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24 Hours of Le Mans
The 76th Le Mans 24 Hours
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Slicks are being prepared for the only Audi not on that rubber - the No.2 of Capello.
The No.5 Team Oreca Matmut car drives across the gravel on its way into pitlane. This car is in a comfortable eighth position. However the car comes in very slowly and this looks like it could be a lengthy stop for driver Soheil Ayari.
The No.2 Audi is in from the lead and Tom Kristensen is getting in to the car for the run to the flag.
Slick tyres are now on the leader and he is away.
Slick tyres are now on the leader and he is away.
The Peugeot team are set to react with a stop for the No.7, with Marc Gene taking the car to the end on slicks.
The No.35 Saulnier Racing car has been involved in an incident and has sustained damage to the rear of the car. The rear wing is smashed after Mathieu Lahaye spun and was subsequently collected by another car as it rolled backwards across the racetrack.
The No.7 stop runs as predicted and the Peugeot is underway with Gene at the wheel, remaining on the lead lap.
Tom Kristensen leads for Audi by three minutes and ten seconds from Marc Gene.
Flying laps for the leaders on slicks are a 3:30.484 for Kristensen in the lead Audi and 3:29.312 by Gene in the chasing Peugeot.
The car that the No.35 Saulnier Racing entry was clipped by when it rolled backwards after spinning was the No.90 Farnbacher Racing Ferrari that was lying 24th overall and fourth in the LMGT2 class.
The Ferrari has extensive door damage and the machanics are working hard to panel-beat the door into shape so that it can go back out.
The Ferrari has extensive door damage and the machanics are working hard to panel-beat the door into shape so that it can go back out.
Another sample of the lead gap clocks it at 3:07.094. Kristensen set a 3:32.461, perhaps in lapped traffic, and Gene a 3:28.430.
The autosport.com team at the circuit tell us that it is beginning to rain again lightly.
On lap 337, the leading cars matched each other's pace at 3:31.
A sprinkling of rain is yet to dent the pace with Kristensen clocking 3:29.218 and Gene 3:28.438. The gap is now three minutes and three seconds.
In LMP2 it is still Jos Verstappen solidly in the lead of the class with the Van Merksteijn RS Spyder.
He is 9th overall, ahead of the LMP1 Lola Aston Martin that has been running very quickly but has had unfortunate spells in the garage.
He is 9th overall, ahead of the LMP1 Lola Aston Martin that has been running very quickly but has had unfortunate spells in the garage.
In GT1 the 009 Aston Martin DBR9 with Darren Turner at the wheel continues to lead over the No.63 Corvette driven by Ron Fellows.
The gap between the pair is still over two minutes.
The gap between the pair is still over two minutes.
The No.1 Audi comes into the pits from sixth position. Marco Werner stays in the car and it;s fiel only this time for that car. The car is dropped down and Werner is away after a clean stop.
Kristensen in the lead set a 3:30.997 on lap 340 with Gene pushing harder on a 3:27.617.
The gap is down to 2:58.750.
The gap is down to 2:58.750.
The No.8 Peugeot pits from fifth but it is trouble ... the car is pushed back in to the garage for cooling liquid nitrogen to be pumped into the sidepods, as the team again appear to have temperature problems.
The eight car is cooled, pushed out of the garage and is underway once again.
When this sequence played out overnight, the other cars were also soon in for the same treatment.
When this sequence played out overnight, the other cars were also soon in for the same treatment.
While it was all happening with the Peugeot No.8 car, the No.3 Audi quietly came in for a routine service, no driver change - Rockenfeller sill in the cockpit - and rejoined the track almost un-noticed.
The light sprinkling from a few minutes ago has now stopped all around the circuit.
The lead gap is down to 2:53.297 as Gene continues to close the advantage by a few seconds per lap.
Marc Gene pits the No.7 Audi from his pursuit of the leader.
As Kristensen heads in, Gene is already rolling away.
As Kristensen heads in, Gene is already rolling away.
The leader pits in the No.2 Audi. Tom Kristensen brings the car to the Audi pit stall and gets routine service.
Kristensen is away still a couple of minutes and more in the lead.
Kristensen is away still a couple of minutes and more in the lead.
Yet another light shower passes over the circuit.
The No.8 Peugeot of Pedro Lamy is in the tyre wall ...
Pedro Lamy gets away again after being helped by the ACO marshals down at Arnage.
The No.8 Peugeot has made it back to the pits and the team will investigate the front end to see if there is any damage.
The No.8 Peugeot has made it back to the pits and the team will investigate the front end to see if there is any damage.
The first flying laps after the stops are a 3:40.123 for Kristensen and a 3:33.468 for Gene. The gap, however, has increased over the round of stops to 3:06.375.
Driver change during this pitstop for the No.8 car. Pedro Lamy climbs out, Stephane Sarrazin in.
The rear wing is also going to be changed on this stop.
The rear wing is also going to be changed on this stop.
The No.2 Audi has been involved in a clash at the Dunlop Chicane ...
A rear bodywork change also for the No.8 car but there is a far, far bigger incident occurring on the circuit!
The reported rain shower is continuing to hit the track and is making conditions tricky.
The No.2 Audi - the leading car in this race, has been nerfed off the circuit by another car - the Barazi Epsilon Zytek machine.
The Audi with Tom Kristensen at the controls continued after being spun round.
Tom Kristensen clocks a 3:44 lap after that incident, in comparison to 3:33 for Marc Gene.
Amazingly, the No.2 Audi appears to be undamaged after the contact. Kristensen has stayed out there and not visited pitlane.
This local shower has lasted a bit longer, and contained slightly heavier rain than the last sprinkle 20-30 minutes ago.
The gap between Kristensen in the lead and Gene in second is down to 2:44 with just over two hours left to race.
349 laps completed.
1) Kristensen - 3:31
2) Gene - 3:30
3) Zonta - 3:30.
1) Kristensen - 3:31
2) Gene - 3:30
3) Zonta - 3:30.
Stephane Sarrazin in the No.8 Peugeot has caught and passed Marco Werner who is piloting the No.1 Audi. The move happened on the Mulsanne straight.
5th: Peugeot No.8
6th: Audi R10 No.1.
5th: Peugeot No.8
6th: Audi R10 No.1.
By: Geoff Creighton, Emlyn Hughes
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