2016 24 Hours of Le Mans
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The 84th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: 84e 24 Heures du Mans) was an automobile endurance event held from 15 to 19 June 2016 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France. It was the 84th running of the 24 Hour race organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest as well as the third round of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship. A test day was held two weeks prior to the race on 5 June.
Neel Jani of Porsche started from pole position for the second consecutive year, but heavy rainfall forced the organizers to start the race behind a safety car. Once the rain had stopped the field and the track sufficiently dried the field was released from under safety car conditions. Toyota, Audi, and Porsche traded off the race lead in the early hours until the No. 6 Toyota established a firm hold on first place, followed by the No. 5 Toyota and No. 2 Porsche. Issues for the No. 6 eventually allowed the No. 5 Toyota to take over the lead, maintaining a small gap from the Porsche. Kazuki Nakajima was driving the Toyota to the finish in the closing three minutes of the race when it suffered a mechanical issue and stopped on the circuit right after the finish line on his last lap. Jani overcame the one-minute gap to the ailing Toyota and passed it on the final lap, taking the race victory; It was Jani and co-driver Marc Lieb's first Le Mans win and Romain Dumas' second. The sister Toyota of Stéphane Sarrazin, Mike Conway, and Kamui Kobayashi finished three laps behind in second, while the No. 8 Audi of Loïc Duval, Lucas di Grassi, and Oliver Jarvis completed the race podium.
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