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Le Mans 24 Hours: #1 Porsche stays clear at three-quarter distance

Porsche continues to control proceedings with one quarter of the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours remaining

The #1 919 Hybrid enjoys a 12-lap advantage over the leading LMP2 runners and Nick Tandy is therefore able to run at a fairly relaxed pace.

The car has enjoyed a trouble-free run so far with the only blemish being a spin for Neel Jani just before the #1 claimed the race lead.

There are just two other LMP1 cars in the race with the #2 Porsche still 10th overall and the #8 Toyota now into 14th.

LAURENT CLOSE TO A LAP CLEAR IN LMP2

Thomas Laurent has extended the lead of the #38 DC Racing-run Jackie Chan ORECA to almost a lap at the head of the LMP2 field.

The car is now securely in second place overall after the #13 Rebellion ORECA had to briefly visit the garage during its latest stop.

Despite the lengthy stop, David Heinemeier Hansson remains in a comfortable second in class. The #35 Signatech ORECA has demoted the second Rebellion to fourth in class but Nicolas Prost is only 25 seconds behind.

ASTON SHUNT PROMOTES PORSCHE IN GTE PRO

Porsche's sole remaining GTE Pro runner moved into what appears to be a secure class lead after the #95 Aston Martin overshot at Arnage on its out-lap in the hands of Richie Stanaway after a routine pitstop.

The team put the shunt - which damaged the front-left corner of the car - down to driver error.

Repairs dropped the #95 car off the lead lap, and although Nicki Thiim returned to the circuit in it after repairs, he soon slowed and cruised back to the garage.

The incident gifted Frederic Makowiecki, now at the wheel of the #91 Porsche, a lead of almost a minute over the chasing pack led by the #97 Aston Martin of Jonny Adam, who passed Jordan Taylor's #63 Corvette mid-way through the hour.

Makowiecki's routine stop at the end of the hour then put the Aston into a lead which will disappear when it makes its next stop shortly, and Makowiecki will resume the lead once the Corvette then stops.

The closest of the Ford GTs is the #67 currently driven by Luis Derani, a minute and a half behind Makowiecki.

JMW extended its lead in GTE Am when Dries Vanthoor got in the #84 Ferrari, already a lap ahead of its nearest rival, the #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari, by a handful of seconds a lap.

POSITIONS AFTER 18 HOURS

Pos Class Car Drivers Laps Gap
1 LMP1 #1 Porsche Jani, Lotterer, Tandy 281
2 LMP2 #38 Oreca Tung, Laurent, Jarvis 269 + 12 Laps
3 LMP2 #13 Oreca Piquet Jr, H. Hansson, Beche 268 + 13 Laps
4 LMP2 #35 Alpine Panciatici, Ragues, Negrao 267 + 14 Laps
5 LMP2 #31 Oreca Prost, Canal, Senna 267 + 25.191s
6 LMP2 #37 Oreca Cheng, Gommendy, Brundle 266 + 15 Laps
7 LMP2 #32 Ligier Owen, De Sadeleer, Albuquerque 265 + 16 Laps
8 LMP2 #24 Oreca Graves, Hirschi, Vergne 265 + 1m49.780s
9 LMP2 #40 Oreca Allen, Matelli, Bradley 264 + 17 Laps
10 LMP1 #2 Porsche Bernhard, Bamber, Hartley 264 + 1m58.533s
11 LMP2 #23 Ligier Barthez, Buret, Berthon 260 + 21 Laps
12 LMP2 #47 Dallara Lacorte, Sernagiotto, Belicchi 259 + 22 Laps
13 LMP2 #34 Ligier Moore, Hanson, Chandhok 257 + 24 Laps
14 LMP1 #8 Toyota Buemi, Davidson, Nakajima 254 + 27 Laps
15 LMP2 #36 Alpine Dumas, Menezes, Rao 254 + 1m48.517s
16 LMP2 #17 Ligier Lafargue, Lafargue, Zollinger 251 + 30 Laps
17 LMP2 #29 Dallara Lammers, Van Eerd, Barrichello 251 + 32.286s
18 GTE Pro #91 Porsche Lietz, Makowiecki, Pilet 249 + 32 Laps
19 LMP2 #33 Ligier Nicolet, Nicolet, Maris 249 + 41.155s
20 GTE Pro #97 Aston Turner, Adam, Serra 249 + 55.684s
21 GTE Pro #63 Chevrolet Magnussen, Garcia, Taylor 249 + 56.692s
22 GTE Pro #71 Ferrari Rigon, Bird, Molina 249 + 1m29.470s
23 GTE Pro #67 Ford Priaulx, Tincknell, Derani 249 + 1m51.342s
24 GTE Pro #68 Ford Hand, Muller, Kanaan 248 + 33 Laps
25 GTE Pro #69 Ford Briscoe, Westbrook, Dixon 248 + 28.346s
26 LMP2 #21 Oreca Hedman, Hanley, Rosenqvist 248 + 2m29.427s
27 GTE Pro #95 Aston Thiim, Sorensen, Stanaway 245 + 36 Laps
28 GTE Am #84 Ferrari Smith, Stevens, Vanthoor 245 + 7m59.520s
29 GTE Pro #64 Chevrolet Gavin, Milner, Fassler 244 + 37 Laps
30 GTE Am #55 Ferrari Cameron, Scott, Cioci 244 + 2m59.981s
31 GTE Am #62 Ferrari Macneil, Sweedler, Bell 243 + 38 Laps
32 GTE Am #99 Aston Howard, Gunn, Bryant 242 + 39 Laps
33 GTE Am #61 Ferrari Mok, Sawa, Griffin 242 + 30.421s
34 GTE Pro #66 Ford Mucke, Pla, Johnson 242 + 1m09.711s
35 LMP2 #27 Dallara Aleshin, Sirotkin, Shaitar 242 + 1m20.473s
36 GTE Am #77 Porsche Ried, Cairoli, Dienst 242 + 3m25.182s
37 GTE Am #93 Porsche Long, Al Faisal, Hedlund 241 + 40 Laps
38 GTE Am #65 Ferrari Nielsen, Balzan, Curtis 240 + 41 Laps
39 GTE Am #90 Aston Yoluc, Hankey, Bell 240 + 19.952s
40 GTE Am #98 Aston Dalla Lana, Lamy, Lauda 240 + 40.575s
41 GTE Am #86 Porsche Wainwright, Barker, Foster 240 + 1m41.097s
42 GTE Am #54 Ferrari Flohr, Castellacci, Beretta 240 + 2m01.552s
43 GTE Am #60 Ferrari Wee, Katoh, Parente 239 + 42 Laps
44 LMP2 #45 Ligier Patterson, Mcmurry, Capillaire 236 + 45 Laps
45 LMP2 #39 Oreca Guibbert, Trouillet, Winslow 235 + 46 Laps
46 LMP2 #22 Oreca Rojas, Hirakawa, Gutierrez 234 + 47 Laps
47 GTE Pro #51 Ferrari Calado, Pier Guidi, Rugolo 233 + 48 Laps
48 GTE Am #83 Ferrari Krohn, Jonsson, Bertolini 233 + 1h06m55.115s
49 LMP2 #43 Riley Keating, Bleekemolen, Taylor 233 + 1h08m07.617s
50 GTE Am #50 Chevrolet Rees, Brandela, Philippon 225 + 56 Laps
51 LMP2 #49 Ligier Konopka, Calko, Breukers 220 + 61 Laps
52 LMP2 #28 Oreca Perrodo, Vaxiviere, Collard 213 Retired
53 GTE Pro #92 Porsche Christensen, Estre, Werner 179 Retired
54 LMP1 #9 Toyota Lapierre, Kunimoto, Lopez 160 Retired
55 LMP1 #7 Toyota Conway, Kobayashi, Sarrazin 154 Retired
56 LMP2 #25 Oreca Gonzalez, Trummer, Petrov 152 Retired
57 GTE Pro #82 Ferrari Vilander, Fisichella, Kaffer 72 Retired
58 LMP2 #26 Oreca Rusinov, Thiriet, Lynn 20 Retired
59 GTE Am #88 Porsche Bachler, Lemeret, Al Qubaisi 18 Retired
60 LMP1 #4 Enso Webb, Kraihamer, Bonanomi 7 Retired

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