Charly Lopez / DPPI is credited for the image.
During the 10th hour of the 92nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Sebastien Buemi was leading the race in the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar.
At the start of the ninth hour, the race had just passed midnight and a 90-minute safety car period. Race leader Robert Kubica (#83 Ferrari 499P) immediately pitted, along with many of the Hypercars. Frederic Makowiecki (#5 Porsche Penske 963) was in second place behind Kubica.
As the rain intensified, most of the cars pitted for wet tyres. Kubica, on wet tyres, easily overtook Makowiecki, but was later overtaken by Ryo Hirakawa’s #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid.
Kubica received a 30-second stop-and-go penalty for his involvement in an incident with Dries Vanthoor, which caused the safety car period and required repairs to the barrier at the Mulsanne corner.
As the track conditions improved, the use of rain lights was no longer mandatory.
Alex Lynn made an impressive move in his #2 Cadillac V-Series.R, overtaking Antonio Fuoco’s #50 Ferrari 499P for fourth place before the first Mulsanne chicane.
With the wet conditions improving, both Hirakawa and Makowiecki pitted to switch to slick tyres.
Sebastien Buemi maintained his lead in the Hypercar category, followed by Andre Lotterer’s #6 Porsche Penske 963, Kamui Kobayashi in the other #7 Toyota, Antonio Fuoco (#50), and Earl Bamber (#2).
In the LMP2 category, the #30 Duqueine Oreca 07, driven by Jean-Pierre Simmenauer, experienced mechanical issues and had to retire. This was the second retirement after the #9 Iron Lynx Oreca.
Many LMP2 drivers struggled with the slippery track conditions. Last year’s LMP2 Le Mans winner, Fabio Scherer, overtook Malthe Jakobsen’s #37 Cool Racing car for the lead before they made their pit stops.
Nico Varrone (#183 AF Corse Oreca) was leading the LMP2 category for AF Corse, followed by David Heinemeier Hansson in Nielsen Racing’s #24 car, PJ Hyett (#14), and Olly Jarvis (#22).
In the LMGT3 category, similar to the Hypercar category, many GT3 cars pitted for fuel and wet tyres.
The BMW WRT team faced challenges, and their situation worsened when Ahmed Al Harthy’s #46 BMW M4 spun off the track and got stuck in the gravel trap after the Dunlop hill.
The #46 car was the second LMGT3 retirement, following Salih Yoluc’s #66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari 296, which had electronic issues.
Gregoire Saucy was leading the LMGT3 class in the #59 McLaren 720S, followed by Kelvin van der Linde in the #87 car, Morris Schuring in the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche, Takeshi Kimura in the #87 Lexus RC F, and Nicolas Pino in the #95 McLaren 720S.