Le Mans 24 Hours, Hour 17

Right into the new hour and Bourdais sets exactly the same time as Andre Lotterer just did. Incredible pace here at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

All Peugeots pit at the same time.

7:06 Olivier Beretta goes nose first into the wall at Arnage. Missed braking point and bumped the wall, but rejoins. Larbre Competition Corvette has been retired.

7:09 Andre Lotterer goes fastest - 3:25.289!! Half a second quicker than the pole position time set by the same car.

Lotterer pits a lap later, despite a new nose with what looks like a different aero package being ready in the pit lane, the car is sent out after a quick stop.

Lombard on the pace in LM P2 again and after putting in the fastest lap of the race for the #41 car he immediately puts in another quick lap.

Mailleux and Bouchut pit, giving the Greaves Motorsport Zytek an even bigger lead.

7:18 Lots of smoke coming from the Flying Lizards Motorsport #81 Porsche of Seth Neiman before it runs into the gravel at Mulsanne. Gets out on its own - but very slow drive back to the pit for the GTE Am class leader. Not looking good.

7:21 And from the ashes comes the Larbre Competition Corvette and back in the lead. Timing glitch there? Rumours of its death have been greatly exaggerated.

Neiman back in the pit to hand over the car to Spencer Pumpelly.

Lotterer is catching Gene again, last lap (lap 233) saw the German taking back 4 seconds.

7:30 and 7:30 to go. Bourdais leads Gene by 17 seconds, with Lotterer just 10 seconds behind. In GTE Am Gardel is only half a second behind race leader Spencer Pumpelly.

7:35 and Gardel takes the lead in GTE Am.

Lead car in GTE Pro has had a coming together with #63 at the end of the lap.  Lots of debris, both cars look badly damaged although the drivers should be fine.  Safety car.  The Corvette tried to dive up the inside (Magnussen) but he loses the back end, fails to catch it as it swings like a pendulum and strikes Ried, taking both into the wall and then across the track into the other wall.  Very big impacts for both.

Vilander takes the lead, Beretta will move up to second and Long will bring the rather anonymous #80 into the final podium place.  The BMWs are next up, waiting to inherit in the event of a slip-up, but seemingly unable to deliver their anticipated pace in the race. 

#9 pits from the lead, Bourdais hands over to Pagenaud and falls back to third place and a different safety car group to the lead two cars.

Transponder not correct on the #63. It wasn't Christian Ried in the crashed Porsche but Horst Felbermayr Snr.