Le Mans 24 Hours 2019
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Pit stop
Laurent - his Rebellion still a lap down on the SMP runners - pits for tyres, a bit of a clean-up and fuel. That car is the first of the hybrids to make a 14th stop.
Driver Change
Menezes has now taken over from Laurent.
Driver Change
The #8 Toyota has been in for a stop, which also included Buemi - who started the car - hopping back in in place of Nakajima.
No, we definitely hadn't forgotten about these. Here's the LMP1 order after eight (and a little bit) hours
Driver Change
Petrov has visited the pits in the #11 SMP car, which is fourth. Over in the Toyota garage, Conway is limbering up to (presumably) hop into the #7.
Pit stop
Sure enough, in comes Lopez to hand over to Conway.
LMP1
Looks like a proper night duel might be on the cards. Eager to stay ahead, Buemi banged in two fastest sectors of the race on his first outlap.
Autosport
Missed the last hour? It's only 11pm at Le Mans! Judgement aside, catch up here: 
LMP1
But it's not enough! Conway emerges from the pits and on the run up to the chicane in the lead.
LMP2
Gonzalez has now fallen a minute behind Vergne, losing 6 seconds to the leader on lap 127. However, he's still a fairly comfortable 28 seconds ahead of Richelmi in fourth. It's 16 seconds between Vergne and Lapierre at the front.
LMP1
So, the #7 has been second during the race, but Conway is still yet to be headed.
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LMP1
Conway just ran a little deep at Mulsanne, but it didn't cost him too much. The gap between him and Buemi is currently a second.
LMP2
Not clear yet what the FCY infringement is that DragonSpeed is being investigated for, but its team manager has been called to race control immediately.
LMP2
We haven't mentioned it for a while, but the #30 Duquiene Engineering ORECA has remained pretty much two laps down since its problem early on, and is steadily climbing the order as problems befall others. Nico Jamin is currently at the wheel in P11.
LMP1
Behind the lead two, which have dominated our recent posts, the #17 SMP car remains third in Sarrazin's hands - 14s ahead of its sister #11 machine. Menezes is now back in Rebellion's #3 R-13, and two minutes behind SMP's Petrov.
GTE PRO
Calado's through into second after getting his #51 AF Corse Ferrari past Tincknell's Ford GT for second in class. That GTE Pro battle shows no sign of abating.
Stopwatch
LMP2 leader Vergne is turning up the wick - his last lap was a 3m29.4, which would have put him 18th in qualifying! His gap over Lapierre remains around 15s.
LMP1
Menezes has been plodding along nicely in the #3 Rebellion, and is back within two minutes of the second SMP. That pace, plus Rebellion's superiority in the pitstops, could haul the car back into podium contention.
GTE AM
The #84 Ferrari of Wei Lu is beached in the gravel momentarily at the second Mulsanne chicane, but he cracks on again.
LMP1
Buemi just had an innocuous trip across the runoff at the Dunlop chicane. He's 2.8s behind Conway now.
LMP1
After 12 pitstops for both Toyotas, the #8 has spent 15 seconds fewer in total compared to the #7. Fine margins.
LMP1
Plenty more ground gained by Menezes in the last few laps. He bangs in a 3m18.720s on his most recent lap, which is a new personal best for the #3 car and only 1.4s or so off Conway's fastest lap of the race.
LMP2
LMP2 leaders are in - Vergne gets out and is replaced by Job Van Uitert, but his pursuer Lapierre stays behind the wheel. Replays show he cut it rather fine getting into his box - not sure any of Team Autosport would fancy being the car controller for G-Drive.
LMP1
1m40s is Menezes' deficit to Petrov, incidentally.
LMP2
The lead gap has ebbed and flowed throughout the race, but Lapierre is now just 4.6 seconds behind Van Uitert, albeit on much older tyres than the Dutchman, who you'll remember overtook him when they were last on track together in a comparable situation earlier in the race.
That's what you call a close shave
Pit stop
Menezes' charge is halted - briefly at least - as he brings the #3 into the pits.
LMP1
At the front of the field, the gap between the leaders is 3.8s. We've just seen a shot of Conway running ahead of the ByKolles, which confirms, unless our eyes are deceiving us, that the #4 is back on track after an hour and 20 minutes in the pits.
LMP1
Buemi lost four seconds on the most recent lap (140, in case you were wondering) and is now 5s behind Conway.
GTE PRO
Olivier Pla has had a spin at the Mulsanne chicane in the #66 Ford GT. He continues on though and is 11th in class.
LMP1
Conway was the one caught out on the last lap, though, and suddenly Buemi is back within three seconds of his race-leading team-mate.
LMP2
Lapierre has got the gap down to less than three seconds now. Could we see a challenge for the lead soon?
Information
Pla's spin is under investigation with the #94 Porsche of Muller also coming under the microscope. It suggests there's contact that wasn't clear on camera.
Pit stop
Buemi has visited the pits in the #8 Toyota, so we should see Conway stop again before the top of the hour. Petrov has also been in in the #11 SMP car, which is now showing two laps down.
LMP1
Sarrazin has also been in from third in the #11 SMP. That car has 22s in hand over its sister #17 machine, which in turn is now less - much less - than 90s ahead of Menezes' charging #3 Rebellion.
LMP2
Lapierre lost 4 seconds to Van Uitert on the last tour, so the gap has stretched back to 6.7s.
GTE PRO
Calado's surge has gone all the way to the front, he's now passed Christensen to lead GTE Pro.
Pit stop
Conway has been in and out for his crucial stop, but there's no change of lead this time - the #7 remains ahead.
LMP1
The gap between the two leaders is now 6.391s, so Conway gained a bit there.
By: Geoff Creighton
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