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24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans 24 Hours 2014 The 82nd Le Mans 24 Hours
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Mardenborough sets a best for the #35 Ligier and is back in the lead of LMP2 ahead of the #34 Race Performance ORECA of Lancaster.
The #42 Greaves Zytek is reported to have no lights either at front or rear.
Mardenborough certainly enjoying the fresh tyres he got when he took over the #35 Ligier. He's lapping 3.5s faster than the second-placed #34 ORECA.
Gene's running well in third, two seconds quicker than Nakajima and Fassler on that last lap. Not bad for the stand-in.
Westbrook pits from second. Will he rejoin ahead of Fisichella?
It's been a close fight in LMP2 during the first seven hours of the race. Here's how they stand: 1 #35 Ligier (Mardenborough); 2 #34 ORECA (Lancaster); 3 #36 ORECA (Webb); 4 #46 Ligier (Gommendy); 5 #26 Morgan (Pla); 6 #24 ORECA (Rast); 7 #38 Zytek (Tincknell); 8 #33 Ligier (Cheng); 9 #43 Morgan (Klien); 10 #60 Morgan (Ihara).
Westbrook out of and Gavin into the #74 Corvette...which has been passed by Fisichella's Ferrari. Meanwhile, Tandy's passed Lietz to take fourth.
Tincknell has just moved up to sixth in LMP2 ahead of the #24 ORECA driven by Rast.
Davidson's not far off returning the #8 Toyota to the back of the LMP1 pack. He's eighth overall, 16s behind the #35 G-OAK Ligier of Jann Mardenborough.
Turner makes his scheduled stop in the Aston Martin.
Quote
Stephane Sarrazin on leading the opening portion of the race for Toyota: "It was a tough start for me. I did four stints and my first in the wet was really on the edge. When I came out of the pits after the safety car I was behind 20 or so cars and I couldn't see the track; there was so much water on the straight.
"I had to take a lot of time to overtake all those cars and avoid any problems. After that the track dried up and it was very good. The car has a good balance so I kept pushing to increase the gap between me and the rest of the field."
"I had to take a lot of time to overtake all those cars and avoid any problems. After that the track dried up and it was very good. The car has a good balance so I kept pushing to increase the gap between me and the rest of the field."
When Turner rejoins, he finds himself in the middle of a quartet of mixed-class cars that get a little bit too close together – fortunately the Aston isn't collected.
Mardenborough still flying. He's just improved the #35 G-Drive-backed OAK Ligier's personal best and is now 34 seconds clear in LMP2.
GARY WATKINS: Gene's pace through his first stint has been impressive - he's been consistently faster than Fassler and both are on fresh rubber.
Turner's rejoined behind Fisichella as well, so the Ferrari takes the class lead – courtesy of another sub-60s pitstop. Gavin's was a good 30s longer because of the driver change, so he's a lonely third now.
Gene brings that impressive stint to an end by pitting the #1 Audi.
Joe Foster's #77 Dempsey Porsche is under investgiation. More specifically, its pitstop.
Pla brings the #26 OAK-run G-Drive Morgan into the pits from fifth LMP2.
Turner's right on Fisichella's case now as the Aston bids to regain the GTE Pro lead. The Briton's right up for this.
Tincknell is showing good pace in the #38 Jota Sport Zytek. Currently sixth in class.
Turner pulls alongside the Ferrari almost on the run out of Arnage but he's the wrong side as they head towards the Porsche Curves and pulls back. Fisichella's driving well – Gavin, further back, is catching these at about 2s a lap.
Tandy's pit in the #91 Porsche, handing back a position to Lietx but staying ahead of the #73 Corvette now being pedalled by Magnussen.
Turner gets right under the rear wing of the Ferrari down the Mulsanne straight, pulls out and dives past into the first Mulsanne chicane. Great move, and that's the GTE Pro lead.
Lietz pits the #92 Porsche and Makowiecki takes over. Tandy, 1m48s off the lead, retakes fourth.
The gap is pretty much stable between Nakajima and Fassler at around 1m49s.
Gommendy pits in the #46 Ligier. He stays in the car.
Fassler pits at the end of his first stint. Just fuel for the #2 Audi.
Nakajima pits, too. Fuel only for the Toyota.
Car #67, the IMSA Porsche, has been reported to the stewards for speeding in the pitlane.
The top two have completed their pitstops and the gap is back to 1m49s.
The #34 Race Performance ORECA has been in for fuel, tyres and a driver change. Mailleux takes over from Lancaster.
Mardenborough brings the LMP2-leading #35 Ligier into the pits for a fuel stop.
Makowiecki's got new tyres – and he's loving them. It's a personal best for the #92 car, a 3m56.085s. Tandy, 18s up the road, is on the second stint for his rubber and is struggling to dip below the 4m barrier.
Fisichella's having similar struggles in second, and has dropped 5s behind Turner now. Gavin's 22s behind the Italian and closing fast.
Fisichella's having similar struggles in second, and has dropped 5s behind Turner now. Gavin's 22s behind the Italian and closing fast.
Mardenborough still leads LMP2 in the #35 G-Drive-backed OAK Ligier. Thanks to his pace on fresh rubber in his first stint, he rejoins still in the lead ahead of the #36 Singatech Alpine ORECA, which still has to make its 10th stop.
Yellow flag
Yellow flag at Porsche Curves.
It's the #48 Murphy ORECA driven by Berthon which has apparently stopped.
Davidson, still eight laps down in the #8 Toyota, pits and hands over to Lapierre.
Twitter
@CorvetteRacing: "The #73 #Corvette lost a lap due to a broken valve stem that prevented the car going up on the air jacks. Jan now in."
That explains why Magnussen's dropped to eighth in GTE, with the Am-leading Astons ahead of him now.
Green flag
The yellow flag at Porsche Curves has been cleared. Timing screens suggest the Murphy ORECA isn't moving so that could be it for the #48 car.
By: Geoff Creighton, Scott Mitchell, Glenn Freeman, Edd Straw, Gary Watkins, AUTOSPORT staff
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