Le Mans 24: 2010

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Aston: Equal rules crucial to future

Aston Martin will give the go-ahead to its all-new Le Mans 24 Hours contender for next year only if it receives guarantees that there will be level playing field between diesel and petrol cars, this week's AUTOSPORT magazine reveals.

It has been working on a petrol-powered replacement for its current Lola-based LMP1 coupe since last summer. But David Richards, whose Prodrive outfit runs Aston Martin Racing, insists it will not return to the 24 Hours when new rules come into force for 2011 if it is "hindered in any way" against the diesels.

"We very much want to be there," he said. "We are working on a design study and above all we are working with [Le Mans rulemaker] the Automobile Club de l'Ouest to ensure that there is a true equivalence.

"As soon as we are given assurances that we will not be hindered in any way, we will make the decision to be at Le Mans next year.

"If there is a level playing field, we will be there."

Richards added that AMR had the finance in plan to build a new car and engine for 2011.

"We have the resources to do it," he said. "We can't procure the same level of finance as Peugeot and Audi, but we can be more efficient."

Autosport

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24 Hours of Le Mans 2010 – LMP1 Diesel Preview

Despite the new regulations for this year the races in which the diesel powered cars competed clearly showed that they are still way ahead of the petrol cars. At this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans we will see nine diesel cars in action in the LMP1 category, on a total of eighteen LMP1 cars. Time for a preview on the LMP1 diesels entered this year.



Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
(#1 and #2 Team Peugeot Total, #3 Peugeot Sport Total, #4 Team ORECA Matmut)

Peugeot will be back at Le Mans for the last time with the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. After finally winning at Le Mans last year the French manufacturer is aiming to repeat that victory this year.

Back to defend their 2009 crown are Alexander Wurz and Marc Gené. None other than Anthony Davidson will join the Austrian and Spaniard in the #1 Team Peugeot Total car. Davidson raced for Aston Martin Racing last year, but with David Brabham not available for Peugeot at Le Mans the Briton has joined the French team.

The #2 Team Peugeot Total will be the favorite among the French fans. Nicolas Minassian, Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazin will race together in the #2 car and it seems certain that this car will be the one to beat in qualifying, with Sarrazin claiming three consecutive pole positions in 2007-2009.

Sébastien Bourdais, Simon Pagenaud and Pedro Lamy form the crew of the #3 Peugeot Sport Total Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. Despite having the #3 this car won the only direct confrontation between Peugeot and Audi at Spa-Francorchamps last month and should also be seen as one of the candidates for victory.

The fourth and final Peugeot 908 HDi FAP on the Le Mans grid is the Team ORECA Matmut car of Olivier Panis, Nicolas Lapierre and Loïc Duval. At Paul Ricard the #4 car qualified ahead of the new Audi R15 TDI, but despite being able to go as quick as the factory cars over a single lap it remains to be seen if the ORECA car can keep up with them over a 24 Hours race distance. However if there is a customer team that could upset the works teams it will be ORECA.



Audi R15 TDI
(#7 and #8 Audi Sport Team Joest, #9 Audi Sport North America)

After losing out to Peugeot in the 2009 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Audi is back at the Circuit de la Sarthe to reclaim ‘their’ prize. After a win straight out of the box at Paul Ricard back in April the Audi’s had more difficulties with the Peugeots at Spa in the dress rehearsal for Le Mans, but as Le Mans is something completely different it is hard to say what the gap between Audi and Peugeot is.

Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich has again opted for the combination of Tom Kristensen, Dindo Capello and Allan McNish in the lead Audi, the #7 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI. Three incredibly experienced drivers that need no introduction. At Spa-Francorchamps the #7 car was the best Audi, finishing in third place, but still only 1.5 minutes behind the winning Peugeot.

Audi R15 newcomers Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer will drive the #8 Audi Sport Team Joest car at Le Mans. Despite a false start at Spa, where Lotterer went off on the warm-up lap, the three drivers are all ready for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours and hope not to disappoint their boss. Lotterer impressed in the Kolles Audi back in 2009, while Fässler and Treluyer both have lots of experience in various cars, Treluyer knowing the Peugeot after taking part in the Pescarolo Peugeot last year…before destroying it.

The #9 car will have Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Bernhard and Romains Dumas behind the wheel. Rockenfeller is more than likely focused on a (decent) finish at Le Mans, while Porsche drivers Bernhard and Dumas are equally quick. This car is probably the second best Audi car this year, behind the #7.
Asian LMS - Kolles - Okayama - Marcel ten Caat




Audi R10 TDI
(#14 and #15 Kolles)

The final two diesel engined cars are the two Audi R10 TDI cars that are entered under the Kolles banner. Last year a great run by Andre Lotterer and Charles Zwolsman jr meant their car finished seventh overall, while the car driven by Bakkerud, Albers and Mondini finished in ninth place.

For 2010 only two names have been retained by Kolles. Dutchman Christijan Albers has signed with Kolles and will be joined by American Scott Tucker and Manu Rodrigues, while Christian Bakkerud will be joined by Audi DTM factory driver Oliver Jarvis, who sampled the car last year in Okayama and French veteran and former Le Mans winner Christophe Bouchut.
Even though Kolles was listed as a full season entry for the 2010 Le Mans Series the team did not race yet this year and only completed a test session at the Paul Ricard circuit last week. The #14 car will probably struggle with a couple of drivers who have never raced an LMP1 car, while the #15 car could get a decent result, if Bouchut can work together with Jarvis and Bakkerud.

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24 Hours of Le Mans 2010 – LMP1 Petrol Preview

As mentioned in our LMP1 Diesel preview there are 18 LMP1 cars entered for the 78th 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nine of them are petrol powered; here is a look at who’s racing in France in just over a week from now.




Lola Coupe
(#11 Drayson Racing, #12 and #13 REBELLION Racing)

Three Lola Coupes will be racing at Le Mans this year, two for REBELLION Racing and one for Drayson Racing.

REBELLION Racing will enter one with a young crew and one with a very experienced one. The #13 Lola Coupe will probably be the best of the two Swiss Lola’s. Team owner Alex Pesci contracted French ace Jean-Christophe Bouillon to join Andrea Belicchi and former Le Mans winner Guy Smith will join the two in France. The result is perhaps the strongest line-up in the LMP1 petrol sub-class. In the team’s second car we will see LMS-regulars Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost being joined by IndyCar driver Marco Andretti. Andretti did take part in the pre-season tests at Le Mans, but it remains to be seen what he can do when it comes to racing at Le Mans.
The third Lola Coupe will be run by Drayson Racing. After falling just short of their objective of finishing in 2009 with the Aston Martin Vantage the team is back this year with an LMP1 Lola. Paul Drayson and Jonny Cocker will have Italian ace Emanuele Pirro in the car at Le Mans. Cocker and Pirro will be quick and if Drayson is at his best in France this team will have the chance to shine!

LMS - Aston Martin Racing - Paul Ricard - Milo Kol



Lola Aston Martin
(#008 Signature Plus, #007 and #009 Aston Martin Racing)

Last year the Lola Aston Martin was fourth overall at Le Mans, best of the petrol fuelled cars. Unfortunately for this year the chances of finishing fourth have been reduced. While the team was a full factory effort last year Aston Martin Racing has signed several gentlemen drivers this year, while works drivers have been placed in GT1. The #007 car is probably the best car with Stefan Mücke joining Harold Primat and Adrian Fernandez. The three drivers raced together at Sebring where they finished in third place. The second works entry is will have Aston Martin factory driver Darren Turner joined by Juan Barazi and Sam Hancock. A line up that is not too bad, but not stellar either.
The third Lola Aston Martin is the #008 Signature Plus car. Despite receiving full factory backing it has so far not been near the performance of the works cars (or any of the LMP1s). But Le Mans is something else so perhaps Franck Mailleux, Pierre Ragues and Vanina Ickx can proof us wrong.

LMS - AIM Team Oreca - Paul Ricard - Marcel ten Caat




Oreca 01
(#6 AIM Team ORECA)

At the end of the 2009 season the Oreca 01 AIM was the quickest petrol car and it won the Le Mans Series race at Silverstone. Unfortunately for the petrol fans Hugues de Chaunac and his team decided to fully focus on running a Peugeot 908 HDi FAP and the Oreca 01 AIM program was tuned down. At the opening round of the LMS one car ran, but at Spa the car was missing. At Le Mans the #6 car will have experienced Soheil Ayari teaming up with Didier André and Briton Andy Meyrick. Even though they are still quick it remains to be seen if they can beat the Lola cars in the

LMP1 category for the best non-diesel car.

Ginetta-Zytek Z09R
(#5 Beechdean Mansell Motorsport)

Beechdean Mansell Motorsport was only created just before the 2010 season with the focus on former F1 World Champion Nigel Mansell and his two sons Leo and Greg racing together at Le Mans. The team suffered problems at the opening LMS round and decided to skip the Spa 1000KM in favor of private testing. For Nigel and Greg it will be their Le Mans debut, while Leo competed there last year in a GT2 Ferrari. Even though the team reported testing went well and the updates on the car should work finishing Le Mans should be considered as a victory.

Lola B06/10
(#19 Autocon Motorsports)

We end our LMP1 preview with the Autocon Motorsports Lola B06/10 of Michael Lewis, Tony Burgess and Bryan Willman. The American team is back at Le Mans after a DNF in 2008 with the Creation CA07. Since then the team has used their ex-Chamberlain-Synergy Lola, which already raced at Le Mans. Don’t expect this car to shine, but a finish should be possible.

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24 Hours of Le Mans 2010 – LMP2 Preview

The LMP2 category at the 78th 24 Hours of Le Mans will see twelve cars battling for the class victory, three more than the nine cars that were initially invited. Seven manufacturers will be entering the LMP2 category at Le Mans, with a total of eight different types of chassis running in the race.



HPD ARX-01c
(#26 Highcroft Racing and #42 Strakka Racing)

The HPD ARX-01c will make its debut at Le Mans this year and there is no doubt about it that this car is the top favorite for the LMP2 class victory on June 13. Current American Le Mans Series champion Highcroft Racing is one of the two teams entering the ARX-01c this year. Their number 1 driver will be 2009 Le Mans overall winner David Brabham. Scotsman Marino Franchitti and three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner from Germany will join the Australian. The trio will be the team to beat in LMP2.

The second HPD ARX-01c will be run by Strakka Racing, the British team already showing the capabilities of the car in the first two races of the Le Mans Series. At Spa the #42 car blasted away the opposition by lapping a few seconds per lap quicker than any of its rivals. Danny Watts and Jonny Kane are top drivers who should be able to to challenge the Highcroft drivers. Nick Leventis, the third man on the car, will have to do his best to keep up with his two teammates.

LMS - Quifel-ASM Team - Spa-Francorchamps - Gerlach Delissen



Ginetta-Zytek
(#40 Quifel-ASM Team, #41 Team Bruichladdich)

Two Ginetta-Zyteks will be competing at Le Mans. 2009 Le Mans Series champion Quifel-ASM Team is hoping to repeat its 1000 KM of Spa win in France, but being one of the top favorites last year the team already retired after completing just 46 laps into the 77th 24 Hours of Le Mans. This season did not start the way the Portuguese had planned, due to new bodywork not working the way it should have worked. At Le Mans however Olivier Pla will do his best to be the top French driver in LMP2 and has already shown he is very quick in the Zytek. The very experienced Warren Hughes and ‘gentleman driver’ Miguel Amaral will join Pla again at Le Mans. Amaral and Pla won the 2009 LMS title together, so there is no question about their pace. The only question remaining is can they beat the ARX-01c.

Team Bruichladdich is entering the second Ginetta-Zytek. Tim Greaves and Karim Ojjeh will drive the white and red liveried #41 Zytek. Greaves and Ojjeh were set to join by young Norwegian driver Thor-Christian Ebbesvik, but a big shunt during the Spa 1000 KM means Ebbesvik will miss Le Mans. At Le Mans Gary Chalandon will take his seat. Chalandon races in the Formula Le Mans class of the Le Mans Series and already sampled the car in pre-season testing at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit.

LMS - OAK Racing - Spa - Gerlach Delissen



Pescarolo 01
(#24 and #35 OAK Racing)

After a season with the troubled Mazda engine OAK Racing has switched to Judd. The results were fine so far this season and as a result the French team, which will be the only team running Pescarolo cars at Le Mans, is currently second and fourth in the Le Mans Series. In both 2008 and 2009 OAK Racing finished third in LMP2 at Le Mans and the team aimed for an improvement of that position this year. In order to achieve their aims OAK Racing has signed Czech driver Jan Charouz to race in the #35 OAK Racing Pescarolo 01 Judd, which he will co-drive with French drivers Matthieu Lahaye and Guillaume Moreau. Should LMP2 again see a high attrition rate this year this car should be reliable enough to take a decent finish. The second car, the #24, will have Jacques Nicolet, Richard Hein and Jean-Francois Yvon, who already raced at Le Mans in the ‘80s.

LMS - RML - Spa-Francorchamps - Gerlach Delissen



Lola Coupe
(#25 RML, #29 Racing Box)

Lola is the manufacturer with most cars racing at Le Mans this year and two of those cars will be Lola LMP2 coupes. RML is the most experienced Lola team in LMP2, with Mike Newton, Tommy Erdos and Andy Wallace. After a disastrous year in 2009 with a Mazda engine breaking down on almost every race the team has switched to a new power plant, the HPD LM-V8. So far this change has been very positive, considering the fact that RML is currently leading the LMP2 category in the Le Mans Series.

Racing Box will enter the second Lola coupe in LMP2. Even though the Lola is great Racing Box always seems to miss out on a perfect result. Last year started well but ended in disappointment and this year the team decided to run both cars on different tyres and had different driver line-ups in the races as well. For Le Mans though they seem to race on Dunlops, even though the official entry list still says Pirelli. Luca Pirri, Marco Cioci and Piergiuseppe Perazzini will be driving the #29 car.

Lola B07/46
(#39 KSM)

Kai Kruse’s team was disappointed not to be selected immediately for Le Mans, but the withdrawal of several teams meant the Automobile Club de l’Ouest was able to invite the KSM Lola to Le Mans during the 1000 KM of Spa weekend last month. The #39 Lola B07/46 Judd, an old car compared to the Lola coupes, will run a Judd engine this year instead of the Mazda engine they ran in 2009. Both in 2008 and 2009 KSM suffered an enormous accident at the Dunlop Chicane (leaving the mechanics with a lot of work) and in 2009 their race came to an end when the Mazda engine expired, setting the car on fire. With the Judd engine one problem is probably solved, now if only the car can stay on the track during qualifying.

Radical SR9
(#28 Race Performance)

A last minute invitation will see the Radical SR9 return to Le Mans. Initially not invited the team was only called up last week when the Automobile Club de l’Ouest announced it would use a 56th pit box. Pierre Bruneau and Marc Rostan know each other, Le Mans and the car well, while Ralph Meichtry is a newcomer. For this team running at Le Mans can probably be seen as a victory, a finish would be something special.

WR Zytek
(#37 Gerard Welter)

After years of not being accepted the WR Zytek is on the list for 2010. At Paul Ricard the car was quite quick but did not finish the race and at Spa it did not race. Hopefully for Philipe and Stéphane Salini and Tristan Gommendy the car will be more reliable at Le Mans, in that case it might still be racing when the chequered flag comes out on Sunday afternoon.

Norma M200
(#38 Pegasus Racing)

A brand new car making its race debut at Le Mans, the Norma M200. Moving up from VdeV in 2009 the team raced its old Courage LC75 up until the 1000 KM of Spa last month. Their new challenger was completed only a few weeks ago and Le Mans can therefore be seen as one big test session for the French squad, a rather tough test session.

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Highcroft ready for Le Mans debut

After several seasons as a dominant force in prototype competition in the American Le Mans Series, Highcroft Racing is set to make its overseas debut at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Originally a surprise selection as one of the original factory teams for Acura in LMP2 competition, Highcroft Racing went on to score the most points of any Acura squad in three consecutive seasons.

The team also scored the brand its first overall victory and first LMP1 championship in 2009 after a great season-long battle with rivals de Ferran Motorsport.

For 2010, those performances have continued under the Honda Performance Development banner with Highcroft leading the newly combined LMP1/LMP2 points championship in the ALMS after three rounds and scoring consecutive victories at Long Beach and Laguna Seca.

2009 Le Mans winner David Brabham heads a stunning driver line-up which also includes team regular Marino Franchitti and Le Mans specialist, Marco Werner.

Brabham, the popular British-based Australian has his sights set on a fourth consecutive victory at Le Mans. He triumphed in GT1 competition for Aston Martin in 2007 and 2008 and last year earned his first overall victory driving for Peugeot.

His remarkable speed and consistency has continued since last year, the Highcroft star clinching his first American Le Mans Series championship last October and charging into the 2010 championship lead this season after wins at Long Beach and Laguna Seca.

New Highcroft signing Marino Franchitti will contest Le Mans in prototype machinery for the first time. The talented Scot has already proven to be extremely fast in 2010 – taking the LMP2 class pole at Sebring and anchoring the team’s Laguna Seca victory. He has two previous starts at La Sarthe in GT machinery but is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to drive the official factory-backed HPD ARX-01c at Le Mans.

Marco Werner will make his debut for the team after a stellar career at Audi which netted him three overall Le Mans victories. The German drove the HPD for the first time in testing after the ALMS season-opener at Sebring and last week joined Brabham and Franchitti on board the Wirth Research simulator in the UK.

ALMS team regular Simon Pagenaud will suit up for Peugeot in the LMP1 class at Le Mans this year – hoping to emulate his Highcroft teammate Brabham’s overall victory from 2009.

While team owner Duncan Dayton has previously contested the 24 Hours of Le Mans on four occasions, this year’s Le Mans assault is the first overseas race for the Highcroft team which originally entered ALMS competition in 2006.

The team has established its championship-winning caliber in the US, but now the Danbury, Connecticut-based squad is eagerly awaiting its first opportunity to take on the biggest and most famous endurance race in the world.

Planetlemans

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24 Hours of Le Mans: A new starting ceremony!

56 drivers will cross the track and get into their cars at 14h15 on Saturday at the start of the 78th Le Mans 24 Hours. The tradition of the herringbone start adapted to modern requirement will make its great comeback to Le Mans, and will be one of the highlights of this exceptional event.

The ACO will enable the crowd at the 78th Le Mans 24 Hours to relive the herringbone start. It is one of the symbols of this great race and was also called the Le Mans-type start when it was used from 1925 until 1969. It will be a prelude to the real flying start for the cars at 15h00 on Saturday.

The details:

After the official photo on 12th June at 13h55, the 168 drivers will line up per crew opposite their car parked in herringbone style according to the starting order. The driver nominated to take the start at 15h00 will be in full racing kit with his two team-mates in their overalls by his side.
The winner’s trophy returned by Peugeot will arrive at the top of the pits straight at 14h05. As it passes by, the two team-mates of each driver taking the start will join the mechanics behind their respective cars.

Once the trophy has been given to President Jean-Claude Plassart the tension will rise a few notches, and the drivers lined up along the white line will be ready to cross the track.

The Clerk of the Course will give them the signal at 14h15. They will cross the track, and will have 7 minutes to get properly installed and belted up in their car with the help of their mechanics. At 14h22, the Clerk of the Course will give the green light successively to each car, which can go though the pit line until 14h37.

The cars will then line up on the grid for the flying start. The passage of the French Patrol (aerobatics) will be the signal to begin the formation lap before the flag falls at 15h00!

Planetlemans

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24 Hours of Le Mans 2010 – LM GT2 Preview

Part 5 of our Le Mans preview leads us to the GT2 category. GT2 is stronger than ever before and will see eighteen cars with top drivers racing each other. Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Jaguar, Porsche and Spyker will all be racing at Le Mans this year in GT2, so we’re in for a thriller.

LMS - JMW Motorsport - Paul Ricard - Marcel ten Caat



Aston Martin Vantage
(#92 JMW Motorsport)

The Vantage made its debut last year with Drayson Racing, but the sole Vantage GT2 is now run by none other than JMW Motorsport. In the first two Le Mans Series races Darren Turner and Rob Bell showed the car is quick, but still lacks some reliability. As Darren Turner is unavailable for Le Mans Rob Bell will be joined by Tim Sugden and American Bryce Miller. The American has not raced the Vantage before, nor has he raced at Le Mans. Realistically the JMW team should hope for a finish, as that would be the first time for the Vantage. A decent finish will only be a bonus given the reliability so far.




BMW M3 GT2
(#78 and #79 BMW Motorsport)

After long debates at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest the BMW M3 GT2 was homologated and invited to Le Mans. The car, albeit in in IMSA-spec, won the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring last month and was very quick in top speeds in the two Le Mans Series races this season.

LMS - BMW Team Schnitzer - Paul Ricard - Marcel ten Caat

The German manufacturer is taking its return to Le Mans, the last time was in 1999, very serious and that is why Team Schnitzer is running the operation.
The #78 car will be driven by Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus and Uwe Alzen, while the #79 will have more top drivers, Andy Priaulx, Dirk Müller and Dirk Werner.
To honour the 1979 BMW Art Car the #79 will run a special livery, one that will not be missed easily. It’s hard to say where the BMW’s will finish, but our guess is that they will be battling for the class win.



Corvette C6.R GT2
(#63 and #64 Corvette Racing)

A new era has begun for Corvette Racing. After years of victories in the GT1 category the American squad has moved to GT2, where they will have more competition. Both cars will have top driver line-ups; the #63 will be driven by Jan Magnussen, Johnny O’Connell and Antonio Garcia, while the #64 will have Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Emmanuel Collard, the 2009 LMP2 winner. The new GT2 Corvette has already shown it is capable of winning a race and with the right strategy it might do just that at Le Mans. But 24 hours is a long period of time…



Ferrari F430 GT2
(#82 and #83 Risi Competizione, #89 Hankook Team Farnbacher, #95 and #96 AF Corse)

Five Ferrari F430 GT2s will be racing at Le Mans this year and they all have quick and/or experienced drivers onboard.
Risi Competizione for example will bring its two cars to La Sarthe. The #82 will undoubtedly have the quickest line-up at Le Mans. Jaime Melo, Gianmaria Bruni and Pierre Kaffer will try to win Le Mans for the third time in a row for Risi Competizione. Easy to say this car is the one to beat.
The second Risi car will be driven by Tracey Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Eric van de Poele. Even though their names are not as stellar as some of the names in other cars the bright green Ferrari managed to end on the podium several times already.
LM24 - Risi Competizione - Le Mans

Another two-car team is AF Corse. Initially planned to race one Ferrari the withdrawal of the Peka Racing Corvette last month meant their second car was in as well. As a result three former F1 drivers will race for them at Le Mans, even though their top drivers from the LMS will race for Risi. In the #95 Ferrari experienced GT2 driver Toni Vilander will be joined by Giancarlo Fisichella and Jean Alesi, while Vilanders compatriot Mika Salo will join Luis Perez Companc and Matias Russo in the #96 Ferrari. Even though the AF Corse crews might not have the GT2 and/or Le Mans experience that their colleagues over at Risi Competizione have, both crews are set to fight for podium spots.

The fifth Ferrari is the Hankook-shod Farnbacher car. Most recently the car finished second at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, but in the Le Mans Series it has been drama so far. Team regulars Dominik Farnbacher and Allan Simonsen will team up with Leh Keen for Le Mans. For Hankook Team Farnbacher much will depend on the race conditions and staying out of trouble (and away from other cars!)
ALMS - RSR Jaguar - Sebring - Marcel ten Caat



Jaguar XKRS
(#81 RSR Jaguar)

What can we say about this one. For the first time since the Jaguar XJ220 in 1995 there is a Jaguar racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Unfortunately so far the team has had some rather poor performances in the American Le Mans Series. Even though the team tested a lot in recent weeks and the performance at Laguna Seca was much better, the car still lacks speed and reliability. It remains to be seen what Ryan Dalziel, Paul Gentilozzi and Marc Goossens can do with this car at Le Mans. A finish can be regarded as a victory for the team.



Porsche 997 GT3 RSR
(#75 Prospeed, #76 IMSA Performance, #77 and #88 Felbermayr-Proton, #80 Flying Lizards, #97 BMS Scuderia Italia)

One third of the GT2 field will be racing a Porsche. Five teams will enter six 997 GT3 RSRs and they all hope for a better result than last year when the Porsche teams were blown away by Ferari.
The top entry for the manufacturer from Weissach will be the #77 Team Felbermayr Proton car. Driven by factory drivers Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz and Wolf Henzler they are the favorite among the Porsche teams. Even though Ferrari will be considered top favorite, this car (if it doesn’t have any bad luck) will be right in there for the win.
The second Felbermayr car (#Eighty- eight) can not be regarded as a candidate for the race win, considering it has Horst Felbermayr Jr and Sr onboard joined by Miro Konopka.
LMS - Team Felbermayr-Proton - Spa - Gerlach Delissen

Another contender will probably be the BMS Scuderia Italia car. A top line-up was announced for the Italian car, with Richard Westbrook and Marco Holzer joined by Audi factory driver Timo Scheider. As a result BMS Scuderia Italia should now be able to fight for a repeat of last year’s second place.

IMSA Performance Matmut will enter one car for Raymond Narac, Patrick Pilet and Patrick Long. Even though the line-up is strong the team has not been able to repeat its 2007 form recently. If they get it right they will battle for victory, if not…they’ll be battling for a mid-field position.

ProSpeed Competition’s Porsche will have three gentlemen drivers onboard. Dutchmen Paul van Splunteren and Niek Hommerson and Belgian Louis Machiels will all start their very first Le Mans 24 Hours. The trio raced together at the Spa 24 Hours last year and finished ahead of the works cars, hence their invitation to race the car again. But looking at the strength of the GT2 field there is no doubt this car will not be in it for the top positions.

And finally the Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche #80. Americans Seth Neiman and Darren Law will be joined by Jörg Bergmeister in France. Not the strongest line-up possible, but certainly an experience one. We don’t rate this car as an outright candidate for victory, far from it. But should it it stay out of trouble it could do well.
LM24 - Spyker Squadron - Le Mans



Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R
(#85 Spyker Squadron)

For a while it seemed as if Spyker Squadron was set to get two cars into the race. But in the end they decided to focus on one car, which is probably the best decision given the circumstances. Last year the little Spyker finished in fifth place, in between the Ferrari’s, after a steady run.
For this year Spyker Squadron will have one of the best available line-ups in the GT2 category with Peter Dumbreck, Tom Coronel and Jeroen Bleekemolen. Knowing that the Laviolette GT2R usually gets better as the race progresses and that it has had a troublefree season so far it wouldn’t surprise us if they finish right up there again.
At Le Mans the Spyker will be running its blue and yellow livery again and not the black and red livery it uses in the Le Mans Series.

That’s the end of our preview into the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2010. We expect to see fights in every class with the main focus on the battle between Audi and Peugeot at the front and the battle in GT2 further down the field.

Planetlemans is ready for Le Mans…

Planetlemans

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[Plex]

McNish: Audi 'surprised' by Peugeot pace

Defending Le Mans 24 Hours race-winner Allan McNish admits that Audi was 'surprised' by arch-rival Peugeot's scintillating pace during opening qualifying - but he insists the gap is not as great as it appeared
Allan McNish admitted to having been taken somewhat by 'surprise' by the sheer pace of the Peugeot quartet during the opening qualifying session for this weekend's 78th edition of the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours round-the-clock classic – but he insisted Audi is 'a bit quicker than what we showed'.

McNish and team-mates Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo 'Dindo' Capello wound up just seventh-quickest on Wednesday evening around the legendary 13.6km La Sarthe circuit in France, but the trio were almost a full five seconds adrift of the provisional pole-setting Peugeot of Stéphane Sarrazin, Nicolas Minassian and Franck Montagny – 4.2 seconds more than the gap in 2009, although the deficit was actually greater still in 2008, when the Ingolstadt manufacturer outfoxed and outlasted its French rival to win the race.

This time, however, the Audi 'dream team' were the slowest of the three Audi R15 Plus TDis in attendance, and even if two-time Le Mans winner McNish pointed to traffic caused by a larger-than-usual number of rookies in 2010 as having been an issue, the Scot conceded that Peugeot had pulled something pretty special out of the bag on home turf with its 908 HDi FAPs.

“The traffic is pretty bad for some reason at the moment – there may be a lot of new drivers or something,” the 40-year-old defending race-winner told Crash.net, “and unfortunately, two Astons decided to slow down in the middle of the Porsche Curves, which was a little frustrating.

“Generally, from our point-of-view it was a bit of a surprise to see the Peugeots going so fast. We didn't expect that kind of lap time from them, considering the regulation changes and everything else, so they've obviously done a good job, or alternatively focussed very heavily on qualifying. From our side, we're working quite hard to try and get a race set-up instead of thinking about qualifying, but we are a bit quicker than what we showed there.”

Crash-Net

[Plex]

Bourdais fastest in first qualifying

Peugeot's Sebastien Bourdais broke the 3m20s barrier to dominate a frantic qualifying session in which 40 minutes of the two hours were lost to stoppages.

The Peugeots went all-out to dominate the front of the grid from the very beginning of the qualifying session. Nicolas Lapierre went quickest in the ORECA Peugeot (3m21.192s) but was so light on fuel that he encountered fuel pick-up problems on his in-lap and stopped at Arnage.

Sarrazin got airborne in the #2 908 at Tertre Rouge, spoiling his attempt to match Lapierre's time, and Bourdais also missed it by a tenth of a second. The session then came to a halt because the #88 Felbermayr Porsche had spun and obstructed the track on the run up to Indianapolis.

The ORECA car remained marooned out on the circuit for the rest of the session, although Lapierre's time stood for another hour. When the session restarted after a second stoppage, the remaining Peugeots began a charge - running almost in formation and followed by the factory Audis.

All three works Peugeots beat the ORECA's time - Bourdais led with a 3m19.711s, then turned down the wick, repeatedly setting fastest times in the first sector then backing off.

"I had a scary moment at the Ford chicane on my fast lap," said Bourdais. "It was very quick."

Alexander Wurz aborted a hot lap at the end of the session and was second fastest in the #1 908, followed by Sarrazin in the #2 car.

Audi had no answer to Peugeot's pace. The #9 Rockenfeller/Dumas/Bernhard R15 Plus was the fastest, but its time of 3m23.578s was 3.867s off the quickest Peugeot, good enough for fifth ahead of the #8 (Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer) and #7 (McNish/Kristensen/Capello).

"With that sort of a gap, we're not in a position to fight for pole," said McNish.

The #007, #009 and #008 Aston Martins were the fastest petrol-powered LMP1s, ending the session eighth, ninth and 10th, ahead of the #6 ORECA.

After some impressive laps in practice, Rebellion Racing had a more muted showing. The #12 Lola missed qualifying while the team examined the extent of some cracks in the front suspension mounts, though none of the drivers confessed to causing the damage.

HPD chassis continued to dominate LMP2. Jonny Kane set the first benchmark time (3m36.168s) for Strakka Racing, just ahead of David Brabham in the Highcroft entry (3m37.202s). Brabham emerged in the final 15 minutes of the session, hotly pursued by Danny Watts in the Strakka car, but neither driver improved their car's qualifying time.

The trio of Tomas Enge, Cristoffer Nygaard and Peter Kox maintained a comfortable margin ahead of their GT1 rivals in the #52 Aston Martin DBR9, setting a time of 3m55.025s early in the session. It was good enough to stand throughout, ending 2.271s ahead of the repaired #60 Ford GT of Mutsch/Grosjean/Hirschi.

In GT2, Gianmaria Bruni made the early running in the #82 Risi Competizione Ferrari 430 (3m59.233s) but a transmission glitch caused the car to start crabbing and it was sidelined for much of the session while mechanics investigated.

"I changed gear on the straight and I think something on the diff was out so the car is pushing on one side," said Bruni. "But I'm pleased because we worked hard to find a good set-up on the car in the practice session this afternoon and now it is very good."

Another Ferrari frontrunner, AF Corse, also hit trouble when Matias Russo crashed the #96 car at the Porsche Curves, causing the second red flag.

A banzai final effort by Antonio Garcia in the #63 Corvette failed to better the car's earlier time and it ended 0.864s behind the #82 Risi Ferrari. The #64 Corvette was third fastest.

Pos Driver Cls Car Time Gap
1. Lamy/Bourdais/Pagenaud P1 Peugeot 908 3:19.711
2. Wurz/Davidson/Gene P1 Peugeot 908 3:20.317 +0.606
3. Montagny/Sarrazin/Minassian P1 Peugeot 908 3:20.325 +0.614
4. Panis/Lapierre/Duval P1 ORECA Peugeot 908 3:21.192 +1.481
5. Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller P1 Audi R15 3:23.578 +3.867
6. Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer P1 Audi R15 3:24.430 +4.719
7. Kristensen/McNish/Capello P1 Audi R15 3:24.688 +4.977
8. Mucke/Fernandez/Primat P1 Lola-Aston Martin 3:26.680 +6.969
9. Turner/Hancock/Barazi P1 Lola-Aston Martin 3:26.747 +7.036
10. Mailleux/Ragues/Ickx P1 Signature Aston 3:29.774 +10.063
11. Ayari/Andre/Meyrick P1 ORECA 01-AIM 3:30.056 +10.345
12. Bouchut/Tucker/Rodrigues P1 Kolles Audi R10 3:30.907 +11.196
13. Jarvis/Albers/Bakkerud P1 Kolles Audi R10 3:31.661 +11.950
14. Watts/Kane/Leventis P2 Strakka HPD ARX-01 3:36.168 +16.457
15. Pirro/Cocker/Drayson P1 Drayson Lola 3:36.634 +16.923
16. Mansell/Mansell/Mansell P1 Beechdean Ginetta 3:36.897 +17.186
17. Brabham/Franchitti/Werner P2 Highcroft HPD 3:37.202 +17.491
18. Hughes/Amaral/Pla P2 ASM Ginetta-Zytek 3:41.968 +22.257
19. Moreau/Charouz/Lahaye P2 Oak Pescarolo 3:42.399 +22.688
20. Belicchi/Boullion/Smith P1 Rebellion Lola 3:44.101 +24.390
21. Erdos/Newton/Wallace P2 RML Lola HPD 3:44.598 +24.887
22. Pirri/Cioci/Perrazzini P2 Racing Box Lola 3:51.065 +31.354
23. Hein/Nicolet/Yvon P2 Oak Pescarolo 3:52.730 +33.019
24. Noda/Pourtales/Kennard P2 KSM Lola-Judd 3:52.972 +33.261
25. Enge/Nygaard/Kox GT1 YD Aston 3:55.025 +35.314
26. Greaves/Ojjeh/Chalandon P2 Bruichladdich 3:55.680 +35.969
27. Salini/Salini/Gommendy P2 WR/Salini WR 3:55.818 +36.107
28. Grosjean/Mutsch/Hirschi GT1 Matech Ford GT 3:57.296 +37.585
29. Jousse/Gouselard/Massen GT1 Alphand Corvette 3:58.810 +39.099
30. Policand/Gregoire/Hart GT1 Alphand Corvette 3:58.906 +39.195
31. Bruni/Melo/Kaffer GT2 Risi Ferrari 3:59.233 +39.522
32. Rostan/Meichtry/Bruneau P2 Race Perf Radical 3:59.361 +39.650
33. O'Connell/Magnussen/Garcia GT2 Corvette 4:00.097 +40.386
34. Leinders/Palttala/de Doncker GT1 Marc VDS Ford GT 4:00.325 +40.614
35. Lewis/Burgess/Willman P1 Autocon Lola-AER 4:00.646 +40.935
36. Gavin/Beretta/Collard GT2 Corvette 4:01.012 +41.301
37. Pilet/Narac/Long GT2 IMSA Porsche 4:01.755 +42.044
38. Lieb/Lietz/Henzler GT2 Felbermayr Porsche 4:02.001 +42.290
39. Alesi/Fisichella/Vilander GT2 AF Corse Ferrari 4:02.492 +42.781
40. Salo/Russo/Companc GT2 AF Corse Ferrari 4:02.615 +42.904
41. Gardel/Berville/Canal GT1 Larbre Saleen 4:03.175 +43.464
42. Schell/da Rocha/Zollinger P2 Pegasus Norma 4:03.784 +44.073
43. Farnbacher/Simonsen/Keen GT2 Hankook Ferrari 4:03.886 +44.175
44. Krohn/Jonsson/van de Poele GT2 Risi Ferrari 4:03.959 +44.248
45. Farfus/J Muller/Alzen GT2 BMW M3 4:04.986 +45.275
46. Priaulx/D Muller/Werner GT2 BMW M3 4:05.851 +46.140
47. Westbrook/Scheider/Holzer GT2 BMS Porsche 4:06.278 +46.567
48. Bell/Sugden/Miller GT2 JMW Aston Martin 4:06.391 +46.680
49. Coronel/Dumbreck/Bleekemolen GT2 Spyker 4:06.997 +47.286
50. Bergmeister/Law/Neiman GT2 Fl. Lizard Porsche 4:08.315 +48.604
51. Felbermayr/Felbermayr/Konopka GT2 Felbermayr Porsche 4:10.054 +50.343
52. Allemann/Gachnang/Frey GT1 Matech Ford GT 4:11.566 +51.855
53. Yogo/Iiri/Yamanishi GT1 JLOC Lamborghini 4:13.368 +53.657
54. Goossens/Dalziel/Gentilozzi GT2 Jaguar XKR 4:13.537 +53.826
55. v.Splunteren/Hommerson/MachielGT2 Prospeed Porsche 4:14.578 +54.867
56. Jani/Andretti/Prost P1 Rebellion Lola no time

Autosport

[Plex]

Brabham happy with Le Mans start

David Brabham declared himself happy with Highcroft Racing's start to the Le Mans 24 Hours week after the HPD LMP2 car provisionally qualified second in class on Wednesday evening.

Although the Highcroft car was more than a second behind the Strakka Racing HPD, last year's 24 Hours winner is confident that the gap will close when Highcroft starts pushing for qualifying times.

"We ran pretty heavy on fuel all night and never really went for a qualifying time," Brabham said. "Considering that, we weren't that far away so I think that is a pretty good sign.

"Today was to try and learn the new aero kit because it is very different than what we are used to. We were fairly quick straight away but we made some good progress throughout the night. The main focus was to get a race balance and understand this package that we have."

The HPD has begun the week as the clear favourite for LMP2 class honours with the third car in class, the ASM Ginetta-Zytek of Warren Hughes, Miguel Amaral and Olivier Pla, four and a half seconds slower than the Highcroft car.

"The HPD cars have quite a decent gap over the opposition," Brabham added. "Strakka have run a couple of races with this package and know it a bit better than us so we are in catch-up mode.

"We got a lot of information today and I am confident we will have a reasonable set-up for the race. We made some changes at the end which didn't work so well, but it has given us a bit of direction of where to go for tomorrow."

Autosport

[Plex]

Bourdais clinches pole for Peugeot

Peugeot hammered home its advantage over Audi in final qualifying for this weekend's Le Mans 24 Hours by cementing its sweep of the first two rows of the grid in final qualifying.

Le Mans born Sebastien Bourdais was the man to clinch pole position, with his 3m19.711s effort on Wednesday proving good enough to grasp the top spot.

Stephane Sarrazin, who had taken the last three consecutive 24 Hours poles, was denied the opportunity to extend his streak when the final stint in the #2 car was given to Nicolas Minassian.

Audi had closed the gap to the Peugeots, with first Allan McNish moving into the 3m22s and then Mike Rockenfeller launching one into the 3m21s - less than eight tenths slower than the fourth-placed ORECA Peugeot.

But just as Audi's hopes of challenging Peugeot's dominant pace gathered steam, the French marque sent its cars out for one last crushing run.

None of the four cars improved their times over the benchmarks they set on Wednesday, but Bourdais, Minassian and Nicolas Lapierre shared purple sectors lap after lap to underline the cushion they have enjoyed over Audi since rolling the 908s off the trucks.

"It was a really, really strong effort," said Bourdais. "Everyone is really happy with the performance of the car and how comfortable it is to drive it. I am very proud to put the #3 car on pole, but this is only the start.

"Obviously we are happy that they [Audi] didn't put on a great show, or display a great amount of speed, but honestly we just focused on our own things - to make our car the fastest one and to be in a good position for the race. Then the tough job is still ahead of us, so we're not going to get carried away. We will just stay smart and be conservative when we have to.

"I'm impressed with the margin of progress we displayed [over last year]. The way the car drives now compared to last year is very much appreaciated. I couldn't really throw it all before, but now I really feel like I can."

Danny Watts and Strakka Racing took the LMP2 class lead back from Highcroft in the battle of the HPDs. David Brabham had swept ahead in this evening's earlier qualifying segment, but Watts countered early on tonight with an effort another 1.5s quicker.

Tomas Enge's best lap from Wednesday proved enough to hold on to the GT1 top spot. Bas Leinders had moved the #70 Marc VDS Ford GT into second earlier this evening and tonight Romain Grosjean took his Matech-run Ford into third.

Olivier Beretta and Antonio Garcia vaulted the two works Corvettes ahead of the remaining AF Corse Ferrari to second and third in GT2. But Gianmaria Bruni's Wednesday effort in the #82 Risi Competizione Ferrari stood unbeaten at the head of the class.

There were fewer incidents in the final two hours of qualifying as teams closed in on their final race preparations. Though the Dunlop chicane still claimed a hat-trick of victoms after some drizzle mid-way through the session - the #88 Felbermayr Porsche, Bryce Miller in the JMW Aston Martin and Jean Alesi in the AF Corse Ferrari all had a spin on the approach.

The #24 Oak Racing Pescarolo stopped on the track between the Esses and Tertre Rouge, and Oliver Jarvis had to limp back to the pits in the #15 Kolles Audi R10 after its left rear tyre disintegrated.

Pos Drivers Cls Car Time Gap
1. Lamy/Bourdais/Pagenaud P1 Peugeot 908 3:19.711
2. Wurz/Davidson/Gene P1 Peugeot 908 3:20.317 +0.606
3. Montagny/Sarrazin/Minassian P1 Peugeot 908 3:20.325 +0.614
4. Panis/Lapierre/Duval P1 ORECA Peugeot 908 3:21.192 +1.481
5. Bernhard/Dumas/Rockenfeller P1 Audi R15 3:21.981 +3.867
6. Kristensen/McNish/Capello P1 Audi R15 3:22.176 +2.465
7. Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer P1 Audi R15 3:23.605 +3.894
8. Mucke/Fernandez/Primat P1 Lola-Aston Martin 3:26.680 +6.969
9. Turner/Hancock/Barazi P1 Lola-Aston Martin 3:26.747 +7.036
10. Ayari/Andre/Meyrick P1 ORECA 01-AIM 3:29.506 +9.795
11. Mailleux/Ragues/Ickx P1 Signature Aston 3:29.774 +10.063
12. Bouchut/Tucker/Rodrigues P1 Kolles Audi R10 3:30.907 +11.196
13. Jarvis/Albers/Bakkerud P1 Kolles Audi R10 3:31.661 +11.950
14. Pirro/Cocker/Drayson P1 Drayson Lola 3:31.862 +12.151
15. Watts/Kane/Leventis P2 Strakka HPD ARX-01 3:33.079 +13.368
16. Jani/Andretti/Prost P1 Rebellion Lola 3:33.490 +13.779
17. Brabham/Franchitti/Werner P2 Highcroft HPD 3:34.537 +14.826
18. Mansell/Mansell/Mansell P1 Beechdean Ginetta 3:36.897 +17.186
19. Belicchi/Boullion/Smith P1 Rebellion Lola 3:37.093 +17.382
20. Erdos/Newton/Wallace P2 RML Lola HPD 3:39.648 +19.937
21. Hughes/Amaral/Pla P2 ASM Ginetta-Zytek 3:40.532 +20.821
22. Moreau/Charouz/Lahaye P2 Oak Pescarolo 3:41.310 +21.599
23. Lewis/Burgess/Willman P1 Autocon Lola-AER 3:43.167 +23.456
24. Pirri/Cioci/Perrazzini P2 Racing Box Lola 3:47.971 +28.260
25. Greaves/Ojjeh/Chalandon P2 Bruichladdich 3:51.189 +31.478
26. Noda/Pourtales/Kennard P2 KSM Lola-Judd 3:51.310 +31.599
27. Hein/Nicolet/Yvon P2 Oak Pescarolo 3:52.008 +32.297
28. Schell/da Rocha/Zollinger P2 Pegasus Norma 3:52.837 +33.126
29. Salini/Salini/Gommendy P2 WR/Salini WR 3:53.109 +33.398
30. Rostan/Meichtry/Bruneau P2 Race Perf Radical 3:53.942 +34.231
31. Enge/Nygaard/Kox GT1 YD Aston 3:55.025 +35.314
32. Leinders/Palttala/de Doncker GT1 Marc VDS Ford GT 3:55.356 +35.645
33. Grosjean/Mutsch/Hirschi GT1 Matech Ford GT 3:55.583 +35.872
34. Jousse/Gouselard/Massen GT1 Alphand Corvette 3:58.810 +39.099
35. Policand/Gregoire/Hart GT1 Alphand Corvette 3:58.906 +39.195
36. Bruni/Melo/Kaffer GT2 Risi Ferrari 3:59.233 +39.522
37. Gavin/Beretta/Collard GT2 Corvette 3:59.435 +39.724
38. O'Connell/Magnussen/Garcia GT2 Corvette 3:59.793 +40.082
39. Alesi/Fisichella/Vilander GT2 AF Corse Ferrari 3:59.837 +40.126
40. Allemann/Gachnang/Frey GT1 Matech Ford GT 4:01.628 +41.917
41. Lieb/Lietz/Henzler GT2 Felbermayr Porsche 4:01.640 +41.929
42. Pilet/Narac/Long GT2 IMSA Porsche 4:01.755 +42.044
43. Farfus/J Muller/Alzen GT2 BMW M3 4:01.893 +42.182
44. Westbrook/Scheider/Holzer GT2 BMS Porsche 4:02.014 +42.303
45. Farnbacher/Simonsen/Keen GT2 Hankook Ferrari 4:02.427 +42.716
46. Bergmeister/Law/Neiman GT2 Fl. Lizard Porsche 4:02.685 +42.974
47. Gardel/Berville/Canal GT1 Larbre Saleen 4:03.175 +43.464
48. Priaulx/D Muller/Werner GT2 BMW M3 4:03.215 +43.504
49. Krohn/Jonsson/van de Poele GT2 Risi Ferrari 4:03.959 +44.248
50. Coronel/Dumbreck/Bleekemolen GT2 Spyker 4:04.057 +44.346
51. Bell/Sugden/Miller GT2 JMW Aston Martin 4:04.303 +44.592
52. Yogo/Iiri/Yamanishi GT1 JLOC Lamborghini 4:05.170 +45.459
53. v.Splunteren/Hommerson/MachielGT2 Prospeed Porsche 4:10.017 +50.306
54. Felbermayr/Felbermayr/Konopka GT2 Felbermayr Porsche 4:10.054 +50.343
55. Goossens/Dalziel/Gentilozzi GT2 Jaguar XKR 4m12.431 +52.720
56. Salo/Russo/Companc GT2 AF Corse Ferrari withdrawn

Autosport

[NarendZORCE]

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[Plex]

Audi 1-2-3 after #1 Peugeot exit


#9 Audi R15 plus. Le Mans, 2010The Le Mans 24 Hours has been robbed of a dramatic finish after the #1 Peugeot dropped out of the race with just over two hours to go, effectively handing an unexpected potential 1-2-3 podium sweep to Audi.

Alex Wurz, running in third position, had just unlapped himself to put Peugeot back on the lead lap when a big puff of smoke out of the right bank of the turbo-diesel signalled the end of the French manufacturer's challenge on the run down to Indianapolis.

So, what had looked like becoming a fantastically intense pursuit for victory turned into poignant scenes as an overcome Peugeot Motorsport chief Olivier Quesnel was comforted by ORECA boss Hughes de Chaunac on the pitwall.

The demise of the #1 car means that Mike Rockenfeller, in the #9 Audi, now has a lap advantage over team-mate Andre Lotterer in the #8 R15. Tom Kristensen, in the #7 car - which was delayed yesterday afternoon when it went off lapping Andy Priaulx's BMW - has now risen back up to third two laps off the lead.

The ORECA Peugeot, with Loic Duval at the wheel, is now the last remaining French turbo-diesel in the race. The Frenchman has clearly been given instructions to push on in an attempt to get a 908 on the podium and ended the hour only two minutes behind the Dane.

All this drama has promoted Darren Turner to fifth in the #009 Aston Martin. The top petrol-engined machine has run like a train through the night and is now 14 laps clear of the ORECA Aim in sixth position.

Danny Watts now holds seventh place overall, as well as a six-lap lead in LMP2 ahead of Guillaume Moreau's Pescarolo. The two cars are split on the road by Adrian Fernandez's Aston Martin.

The Highcroft Acura spent most of the hour in the pits with fluid leaking from the car and has now dropped to 22nd overall.

The status quo remained in GT2 as Marc Lieb maintained a one lap lead over Allan Simonsen's Ferrari while the Larbre Saleen remained on course for GT1 honours.

Autosport

[Plex]

Rockenfeller happy despite tyre issue

Race leader Mike Rockenfeller suffered a tyre scare during a dramatic phase of the enduro in which the charging Peugeot 908 driven by Alex Wurz got on to the lead lap before expiring in a plume of smoke.

Rockenfeller's #9 Audi R15 Plus was suffering vibrations at the time, and the retirement of the Peugeot enabled the Audi team to break from its plan and bring him in early.

"We pitted before the schedule, two or three laps early, because I had a bad vibration and we wanted to check it,"he told AUTOSPORT. "When we changed the wheels we found that one of the tyres had turned on the rim, so everything is okay now. It's just one of those things that can happen to anyone.

"The difference in speed between us and the Peugeots on the straight is unbelievable. It flew straight past. There was nothing I could do.

"Then I saw smoke coming out of it. I don't know what I felt. When you're out there you really just have to concentrate on what you're doing and not be distracted by anything else, or by what anyone else is doing.

"What we have to do now is run at our own pace for the rest of the race and hope that the car stays together."

Autosport