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24 Hours of Le Mans
Spa-Francorchamps Algarve Monza 24 Hours of Le Mans Road to Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
Bahrain Bahrain II
2021 WEC 24 Hours of Le Mans
Aug 21, 2021 to Aug 22, 2021
| Le Mans - Circuit de la Sarthe, FR
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WEC 24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates
Updates and live commentary throughout the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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Summary
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- #7 Toyota finally wins the Le Mans 24 Hours with the #8 Toyota second and Alpine third
- #41 WRT ORECA stops on the final lap, handing sister #31 car the LMP2 win by just 0.7s in unbelievable finish
- Ferrari and AF Corse on top in GTE Pro (#51) and in GTE Am (#83)
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09:41:21 am
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That concludes Autosport's live coverage of the Le Mans 24 Hours. It began with incident at the wet start and had the most dramatic of conclusions in LMP2. Thanks for joining us - we'll now catch up on sleep and should be back in just 10 months' time to do it all again. But be sure to check out all the reaction to this year's race on Autosport.com over the coming hours and days. Bye for now.
09:32:18 am
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Conway, Kobayashi and Lopez now head out to celebrate and the national anthem of Japan is played. Toyota was always expected to win the first Le Mans 24 hours of the hypercar era - but, with Peugeot, Ferrari and more on the way - will it be the first of many?
09:30:23 am
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The drivers now head out on to the podium - although runner-up Kazuki Nakajima is yet to join his team-mates!
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09:26:11 am
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LMH: For Conway, the win ends years of bad luck in the classic enduro. "We've come so close so many times and to get it done here with the new Hypercar as well [is special]," says Conway. "I was crying like a little girl. We worked so hard for this one and you forget how hard it is."
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09:24:10 am
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LMP2: Winning driver Robin Frijns struggled to believe what happened in the final few laps. "It's a very mixed feeling because I thought the race was done," he says. "We were leading three-quarters of the race and had an issue in the pitstops and the balance was all over the place. A Porsche then hit me on the left rear and I had no downforce. But I feel sorry for him [Ye in sister car]."
09:20:17 am
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Read the full race report here:
Le Mans 24h: #7 Toyota takes historic win with new Hypercar
09:13:54 am
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Kobayashi is united with Conway and Lopez as they parade down the pit straight after taking an overdue win
09:11:57 am
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LMP2: Let's have a rundown of that final LMP2 result after the late drama. 1 #31 WRT (Frijns, Habsburg, Milesi); 2 #28 Jota (Blomqvist, Gelael, Vandoorne) +0.727s; 3 #65 Panis Racing (Stevens, Allen, Canal); 4 #23 United Autosports (di Resta, Lynn, Boyd); 5 #34 Inter Europol (Brundle, van der Zande, Smiechowski).
That late misery for the #41 WRT car also means it has the double blow of not being classified as it wasn't running at the flag - and therefore misses out on a podium
Checkered flag
09:07:24 am
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Instead of pulling straight into parc ferme, the cars have been circulating for an extra lap to pay tribute to the marshals that have helped this year's race happen.
09:06:42 am
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LMH: A word must also go to the Alpine and Glickenhaus squads. For each to finish within four laps of the lead Toyota is a remarkable achievement and they enjoyed impressive reliability in the toughest of tests.
09:05:45 am
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So, the late LMP2 drama took the attention away from the Hypercar class but it was a well-earned triumph for the #7 Toyota crew. Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez have finally won the Le Mans 24 Hours. The #7 Toyota has had all the bad luck over the years but the roles were reversed this time.
Checkered flag
09:04:36 am
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AF Corse's #83 took the win in GTE Am, with TF Sport's #33 in second and the #80 Iron Lynx in third.
Checkered flag
09:03:39 am
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The #51 AF Corse takes the GTE Pro win, with the #63 of Corvette Racing in second and Porsche's #92 rounding off the podium.
09:02:54 am
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And, amid all the drama at the end, WRT almost lost the LMP2 win with the #31 car too, Blomqvist closing to just 0.7s at the finish! What a remarkable conclusion to this race.
Checkered flag
09:01:58 am
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Toyota knows that devastating feeling all to well. But not this year. The #7 heads the #8 across the line to complete a 1-2 for Toyota in this year's Le Mans 24 Hours.
09:00:32 am
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And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why Le Mans remains the ultimate challenge. NOTHING is ever guaranteed. Heartbreak for Ye, Deletraz and Kubica.
Yellow flag
08:59:42 am
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LMP2: There are all sorts of emotions in the WRT garage as while the #41 side is devastated it's the #31 that takes over the lead.
Mechanical problem
08:58:45 am
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And this is incredible the #41 has ground to a halt from the lead of LMP2!
08:57:46 am
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LMH: Kobayashi heads over the line and we're onto the final lap!
08:57:21 am
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LMH: The cameras cut to the Toyota garage and there are already tears in the eyes of Jose Maria Lopez as he's on course for his first Le Mans win.
08:54:21 am
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Ahead of the final five minutes, here's a recap of the past few hours:
Stopwatch
08:51:37 am
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Just ten minutes left to go!
08:50:48 am
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LMH: The Toyotas now head out in unison, the #8 car dropping two laps behind in the process.
Pit stop
08:50:04 am
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LMH: Ah, and now it becomes clear, the #7 also heads in so the two Toyotas can run in tandem at the finish for the perfect set of photos!
Pit stop
08:48:40 am
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LMH: Oh and this is unexpected, but the #8 Toyota is back in the pits!
08:48:17 am
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GTE Am: Less than 15 minutes to go and Nielsen leads from Fraga by 1m47s.
08:46:57 am
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LMP2: Blomqvist has started getting the gap down to second-placed Frijns to 15s - close enough to pounce on any slight error in the closing stages.
Pit stop
08:45:38 am
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LMP2: There's a late splash and dash for the fourth-placed #65 Panis car and Will Stevens, who is now a lap behind the Jota car, with which there was a great fight earlier in the race.
08:40:54 am
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The majority of the leading places appear locked in now, but there's still time for things to change. A nervy wait for teams up and down the pitlane.
Stopwatch
08:40:52 am
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20 minutes to go!
Pit stop
08:34:44 am
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LMH: It hasn't been the most straightforward of races for the #8 Toyota but it's now made what should be its final stop as it continues to circulate a lap down on the #7.
Pit stop
08:33:53 am
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LMP2: Completing its planned stops is now the leading #41 WRT car - remember this ran behind the sister car for hours and yet Ye is now on course for a special win on the team's debut.
08:31:02 am
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Just 30 minutes of the 24 hours remain - a final chance for someone to steal the headlines?
Pit stop
08:30:12 am
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LMP2: Both cars in the battle for second make their final stop - but it's a slightly slower one for Jota and Blomqvist drops to 28s behind Frijns and perhaps that fight is now over?
Pit stop
08:28:30 am
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LMH: And now the leader is in for the #7 Toyota's final scheduled stop. Kobayashi is looking on course for his overdue late win but, this is Le Mans, and there's still 30 minutes for a late drama for unfold, so no doubt the whole crew has their fingers tightly crossed now.
Pit stop
08:26:29 am
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LMH: Lapierre pulls the Alpine into the pits for what should be the final time. To be third and just four laps behind the lead Toyota is quite an achievement for the squad. It's got a lap's advantage over the first of the Glickenhauses so is looking good for a podium.
08:19:52 am
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GTE Pro: It's a final stop for Pier Guidi in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari.
08:16:02 am
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LMP2: Plenty are still pushing out there, not least van Eitert in the Racing Team Nederland car, who just has a wide moment.
08:13:56 am
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LMP2: But, over in LMP2, it's not all decided. While Ye has now edged nearly 40s clear of Frijns, Blomqvist is catching the second WRT car for the runner-up spot and is now just 20s back.
08:12:25 am
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LMH: Nakajima again pits from second for a quick stop but it's still a lap down and out of contention for the win.
Pagination
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By: Loris Capirossi
Published: Aug 22, 2021, 2:41 PM
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