The 10 Most Memorable Moments From This Year's Spectacular 24 Hours Of Le Mans
The third and final race in the ‘Triple Crown of Motorsport’ concluded today, with the number two Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer winning the 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
It was an Audi 1-2, with the number one car finishing three laps down in the runner-up spot. In third place was the number eight Toyota. In what was an action-packed 24 hours of brutal racing, crashing and retirements, here are the 10 most memorable moments:
1. Huge practice crash
.@loicduval's crash with @AudiR18_1. The #Audi driver is OK @24hoursoflemans @FIAWEC . Via @Endurance_World pic.twitter.com/9dgGOfg0QF
— Audi Motorsport Blog (@Audi_MS_Blog) June 11, 2014The number one LMP1 Audi R18 e-tron quattro suffered a huge crash on Wednesday during first practice for the event. Loic Duval was at the wheel when he lost control at the Porsche Curves. Incredibly, he emerged with just a few scrapes, but he was not cleared to race and was replaced by Marc Gene.
Qualifying for the race took place on Friday. The number seven Toyota car picked up the LMP1 pole, with the number 46 Ligier fastest in LMP2. The number 51 and 81 AF Corse Ferraris were quickest in GTE Pro and GTE Am.
It was a chaotic day at the Circuit de la Sarthe with several big crashes. James Calado hit the wall in the number 71 Ferrari, while Lucas di Grassi crashed in the repaired number one Audi. As he was limping back to the pits, the number 29 Morgan-Nissan lost control on the grass trying to avoid him and crashed heavily.
Ferrari F1 driver Fernando Alonso was given the honour of releasing the field of 54 cars and kick-starting the 82nd 24 Hours of Le Mans. Prior to waving the flag, he admitted that he would like to compete in the historic race one day.
#LM24 best of luck to all the teams and drivers! pic.twitter.com/4iBIrX4iiI
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) June 14, 2014Rain started to fall at several points on the track one and a half hours into the race, which caused chaos. The number eight Toyota crashed heavily in the tricky conditions, before the number 81 Ferrari driven by Sam Bird collided with the number three Audi in a separate accident at the same point on the track just seconds later. Only the Toyota was able to limp back to the pits and continue.
Following a brief green flag period, the safety car emerged once again following yet more heavy rain. The number 41 and 48 LMP2 cars collided on the Mulsanne Straight, both being able to make it back to the garage.
The number 47 KCMG Oreca 03 Nissan had a scary spin six and a half hours into the race. The car was later retired.
Kazuki Nakajima had been at the wheel of the number seven Toyota when he was forced to dramatically retire the car from the lead after 14 hours of racing with an electrical issue. It was an emotional exit for the team, who had held on to first place for so long. The number two Audi took over the lead as the sun started to rise.
I am devastated and want to cry! Leading the LeMans 24h race for 14h... pushing every inch along the way... and now technical breakdown :-(
— alex wurz (@alex_wurz) June 15, 2014The number 71 AF Corse Ferrari hit the wall heavily just after the 16-hour mark at the Porsche Curves, spinning and smashing into the barrier backwards.
With two hours to go, the number 20 car of Mark Webber slowed from the lead. The Aussie limped back to the pits but the Porsche team was eventually forced to retire the car due to a drivetrain issue. This then allowed the number two Audi to take the lead.
10. 1-2 for Audi
Following 24 hours of non-stop racing action, it was Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer in the number two Audi who took the overall 2014 Le Mans victory - their third win and the German manufacturer’s 13th in 15 years. The number one car of Tom Kristensen, Marc Gené and Lucas Di Grassi finished three laps down in second.
Despite the early crash, Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Nicolas Lapierre took third in the number eight Toyota. The LMP2 win went to the number 38 Jota Sport car of Simon Dolan, Harry Tincknell and Oliver Turvey.
The number 51 AF Corse of Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander took a clear victory in GTE Pro, with the number 95 Aston Martin Racing car driven by David Heinemeier Hansson, Kristian Poulsen and Nicki Thiim winning in GTE Am.
Comments
No comments found.