VDS Panis Racing on top eight hours into the 93rd Le Mans 24 Hours

The first third of the 2025 24 Hours is a done deal. After eight hours of racing, VDS Panis Racing’s #48 ORECA 07 is leading the LMP2 category. In a relatively calm running, the drivers are now plunged into the Le Mans night.

LMP2

Oliver Gray, Estéban Masson and Franck Perera sharing VDS Panis Racing’s #48 ORECA 07 flawlessly executed the first third of race.

Second on the starting grid, the #43 ORECA 07 (Jakub Smiechowski, Tom Dillmann, Nick Yelloly) is still in P2 at midnight. IDEC SPORT Racing’s #28 ORECA 07 (Paul Lafargue, Job van Uitert, Sébastian Alvarez) has provisionally earned a podium finish. The #9 Iron Lynx-Proton and the IDEC #18 sister car round out the top 5.

Pole-sitter TDS Racing’s #29 ORECA 07 (Mathias Beche, Rodrigo Sales, Clément Novalak) is holding steady in 11th position.

HYPERCAR 

The first hours of the race were difficult for Alpine. The #36 of Frédéric Makowiecki, Mick Schumacher and Jules Gounon was relegated to P16, and after an incident, the #35 driven by Ferdinand Habsburg, Paul-Loup Chatin and Charles Milesi fell to P17. Good night racing management and strategy will surely allow the French team to return to the top 10.

LMGT3 

Constructed in the ORECA workshops, Vista AF Corse’s #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 is in second position. The team and François Hériau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera have delivered an excellent race so far, on the track and in pit lane.

Kessel Racing’s #57 of Takeshi Kimura, Daniel Serra and Casper Stevenson is in the top 10, in ninth position.