The two JOTA-run Cadillacs run 1-2 at Le Mans at the half way in the 24 hour classic, with a 20 second gap between them.
Local boy Sebastien Bourdais, in the #38 car he shares with Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken, leads from the #12 of Louis Deletraz. Third is Ryo Hirakawa in the #8, a further 7 seconds off.
The polesitter, the #20 BMW with Sheldon van der Linde currently at the wheel, lies fourth, another 7 or so seconds adrift, a total of 35 seconds behind Aitken in the lead.
Rene Rast started that car on pole and led for most of the first stint. However, the #8, which at the start had Sebastien Buemi at the wheel, pitted off-strategy half way or so into the stint.
This elevated Buemi to the lead when everyone else stopped. He subsequently lost it again when he pitted, but it meant Toyota could run the car in clear air, lap quickly, and make up time, paying dividends.
Cadillac and BMW, the two manufacturers in a very close fight with Toyota this year, have slowly but surely managed to ‘catch’ Toyota and place themselves on the same strategy.
While the Toyota was very fast in the day light, the Cadillacs have been solid at night, putting themselves into a strong 1-2 on pace with Toyota and Hirakawa struggling to catch them in the darkness.
When the sun rises, though, Sunday is expected to be warm, possibly upwards of 30°C, and the Toyota appeared to work better in the day time heat on Saturday.
Fifth behind Sheldon van der Linde in the #20 BMW is the #101 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac of Ricky Taylor, with the #35 Alpine of Charles Milesi.
Alpine looked fast over a single lap on Wednesday and Thursday, but their race pace has placed them below Cadillac, Toyota and BMW, in no particular order. But Milesi is less than 2 minutes off the lead.
Muller, Hawksworth lead Le Mans in LMP2 and LMGT3
In LMP2, a (metaphoric) fist fight is taking place between the #30 Duqueine Oreca of Julien Andlauer, Doraine Pin, and Richard Verschoor, and the #343 Inter Europol Oreca of Nico Muller, Bijoy Garg and Reshad de Gerus.
Muller currently leads in the #343, with a 42 second gap to Pin behind.Third is Frenchman Tom Dillmann in the second of the Inter Europol cars, the #43 Oreca.
Akkodis ASP Lexus lead 1-2 in LMGT3, with Jack Hawksworth in the #78 car and his teammate Jose Maria Lopez in the #87 sister car, 11 seconds or so behind. The #33 TF Sport Corvette of Nicky Catsburg is third, a further 7 seconds or so adrift of Lopez.
Polesitting car, the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, is currently fourth with Mattia Drudi at the wheel. The Italian started the car 12 hours ago and has kept in touch with leading Lexuses, with Catsburg in between.
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