Ferrari Wins 24 Hours of Le Mans
The debut for the Ferrari Hypercar could not have gone any better. Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovanazzi, and James Calado delivered the ultimate result for the team, winning the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the No. 51 car. The victory is the 10th for Ferrari, which ranks third all-time in the great history of the event.
For most of the race, it seemed to be a two-car battle between the No. 51 Ferrari and the No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Hypercar. The two exchanged the lead multiple times, and each had their own hiccups that seemingly handed the lead over to the other. The race was ultimately decided with just under two hours remaining when the Toyota locked the rear tires and spun, causing significant rear-end damage.
It was a tough pill to swallow for Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa. Cadillac Racing filled the next two spots in the Hypercar category, with the No. 2 entry claiming the final podium spot with drivers Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, and Richard Westbrook.
Full Race Results for the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hour Race
The No. 34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca scored the LM P2 Class win, dominating the category since daybreak. Jakub Smiechowski, Albert Costa, and Fabio Scherer helped the organization become the first polish team to win a Le Mans 24 category. It was a bittersweet event for Scherer, who's foot was run over on pit lane early in the race. A radio failure in the closing minutes of the race also nearly cost them the win.
Finishing 21 seconds behind in second in LM P2 was Team WRT, with drivers Rui Andrade, Louis Deletraz, and Robert Kubica. The Duqueine Team with drivers Neel Jani, Rene Binder, and Nicolas Pino finished on the podium, just 45 seconds behind the winning team.
It was a storybook ending for the LM GTE Class, as the No. 33 Corvette Racing team earned the victory in their final race. It was a dream come true for Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating, and Nicolas Varrone, who recovered from a mechanical failure in the first hour of the race. It is the first victory for Corvette in the GTE class, in what is their final appearance at Le Mans.
The GTE podium was filled by the No. 25 Aston Martin with drivers Ahmad Al Harthy, Michael Dinan, and Charlie Eastwood in second place. Also finishing one-lap down on the podium was the No. 86 Porsche 911 with Michael Wainwright, Benjamin Barker, and Riccardo Pera.
Although they were the only car in their class, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR Chevrolet entry finished 39th overall. The team had a solid first 20 hours before a gearbox issue put them in the garage for some time. The Garage 56 team got the car back out on track as Mike Rockenfeller, Jenson Button, and Jimmie Johnson completed a successful first voyage into the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
