Le Mans 24 Hours - Hour 19 Doug Fehan: "The interaction between the GT cars and the Prototypes is part of the uniqueness of sportscar racing and from time to time these incidents are going to happen. "I haven't had the chance to speak to Manu yet but from what little I saw it seems that the Peugeot didn't respect his racing room and that's very disappointing." #007 has rejoined after gearbox repairs but is some way distant from the P1s now, with four P2s ahead too. #64 had a number of sensor alarms trigger after its rebuild so has been back in and out again. The repairs have clearly worked as Gavin posts the car's best lap of 3:59.098. Full attack mode from Corvette Racing now for the next five and a half hours? With four laps to go simply to catch fourth-placed BMS, they will still need attrition to improve. Roland Berville spins into the gravel next to the pit entry, seemingly unassisted. The GT1 leading Saleen has a nine lap lead, so unless the spin was the result of something mechanical, their lead seems secure. Maybe it is mechanical, it is straight into the garage. Fassler and McNish both do their cars' fastest laps - 3:22.467 and 3:22.143 respectively. The valiant efforts of #64 seem to be in vain, puffs of smoke emanating from the left exhaust and Gavin pulls off at the Mulsanne Corner. He is pushed back to a place of safety. Watts pits, Leventis in for what might be his last stint. Fisichella hammers down the escape road at Indianapolis from second place, tyre smoke billowing; a likely stuck throttle. He has hit something down at the bottom and lightly deranged most of the front of the car, but he can drive it back and hopefully it is mainly cosmetic. Simonsen was in relatively close attendance anyway and before AF Corse have even done any meaningful work on the car in the garage we have a Hankook-shod Ferrari second in class. The Saleen has rejoined and now has a six lap lead over the Aston Martin, the remaining Corvette a lap back. The expired #64 Corvette is being loaded onto a flat-bed at the golf club. Barazi loses the back of the car on braking and turning into the Playstation chicane. The car is pitched into a snap left hand turn once Juan had turned right. A strange incident for the sixth placed car, leading the petrol class. After much exhaust flaming from the stationary car he is underway again, but has lost more time on his way straight back to the pits. Franchitti has been stationary in the pits for a while now. Leventis is three laps ahead, with Charouz four laps behind. PS/GG
Hour 19 Update Fast laps continue as two of the Audis set personal bests, courtesy of Marcel Fässler and Allan McNish. More problems for Oliver Gavin as the Corvette pulls to the side at Mulsanne with smoke pouring from the exhaust. The GT1 leading Saleen was momentarily stranded near the pit entrance before Berville managed to bring it back to the pits for some hoovering. The Spyker has been in the pits for a long, long time with a variety of gearbox problems. Fisichella’s No. 95 Ferrari has a stuck throttle and goes straight off at Indianapolis. He manages to it going again and return to the pits with extensive damage. Second in GT2 will be Simonsen’s Hankook Ferrari. More drama as Juan Barazi spins violently at the Playstation chicane. There is something significantly wrong with the petrol class leader. He returns slowly to the pits. We’re down to about 30 healthy runners. JW | 
