The Le Mans experience begins with a full rehearsal on the weekend before the race. The ceremonies begin with the Pesage on Friday and Saturday, which involves administrative and technical checks at the Place de la République in the city centre. A special moment for fans who can see the drivers and their cars up close.
Test day: six hours to get acquainted.
Sunday’s official test day offers six hours of track time for competitors to fine-tune their set-ups and tackle the challenging 13.626 km Circuit de la Sarthe. Rookies must complete at least ten laps, including five timed laps, to be allowed to start the race.
The 62 cars entered in the 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, took to the track for the first three-hour free practice session under cloudy skies (18°C) and in front of a large crowd.
The two Lexus RC F LMGT3s of the Akkodis ASP Team made their mark with the fastest time for ‘Pechito’ Lopez in the #87 car he shares with Clemens Schmid and Petru Umbrarescu, and third quickest for Jack Hawksworth in the #78 he drives alongside Finn Gehrsitz and Arnold Robin. The second three-hour session, which was interrupted by three red flags, was once again dominated by the #87 car, which set a breathtaking lap time of 3:55.276, beating the 2024 Hyperpole time by almost three seconds.
Free practice and qualifying: Lexus leads the way.
The #78 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus, driven by Arnold Robin, set the pace for most of the first free practice session.
In qualifying, the Le Mans-born driver had no trouble reaching the Hyperpole, finishing fourth. Unfortunately, in the sister #87 car, Petru Umbrarescu was just two places short of Hyperpole qualification, in 14th.
Second practice took place at night and Lexus once again set the pace in a one-two finish, with the #87 (‘Pechito’) ahead of the #78 (Jack Hawksworth) by just 0.027 seconds. José María López, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Hypercar, is competing at Le Mans in LMGT3 for the first time.
Hyperpole: a close contest.
A single Lexus RC F LMGT3 from the Akkodis ASP Team therefore took part in Hyperpole. This decisive qualifying session is divided into two stages, the first with 12 cars, after which only the top eight compete for pole position. Finn Gehrsitz put in a solid performance to qualify the #78 car in P7 for Hyperpole 2.
Jack Hawksworth took over at the wheel for Hyperpole 2 and finished in P8. The #78 therefore earned a fourth-row start on the LMGT3 grid (23rd overall), while the #87 lines up on the seventh row.
Double award for Akkodis ASP Team.
At the traditional ACO press conference on Friday, Akkodis ASP Team received two awards for its commitment to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), the integration of social and environmental considerations into the company's business activities. Jérôme Policand's team received the Sustainable Endurance Award by DHL in the LMGT3 category, as well as the People's Choice Award.
Race – 24 intense hours!
The 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans got underway on Saturday at 4pm under cloudy skies (21°C) with Roger Federer as the guest starter. In front of more than 300,000 spectators, the 62 cars – divided into Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 categories – got the 24-hour marathon underway.
In LMGT3, Jack Hawksworth started from P8 in the #78 Lexus, with Clemens Schmid lining up in the #87 from P14. The opening stint witnessed a remarkable drive from the #78, as well as the #87, which also went on the attack. At the end of the first lap, the #78 had gained three places. By lap five, it was up to P3, then P2, before taking the class lead on lap nine. Clemens Schmid (#87) was not to be left behind, moving up from P8 to P5 after 17 laps.
Different strategies gradually shaped the race. Arnold Robin (#78) and Petru Umbrarescu (#87) took over for the next stints, in P3 and P5 respectively.
The gaps began to widen, but two hours later, the #78 was trapped in a slow zone and forced to drive at 80 km/h through a section of track, losing ground. Arnold Robin and Finn Gehrsitz had to start all over again to recover.
Depending on refuelling and race strategies in the pack, the position of Akkodis ASP Team fluctuated between the lead and the top five. At midnight, the #78 car was in fourth place, closely followed by the #87 car.
With the pace unabated during the night, the unique safety car of the race was deployed at the halfway point and the #87 car made the most of the neutralisation by changing its brakes. Finn Gehrsitz (#78) was running in P2 and Petru Umbrarescu (#87) in P5.
In the early hours of the morning, as the sun rose over the La Sarthe circuit, the Akkodis ASP Team's Lexus RC F LMGT3s, with José María López (#87) and Jack Hawksworth (#78) at the wheel, both set excellent lap times (including the provisional fastest lap for Jack), and were comfortably positioned in the top five.
With eight hours to go, the battle was still raging, with some thrilling exchanges in this ‘24-hour sprint’. But after contact between Clemens Schmid (#87) and the #85, the Lexus was handed a drive-through penalty, although it managed to remain in the top six. This was still the case three hours later when a second drive-through was issued for failing to comply with the Full Course Yellow procedure.
At the start of the 20th hour of the race, a dramatic moment saw Finn Gehrsitz leave the track in the Porsche curves, go through the gravel trap and hit the tyre wall. Severely damaged on the left side and with a broken suspension, the #78 nevertheless managed to return to the pits. Unfortunately, the damage was too severe to continue, and the race was over for that crew.
With four hours to go, the #87 was still running in the top five. Clemens Schmid and José María López shared the final stints before crossing the finish line in fifth place.
No podium finish, but great satisfaction with the performance and reliability of the Lexus RC F LMGT3 in this motorsport marathon. However, there is disappointment for the crew of the #78, who performed well and provided some moments of great sporting excitement. Le Mans remains true to its reputation as a formidable race where the result does not always reflect the value of those who fought to lift the trophy.
The next round of the season will take the competitors to South America, to the unusual circuit of São Paulo, Brazil (11-13 July).