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Detroit at Le Mans: Ferrari denies Penske, but Mustang wows
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 24, 2024
Le Mans, France — Detroit racing brands descended on the 24 Hours of Le Mans to take on the world’s elite, but came up just shy of their quest Sunday for the most coveted trophy in international auto racing.
In appalling, wet conditions, Ferrari denied Roger Penske his first Le Mans victory in the top, Hypercar class, but Ford Mustang made an impressive Le Mans debut in the GT3 class, finishing 3rd and 4th behind Porsche and BMW competitors. Ferrari’s Hypercar win also denied Penske’s partner, Porsche, its 20th Le Mans victory, but the team made big strides over its 2023 Hypercar debut with a high 4th place finish the best of its three entries.
Cadillac also entered three cars in the Hypercar category and ran at the front of the field for long stretches — eventually dropping to seventh at race end. Chevy Corvette, in its GT3 debut, finished 11th and 15th.
Despite the weather, the 92nd running of Le Mans attracted a massive, sellout crowd of 329,000 people — energized by the close competition between the world’s most accomplished performance brands — over the two-day race for sportscar glory. In addition to Penske’s quest for Le Mans immortality, Cadillac and Ford used the race to publicize new products on offer to European customers: the Ford Mustang GTD and Cadillac Lyriq/Optiq electric cars.
If Penske didn’t get the chance to climb the Le Mans podium, Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. did — celebrating with his team of third-place drivers in the #88 Mustang GT3.
Detroit front row: GM CEO Mary Barra and Roger Penske hang out together by the pole-sitting Porsche Penske on the grid of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The #3 Cadillac qualified next to the Porsche. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Mustang was the surprise of the race, challenging the favored Porsche, BMW and pole-sitting McLaren teams for the win. Early contender #77 Mustang fell by the wayside, but the #88 and #44 cars took up the baton and battled all night long through rainy conditions that got so difficult that the pace car was deployed under the yellow flag for three hours because the 8.5-mile track got so dicey.
Both the Mustangs and Cadillacs featured naturally-aspirated V-8s, and their distinctive, Motown tune could be heard around the track around the clock.
Cadillac continued to prove that it belongs in international racing after futile efforts at Le Mans in 1950 and 2001-03. The #3 Cadillac qualified on the front row and led the field to green alongside the #6 Porsche Penske at 4 p.m. Saturday. In the infield, meanwhile, European fans swarmed the Cadillac display that featured the brand’s first EVs available in Europe.
For the second year in a row, Cadillac was a contender for the podium in the field of 23 Hypercars — faltering only as conditions made for tricky judgment calls on when to switch from dry to wet tires. With a veteran sportscar driver lineup complemented by IndyCar aces Alex Palou and Scott Dixon, the Caddys consistently challenged for the lead in the early hours and led 61 of 311 laps.
Palou himself led multiple laps in the #2 Cadillac into Sunday afternoon before dropping to 7th at the finish.
“It was a lot of fun till the end just because of that hope of trying to get the win but failing at the end,” Palou said. “It was a great experience the first time doing Le Mans with Cadillac. It was actually the first time I drove in the rain at night. It was a first time for many things this year.”
The #311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, was not so lucky, clouting the wall in the treacherous conditions. And the #3 car suffered an oil leak and had to retire.
The TF Sport Corvette team was more resilient, soldiering to the end in 11th and 15th place in the GT3 class.
“I’m happy to get to the end of the race,” said driver Charlie Eastwood of the #81 Corvette. “It threw close to everything at us, especially with the weather and conditions. There were a lot of tricky stints. There wasn’t a single stint in full dry conditions, which I can’t believe in a 24-hour race.”
The #81 Corvette Z06 finished 11th in the GT3 class. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit NewsPorsche Penske improve mightily on its disappointing 2023 debut by qualifying on pole and finishing 4th and 6th. Roger Penske’s first Le Mams win have to wait another year, however — as will Porsche’s quest for a 20th Le Mans.
“A very rainy 24 Hours of Le Mans has come to an end,” said Team Penske’s Jonathan Diuguid, managing director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. “We really wanted to challenge Ferrari and Toyota for victory. The best position for our #6 is fourth place. We had set ourselves higher goals. Still, things went much better than last year.”
Ferrari made its own history with the #50 team of Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina bringing home the Italian brand’s 40th Le Mans victory with a 14-second win over Toyota.
The #6 Porsche put on the best show in the final stages as it closed on the third-place #51 Ferrari, bidding for a podium finish. The Ferrari held off the Porsche Penske sportscar for third after Porsche ace Laurens Vanthoor whittled the gap to just over a second.
With common, international racing rules and expanding foreign market opportunities, all four Detroit brands will be back for 2025.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.