THE 2019 LE MANS 24 HOURS SAW MICHELIN CLINCH ITS 22ND STRAIGHT WIN IN THE FRENCH ENDURANCE CLASSIC, THIS TIME IN ASSOCIATION WITH TOYOTA GAZOO RACING WHICH, LIKE LAST YEAR, CLAIMED THE TOP TWO PLACES WITH ITS N°8 AND N°7 PROTOTYPES. MICHELIN CAME AWAY FROM THE CIRCUIT DE LA SARTHE WITH VICTORY IN THE OTHER THREE CLASSES, TOO, INCLUDING LMP2 WHICH WAS WON BY THE N°36 ALPINE. THE N°51 FERRARI/MICHELIN TOPPED THE ORDER IN LM GTE PRO WHICH WAS AS FIERCELY FOUGHT AS EVER, WHILE THE N°85 FORD/MICHELIN TOOK THE TOP PRIZE IN LM GTE AM. THE RACE PROVIDED PLENTY OF EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT MICHELIN’S ‘LONG-LASTING PERFORMANCE’ CLAIM, INCLUDING A QUADRUPLE STINT BY THE SECOND-PLACED CAR IN WHICH LOPEZ COMPLETED 626 KILOMETRES (46 LAPS) ON THE SAME FOUR MICHELIN TYRES!
Although Toyota appeared not to face any significant opposition this year, everyone knows that nothing can ever be taken for granted at Le Mans which hasn’t earned its reputation as the world’s most punishing endurance race for nothing!
But the Japanese squad shrugged off any pressure to post a near-perfect performance and finish with both of its TS050-Hybrids six laps clear of their closest threat, which ended up being the third-placed N°11 SMP Racing non-hybrid prototype.
The pole-winning N°7 car topped the leaderboard for the majority of the 24 hours, aided by a multi-stint strategy which saw Lopez complete 46 laps on the same set of Michelins Pilot Sport Endurance.
But the slightly faster pace of Conway, Kobayashi and the Argentine driver went unrewarded when the latter was forced to make an unscheduled stop with less than an hour remaining. The move handed the win to the N°8 sister car of Fernando Alonso. Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima who took the trophy for the second year running. The Toyota trio also harvested Michelin’s 22nd consecutive victory at Le Mans, and its 28th at Le Mans since the inaugural race in 1923!
Three decades after its win with Alpine-Renault in 1978, Michelin’s successful weekend continued with a satisfying victory in LMP2 thanks to the N°36 Alpine which switched back to its tyres for the last three rounds of the 2018/2019 FIA World Endurance Championship, a move that paid dividends not only this weekend at Le Mans but also in the WEC standings since the French outfit’s result has earned this season’s world title. The Signatech-run car was locked in a fierce fight with the N°26 G-Drive prototype for much of the early part of the race, but the latter fell back with a technical issue and Lapierre/Negrao/Thiriet continued to push to eventually top the class by a margin of one lap.
As usual, the LM GTE Po class produced a thrilling scrap which, true to tradition, went down to the wire. With the exception of BMW/Michelin, all of the carmakers involved in the category (Aston Martin/Michelin, Corvette/Michelin, Porsche/Michelin, Ferrari/Michelin and Ford/Michelin) appeared in front at one moment or another, but the N°51 Ferrari of Pier Guidi/Calado/Serra survived late pushes by the N°91 (+49s) and N°93 (+1m7s) Porsches to clinch the victory, the Italian make’s first at Le Mans since 2014.
Porsche was also forced had to settle for second place in LM GTE Am which was won by the N°85 Ford/Michelin of Keating/Bleekemolen/Fraga. The Keating Motorsports-tended car appeared in front on Saturday evening and steadfastly defended its advantage to the flag, despite serving a late ‘Stop&Go’ penalty which allowed the N°56 Porsche/Michelin (2nd, +45s) to close the gap significantly in the dying stages. Third in the class was the N°84 Ferrari/Michelin (+1m29s).
via www.michelinmotorsport.com
