H7: Klien leads for Peugeot
Christian Klien leads the Le Mans 24 hours after seven hours, as the No.9 Peugeot passed the No.7 and holds a narrow lead
Previous leader Jacques Villeneuve was ordered to let Klien's teammate Franck Montagny through at the end of their stints, and although Marc Gene closed up on Klien several times during the next hour, he kept falling back in traffic.
The two leading cars remain close though, while Tom Kristensen has been unable to match the pace of the Peugeots and remains third.
Frank Biela spent most of his hour with Audi teammate Mike Rockenfeller in his mirrors after the No.1 car moved into fourth during the pitstops, while Soheil Ayari tops the petrol runners in the No.5 Courage.
Pole-sitter Stephane Sarrazin set the fastest lap of the race in the recovering No.8 car, the Frenchman becoming the first driver to dip under the 3:19 mark during the race. The car is now up to seventh, chasing the Courage.
The LMP2 lead changed at around 21:30 local time, when the Essex Porsche suffered a puncture at Mulsanne Corner, handing the lead to the Van Merksteijn car.
The No.009 Aston Martin had its lead reduced as Jan Magnussen made up a lot of ground on David Brabham, while Magnussen's sister Corvette lost a lap with an alternator problem.
The No.82 Risi Competizione Ferrari still leads GT2, but its lead has been reduced to less than half a minute over the chasing No.77 Porsche.
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