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Hour 13: Collard Closes In

Emmanuel Collard set a blistering pace during the 13th hour of the 2005 Le Mans 24 Hours in an effort to make up some ground on the leading Audi R8s ahead

Collard regularly lapped more than five seconds quicker than the leading Champion Racing Audi pair of Marco Werner and Allan McNish, in an effort to start to regain the lead lost due to the transmission problems early in the race.

Werner and McNish have three and four laps over Collard respectively, but the French team were proving that the race is still wide open with 11 hours still to go.

The Dome of Seiji Ara was two laps further behind Collard in fourth, recovering from their ECU change in the previous hour.

WRC champion Sebastien Loeb finished his night stint in the other Pescarolo Sport, the number 17 car losing extra time in the pits when the French mechanics had to gaffer-tape damage to the rear wing.

Oliver Gavin's Covette briefly took over the GT1 lead during the pitstops, before the Aston Martin of Tomas Enge took control when Gavin let Olivier Beretta take the wheel.

Gavin said: "It is going to be close and like this all the way to the end. I need to get some sleep for the fight in the morning now."

LMP2 continued to be led by the Paul Belmondo Racing pair of Courages, with the #36 car of Adam Sharpe leading the #37 of Didier Andre by three laps. However the lead could change soon as Sharpe was pushed back into the pits as the hour ended.

The RML Lola of Warren Hughes briefly held second in the LMP2 class before it was wheeled into the pits with a clutch-based fluid leak. The car lost several minutes before ending the hour third in class.

Marc Lieb's seemingly bullet-proof Porsche RSR continued to dominate GT2, ahead of the White Lightning Porsche, now driven by Timo Bernhard.

Pos # Drivers Make Class On Hour 13
1 3 Lehto, Werner, Kristensen Audi R8 LM P1
2 2 Biela, Pirro, McNish Audi R8 LM P1
3 16 Collard, Boullion, Comas Pescarolo Judd LM P1
4 5 Michigami, Ara, Kaneishi Dome Mugen LM P1
5 4 Montagny, Gounon, Ortelli Audi R8 LM P1
6 9 Hignett, Stack, Kurosawa Zytek 04S LM P1
7 58 Enge, Kox, Lamy Aston Martin DBR9 LM GT1
8 7 Minassian, CampbellW., Wallace DBA Judd LM P1
9 64 Gavin, Beretta, Magnussen Corvette C6-R LM GT1
10 63 Fellows, O'Connell, Papis Corvette C6-R LM GT1
11 17 Loeb, Helary, Ayari Pescarolo Judd LM P1
12 59 Brabham, Sarrazin, Turner Aston Martin DBR9 LM GT1
13 18 Short, Barbosa, Ickx Dallara Judd LM P1
14 10 Lammers, Julian, Bosch Dome Judd LM P1
15 50 Goueslard, Dupard, Vosse Ferrari 550 Maranello LM GT1
16 12 Schwager, Frei, Vann Courage Judd LM P1
17 71 Hindery, Rockenfell., Lieb Porsche 911 GT3 RSR LM GT2
18 90 Bergmeist., Long, Bernhard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR LM GT2
19 61 Fomenko, Vasiliev, Bouchut Ferrari 550 Maranello LM GT1
20 76 Dumas, Dumez, Narac Porsche 911 GT3 RSR LM GT2
21 80 Overbeek, Pechnick, Neiman Porsche 911 GT3 RSR LM GT2
22 36 Gosselin, Ojjeh, Sharpe Courage C65 Ford LM P2
23 89 Nielsen, Thyrring, Ehret Porsche 911 GT3 RSR LM GT2
24 72 Policand, Campbell, Alphand Porsche 911 GT3 RS LM GT2
25 37 Belmondo, Andre, Sutherland Courage C65 Ford LM P2
26 25 Erdos, Newton, Hughes Lola MG LM P2
27 30 Bennett, Mitchell, Mullen Courage Judd LM P2
28 92 Macari, Eriksson, Wilson Ferrari 360 Mo. GTC LM GT2
29 91 Pompidou, Blanchema., Yamagishi Porsche 911 GT3 RS LM GT2
30 83 Collin, Felbermayr, Shep Porsche 911 GT3 RSR LM GT2
31 35 Hillebrand, Hahn, Pickering Courage C65 Judd LM P2
32 24 Terada, Roussel, Binnie WR Peugeot LM P2
33 95 Hartshorne, Stanton, Johnson TVR Tuscan 400 R LM GT2
34 78 Sellers, Franchitti, Bourdais Panoz Elan LM GT2
35 8 Verdon Roe, Krumm, Primat Dallara Nissan LM P1

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