RML Takes LMP2 Lead

RML has taken the lead of the LMP2 class, bouncing back from airlock trouble in the first hour of the race and then assorted problems through the night

Bruce Jones Jun 19, 2005, 7:23 AM

Tommy Erdos was at the wheel at 08:30 when they moved ahead of the #36 Paul Belmondo Racing Courage that was stranded in the pits having an overheating problem seen to.

Overheating could still be a factor that affects the RML Lola, but team boss Ray Mallock is quietly confident. "Yes, it is running with a higher water temperature than we'd have planned, but is seems to be under control. We lost five laps at around dawn with a problem with the clutch hydraulics, but the car has been going really well since then."

Mike Newton endured the worst fortune of the three drivers: "Yes, it was pretty scary in the night when we lost the electrics and I had no lights, which was more than a little scary down the Mulsanne Straight. Never have I been so glad of the company of other cars, so that I could use their headlights to light up the dark."

Newton will be taking over from Erdos just after 09:00 before handing over to Warren Hughes, who starred in the early hours of the morning.