Porsche Penske Motorsport Challenges Ferrari Lead as Race Approaches Final Hours
In a high-stakes showdown at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s #6 963 has surged back into contention, currently sitting in the top three and challenging the dominant Ferrari line-up. With just two hours remaining in the race, Matt Campbell executed a strategic overtaking maneuver on James Calado’s #51 Ferrari 499P, splitting the Ferraris and shifting the dynamics of the race.
Despite a wheel gun issue during a pit stop that cost valuable seconds and a brief off-track incident at Mulsanne, the #6 Porsche regained vital ground by leapfrogging to second position after a fuel-only stop while the #51 took new tires. At the onset of the 23rd hour, the order placed the #51 Ferrari in the lead, the #83 Ferrari in second with Robert Kubica at the wheel, and the #6 Porsche trailing by 20 seconds—a gap that remains tenuous.
The tightly contested LMP2 class saw an eight-second battle for the lead between Tom Dillmann’s #43 Inter Europol ORECA and Oliver Gray’s #48 VDS Panis ORECA, further intensified by a quicker pit stop for the latter. AO By TF holds a firm grip on third place in the Pro/Am category.
In the LMGT3 battle, Riccardo Pera in the 1st Phorm Manthey Porsche is poised for victory, while Alessio Rovera in the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 struggles to match the leading pace, remaining just 11 seconds ahead of the #81 TF Sport Corvette.
As the clock ticks down, tensions are high, and the potential for unexpected outcomes looms large, reaffirming that no team can be discounted with just hours left in this grueling endurance contest.
