No.2 Audi ahead at halfway point

The German and co-drivers Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro took the lead for the first time shortly after the five hour mark, when the No.1 Audi - which had dominated the race up to that point - refused to restart after a pit stop. A full eight laps were lost before the Allan McNish/Tom Kristensen/Rinaldo Capello car could be coaxed back into life.

The no.2 Audi crew might not have been in a position to capitalise on their teammates' misfortune had they not regained the lead lap when a GT2 midfield tangle caused a fortuitously timed safety car just after three hours.

During the same full course yellow the LMP2 leading Penske Porsche had to pit from second overall with an alternator problem, losing five laps in the process and removing the sole realistic challenge to Audi's dominance.

That allowed Werner up to third behind new LMP2 leaders Andretti-Green Racing, and it didn't take long for the Audi to pass Bryan Herta and put the diesel R10s back into their familiar one-two formation - at least until McNish's pit stop problem two hours later.

The AGR Acura continues to run a reliable second overall and first in LMP2 while the team's class rivals fall by the wayside. First the Highcroft Acura fell back from third overall when electrical problems kept David Brabham in the pits for 13 minutes, then the Dyson Porsche encountered gearbox issues as half-distance approached.

That would have allowed the recovering Penske Porsche back into third overall and second in LMP2, only for another electrical problem to strike and cost the team several more laps. The reliable but slightly off the pace Fernandez Lola-Acura therefore inherited third after six hours, a lap ahead of the delayed Audi.

Corvette continue to serenely dominate GT1. The Oliver Gavin/Olivier Beretta/Max Papis car currently leads the Ron Fellows/Johnny O'Connell/Jan Magnussen entry, but the C6-Rs have never been more than a handful of seconds apart all day.

The first caution split up the previously tense GT2 battle, as the second-placed Flying Lizard Porsche had pitted just before the yellows. The Risi Ferrari team timed their stop perfectly while the pace car was out and managed to move a lap clear of the Porsche in the process, an advantage that they still hold at half-distance.