#50 Corvette CR7.R ran strong all night until going off
After running like clockwork all night at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Larbre Competition’s LMGTE Am-entered #50 Corvette C7.R suffered a morning setback as Yutaka Yamagishi went off at the Porsche Curves. With four hours left in the 84th running of the French endurance classic, the car has resumed running and is currently in the top 10.
Up until that mishap, Jean-Philippe Belloc and Pierre Ragues had both completed fast and error-free triple stints to maintain the Vigeant-based outfit in the top five as Sunday dawned over La Sarthe.
The second day of action had begun with a flurry of yellow flags, Slow Zones, and Safety Cars. Larbre took advantage of the disjointed situation to make a clever strategic call and adapt its race strategy, sending Yutaka back in the melee so he could complete his night shift.
The Japanese racer acquitted himself very well with the task at hand before giving the wheel to Jean-Philippe, who set off for a triple stint around the 13.629km venue.
A former Spa 24 Hours winner, the seasoned Frenchman showed once again that his fast-track preparation following Paolo Ruberti’s forfeit had no impact on his pace. Jean-Philippe delivered a quick and clean performance to safely bring the Corvette C7.R to the crack of dawn.
Fellow countryman Pierre then replaced him at the wheel, with the 2013 European Le Mans Series champion also producing a fast and flawless triple stint. The Caen-born racer proved to be in good form, as he clocked a better lap time than the previous benchmark he had set in Wednesday qualifying with a 3:57.739 flyer. Ragues then returned the car to Yutaka so the former Super GT ace could fulfil his mandatory track time in these 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Yamagishi was just about to reach the required mark when he spun at the Porsche Curves, with the #50 Corvette C7.R tagging the barriers at the rear as a result. The car was then returned to the garage for repairs. At 10:30, local time, Jean-Philippe returned to the track and currently holds a top 10 spot in the LMGTE Am category.
