After a fifty-year absence, Italian automaker Ferrari returned to win the 100th running of the world's oldest endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in France on Sunday.

The Maranello-based manufacturer's number 51 AF Corse 499P, driven by Italians Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi and Briton James Calado (Monegasque Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc was the team's reserve driver) defeated the number eight Toyota GR010 for the checkered flag before a sold-out crowd of more than 300,000 at the sprawling 8.467-mile (13.626 km) Circuit de la Sarthe.

Ferrari started two cars from the front row on Saturday and built their lead throughout the night. Though the number 51 car dominated throughout, there was unexpected drama when Guidi was unable to get the car moving after his final pit stop.

Toyota's mechanics, who had thought the race long over, watched in disbelief as the Ferrari stood motionless in the pits before eventually managing to get back onto the circuit, albeit with a lead of only 51 seconds.

Why did Ferrari return to Le Mans?

The victory was the first for Ferrari — which dominated the circuit in the 1960s — in 58 years. It last won at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1965, when a 250LM driven by American Masten Gregory and Austrian F1 champion Jochen Rindt took the honors.

Ferrari last raced in the top class LMP1 at Le Mans — with the fastest and most expensive prototype cars — back in 1973.

But it launched a concerted effort to return with a bang after rules changes created a new Hypercar (LHM) category that allowed the participation of American IMSA series (International Motor Sport Association) teams as well as the incorporation of hybrid technologies — something manufacturers say lets them better showcase technology found in their roadcars.

How did Japanese and American teams perform at Le Mans?

Toyota, which has dominated the event for the past half decade, was dealt a serious blow earlier in the week when a last-minute rules tweak saw extra weight added to the two cars the team entered into the race in a so-called "balance of performance" adjustment.

That significant change allowed Ferrari to dominate qualifying as well as the race. Toyota also lost one of its two vehicles during the night when Japanese pilot Kamui Kobayashi exited after a crash.

Defending champion Ryo Hirakawa bettered Ferrari's chances further still when the Japanese driver put his car on the wall after locking up his brakes with less than two hours to go.

Though the Cadillacs of US team Chip Ganassi Racing hoped to capitalize on Hirakawa's mistake — they were running third and fourth when the incident happened — its hopes were dashed when Toyota's pit crew expertly repaired the car and had it back on the track within just three minutes.

Ultimately, the World Endurance Championship (WEC) team of Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook took third in a Cadillac; the IMSA team of Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon, also in a Cadillac, fourth; Ferrari's number 50 car came fifth; and one of American team-owner Roger Penske's Porsche 963s sixth. 

Guest NASCAR runner overperforms and raises eyebrows

Also of note was the presence of stock cars from the American NASCAR racing association for the first time since 1976. The Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro, fielded by Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy and Goodyear, was the sole participant in its class and had an extremely impressive outing. 

Though the stated goal was to simply finish the race, the team did far more than that. Headed by Chad Knaus, Garage 56 had seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button and former Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller running in second place among the 21-car GTE AM contingent until brake trouble hampered its effort.

After a later gearbox issue that required it to be swapped out, the Camaro finished 39th in the 62-car field, putting it 10th among the GTE cars, which are highly-modified versions of commercially-available cars.  

Chevrolet's Corvette Racing took the GTE class with a Corvette C8 ahead of a TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GTE and a GR Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19.

How did a Polish team manage to win the LMP2 class at Le Mans?

The weekend also saw another first when the Polish team Inter Europol Competition drove to victory in the LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2) category. It was the first victory by a Polish team at the event, and it was one that was hard-fought.

The team was forced to resort to old-school tactics and scrawl driver instructions on a board at the pit wall when its radio failed, cutting all direct communication between the car and the crew. The team of Swiss driver Fabio Scherer, Polish driver Jakub Smiechowski and Spaniard Albert Costa — with Polish former F1 star Robert Kubica in reserve — also noted door issues that made it unclear if they would even be able to switch drivers.

Scherer, who was forced to drive with a likely broken foot after being hit in the pits by another car, said the problems were a hindrance, but that he simply told himself, "I just need to drive flat out." And he did, driving to victory by a mere 21 seconds over the 24-hour race.  

Scherer said, "at Le Mans, sometimes you need some luck."

js/msh (AP, Reuters)