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24 Hours of Le Mans
The 76th Le Mans 24 Hours
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Ricardo Zonta brings the No.9 Peugeot into the pits from third place. Tyres and fuel taken on this time, as well as a driver change - Zonta handing over to Franck Montagny.
The problems for the Dome squad have promoted the first of the Pescarolo Judds into eighth place. That car is being driven by Christophe Tinseau currently, and they are just over three minutes behind the Oreca Courage as the race for Petrol honours continues.
The No.19 Lola AER has problems once again. The car has been pushed back in to the garage and there is a lack of urgency as the team appear to be calling an end to their effort.
The No.11 Dome Judd comes into the pits. It would appear this was the car that sprayed all the oil over the Peugeot on the last lap.
The Dome is now wheeled into the garage and urgent attention is paid to the car by the mechanics.
The last laptime noted on this car was over seven minutes. Yuji Tachikawa was at the wheel.
The Dome is now wheeled into the garage and urgent attention is paid to the car by the mechanics.
The last laptime noted on this car was over seven minutes. Yuji Tachikawa was at the wheel.
The No.7 car has also visited the pits as oil appears to have been dropped around the circuit by the No.11 Dome.
The No.8 Peugeot dives in to the pit lane with oil smeared all over his windscreen. He is forced to pit and the team are scrubbing the fluid off the window.
At the head of the race, the Peugeot No.7 leads as it has done since Christian Klien dropped the sister car in the gravel earlier. Marc Gene is still on board and is 2 minutes 18 seconds ahead of second-placed Allan Mcnish in the No.2 Audi R10.
Ricardo Zonta is driving the No.9 Peugeot, in third place, 2 minutes 06 seconds behind Mcnish.
The twin Audis No.3 and No.9 continue to run fourth and fifth, as they have done for what seems like hours. The gap between them has increased again since we last spoke about them - currently 22 seconds.
The sixth-placed No.8 Peugeot with Alex Wurz driving is still running extremely competitive laptimes - 3:23.139 on the latest lap, and is consistently running some eight seconds per lap faster than the fifth placed Audi.
The team Oreca Marmut Courage in seventh still leads the petrol-powered race, and is a full lap ahead of the all-Japanese Dome Judd in eighth.
Ricardo Zonta is driving the No.9 Peugeot, in third place, 2 minutes 06 seconds behind Mcnish.
The twin Audis No.3 and No.9 continue to run fourth and fifth, as they have done for what seems like hours. The gap between them has increased again since we last spoke about them - currently 22 seconds.
The sixth-placed No.8 Peugeot with Alex Wurz driving is still running extremely competitive laptimes - 3:23.139 on the latest lap, and is consistently running some eight seconds per lap faster than the fifth placed Audi.
The team Oreca Marmut Courage in seventh still leads the petrol-powered race, and is a full lap ahead of the all-Japanese Dome Judd in eighth.
The LMP2 lead continues to be held by Jos Verstappen in the Van Merksteijn Porsche RS Spyder.
The Team Essex Spyder is over two minutes behind after the delay earlier with a punture.
The Team Essex Spyder is over two minutes behind after the delay earlier with a punture.
In GT1 the 009 Aston Martin is leading the class again, as the 009 and the No.64 Corvette continue to trade the lead during the pitstops. Darren Turner is at the wheel of the Aston now and he is 43 seconds ahead of the Corvette, which is currently piloted by Johnny O'Connell.
The third placed Aston 007 machine had closed up to within 87 seconds of the lead, but that car has just been into the pits - Andrea Piccini handing over to Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
The third placed Aston 007 machine had closed up to within 87 seconds of the lead, but that car has just been into the pits - Andrea Piccini handing over to Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
In LMGT2, the leading No.82 Ferrari F430 with Mika Salo aboard has just pitted from the class lead.
The No.77 Porshe is currently in the garage with a problem and has now slipped behind five Ferraris.
The No.77 Porshe is currently in the garage with a problem and has now slipped behind five Ferraris.
The No.2 car stops after a four-stint run for Tom Kristensen. Allan McNish returns to the wheel for the first time since his opening run.
The No.2 Audi in second place is due to stop at the end of the current lap. With the recent stop for Marc Gene in the leading Peugeot, the gap between them has come down to just under one minute.
That gap will grow again soon when the No.2 stops.
That gap will grow again soon when the No.2 stops.
Emanuele Pirro has taken over the No.1 Audi from Frank Biela.
The No.8 Peugeot pits from sixth position. This is the recovering Sarrazin/Wurz/Lamy car that climbed up from 29th after gearbox problems earlier in the race.
Stephane Sarrazin hands over to Alex Wurz and the Austria driver rejoins the race, still in sixth, still relentlessly chasing down the top five. For several hours this has been the quickest car on the circuit. Before this latest pitstop it was running up to nine seconds faster per lap than the leading cars.
Stephane Sarrazin hands over to Alex Wurz and the Austria driver rejoins the race, still in sixth, still relentlessly chasing down the top five. For several hours this has been the quickest car on the circuit. Before this latest pitstop it was running up to nine seconds faster per lap than the leading cars.
The No.3 Audi comes into the pits for routine service. Mike Rockenfeller jumps out after a long stint and Lucas Luhr takes over the controls. Fuel and tyres taken this time and Luhr rejoins the race.
Ricardo Zonta pits the No.9 Peugeot from third and the car is underway without changing driver.
The No.7 leader dives in to the pits, using grass and gavel on the pit entry, for a clean of the windscreen and a tank of fuel. Gene returns to the fray, holding on to the lead.
The latest on the threat of rain varies depending on who you speak to.
The rainfall radar suggests that rain will arrive sometime soon.
The autosport.com team onsite have spoken to Audi driver Allan Mcnish, and the Scot reckons that rain is due in the next three hours, while Aston Martin boss David Richards said some time ago that the rain would arrive within the hour.
The rainfall radar suggests that rain will arrive sometime soon.
The autosport.com team onsite have spoken to Audi driver Allan Mcnish, and the Scot reckons that rain is due in the next three hours, while Aston Martin boss David Richards said some time ago that the rain would arrive within the hour.
The Team Essex car is back in the pits, and was running almost two minutes behind the LMP2-leading Van Merksteijn RS Spyder before that stop.
The GT1 leader pits. The No.63 Corvette led the class before the stop. Andy Garcia in the 009 Aston Martin has now closed the gap considerably.
The No.32 Barazi Epsilon car is in trouble again. The machine came to a halt at the pit lane entrance and the team have run down to push the car back to the pit box.
As we approach one third race distance, the No.7 Peugeot continues to lead the race with Marc Gene at the wheel. Tom Kristensen in the first of the Audis - No.2 - is just over two minutes behind but still comfortably on the lead lap.
The No.9 Peugeot is third, a lap down, with Ricardo Zonta now driving that one. The No.3 and No.1 Audis continue in fourth and fifth. They have closed up again in recent laps and are running closely again, with the No.8 Peugeot in sixth. That No.8 car is still comfortably the quickest car on the circuit, but lies at least two laps behind the tandem Audis.
The No.9 Peugeot is third, a lap down, with Ricardo Zonta now driving that one. The No.3 and No.1 Audis continue in fourth and fifth. They have closed up again in recent laps and are running closely again, with the No.8 Peugeot in sixth. That No.8 car is still comfortably the quickest car on the circuit, but lies at least two laps behind the tandem Audis.
The No.25 RML MG Lola has made it back to the pits and is also going in to the garage.
The No.4 Saulnier Pescarolo has pitted from 23rd and was quickly wheeled in to the garage.
The No.78 AF Corse Ferrari has stopped under the Dunlop Bridge. Christian Montanari is trying to move the car, that was third in GT2, from the grass beside the road.
The No.2 Audi is next to pit from second on the road. Tom Krisensen remains at the controls, taking a drink and a clean of the visor while the crew fill the car with diesel.
Stephane Sarrazin brings the No.8 Peugeot into the pits. Relentless quick pace from that car has brought them back into the top six.
No driver change and Sarrazin gets away after taking fuel only this time.
They had over one minutes' lead over the Courage in seventh, and so should retain that sixth place.
No driver change and Sarrazin gets away after taking fuel only this time.
They had over one minutes' lead over the Courage in seventh, and so should retain that sixth place.
The No.25 RML MG Lola is reported to be in the gravel trap at marshal post 115.
Frank Biela pits the No.1 Audi and is out once again with some more fuel but the same tyres.
Prodrive boss David Richards, running the Aston Martins in the GT1 class, has told Radio Le Mans that he expects the Aston versus Corvette battle to go down to the wire. He also states that the Corvettes can run a lap longer than his cars during each stint, and that he is expecting the rain to arrive in the next hour.
The 009 Aston Martin DBR9 is in the pits again, relinquishing the lead of the GT1 category.
The No.63 Corvette retakes the lead, as Andy Garcia drives out of the pits.
The No.63 Corvette retakes the lead, as Andy Garcia drives out of the pits.
Christian Klien brings the No.9 car to the attention of the Peugeot crew. The keam do not change the nose section but do put Ricardo Zonta at the controls.
In the Peugeot pit we can see the crew of the No.9 car (Klien) readying a front wing section.
Whether or not the decision has already been made to change the front section, time will tell. We will see when Klien brings the car into the pits the next time.
Whether or not the decision has already been made to change the front section, time will tell. We will see when Klien brings the car into the pits the next time.
The No.3 Audi is in the pits from fourth on the road. Mike Rockenfeller stays at the wheel and the car is quickly underway again with the full tank of diesel.
Darkness is now completely enveloping the circuit, and the blaze of headlights heading down the Mulsanne straight is an evocative sight for racing fans around the world.
Jan Magnussen recently brought the leading Corvette into the pits in GT1. Magnusse climbs out, handing the controls to Johnny O'Connell.
The 009 Aston Martin DBR9 retakes the lead in class, and has a 24 second advantage over the No.63 Corvette.
The 009 Aston Martin DBR9 retakes the lead in class, and has a 24 second advantage over the No.63 Corvette.
The leader pits for the 13th time in the race. Marc Gene brings the No.7 Peugeot 908 HDI down pitroad, takes on fuel and fresh tyres. No driver change and Gene rejoins still in the lead.
With recent pitstops for the leading petrol-powered cars, Stephane Sarrazin makes it all the diesels in the top six again, passing both the Courage and the Dome Judd.
In LMP2, Jos Verstappen continues to hold a one lap lead over the Team Essex car after the latter was forced to pit with a puncture in the last hour.
With the demise of Klien, the lead of the race passed over to Marc Gene in the No.7 Peugeot.
The Audi R10 No.2 with Tom Kristensen at the wheel is promoted to second place - just over two minutes back.
The No.9 Christian Klien Peugeot is now a lap down in third, with the No.3 Audi over 90 seconds behind Klien in fourth.
The third Audi R10 lies in fifth position. Earlier these two Audis spent a long time running in tandem. The gap has drifted out to 17 seconds between them now.
Loic Duval continues to lead the petrol race in the Courage-Oreca Judd (sixth overall), with the all-Japanese Dome now seventh - promoted up a place after the Peugeot No.8 pitted a short time ago.
The Audi R10 No.2 with Tom Kristensen at the wheel is promoted to second place - just over two minutes back.
The No.9 Christian Klien Peugeot is now a lap down in third, with the No.3 Audi over 90 seconds behind Klien in fourth.
The third Audi R10 lies in fifth position. Earlier these two Audis spent a long time running in tandem. The gap has drifted out to 17 seconds between them now.
Loic Duval continues to lead the petrol race in the Courage-Oreca Judd (sixth overall), with the all-Japanese Dome now seventh - promoted up a place after the Peugeot No.8 pitted a short time ago.
By: Geoff Creighton, Emlyn Hughes
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