Motorsport weekend wrap: Ferrari takes Le Mans honours for second straight year; Ryan Blaney claims maiden NASCAR win this season

This weekend marked the return of the historic 24 hours of Le Mans race for its 92nd edition, which saw Ferrari secure back-to-back wins. NASCAR held its inaugural race in Iowa with Ryan Blaney claiming his first race win this season after his near-miss in Illinois.

NASCAR: Blaney wins inaugural Cup race at Iowa

Ryan Blaney’s stars aligned this time around as he took the victory at the inaugural Cup race at the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway. The Team Penske driver led the race four times but was eventually ahead for the final 88 laps to ensure he finished atop the podium.

Only a couple of races ago did Blaney have to deal with a heartbreaking end to the Illinois race after his car ran out of gas just before the final lap. Blaney was leading at the front but tumbled down to 24th, making it a race to forget.

Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350.
| Photo Credit:
AFP

He was able to soothe the painful memory after claiming his maiden win of the 2024 season and the 11th of his career. Blaney now has won at Iowa Speedway in all three NASCAR national series, having triumphed in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2012 and the Xfinity Series in 2015.

24 hours of Le Mans: Double podium for Ferrari in action-packed race

Despite the charging Toyota, torrential rain forcing a safety car intervention for nearly four hours, poor visibility and issues with the car, No. 50 Ferrari dodged any and every obstacle to cross the finish line, securing its second consecutive victory in the Hypercar category of 24 hours of Le Mans.

Finishing behind the No. 7 Toyota in third was the No. 51 Ferrari challenger, which won the previous edition of the 24-hour endurance event, making it a double podium for the Prancing Horse. Pole-sitter Porsche Penske had to settle for fourth but managed to protect its championship lead, with the No. 8 Toyota rounding up the top five.

In the newly introduced LMGT3 category of Le Mans, the Manthey EMA team finished ahead of the pack to become the first manufacturer to win the debut race. This was the 111th class win for a Porsche racing car.

The LMGT3 class was introduced to replace the GTE class that was dropped at the end of the 2023 season. The grid would feature a maximum of 37 cars with manufacturers only being allowed two cars, with priority to those who have also entered a car in the Hypercar category.

Ferrari 499P Hybrid Hypercar WEC’s team, Spanish driver Miguel Molina, Italian driver Antonio Fuoco, and Danish driver Nicklas Nielsen celebrate on the podium.
| Photo Credit:
AP

In the LMP2 category, the No. 22 United Autosports Oreca was victorious, despite a stressful final stint in which the team had to build a lead with the constantly changing track conditions. Strategy calls proved to be the deciding factor as United’s successful gamble guaranteed its second Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 class win.

The long-standing LMP2 category was dropped for the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign due to growing demand in the Hypercar class. This meant WEC resorted to a two-class structure for the first time with LMP2 being part of Le Mans this year as a one-off.

Formula E: 11th season sees record-breaking 17 races for 2024-25 season

Formula E announced its provisional calendar for the 11th season of the FIA Formula E World Championship. The edition is set to have 17 races for the first time in its history across 11 venues – the largest number of races and locations set for a season – which will begin on December 7, 2024.

Miami replaces Portland, which drops off the schedule after two years as the series’ US-based race, and will be joined by Diriyah, the new venue for the Saudi Arabian race. A double-header of separate races in Monaco and Tokyo, and the return of Jakarta make up the other city venues.