Le Mans 24 Hours 2014 Thursday: final qualifying
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Prost has been off at Mulsanne corner in the #12 Rebellion, but he appears to have continued.
Talk of how much more action we're going to see in the last hour or so has prompted GARY WATKINS to recall Tomas Enge's banzai GT pole laps of years gone by. He's hoping someone can take that mantle on and give us some excitement in the closing stages.
The Nissan ZEOD is logging its first decent mileage of the week. It's up to 13 laps now, and has a best of 3m50.1s.
Wurz gets it wrong coming into the pits, goes the wrong side of the kerb and kicks up some gravel.
Should Gommendy remain top of the P2 times for the TDS squad, it would be the first pole position for a Ligier at a major international event since Jacques Lafitte did the business in qualifying for the 1981 Spanish GP.
Roda (driving the #90 GTE Am Ferrari) has been summoned to race control "immediately". Sounds urgent...
The Nissan ZEOD pits after Ordonez's quick lap. There's much shaking of the head and the car is taken into the garage.
Both of the Porsche 919s have been in the garage for quite a while now. We've just had a shot of the #20 car, which is up on its jacks, minus any wheels, and doesn't seem to have any work being carried out on it.
Imperatori goes close to the KCMG ORECA's previous best. He looks to have been trying, but is seven tenths off the car's previous best.
Twitter
@RamRacingCom: "We can confirm that Alvaro is back in the garage and unhurt. The team are currently waiting to evaluate damage on the No 52."
As both Toyotas make their way into the garage, the Audis are the only LMP1s in ation at the moment. All three were on track, but Fassler has just brought the #2 R18 in to hand it over to Lotterer.
Breaking news
Race organisers confirm that Pierre Kaffer will replace Calado following the Brit's big shunt earlier on. AF Corse has also received clearance to run a new chassis.
The #41 Greaves Zytek is reported to be running slowly on the Mulsanne straight at the moment.
Toyota sends both of its cars back out, with Sarrazin in the pole-sitting #7, and Davidson (plus his customary seat 'inner') taking over the #8.
Fisichella hands the #51 Ferrari over to Vilander, and there's a quick change (possibly aero?) at the rear of the car.
We've had our first improvement in a long time. Many thanks to Pla for doing the honours in the #26 G-Drive Morgan. He's P4 in LMP2 with a 3m38.000s.
Wheels are being bolted onto the #20 Porsche, so the 919s should be back in action soon after a long time spent in the pits.
Yellow flag
Reports are coming in that the #90 Ferrari, with Montecalvo at the wheel, has crashed at the beginning of the Porsche Curves.
Yellow flag
CCTV pictures show a tractor is currently retrieving the #90 car, which is up against the tyre barrier on the left hand side of the first right-hander in that sequence of corners.
Yellow flag
We're getting a peak at the new 'slow zone' yellow flag rules now, with the first three turns of the Porsche Curves running under the speed-limited conditions.
Yellow flag
On-board pictures from the #8 Toyota show a queue of cars touring through the Porsche Curves. That is going to take some getting used to when it's first used in the race!
The idea of these 'slow zones' is to reduce the amount of time the safety car is required during the race. Let's hope they're successful.
The #20 919 is heading back on track, and the #14 is now wheeled out of the garage. Welcome back to the action, Porsche.
The #90 Ferrari has been pulled out of the gravel and has returned to the pits under its own steam, looking a little bit worse for wear.
Very few cars on track at the moment. That's either a coincidence, or a lot of the teams have been put off by the implementation of the slow zone through the Porsche Curves.
Yellow flag
We've still got marshals on the track at the Porsche Curves, so the yellow flags are still out. Race control says that the slow zone will be cleared at 23:33 local time (very soon, then).
Green flag
Right on cue, the track is clear again.
The #46 TDS Ligier, which currently has LMP2 pole, just locked up and cut the Ford chicane.
Yellow flag
Dolan has put the JOTA Zytek off at the Ford chicane. He's recovered.
Yellow flag
And Chandhok has put the #48 Murphy ORECA off at Indianapolis.
Chandhok has got out of the car. The front bodywork has come off but difficult to see how much damage there is.
Yellow flag
Race control is preparing to instigate a slow zone.
Yellow flag
Marshals are sweeping up some debris from the Chandhok shunt.
Some fresh rubber going on some interesting frontrunning cars. Could get interesting.
ProSpeed has two heavily damaged cars in its pit after Curtis and Collard crashed in the Porsche Curves in the first session today. Curtis has been taken to hospital after his crash and must be doubtful for the race.
Yellow flag
Unfortunately, seems that the slow zone will be in place until the end of the session, so looks like that's it as far as qualifying goes.
Lotterer does the fastest first sector of all in the #2 Audi. But no chance of improving his time because of the slow zone.
Still busy on track. All of the factory LMP1 cars are circulating.
Checkered flag
Session over
By: Scott Mitchell, Edd Straw, Glenn Freeman, Gary Watkins
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