanuel Collard (below), the pair set to be joined for the season by reigning Ferrari Challenge Europe Champion Nicklas Nielsen for another strong trio.
That should see Collard start his 24th Le Mans 24 Hours at the end of the season, having scored 23 consecutive starts until 2018.
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