So, did anybody see the final stages of the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours? If you didn’t, you missed what could arguably go down as one of the most dramatic finishes in the race’s long and storied history. Porsche and Ford took home top honors in the LMP1 and GTE Pro categories, respectively, but the real story of the race was how both teams recorded their victories.
Let’s start with Ford, which came close to replicating its sensational 1-2-3 finish in 1966, only to have Risi Competizione’s Ferrari 488 GTE climb its way to second place amidst a lot of controversy. Both teams filed protests against the other, and both teams were penalized from said protests. In the end, Ford still took home the victory in what turned out to be an arousing return to endurance racing for the American manufacturer, which was celebrating the 50th anniversary of that historic 1966 triumph over Ferrari. History repeats itself, 50 years later.
Now let’s move on to the top class LMP1 category where Toyota was on the verge of its first-ever triumph in Le Mans when the race-leading No. 5 Toyota of Anthony Davidson, Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi, which was untouchable throughout the course of the 24-hour race, came to a sudden stop as it was starting its final lap. The No 2 Porsche driven by Neel Jani, Romain Dumas, and Marc Lieb passed the car on its way to one of unlikeliest victories in the Le Mans history. As devastating as it was for Toyota - believe me, my heart sunk when I saw the car lose power - the results are real and Porsche now has its 18th Le Mans title.
You can relive the highlights of the race in the video. Do check it out!
from Top Speed http://ift.tt/28YIZQo
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