The 85th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans certainly provided some edge of the seat action as Porsche made a grand comeback to take home the victory. The team scored its 19th Le Mans 24 Hours after a gruelling race, beating the LMP2 cars that posed some stiff competition as Porsche managed to secure its third consecutive win. Following the no. 2 Porsche was Jackie Chan DC Racing's no. 38 car that won in the LMP2 category and finished second overall, but not before taking the lead briefly at the start of the 21st hour.
Bernhard brought the no. 2 Porsche 919 Hybrid home despite all odds
Out of the total five LMP1 cars on the grid fielded by Toyota and Porsche, three cars retired early in the race with one each from either teams was still in contention. The no. 2 car Porsche 919 Hybrid was being driven by Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber that came through to the chequered flag first, despite having to enter the pits to replace a front axle motor.
Le Mans 24 Hours Jackie Chan DC Racing LMP2
It seemed that an LMP2 car, which are about 10 laps slower than LMP1 cars might just win the 85th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The no. 38 DC Racing Oreca took the lead when the no. 1 Porsche came to a sudden stop at the 21st hour due to an oil pressure issue.
However, after spending about 65 minutes in the garage, the no. 2 Porsche was back in the race and posted a strong run catching up on lost time. The car made it back to the lead lap with just two hours remaining and Bernhard behind the wheel. From there on, Bernhard showed some incredible pace going 13 seconds a lap faster and brought the no. 2 home securing his second Le Mans win.
The Circuit de la Sarthe saw over 2.58 lakh spectators
Finishing on the podium was a second LMP2 car - the no. 13 Rebellion Oreca driven by Nelson Piquet Jr, David Heinemeier Hansson and Mathias Beche. With the no. 35 Signatech Alpine driven by Andre Negrao went off track with 40 minutes to go, the Rebellion Oreca comfortably finished third overall in the race. Negrao had to pit for repairs and rejoined in fifth place, behind the second DC Racing car - no. 37.
The Toyota curse came back to haunt after the team lost the 2016 edition despite the lead
Finishing sixth was the no. 32 United Autosports car, while the no. 40 Graff cara and no. 24 Manor, finished seventh and eighth respectively.
The sole surviving LMP1 Toyota no. 8 finished ninth overall with Kazuki Nakajima, Sebastien Buemi and Anthony Davidson behind the wheel. The car had lost nearly two hours in the 8th hour, due to a front motor battery replacement. However, the team did finish second in the LMP1 points class.
