The Buzz | Porsche leaves it late to win 24 Hours Le Mans for 3rd year

Veteran German driver Timo Bernhard led Porsche to a dramatic third straight win at the 24 Hours Le Mans race to prevent a huge upset win for the lesser category Oreca team yesterday.

After a series of mishaps to pre-race favorites Porsche and Toyota, the LMP2 category Oreca suddenly found itself in the lead with 19-year- old Frenchman Thomas Laurent behind the wheel three hours from the end of the grueling endurance race.

But the 36-year-old Bernhard, racing in the faster and more powerful LMP1 category Porsche 919 Hybrid, overtook the Oreca with about 1 hour remaining.

As the Porsche No. 2 crossed the finish line, there were scenes of relief in the Porsche garage as team members danced around holding up t-shirts with “Hat trick 2015, 2016, 2017” written on them.

Categories Sports