Le Mans Series – Silverstone – Hour 1
An Odd First Hour

There is a reasonable crowd here, in the stands opposite the pits: not a huge crowd, but there are people here, and one stand looks to be nicely half full, with a good spread of people down towards Copse. More round the back of the circuit, we assume.

There’s more, high cloud around than during the previous two days, but it’s still bright.

Tom Chilton reckons that the P1 Zytek might be a better proposition than the P2 car in the race: we’ll see…. Brother Max is expected to drive for the first time in the third hour (third stint).

Are we going to be able to announce any Le Mans Series champions at the end of the afternoon? The Lucchini won’t be one of them, and won’t be running today: chassis damage, says Sam Collins of Racecar Engineering. So no drive for poor old Giovanni Lavaggi. That leaves 45 starters – and Christophe Bouchut has a nice gap ahead of him on the grid, to have a run at Garcia’s Modena Aston Martin?

The ASM Lola has had a bit of a panic on the grid, but all seems well. The Charouz Lola is starting on the tyres that Mucke rotated on in qualifying…. so he might struggle through the first stint.

It’s a clean start – apart from the Mosley Radical being punted off, and Stuart Hall tapped wide at Copse.

Odd: Marc Gene pulls away from the Sarrazin Peugeot, these two only easing away from Mucke, who has Danny Watts all over him in the P2 leader.

The next group comprises Cochet, Collard, JC-W and Chilton, then Primat and second in P2, the Erdos RML entry. Collard passes Cochet at the start of lap six.

GT1 is Garcia by a second from Ortelli, Bouchut and Gavin, the latter pair having a great old dice.

Robb Bell leads GT2 by six seconds by lap five, from Lietz and Lieb. Mowlem is up to fourth in the older GPC 430.

Moseley’s recovery brings him up to the tail of the GT1s.

Gavin races side by side with Bouchut all the way past the pits, and takes third in GT1 at Copse. The C6.R pulls out a second on the next lap. Gavin is within 4 seconds of Garcia, the GT1 leader.

At the front, it’s still #7 from #8, these two 11 seconds apart by lap 7 ! Mucke is within two seconds of Sarrazin, with Watts two more back from the Lola.

Mucke pits at the end of lap 8. Tyres? Watts in the LNT Zytek goes third overall. Erdos is ninth, one place ahead of de Castro in #40 ASM Lola. Tom Chilton was partly right: apart from Watts in #46, the P1s are filling out almost all the top eight places.

Mucke’s stop is a planned one: the team had anticipated the stop, thanks to the flat spots yesterday. He drops to 19th, ahead of the GT1 cars. Moseley has caught the GT1 leaders.

De Castro takes second in P2 from Erdos on lap 10: this is the P2 title battle. The P2 Lola is threatening Chilton Snr. in #10 Zytek, for seventh.

Bell leads GT2 by a whopping 11 seconds. Lietz, Lieb and Mowlem are 10, 16 and 28 seconds behind the Virgo car.

Lap 12 – Safety Car board is out, so the gaps will close up. The signs on the gantry at Maggotts have come loose! This might be a long delay? How does anyone get to that problem?

The SC has picked up the fourth placed GT2 car, Mowlem in #83 – so the 96, 76 and 77 cars will gain a lap…..

The #61 Saleen pits, and is pushed into its garage (alternator?). The Binnie Lola Zytek pits for fuel and tyres.

Order overall: 7, 8, 46 (P2), 16, 9, 12, 10, 40, 25 (both P2), 17, 18, 10, 45, 35, 32, 31 (last four all P2).

The Modena DBR9 pits, so Ortelli leads GT1 in the only healthy Saleen. Bouchut also pits.

There’s a man on the gantry, removing something, with 30 minutes elapsed.

Lap 16, still under the SC, and Watts pits from third – and drives straight into the garage. Alternator and battery change needed. Not what the race needed.

Rob Bell has pitted in the GT2 leader, dropping to the tail of the queue – but with a full tank on board. He’s about eight cars behind the class leaders (76 and 77).

A wave by starts, so the GT2 muddle will be sorted out, Mowlem and everyone else towards the front of the class getting that lap back (sort of).

End of lap 18 and we’re racing again – before the waved by cars have caught the tail of the queue…. So Mowlem goes from two mins. behind to one minute behind the front three. That’s daft.

Gene has a clear track, Sarrazin doesn’t – and Gavin gets by Ortelli to lead GT1.

Lap 19
Gene
Sarrazin –10
Collard –16
Cochet –17
de Castro –20 P2 leader
Chilton –22
Erdos –22
Primat –24
Hughes –26 3rd in P2
Mucke
Barazi
van de Poele

Gavin leads Bouchut by 1.6s, and seems able to lap q uicker.

Bell is right on the tail of Lieb, for the GT2 lead. Lietz is third. Bell passes Lieb at Stowe, and leads again, with a stop carried out.

The Binnie Lola is in electrical trouble.

Mucke is the man on the move, up from tenth to fifth in less than three laps. Next target is Cochet, eight secs. ahead.

45 minutes and the LNT Zytek is 44th, one from the tail, six laps lost with the alternator change.

JC-W (having made a stop) is making progress, picking off Hughes and Primat, with Chilton next man ahead of him.

Mucke hauls in Cochet, the gap shrinking from 8 secs to 2 very quickly.

Gavin is pulling away from Ortelli (3 secs.) in GT1, with Garcia gobbling up the middle of the class, four seconds behind Bouchut, who is third.

Rob Bell pulls about 5 secs on Lieb, second in GT2. Virgo is looking thoroughly dominant today. Lietz in #76 is right on Lieb’s tail.

Approaching 55 mins and Gene leads Sarrazin by 21 secs., Collard is 3 secs behind #8, then it’s Mucke (up to fourth), about 14 seconds behind Collard. Then it’s Cochet, de Castro, JC-W and Erdos.

Primat, Chilton, Hughes, Hall, Barazi, Berridge and van de Poele complete the next group.

Lap 30, 58 mins gone and Gene leads Sarrazin by a whopping 33 seconds.

After 1 Hour
1 7 Team Peugeot Total GENE MarcMINASSIAN Nicolas Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 ==31== 1:35.563
2 8 Team Peugeot Total LAMY PedroSARRAZIN Stephane Peugeot 908 HDi FAP LMP1 34.942 1:37.931
3 16 Pescarolo Sport COLLARD EmmanuelBOULLION Jean-Christophe Pescarolo Judd LMP1 40.207 1:39.473
4 15 Charouz Racing MUCKE StefanCHAROUZ Jan Lola B07/17 Judd LMP1 52.545 1:38.730
5 12 Courage Competition FREI AlexanderCOCHET Jonathan Courage LC70 AER LMP1 59.293 1:40.351
6 9 Creation Autosportif CAMPBELL WALTER JamieORTIZ FelipeKUROSAWA Haruki Creation CA07 Judd LMP1 1:04.254 1:40.008
7 40 Quifel ASM Team AMARAL MiguelDE CASTRO Miguel AngelBURGENO Angel Lola B05/40 AER LMP2 1:10.699 1:40.614
8 17 Pescarolo Sport PRIMAT HaroldTINSEAU Christophe Pescarolo Judd LMP1 ==30== 1:40.914
9 25 RML ERDOS ThomasNEWTON Mike MG Lola EX264 AER LMP2 0.618 1:40.653
10 10 Arena Motorsport CHILTON TomCHILTON Max Zytek 07S Zytek LMP1 3.381 1:39.983
11 45 Embassy Racing HUGHES WarrenMANNING DarrenCUNNINGHAM Neil Radical SR9 Judd LMP2 3.950 1:41.309
12 18 Rollcentre Racing BARBOSA JoaoHALL StuartSHORT Martin Pescarolo Judd LMP1 4.344 1:40.680
13 19 Chamberlain Synergy EVANS GarethBERRIDGE BobOWEN Peter Lola B06/10 AER LMP1 8.918 1:41.116
14 32 Barazi Epsilon BARAZI JuanVERGERS MichaelOJJEH Karim Zytek 07S Zytek LMP2 10.248 1:42.230
15 27 Horag Racing LIENHARD FredyTHEYS DidierVAN DE POELE Eric Lola B05/40 Judd LMP2 12.041 1:42.102
16 35 Saulnier Racing NICOLET JacquesFILHOL AlainJOUANNY Bruce Courage LC75 AER LMP2 29.641 1:42.069
17 21 Bruichladdich Radical MOSELEY StuartGREAVES TimGREAVES Jacob Radical SR9 AER LMP2 1:25.399 1:41.737
18 20 Pierre Bruneau ROSTAN MarcBRUNEAU PierrePULLAN Simon Pilbeam MP93 Judd LMP2 ==29== 1:44.054
19 31 Binnie Motorsports BINNIE BillTIMPANY AllenBUNCOMBE Chris Lola B05/40 Zytek LMP2 28.408 1:40.974
20 72 Alphand Aventures POLICAND JeromeGOUESLARD PatriceGAVIN Oliver Corvette C6.R LMGT1 46.974 1:46.625
21 55 Team Oreca ORTELLI StephaneAYARI Soheil Saleen S7-R LMGT1 48.990 1:46.387
22 50 AMR Larbre BOUCHUT ChristopheGARDEL GabrieleGOLLIN Fabrizio Aston Martin DBR9 LMGT1 1:04.927 1:46.707
23 59 Team Modena GARCIA AntonioTURNER Darren Aston Martin DBR9 LMGT1 1:11.595 1:46.529
24 73 Alphand Aventures BLANCHEMAIN Jean-LucDUMEZ SebastienVOSSE Vincent Corvette C5-R LMGT1 1:28.808 1:48.220
25 51 AMR Larbre FISKEN GregorZACCHIA SteveFRANCHI Gregory Aston Martin DBR9 LMGT1 ==28== 1:49.399
26 96 Virgo Motorsport BELL RobertBRUNI Gianmaria Ferrari F430 GT LMGT2 22.242 1:51.523
27 77 Felbermayr-Proton LIEB MarcPOMPIDOU Xavier Porsche 997 GT3 RSR LMGT2 31.231 1:53.024
28 76 Imsa Performance NARAC RaymondLIETZ Richard Porsche 997 GT3 RSR LMGT2 31.758 1:52.841
29 83 GPC Sport DRUDI LucaMOWLEM JohnnyROSA Gabrio Ferrari F430 GT LMGT2 ==27== 1:54.168
30 85 Spyker Squadron HEZEMANS MikeDUMBRECK Peter Spyker C8 Spyder GT2R LMGT2 1.268 1:54.461
31 94 Speedy Racing Team BELICCHI AndreaCHIESA AndreaKANE Jonny Spyker C8 Spyder GT2R LMGT2 5.494 1:54.466
32 97 GPC Sport BONETTI AlessandroDE SIMONE FabrizioBOBBI Matteo Ferrari F430 GT LMGT2 13.783 1:54.730
33 90 Farnbacher Racing MASARATI PierEHRET PierreNIELSEN Lars Erik Porsche 997 GT3 RSR LMGT2 14.385 1:54.830
34 78 Scuderia Villorba CAFFI AlexZARDO Denny Ferrari F430 GT LMGT2 15.391 1:55.172
35 95 JWA DANIELS PaulCOX DaveCAMATHIAS Joel Porsche 997 GT3 RSR LMGT2 24.279 1:55.268
36 88 Felbermayr-Proton RIED ChristianFELBERMAYR Horst JrSTUCK Johannes Porsche 997 GT3 RSR LMGT2 53.350 1:55.439
37 92 Thierry Perrier HESNAULT PhilippeBARFF RobNEVOA Pedro Porsche 997 GT3 RSR LMGT2 57.912 1:55.965
38 98 Ice Pol Racing Team LAMBERT YvesLEFORT ChristianKELDERS Christian Ferrari F430 GT LMGT2 1:01.955 1:56.826
39 84 Chad Peninsula Panoz HARTSHORNE JohnMcINERNEY SeanMcINERNEY Michael Panoz Esperante GTLM LMGT2 1:25.266 1:58.897
40 89 Markland Racing THIIM KurtSORENSEN Henrik Moller Corvette C6 Z06 LMGT2 1:26.912 1:59.209
41 99 JMB Racing BASSO MauriceMcCORMICK BoDA CRUZ MARTINS Francisco Ferrari F430 GT LMGT2 1:53.145 2:00.850
42 79 Felbermayr-Proton FELBERMAYR Horst SrRIED GeroldCOLLIN Philip Porsche 996 GT3 RSR LMGT2 1:53.588 1:59.801
43 82 Team LNT TOMLINSON LawrenceDEAN Richard Panoz Esperante GTLM LMGT2 ==26== 1:56.038
44 46 Team LNT KIMBER-SMITH TomWATTS Danny Zytek 07S Zytek LMP2 ==25== 1:38.626
45 61 Racing Box PERAZZINI Pier GiuseppeCIOCI MarcoTAVANO Salvatore Saleen S7-R LMGT1 1:20.727 1:47.500