LeMans Hour 4: Toyotas 2 laps ahead

Alonso is chasing down the #7 Toyota

The Toyotas have put 2 laps on the entire field at the end of four hours of the 24 Hours of LeMans and they are not even trying hard, such is the advantage God (the ACO) has given the Toyotas over the other LMP1 cars.

The Japanese team has kept their two cars within striking distance so as not to put the crowd asleep with Fernando Alonso chasing down Jose Maria Lopez.

Alonso led the majority of the fourth hour before a late stop handed Jose Maria Lopez the lead in the #7 Toyota HYBRID TS050.

Alonso enjoyed a comfortable lead after Lopez was forced to pit due to a left-rear puncture and the gap ballooned to several minutes when the two Toyotas were split by a safety car caused by the punctured tire on Gabriel Aubry's #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing ORECA on the Mulsanne straight.

But Alonso pitted within the final minutes of the hour to give Lopez the lead by a few seconds, having previously breezed past him approaching the Porsche Curves

After a caution flag that bunched the field, the battle in GTE-Pro is a back and forth affair between Porsche, BMW and the Ford GTs. God has put the American Chevy Corvette team at such a disadvantage they just cannot keep pace on the long LeMans straights. Their only hope is they can outlast the other makes, but one of their two cars are already 4 laps behind after early trouble.

Hour 4 Standings