24 Hours of Le Mans: Porsche takes the lead

It is usually the moment when most things happen. The hours of night driving usually change the positions of the race and the cars behave differently than in the first quarter of the race. Dawn arrives and the leader has a large part of victory in his pocket. The fratricidal struggle between the Germans from Porsche and Audi has a first winner: the 919 Hybrid number 19 of F-1 driver Nico Hulkenberg and his teammates Bamber and Tandy. After 18 hours, three quarters of the race are led with a 37-second advantage over the Audi R18 number 9 of Albuquerque, Bonanomi, and Rast.

Behind, two other units from both brands are just waiting for a mistake or problems to rejoin the chances of victory. And farther back, the two Toyotas have not had the necessary pace to fight on equal terms. Perhaps sacrificing 2015, after having been world champions last season, could help them build a car that will soon debut its track record in the legendary endurance race. Everything points to Porsche's 17th victory in Le Mans to break a dominance of the four rings that has led them to win thirteen of the last fifteen editions, but these are the 24 Hours of Le Mans and everything can change in a second. And Audi wants to continue its hegemony in this century...