'Tis a chilly night in the Sarthe (department, Pays de la Loire region), with temperatures in the fifties Fahrenheit. The race started under heavy rain, actually started behind the safety car, but after that there was bright sunshine. There are clouds in the sky, but not enough to retain the heat, to insulate the ground. Laps times are not as fast as had been anticipated, because the tires just aren't coming up to optimal operating temp., but the plus side of all this is that multi-stinting tires is eminently feasible. The Porsche 919s are quadruple stinting their tires. It was not so long ago at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, five years ago in the midst of the Audi/Peugeot duel, that double stinting tires was daring, some might say reckless. Endurance & efficiency, indeed.
The dawn is approaching. With the sunrise comes a renewed optimism down in the pitlane, a false hope that is dashed when the teams realize that for all the long hours behind, there are still ten grueling hours left to race.
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