[WEC] The 100th Anniversary 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours - The Race of the Century

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Hirakawa in the #8 to the end now, Hartley out after a quad stint, but will Ferrari cover this lap. Gap was down to 11.5 secs before the #8 stopped.

[Everso Biggyballies]

In comes the Ferrari..... hopefully it wont have to do another Control Alt Delete restart like it did earlier. No new tyres.
The Ferrari rejoins with a 16 second lead.
Giovinazzi v Ryo Hirakawi

[theracer120]

Oh shit, #8 in the wall!

[MonteCristo]

:O

[Everso Biggyballies]

Hirakawa has had an off and looks like he has rear damage. He has been delayed a heap but got going again. I was going to say Ryo is a bit of a win it / bin it type. Quick but erratic.

#8 back in the pitlane.

[theracer120]

Sounds like they were maybe having issues with the rear brakes for the last few hours. Perhaps not surprising he got caught out with as hard as they would have been pushing.

[Everso Biggyballies]

That will be it. if the Ferrari is untroubled. The #8 must have gone down a lap. The Cadillac is only 3 minutes behind the Toyota now.

Not quite a lap down but near as damn it. The #51 can see the the # 8 next car ahead of him now

[Vassago]

Strange they are left with Hirakawa on the last stint? Would have expected a better driver management in a race that was set to be much closer for Toyota compared to some of the previous years plus the #7 went out early enough to leave them with only one horse in the race.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I was looking forward to a good dice to the end. Gio can put it in cruise mode. I guess there is a chance of an SC but we would need rain for that to be more likely

A bit of an anti climax.

Oh and the NASCAR is back on track, JJ showing as being in the car.

[theracer120]

Strange they are left with Hirakawa on the last stint? Would have expected a better driver management in a race that was set to be much closer for Toyota compared to some of the previous years plus the #7 went out early enough to leave them with only one horse in the race.

Apparently he hadn't met minimum driver time so that is a mistake, especially after Hartley did 4 stints in a row.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Strange they are left with Hirakawa on the last stint? Would have expected a better driver management in a race that was set to be much closer for Toyota compared to some of the previous years plus the #7 went out early enough to leave them with only one horse in the race.

Japanese driver? Alternative would have been a French driver

The sad part is Ryo was warned of the locking rear at that very corner. Plus so early in the stint.

If its a driver stint thing its a real Ferrari-esque error for a team of Toyota's experience. They had so much time to plan it and only one car to concentrate on

[Everso Biggyballies]

Giovinazzi pits from the lead in the #51 Ferrari to hand over to Pier Guidi for the final hour and eight minutes

[Vassago]

#41 WRT should be closing on the LMP2 leader. Either way a Polish class victory highly probable...

[Everso Biggyballies]

Predictably the WEC App has crashed for the last hour so I am without vision.

[theracer120]

Porsche #5 is in big trouble. Sounds like a dead gearbox or driveshaft.

We might end up with both Glickenhauses beating all four of the Porsches...

[theracer120]

Ferrari took like 30 seconds to get going again after the piitstop but it's all good they've still got a good minute on Toyota.