H21: Heartbreak looming for Aston

The Prodrive-run factory car has led the race since the seventh hour, on Saturday night, and it seems that once again heartbreak has struck late-on for the British marque, which has yet to win at La Sarthe with the DBR9.

Ortelli was running fourth overall when he stopped, one lap ahead of his closest rival, Jan Magnussen, in the leading Corvette - which now seems set to take the lead of the class.

Aston Martin have only once won Le Mans, in 1959, with Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, and unless trouble hits the No.64 Corvette, they now looks set to have to wait another year.

Frank Biela continues to lead the race overall in the No. 8 Audi which, despite the best efforts of Franck Montagny in the No. 17 Pescarolo, remains four laps ahead of the field.

Thomas Erdos leads LMP2 in the RML GM-Lola, but there was drama further back as the Welter Peugeot retired with a massive fire out on the circuit. The Seikel Porsche remains in charge in GT2.