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Hour 20: Eyes down for final four hours

Battle for the lead

The track has dried at the 69th Le Mans 24 hour race, the cars are back onto slick tyres and the sun even managed to peep through the clouds on the pit straight. Oh, and the Audis are in the lead.
As the endurance classic enters its final four hours, the teams are thinking of the finish line, but as the Bentley team boss Richard Lloyd said as the sun came up this morning, 'the hardest part of the race is from midday until the finish.'

Tom Kristensen continues in the lead Audi with Dane comfortably setting the pace lapping almost eight seconds faster than Rinaldo Capello in the number two car. The gap between the first and second cars is static at two laps and both Joest-run machines have moved onto hand-cut the slicks.

Andy Wallace is doing a sterling job in the Bentley and his 11 lap gap belies the Brit's pace as he is managing to hustle the EXP Speed 8 around the La Sarthe track within two seconds of the Audis.



What can we say: the ROC Reynard continues to lead LMP675 by a country mile, as does the Fellows/O'Connell/Pruett Corvette in GTS. The 'Vette's lead remains at six laps from the Borcheller/Gavin/Konrad Saleen S7R, which is holding station second in class.

There is more action in the GT class: the lead is now held by the Rosa/Babini/Drudi Porsche 911 GT3, which now leads the Jeannette/Dumas/Haezebroeck GT3 by one lap.


1 (900) F.Biela/T.Kristensen/E.Pirro, Audi R8, Joest Audi Sport, 270 laps
2 (900) R Capello/L Aiello/C Pescatori, Audi R8, Joest Audi Sport, + 3 laps
8 (GTP) A.Wallace/B.Leitzinger/E.Vande Poele, Bentley EXP Speed 8, Team Bentley, + 13 laps
16 (900) O.Beretta/K.Wendlinger/P.Lamy, Chrysler-Mopar LMP, Team Playstation, + 22 laps
17 (900) J C. Boullion/S.Bourdais/L.Redon, Courage-Peugeot C60, Pescarolo Sport, +23 laps
63 (GTS) R.Fellows/J.O'Connell/S.Pruett, Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, Corvette Racing, + 27 laps
38 (675) J.D. Deletraz/P.Farbe/J.Gene, Reynard-Lehmann 01Q ROC Competition, + 31 laps
14 (900) S.Ara/N.Amorim/M.Kondo, Chrysler-Mopar LMP, ORECA Chrysler, + 31 laps
6 (900) W.Taylor/M.Angelelli/C.Tinseau, Cadillac Northstar LMP, DAMS, + 32 laps
60 (GTS) T.Borcheller/O.Gavin/F.Konrad, Saleen-Ford S7R, Saleen-Allen Speedlab, +32 laps

Aiello/Capello, Audi R8, Team Joest Audi Sport, 3m39.046s

38 (675) J.D. Deletraz/P.Farbe/J.Gene
Reynard-Lehmann 01Q ROC Competition, +31 laps
63 (GTS) R.Fellows/J.O'Connell/S.Pruett,
Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, Corvette Racing, +26 laps
83 (GT) G Rosa/F Babini/L Drudi, Porsche 911
GT3-RS, Seikel Motorsport, +34 laps

I McKellar/B Lambert/J Mowlem, Saleen S7R, RML, engine
J Lammers/V Hillebrand/D Crevils, Dome-Judd, Racing for Holland, electrics
W Lupberger/B Collins/H Toivonen, Ascari, Team Ascari, engine
(900) Y.Dalmas/F.Montagny/S.Sarrazin, Chrysler-Mopar LMP, ORECA Chrysler, engine
B Mazzuccola/V Rice/C Wagner, Callaway Corvette, Aspen Knolls, engine
(675) D.de Radigues/S.Maassen/H.Matsuda, Reynard-Judd 01Q, Dick Barbour Racing, unknown
c Hurtgen/R Fairbanks/C Gleason, Lola Nissan, Roock-Knighthawk Racing, engine
K McGarrity/M Blundell/J Bailey, MG, MG Sport, engine
(900) K.Graf/J.Davies/G.Formato, Panoz LMP 07, Panoz Motorsports, engine
(900) D.Brabham/J.Magnussen/F.Lagorce, Panoz LMP 07, Panoz Motorsports, unknown
(900) J.Herbert/R.Kelleners/D.Theys, Audi R8, Champion Racing, engine
(900) J.Nielsen/H.Katoh/C.Elgaard, Dome-Judd S101, Den Bla Avis, engine
(GTS) V.Vosse/C.Rosenblad/V.Ickx, Chrysler Viper GTS-R Paul Belmondo Racing, accident
(GTP) M.Brundle/S.Ortelli/G.Smith, Bentley EXP Speed 8, Team Bentley, gearbox
(900) E.Collard/M.Goossens/E.Bernard, Cadillac Northstar LMP, DAMS, stopped
P Gache/A Beltoise/J Policand, Courage, SMG, accident
JC Lagnez/G De Galzain/A Kumpen, Chrysler Viper, Paul Belmondo Racing, accident
(900) S.Johansson/T.Coronel/P.Lemarie, Audi R8, Johansson Motorsport, accident damage
GT R Donovan/T Lingner/C MacAllister, Porsche 911 GT3, Racing Engineering, unknown
e Clerico/D Cottaz/B Derichebourg, Courage-Peugeot, Pescarolo Sport, disqualified
S Johansson/T Coronel/P Lemarie, Audi R8R, Johansson Motorsport, electrics
(675) A.Reid/W.Hughes/J.Kane, MG-Lola EX257, MG Sport, engine
(675) M.Duno/J.Graham/D.Murry, Reynard-Judd 01Q, Dick Barbour Racing, accident
(GTS) T.Seiler/W.Brun/C.Slater, Saleen-Ford S7R, Konrad Motorsport, accident
(GTS) D.Terrien/J.Cochet/J.P. Dayraut, Chrysler Viper GTS-R, Equipe de France FFSA, accident
(675) W.Carway/M.O'Connell/F.Migault, Pilbeam-Nissan MP84 Rowan Racing, accident


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