Le Mans 24 Hours - Hour 2

Montagny pits from second after Lap 13 in the #2 Peugeot, Lamy follows suit next time around.

Strakka and Highcroft pit together but with the British-run car 13 seconds ahead on track.

The #7 and #9 Audis stop too, as do both of the Corvettes leading GT2. Marc Lieb leads GT2 with Dominik Farnbacher up to second place.

Montagny takes the lead through a pit stop two seconds faster than Lamy's.

The Larbre Saleen is being pushed down pitlane.

Nic Jonsson cuts across the bows of the Saleen as it is being pushed down pitlane - very nearly a nasty accident.

Ayari tries to go up the inside of one of the Oak Pescarolos at Mulsanne, but is tagged and spins (the Pesca continues).  He drags a corner marker through Indianapolis.  That looked a little ambitious from Ayari - he pits again.

McNish is catching the Peugeots just a little, but is still a minute back.

As the gaggle of leading GT2s pit, Risi opts not to change tyres and takes the lead of the class from the back of the field after 75 minutes.

The KSM Lola is reported slow on track - it had been running fifth in class.  It seems though to be back up to speed. The #28 Radical though is into the gravel at the second chicane (Rostan at the wheel).

The Peugeots are about to lap the 15th-placed Drayson Lola.

Pat Long now stops (from the GT2 lead) for his routine stop. Gavin and Magnussen will regain the class lead in the Vettes - #64 leads #63 by six seconds.

There is no work going on in the Jaguar pit.

Lamy has retaken the lead on Lap 19, the lead trio lapping within two seconds of each other. Montagny though goes by once again and completes the lap 2.5 seconds clear, with Lamy fending off Gene.

The Radical rejoinsbut is down in 52nd.

Ayari has a big moment with the #007 factory Lola Aston - the Aston coming up the inside at the entrance to the second chicane. A very close thing but both continue.

Paul Drayson hands over the #11 Lola to Jonny Cocker after 90 minutes.

The #5 Beechdean Mansell Ginetta Zytek is the first confirmed retirement - Nigel is OK but is being kept in the Medical Centre as a precaution.

GT1 is getting interesting (no really!) Bas Leinders, delayed by the Safety Car regulations, is back up to second place  - just eight seconds behind class leader Mutsch. Leinders, possibly distressed at the attention his run is atracting, pits immediately.

Erdos has passed Moreau for 4th in LMP2 but then makes a scheduled pit stop.

Patrick Pilet spins at the first chicane in the #76 IMSA Performance 997. 

Lapierre has pitted the #4 Oreca 908 for the second time allowing McNish to gain third place.Timo Bernhard is closing in now on Lapierre.

We have a diesel 1-8, Oliver Jarvis in the #15 Kolles R10 ahead of the pair of factory Lola Astons.

The #28 Radical is running on cut slicks!

Lamy has pulled away a little from Gene.

The leader pits, fuel only - Montagny stays aboard. McNish pits on the same lap (after completion of lap 25).

Fassler pits from seventh.

Lamy and Gene pit next time around together - a better stop though for Lamy; he gets away couple of seconds quicker than the #1 car, but both are unble to get ahead of Montagny who powers by the pit exit as Lamy emerges.

The irony is that the vast majority of the deficit - Peugeot to Audi - is still accounted for by the difference between the two safety car trains in Hour 1. 

The factory Astons are lapping very close together, Mucke ahead of Turner - 8th and 9th.

Dirk Muller goes straight on at the first chicane in the #79 (Art Car) BMW. Muller is out of the car and looking underneath (the car had been lying 7th in class). It is a left rear puncture - Muller is cruising back slowly.

Kane pits in the Strakka HPD, still leading LMP2 - Danny Watts is now abaoard the car - Brabham goes through to complete another lap and takes the lead in the class for the forst time - albeit owing us a stop.

Bas Leinders has had a reasonably big off in the #70 Marc VDS Ford GT - the car had been running second in GT1 but has gone off after the Dunlop Bridge, seemingly into the barrier and is lacking its entire rear bodywork. Leinders is trying to get the car moving, but it's beached too.

GG/PS/ ML

Hour 2 Summary

Ayari tapped a Pescarolo and ended with debris wedged under the Oreca. No, it wasn’t an Oak tree but rather a course marking plastic bollard aimed under the No. 6 car. Richard Lietz took over the erstwhile GT2 leading Proton car, allowing the IMSA Performance Porsche of Patrick Long momentarily on top before becoming a bottom to the Corvettes. He handed over to Patrick Pilet, who promptly spun at the first chicane.

Kane pulled away by about two seconds per lap from the second-in-LM P2 HPD of David Brabham.  Meanwhile, the third in class Ginetta of Olivier Pla began to close on the HPD pair. At the rear of that class, Marc Rostan went off not particularly Radically at the second chicane.

A string of second routine stops came at about the 90-minute mark.  The various travails of the Lola-Aston trio left the usually unheralded No. 15 Kolles Audi (Oliver Jarvis) to trail the other diesels.

Here are some of the other second drivers; Jonathan Cockeroo (in for Drayson, No. 11 Lola-Judd), Guy Smith (N. 13 Lola-Rebellion), Jan Charouz (No. 35 Pesca-Judd), Karim Ojjeh (in for Chalandon, Scotch Whiskey Ginetta), Toni Vilander (No. 95 AFCorse Ferrari), Darren Law (No. 80 Slithering Lizard), Stephane Salini (WR), and Niek Hommerson in the not-so-Pro-not-so-Speed Porsche.

The Art Car BMW had a puncture and briefly became a still life out on the Mulsanne straight. The hour ended with a big off by Bas Leinders at the Dunlop curves, losing the rear engine cover of the No. 70 Ford. Up front, Montagny assumed the overall lead.

JW