MOTORSPORT: Porsche 1-2 at Le Mans, Webber second

Porsche has won Le Mans for a record 17th time, its 919 Hybrids finishing first and second in the 83rd running of the 24-hour classic in France – with Australia’s Mark Webber in the runner-up car.

The Porsches trounced German rival Audi as well as Japanese manufacturer Toyota, while only one of Nissan’s radical front-engined, front-wheel-drive LM GT-R NISMOs made it through the race – albeit 153 laps, or more than 2000km, behind the winning car and therefore not classified as a finisher.

All three Nissans were regular visitors to the pits during the night. One dropped out when a suspension failure stranded it on the track and a gearbox failure cruelled the other.

Porsche has reclaimed Le Mans in only the second year of its return to the top level of sports car racing after a quarter of a century away.

It was enticed back by the World Endurance Championship’s efficiency regulations, boasting that its 919 Hybrid has “a trend-setting downsizing [2.0-litre V4 petrol] turbo engine and two energy recovery systems, which all together create a powertrain delivering around 1000 horsepower [and that] it works as a racing laboratory for the highest efficiency of future road-going sports cars”.

Porsche’s victorious entry was the most unlikely winner of its three 919 Hybrids as its driver line-up was the marque’s least experienced.

German Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg drove the opening and final stints in the car and was partnered by New Zealander Earl Bamber and Brit Nick Tandy.

Hulkenberg and Bamber had never raced at France’s world-renowned 13.629km La Sarthe circuit before, while Tandy had twice driven GT-class Porsches in the event.

Hulkenberg became the first active F1 driver to win at Le Mans since Brit Johnny Herbert in 1991 in a Mazda 787B – the only victory in the event by a Japanese car.

This year’s victorious trio finished a lap ahead of the identical car driven by Webber, another New Zealander Brendon Hartley, and German veteran Timo Bernhard.

Webber led at quarter distance but their No 17 car fell back after Hartley collected a one-minute stop-and-go penalty for overtaking through a slow zone imposed around the Mulsanne corner during the third safety car interlude.

That dropped them to fourth but they climbed back to second, completing 394 laps to the 395 of the one car ahead of them.

“It is a big day for Porsche. We [in the No 17 car] have had a smooth race, but in the end weren’t quick enough,” Webber said.

“We are very proud for Porsche. If we can’t win we obviously want it to be within the team.

“The guys in the No 19 car did a great job. All three of them [driver Hulkenberg, Bamber and Tandy] were exceptional for 24 hours. Especially at night, the No 19 was quick.”

Webber was relieved to finally get the monkey off his back and post his first finish in one of the world's greatest motor races.

"Yeah, first finish -- that was nice," a visibly exhausted Webber Told Australian journalists after the race.

He was magnanimous when asked whether Hartley's one-minute drive-through penalty cost him the win.

"It's half a lap. Obviously because you have a minute stationary and you have two 30 seconds in and out, yeah, it could pop you onto different safety cars, like post that, if you got that half a lap. So it does change your dynamics a bit, but that was that. The penalty fit the crime."

The former Red Bull Racing F1 driver said team tactics played a part in the result.

"You know, we had the tactic on #17 [his car] to go pretty easy on the equipment and everything – #19 didn't and it paid off. They pulled it off, basically, so it's a fine line," he said.

"They were very intense and aggressive on all fronts – like, it was a bit of set-up, a bit of everything they got involved in – with probably not a great deal to lose. So here we are.

"They were very, very quick in the night – no one could live with them. In the night, all three guys in the car came alive, so it was hard [to stay with them]. Both #17 and #18 were basically a second and a half slower than them -- they disappeared.

Audi, which had won Le Mans in 13 of the previous 15 years, claimed the final podium position with the R18 e-tron quattro driven by its defending champions – German Andre Lotterer, Frenchman Benoit Treluyer and Swiss Marcel Faessler.

That Audi did 393 laps despite losing seven minutes in the pits for repairs after some bodywork flew off and later needing to make a couple of other unscheduled stops.

Audi’s other two R18s suffered mechanical problems and one had a crash avoiding a group of GT cars.

One of the R18s finished fourth, on 392 laps, and the third Porsche came in fifth, yet another lap down, after having started from pole position but suffered brake stability issues in the race.

Toyota, the reigning WEC champion manufacturer but yet to win Le Mans, could do no better than sixth and eighth with its pair of TS040 Hybrids, sandwiching the third Audi and eight and nine laps respectively behind the winning Porsche.

An Oreca 05-Nissan won the second-tier prototype class, completing 368 laps and finishing ninth outright.

The lone Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in the race – after the one Australian Ryan Briscoe was to co-drive was crashed in qualifying beyond repair by Dane Jan Magnussen – won in GTE Pro after every other car in the category hit mechanical trouble.

A Ferrari 458 won the GTE Am by two laps from the Porsche 911 RSR of American actor-driver Patrick Dempsey, who had countryman Patrick Long – known to Australians from his visits here – as one of his co-drivers.

An Aston Martin that had been leading that category crashed in the last hour.