24 hours of Le Mans, report of the first 8 hours: Kubica’s Ferrari leads the way into the night. Valentino Rossi 2nd

Unpredictable weather and a lot of balance between the cars made the first 8 hours of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 electrifying. Ferrari was in the lead for a long time, but surprisingly it was private car number 83 that led the race thanks also to a great performance by Robert Kubica. At the start of the long French night, a safety car eliminated the gaps, completely reopening the race. It promises to be a three-way challenge with Ferrari, Porsche and Toyota competing for success. Valentino Rossi’s debut among the LMGT3s has been excellent so far. The BMW number 46 of Team WRT shared the class lead with the Manthey Purexcing Porsche.

Slingshot departure of the Ferrari with Nicklas Nielsen taking the top spot on the first lap, overtaking Cadillac and Porsche. Excellent start also for Antonio Giovinazzi and after a few laps the two reds command the race.

However, BMW’s start was disastrous as it slipped to the rear due to a spin of car number 15. Naivety in the pits for Ferrari #50 which was penalized (10 seconds) for a unsafe release carried out against Cadillac.

After an hour and 40 minutes the rain made its appearance in some sections of the track. Porsche #6, Toyota #7, Ferrari #51 and Alpine #36 they are fitted with wet tyres, but the track remains mostly dry and favors cars that do not pit.

The duel for first place saw a comparison between the Robert Kubica’s Ferrari #83 and Nielsen’s Ferrari #50. The Team Jota Porsche number 12 and the two also benefit from the strategy Lamborghinis.

Robert Shwartzman and Antonio Fuoco inherit the competition between the reds for first place, to which is added the Porsche #5. Toyota #8 and Ferrari #51 chase the leading trio. Really bad day for BMW which ends up on the wall with Robin Frijns. Things aren’t any better for Alpine, who abandon the race with the number 35 due to engine problems.

As darkness falls, the tension increases. A high-speed lap by Robert Kubica causes a heavy accident for Vanthoor’s BMW. The collision with the barriers was violent, followed by a long Safety Car phase that took the race into the night.

1. Ferrari #83 (Kubica, Shwartzman, Ye)

2. Porsche #5 (Makowiecki, Campbell, Christensen)

3. Toyota #8 (Hirakawa, Buemi, Hartley)

4. Ferrari #50 (Fuoco, Molina, Nielsen)

5. Porsche #6 (Estre, Lotterer, Vanthoor)

In the LMP2 class, the Inter Europol Competition car managed the race in the first hours with a small margin over the Vector Sport. In the fourth hour the hierarchies change because the leaders lose a wheel and have to slowly return to the pits. Vector Sport takes the lead, opening a fight with Cool Racing.

1. United Autosports #22 (Garg, Jarvis, Siegel)

2. Nielsen Racing #24 (Scherer, Heinemeier, Simpson)

3. Cool Racing #37 (Jakobsen, Fluxa, Miyata)

In LMGT3, comeback race of Valentino Rossi’s BMW. Maxime Martin led the Team WRT 46 car in the early stages, moving up to eleventh position. Ahmad Al Harthy got into the car after two hours and with a winning strategy in the rainy phase he climbed the rankings to enter the top 3.

After 4 hours the time finally arrives Valentino Rossi making his Le Mans debut as first in the LMGT3 class. The Porsche of the Manthey EMA is not far away, third place for the Ferrari of JMW Motorsport. The Doctor had an excellent first stint as he handed over the wheel to Maxime Martin after about an hour and a half on the track.

Valentino’s team chooses to replace the braking system during the safety car and gives first place to the Manthey Purexcing Porsche.

1. Manthey Purexcing #92, Porsche (Sturm, Malykhin, Bachler)

2. Team WRT #46, BMW (Al Harthy, Rossi, Martin)

3. Akkodis #87, Lexus (Hawksworth, Kimura, Masson)