LM24: LMP2 - Signatech takes first win

The Signatech Alpine of Nicolas Lapierre, Stephane Richelmi and Gustavo Menezes took LMP2 victory, having wrested control of the race deep into Sunday morning.

Lapierre led very early in the race, but was left on wets for too long as the track dried and others switched to intermediates and fell out of the top 10 initially.

Le Mans debutant Manor, with Roberto Merhi, controlled the first stint, but the team's race unravelled thereafter. Matt Rao's lead disappeared before a spin, and then the car failed to restart in pit lane after Rao suffered a puncture from contact with a safety cone.

That cost Manor 11 laps across the seventh and eighth hours and any chance of victory, but it continued to race until Rao crashed in the 21st hour, when bodywork folded under the front of the ORECA approaching Porsche Curves, following an off-track moment at Indianapolis.

Thiriet by TDS Racing controlled affairs for a quarter of the race after Ryo Hirakawa claimed the lead from Rao in the fifth hour.

Pierre Thiriet led Lapierre by nearly three minutes at midnight after safety car timing worked in its favor, but the next safety car period and a very slow stop for TDS meant the balance shifted in Signatech's favor.

Menezes started building Signatech's lead in the 11th, 12th and 13th hours, before Lapierre took over approaching dawn on Sunday morning. The Thiriet ORECA, then second, and fourth-placed Baxi DC Racing Alpine with Nelson Panciatici behind the wheel both crashed out during the 17th hour, handing control of the race to Signatech.

It spent the final quarter of the race essentially one lap clear of the rest of the field, with Lapierre crossing the line to record his second LMP2 Le Mans victory in as many years, following his 2015 triumph with KCMG.

G-Drive's ORECA started from pole with Rene Rast, but lost ground during Saturday afternoon's change to intermediate tires, then suffered a puncture and later had to serve two pitlane penalties.

Rast, the on-loan Will Stevens and Roman Rusinov eventually finished second, 2m40s behind Signatech.

Vitaly Petrov led the #37 SMP Racing BR01 to the final podium position, ahead of Strakka Racing's Gibson and the ORECAs of Eurasia Motorsport and Greaves Motorsport, a spread-out top six covered by 10 laps.