Audi Takes Top Four Spots 18 Hours Into Le Mans 24

After 18 hours of racing at the Le Mans 24, Audi runs 1–2–3–4 but the final result is still wide open: will the Audis take the top four spots, or take each other out?

The Audis have started racing each other and hitting other cars in the course of it. Marcel Fässler in the #1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro came around a corner and found the #70 Larbre car facing him. Fässler went through the gravel trap and clipped the wall, damaging the left rear bodywork.

Second later, Fässler passed, cut off, and spun Tom Milner in the beleaguered #74 Corvette, spinning him into the tires with considerable damage.

Not to be outdone, Tom Kristensen in the #2 Audi e-tron clipped the #55 JWA-Avila Porsche.

Fässler eventually had to hit the garage for new rear bodywork, which gave Kristensen a chance to take the lead. While these two were racing Lôic Duval was setting a string of fastest laps in the #3 Audi R18 Ultra.

Both Audis pitted at the same time; Kristensen came out just ahead of Fässler, who then completely missed the chicane and crossed the gravel, nearly taking out both leading Audis.

The #2 car has all the old Audi Le Mans hands: Tom Kristensen with the greatest number of wins in history, with Allan McNish who has almost as many, and Dindo Capello, who turned 48 at midnight. These three would love to add to their resumes; they know each Le Mans is one closer to their last.

The younger drivers in the #1: Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer, and Benôit Tréluyer, are all experienced Le Mans hands but younger and every bit as hungry; they want to create their legends, as much as the old hands wish to sustain theirs.

It would seem that All Audi Motorsports Head Dr. Ullrich cares about is a 1–2–3–4 finish. So long as the cars don’t wreck each other, there seems to be no team orders.

In GTE-Am, Pedro Lamy in the #70 Larbre Corvette retook the class lead from Raymond Narac in the #67 IMSA Porsche, and NASCAR star Brian Vickers had a seriously exciting moment or two when he tried to complete a lap with his left front tire deflated. The tire caught fire just as he approached pit in; Vickers stepped out, looked at the fire, got back in and drove into pit lane so his crew could pit the fire out.

ALMS P2 driver Scott Tucker ran out of gas on the circuit and had to retire—his radio went out, and he didn’t know his team was calling him in.

Attrition continued: 19 cars retired by the 18-hour mark.