24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans 2009 – Hours 23 & 24

© Planetlemans – Marcel ten Caat

As the final two hours of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2009 had just started the #13 Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola Aston Martin came to a halt on the track. Belicchi, who was fighting with Lotterer for P7, and his car are pushed into a safe place by the marshals.

Fifteen minutes later the #13 returned to the track and tried to get back to the pit lane where he arrived a couple of minutes later. In the pit Kristensen took over the wheel of the #1 Audi to drive it to the finish.

Another pit stop for the Aston Martin Racing team. Mücke handed over the car to Enge. On his outlap the Czech spun the car at the Dunlop Bridge, no problems there for the #007. The #009 however had some problems a couple of minutes later when it came into the pit with smoke coming from the back.

At 1.45 pm there was another safety car as the NAVI Team Goh Porsche RS Spyder crashed just before the Playstation Chicane before going through the tyre walls on the straight. The car just snapped to the left and hit the temporary barriers hard, bodywork was flying everywhere. Ara was out of the car quickly, the car was destroyed. So much for a second top result for this chassis.

Moments later the KSM Lola Mazda came into the pit and at the pit entry the car stopped, smoking heavily. All of a sudden there was a fire at the back of the car and it took marshals several times to really extinguish it. After that it was pushed to the KSM box.

At the Mulsanne straight the marshals have to clear up a large oil spil, which abruptly ended where the Team Goh Porsche crashed.

At 2.18pm the safety car came in, signalling the restart of the race (or the start of reorganising positions for the photo finish).

All the Peugeots came in for a quick splash and dash, the #1 Audi for some minor checks. All four cars go out to the track again. Out on the track Bourdais slowed down, no problem. Just waiting for his team mates.

#63 Corvette into the pit and back into the box. Problems? Most likely not as rather than repairing or checking the whole team works on cleaning the car for the photo finish, the gap to second placed LAA Corvette is large.

The three Peugeots have found each other, and so have the two Lola Aston Martins and two Audi R15s. On to the final lap they went in groups.

Just after 3.00pm the Peugeots crossed the line taking victory at Le Mans and ending an era of Audi wins. Marc Gené took the win in the car he shared with Brabham and Wurz. Bourdais, Sarrazin and Montagny take second place while Kristensen, Capello and McNish take third.

After finishing second in 2008 Team Essex wins 2009! Collard, Poulsen and Elgaard complete a perfect run on the Le Mans circuit. The Speedy Sebah Lola of Leuenberger, Pompidou and Kane is second with OAK Racing’s Nicolet, Hein and Yvon in third.

Corvette Racing ends the GT1 era with a final win for the C6.R of Magnussen, O’Connell and Garcia. The young and inexperienced C6.R of Maassen, Jousse and Clairay takes second. Jetalliance takes a distant third place.

GT2 is an all Ferrari affair. Risi takes it again with Kaffer-Melo-Salo, ahead of the BMS Scuderia Italia car of Malucelli-Ruberti-Babini. Third in class is the second Risi entry of Krohn-Jonsson-Van der Poele. The first non-Ferrari is the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R in fifth place. A great finish for the team which is almost celebrated like a victory.