FIA WEC, 6 Hours Of Silverstone - Race Report Hours 3 - 4

14:00
LMP2 - A spin for the #49 Pecom Racing Oreca at Turn One, but Perez Companc resumes with little more than mild embarrassment.

14:05
SAFETY CAR IN THIS LAP

14:05
LMP2 - Pitstop under the safety car for Ordonez in the #42 Greaves Zytek.

14:06
GREEN ALL OVER THE TRACK

14:07
LMP2 - Warren Hughes almost swamped by the leader as the race resumed along the old pit straight, with Nakajima passing McNish to lap the #2 R18.

14:07
LMP1: Kazuki Nakajima passes Allan McNish on the restart - McNish now a lap down.

14:09
GTE AM: Gibon has spun the Larbre Competition Corvette - and is still last as a result.

14:09
GTE PRO: Lieb and Mücke pit together again.

14:10
LMP1: Kazuki Nakajima improves the fastest lap of the race - 1:44.514 for the Japanese Toyota driver.

14:11
GTE AM: Car #88 under investigation - abusing track limits and improving sector time.

14:12
LMP1: Nakajima pits the Toyota TS030-Hybrid for the third time - a one-minute stop. Tréluyer moves up into first again.

14:12
LMP2 - Christian Zugel pits the #41 Greaves Zytek from 20th position, and hands over to Ricardo Gonzalez. The Mexican driver is racing with a black armband today, having learned only this morning that his grandfather died last night. Ricardo was especially close to his grandfather but is determined to race on today, despite the loss. Our condolences to him and to his family.

14:17
LMP2 - It's become a very tight duel for second, with Olivier Pla weaving with grim determination behind Minassian's Zytek as he threatens for the place. There's not much more than a sheet of paper between them.

14:18
LMP2 - Rusinov pits the #26 Signatech Oreca from 13th overall.

14:18
GTE AM: Ruberti has taken the lead in GTE AM and is pulling away from his rivals.

14:19
LMP2 - Hughes and Lombard move ahead of the Signatech car, elevating the Murphy Prototypes Oreca to 6th in LMP2.

14:22
LMP2 - Another fastest lap for Pla, posting a 1:51.348 for the #24 Oak. It must only be a matter of time before he gets ahead of the Jota Zytek, although Minassian is enormously experienced . . . 

14:23
LMP1: Team manager of Audi #1 to report to race control immediately.

GTE AM: Team manager of Porsche #88 to report to race control immediately.

GTE PRO: Right rear suspension problem on the #77 Porsche.

RACE CONTROL: Astroturf is loose at exit T15

14:24
LMP2 - Bertrand Baguette's steady recovery from last place continues, and the #35 Oak has now passed all the GTE-Am cars and is running 26th overall.

14:27
LMP2 - Perez Companc pits the #49, and Maxime Jousse moves through to take 15th.

Seconds later, Pla gives up on his promise to take second from Nic Minassian by pitting . . . just as Minassian moves ahead of Potolicchio in the Starworks HPD, the #44 making its third pitstop.

14:28
LMP2 - Now it's Warren Hughes' turn to earn a track limits warning. Not sure how many warnings a car must get before penalties follow.

14:29
LMP1: Chandhok has passed Leventis - the JRM HPD is now in sixth overall.

14:30
LMP2 - So, Martin leads the class for ADR-Delta from Minassian in the #38 Jota Zytek, with Olivier Pla rejoining in third for #24 Oak. Potolicchio's pitstop dropped the #44 to fourth, but the first two have yet to make their third pitstops.

14:31
LMP2 - Warren Hughes brings the Murphy Oreca down the pitlane to make the car's third pitstop. Albers also pits the #31 surviving Lotus Lola.

14:32
LMP2 - Minassian completes his marathon triple-stint and returns the #38 Jota Zytek to the pitlane. Simon Dolan will be driving next, we believe.

14:36
LMP2 - The class leader pits. Martin gets out of the car, and fresh tyres are fitted.

14:36
LMP1: Tréluyer rejoined right behind the Toyota after his pit stop - gap was 0.5s!

14:39
Team Felbermayr-Proton update: #77 GTE PRO has rejoined, #88 GTE AM no further action after investigation.

14:42
LMP2 - Car #42 is under investigation for "possible overtaking under the safety car".

14:44
GTE PRO: "Car #71 under investigation - abusing track limits and improving sector."

14:44
LMP1: Tréluyer is right behind Nakajima again - gap just four tenths of a second. But will the #1 get a penalty for its contact with the Krohn Racing Ferrari?

14:46
LMP1: Tréluyer briefly took the lead at the end of Hangar Straight into Stowe - but Nakajima is back in front even before Club.

14:47
LMP1: McNish is in the pits - as Nakajima going around the outside (and way outside the track limits) of the JWA-Avila Porsche.

14:48
LMP2 - With the last round of pitstops now completed, Olivier Pla is the beneficiary, and now leads the class for oak, ahead of Tor Graves, now at the wheel of the #25 ADR-Delta Oreca. Third is Simon Dolan for Jota, and fourth is Potolicchio, performing his second stint in the #44 Starworks HPD.

Fifth in class is Rusinov in the #26, and Martin Brundle has just (as we write) moved through to sixth for Greaves, passing Olivier Lombard in the #23 Signatech Nissan. Perez Companc is running eighth in the Pecom Oreca, and Warren Hughes holds ninth.

Rounding out the top ten in P2 is Maxime Jousse (#30 Status GP Lola).

14:49
LMP2 - Sarrazin reports that the team only changed the right-hand bank of tyres at the end of his opening stint in the Starworks HPD, but the car wasn't good to drive afterwards, so they probably won't be trying that again . . .

14:49
Gimmi Bruni : No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia, GTE PRO – after first two hours

Stuart Hall:  No.98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8, GTE AM – after first two hours

14:50
LMP2 - The Gulf Racing Middle East Lola pits for the fourth time, from 19th overall.

14:54
LMP1: Toyota pits from the lead - as #1 Audi gets another track limits warning.

14:54
LMP2 - The team manager of car #42 has been summoned to visit Race Control without delay. The car has only just made a pitstop.

15:00
Halfway through the race - Audi leads, but Tréluyer still needs to make his fourth pitstop.

15:01
LMP2 - Rusinov pits the #26 Signatech Nissan, allowing Perez Companc through to 12th overall (5th in class) and Hughes follows for Murphy. Neither has yet made a fourth pitstop.

15:01
GTE AM: Team manager car 57 will have to report to race control immediately.

15:04
LMP2 - Spin for Heinemeir Hansson at Turn 4, in the stadium complex, but recovers and continues. The #35 has recovered to 23rd overall.

15:05
LMP2 - Change of position for Albers, as he moves the #31 Lotus Lola ahead of Ihara in the #29 for 18th position overall.

15:07
LMP2 -  A fourth, and scheduled pitstop for the Pecom Racing Oreca allows Warren Hughes (#48) and then Martin Brundle (#42) through for fourth and fifth in class.

15:08
LMP2 - Simon Dolan goes for a spin, but recovers the #38 without more than a brief delay.

15:10
LMP2 - Heinemeir Hansson rejoins the P2 fraternity, making it a clean run of prototypes from first to 21st positions by passing the GTE-Pro leader, Stefan Mucke.

15:11
LMP1: Another track limits warning for the #2 Audi. Audi #1 into the pit for what looks like a stop&go - had not been shown on the timing screens though.

15:14
LMP2 - Soheil Ayari (#49) takes Jordan Tresson (#23) for 16th.

The Vulcan, XH558, flies overhead. http://www.vulcantothesky.org/donate.html

15:15
LMP2 - Olivier Pla pits the Oak #24 from the class lead, and hands across to Jacques Nicolet.

15:18
LMP2 - Kieko Ihara's rearward slide continues, as Ricardo Gonzalez sweeps past the #29 Lola to take the #41 Greaves Zytek through to 19th overall.

15:20
LMP1: Rebellion Racing #12 has been in and out the pit for a change of tyre - apparently contact with a GT car.

15:21
LMP2 - Tor Graves presses on as leader in P2, pending his fourth pitstop. He and Dolan are the only two yet to do so, as Warren Hughes pits from sixth in class. 

15:23
LMP2 - The pitstop for Murphy Prototypes cost three positions, as the team complete a tyre change and driver swap; Jody Firth taking over.

15:24
LMP2 - Simon Dolan heads for the pitlane in the #38 Jota Zytek, surrendering third . . . unless it's a mighty quick stop.

15:25
LMP1: Tréluyer in for the fifth stop of the #1 Audi - Marcel Fässler takes over. Lapierre takes the lead again. Team manager of the #12 Rebellion Lola has to report to race control.

15:26
LMP2 - Confirmed, as Martin Brundle moves through into third, behind Nicolet. Amazingly, Graves still hasn't pitted the ADR-Delta Oreca, suggesting the car is remarkably fuel efficient.

15:27
LMP2 - Car #42 is awarded a stop & go penalty for overtaking during the safety car procedure. 

15:29
LMP2 - Pitstop for the class leader, as expected. Martin Brundle also enters the pitlane to fulfil his penalty.

15:29
LMP1: Lapierre now 37 seconds ahead of Fässler. Tréluyer on Radio Le Mans saying he doesn't know why he had a penalty - clearly needs to be shown the video.

15:33
Contact between #22 JRM HPD (LMP1) and the #71 AF Corse Ferrari (GTE PRO) - both continued.

15:34
LMP2 - Julien Jousse completes a lengthy pitstop for the #30 Status GP Lola. He promptly sets a new fastest first sector for the coupé.

15:36
LMP2 - Graves resumed after his pitstop sill leading by 40 seconds or so over Nicolet in the #24 Oak, with Ryan Dalziel third aboard the #44 Starworks HPD.

Evidently spurred on my the penalty, Martin Brundle is also setting fast sectors for Greaves in the #42 Zytek, holding fourth and fifteen seconds behind Dalziel.

15:39
LMP1: Lapierre and McNish pits - Audi gained four seconds. 59s stop for #7, 55s stop for #2.

15:43
LMP2 - Martin Brundle (#42) is setting the class pace at the moment, posting regular sub-52 laps, although Panciatici in the #26 is pushing him close, by a few tenths.

Quick catch-up on Murphy. Jody Firth is running 16th overall, 9th in class. That wayward tyre has been a costly loss, and accounts for at least five positions in this race. Firth's lap times are around the fifty-five mark, and consistent with it.

15:44
LMP2 - Pitstop for Martin Brundle. The stop drops the car a handful of places, and is the car's sixth visit to the pitlane - one for a penalty, of course. Alex Brundle takes over from his father.

15:44
GTE PRO: Gianmaria Bruni pitted from the class lead - handed over to Giancarlo Fisichella - who rejoined ahead of Darren Turner and still in the class lead. 13 seconds lead over the Aston.

15:45
LMP1: Fässler leads Lapierre after pit stops - 22 seconds is the gap between first and second.

15:46
LMP2 - Further pitstops, including Tresson (#23) and Gonzalez (#41). These are now the fifth of the scheduled fuel stops for the P2 cars.

15:48
LMP1: Another track limits warning for the #1 Audi.

15:49
LMP2 - Panciatici pitted at 15:48. Alex Brundle set a new fastest lap for the #42; a 1:51.007, and the closest we've seen yet to a sub fifty-one. Dalziel pitted the #44 at 15:49, from third in LMP2.

15:50
LMP2 - Soheil Ayari takes third from Ryan Dalziel while the #44 is in the pits.

15:51
LMP2 - Another track limits warning for the #38 - Simon Dolan earning the reprimand, but no penalty as yet.

15:52
LMP1: Another track limits warning for the #2 - Allan McNish earning the reprimand, but no penalty as yet.

15:53
LMP2 - The fifth round of pitstops is well under way now and more than half the P2 field have now taken on fuel.

15:55
LMP2 - Ayari completed the pitstop for Pecom, and came out on track directly in front of Alex Brundle in the #42, and then two are now circulating as if connected by a very short length of rope. Brundle looks to have the edge . . . 

15:58
LMP2 - The duel between Brundle and Ayari nears silly proportions, as there's repeated contact between the two cars as the young Brundle tries to force his way through. Ayari holds his nerve, and the position, for the time being at least. 

15:59
GTE PRO: #77 Team Felbermayr-Proton, Richard Lietz. "We broke a damper. Our pace had been good, but Ferrari is still way longer on fuel. We would have got into the last hour and the Ferrari's would have saved a pit stop - exactly what the Audi's are going to do to the Toyota."