All the heartbreak and sorrow is washed away when after many decades of trying, Toyota is at last victorious in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The roads on the outskirts of Le Mans have never been friendly to the Japanese car manufacturer, but today they are. With competition only coming from team-mates Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López in the sister Toyota TS050 Hybrid who aren’t going to defend tooth and nail, Kazuki Nakajima, Sébastien Buemi and Fernando Alonso keep it clean to come out on the other side on top.
On Porsche’s 70th birthday the German sports car manufacturer adds two more Le Mans wins to its already 100-plus victories at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Wrapped in nostalgic ‘pig pink’, the number 92 Porsche 991 RSR of Laurens Vanthoor, Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre lead for much of the way in the GTE class. Behind them the sister number 91 Porsche has to work harder for its second-place trophy, culminating in a fierce battle between Fred Makowiecki in the Rothmans-coloured Porsche and Ford GT racer Sébastien Bourdais that leaves hometown hero Bourdais fuming with anger after being forcefully held back.
Photos by Rajan Jangda.
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