They have done it again! Porsche has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2017, their 19th Le Mans win in history and more than any other manufacturer. A last minute problem forced the leading #1 Porsche of Lotterer to retire leaving only the #2 car in the field. Unlike Toyota who had three cars, Porsche had only two cars in LMP1.
24 Hours of Le Mans 2017 Winners
LMP1
1st: #2 Porsche 919 Hybrid
2nd: #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid
LMP2
1st: #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing
2nd: #13 Vaillante Rebellion
3rd: #37 Jackie Chan DC Racing
PRO
1st: #97 Aston Martin Vantage
2nd: #67 Ford GT
3rd: #63 Corvette C7.R
AM
#84 Ferrari 488 GTE
#55 Ferrari 488 GTE
#62 Ferrari 488 GTE
The #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing LMP2 car thus assumed the lead as it was the nearest rival to the #1 Porsche, and by rival…some 9 laps behind. The nearest LMP1 car was the #2 car albeit a couple of laps down on the leading LMP2 cars. The with less than 1 hour left in the race, the remaining #2 Porsche had managed to close in on the leaders before taking P1 eventually. Timo Bernhard crossed the finish line first 1 lap ahead of the best LMP2 car.
All was not lost for Jackie Chan’s DC Racing team, they won LMP2 but more importantly, 2nd place overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2017. Third place overall also went to an LMP2 car, the #13 Vaillante Rebellion. This year’s race has seen the largest success ever for the LMP2 cars. Positions 4 to 8 overall was also filled by LMP2 cars, the remaining #8 Toyota crossed the finish line in 9th place to claim P2 in LMP1 class.
Photos by Rajan Jangda
But the real action came down to the GT classes where Aston Martin and Corvette staged one of the most epic battles at Le Mans. Jordan Taylor was leading in the #63 Corvette C7.R followed closely by Jonathan Adam in the #97 Aston Martin. The Aston was lapping quicker than the Corvette but Taylor was running beyond his limits. The chase got ruthless in the final minutes, and the Corvette ran off at one time but recovered while still in the lead. A puncture slowed him down and the Aston grabbed the lead almost immediately. Taylor limped to the finish line to claim third place behind the #67 Ford GT.
The AM class was dominated by Ferrari who managed to stage a clean podium sweep. The #84 JMW Motorsport Ferrari 488 GTE won the race in this class, sharing the podium with the #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE and the #62 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.
