Le Mans Series - Spa 1000kms - Final Hour

We start the final hour under the safety car, the #52 Aston martin (or what's left of it) on a flatbed and into pit lane.  The caution period will be a while yet though, the Blanchimont tyre wall is in some disarray.  The JMW Aston meanwhile is back on track after its earlier woes.

The class positions were as follows just as the Safety Car was scrambled:

LMP1
3 Pagenaud     
7 Kristensen
1 Wurz
2 Sarrazin
9 Rockenfeller

LMP2
40 Amaral
25 Newton
24 Nicolet
35 Hein
30 Piccini

GT1
70 Leinders
50 Rees
60 Beche

GT2
77 Lietz
95 Vilander
96 Melo
79 Priaulx
76 Pilet
91 Mullen
89 Simonsen
85 Dumbreck
75 Holzer
88 Ragginger

Wolfgang Kaufmann held a comfortable lead in FLM in the #47 HPR Oreca.

The leading Peugeots have not yet pitted - but remember too that we had a weather forecast of a heavy rain shower at about 4:40 - It's 4:40 now and the sky is darkening, Mike Newton reporting that there is some localised light rain around the circuit at Pif Paf and through Stavelot.

Wurz pits - 48 minutes remaining - Kristensen moves up to second.

Newton pits in the #25 RML Lola HPD and Andy Wallace makes his first appearance. The Lola has 4 new slick bolted on so RML must be confident that this is very localised and shortlived downwardly mobile moisture.  AWOL though is held up in pitlane by what looks like a hire van!  He rejoins and retains second in class though.

44 minutes to go and the Safety Car will pit this time around.

Before that though Sarrazin pits, fuel and tyres for the #2 car, Gene inherits third place.

41 minutes and we're racing again.

Pagenaud leads Kristensen by 90 seconds with Gene a further 65 seconds back.

In LMP2 Wallace is 84 seconds behind Amaral with Hein a further minute astray.

In GT1 Palttla leads Beche by 100 seconds but the #60 man has Fernanvdo Rees right behind him in the #50 Larbre Saleen challenging for second.

GT1 Has Lieb away and clear but the two AF Corse men in second and third are right together, Fisichelle leading Melo by a few tenths.  Fourth in GT2 is another dogfight between Patrick Pilet and Tim Mullen, just over a second the difference here as we approach the final half hour.

Cut slicks are being prepped for the leading car, Pagenaud pits - 32 minutes remaining.

Rockenfeller pits from fifth as Kristensen has a big moment at Blanchimont - it's getting wetter by the moment. Not as big a moment as Gene goes off and into the barrier at Rivage from third position.

Kristensen is struggling in these conditions he's passed by the Racing Box LMP2 car as Gene rejoins. Kristensen though is catching Pagenaud, 17 seconds the gap - He pits though for inters at the end of the lap.

28 minutes remaining Melo has passed Fisichella for third in GT2 - Rees has fallen back a little from the second placed GT battle - He skids off, keeps the foot in and rejoins before pitting for inters.

The #78 BMW struggles back with a right rear puncture.

The leader skids off and goes straight on at Les Combes - the car continues over the grass and rejoins but Kristensen is closing - 72 seconds off the lead last time around. That cost Pagenaud a good 8 seconds or so.

The #79 BMW has dropped back to fourth behind the battling AF Corse Ferraris, Fisichella going by Melo for second in class.

20 minutes remaining and the lead gap is now 64 seconds. but, Sarazzin is catching Kristensen - The track appears though to be drying again!

Melo reclaims second from Fisichella as the leader laps the pair - 18 minutes remaining- - the lead gap now 61 seconds. 

Pagenaud is really struggling - Kristensen takes 8 seconds out of the lead in the first sector of lap 131, a further 2 seconds in sector 2 the gap down to 52 seconds with 15 minutes remaining.

Fisichella has dropped back from Melo and is battling to fend off Priaulx behind in a tussle for third in GT2.

13 minutes and Pagenaud has found his feet again, the lead extends to 56 seconds.

Sarazzin is still closing on Kristensen though - 21 seconds with 10 minutes remaining - The Dane gets caught in a GT2 traffic jam on lap 134 though and that will allow the gap to close more rapidly.  It does 6 seconds closer in the middle sector alone.  13 seconds now the gap as they start lap 135 - 8 minutes remaining.

In GT2 Dumbreck, Ragginger and Holzer are battling for points and seventh position as Pilet ahead looks to get onto terms with Priaulx and Fisichella.

6 and a half minutes and Sarrazin can see Kristensen ahead - 7 seconds the gap now - Not for long though, the Peugeot calmly reels in the Audi and blasts by into second slot as they complete lap 136 - 4 minutes remaining.

The #13 Rebellion Lola stops on the pit straight - JCB an apparent retirement - Did the leader overtake a backmarker under the yellows thrown as a result? 

The Fisichella / Priaulx battle has caught back up with Melo

Final lap and its a fine win from Peugeot, Pagenaud brings the #3 car home (but again seems to overtake under yellows in doing so).

Sarrazin makes it a Peugeot 1,2 - the #2 908 coming home 68 seconds back with Kristensen bringing the #1 Audi R15 home 8 seconds further back.

In GT2 Lieb brings the #77 Porsche home very comfortably clear of the Melo/ Fisichella/ Priaulx train, with Pilet fifth and Mullen sixth.

LMP2 saw Miguel Amaral bring the Quifel ASM Ginetta Zytek home safely for the class win, 6th overall and leading petrol-fuelled car home, just over a minute clear from Andy Wallace in the RML Lola HPD with Oak Racing taking third and fourth with the #35 (Moreau) leading home #24 (Lahaye).

GT1 fell to Marc VDS Racing team on home ground, Marcus Palttala bringing the #70 car home well clear of Mathias Beche and Cyndie Allemann in the #60 and #61 Matech Fords for A Ford GT 1,2,3,

Finally FLM and Wolfgang Kaufmann brings it home for the #47 Hope Polevision Racing squad - He'll be delighted with that and so will the team after the early retirement of their pacesetting #48 car.

Finishing Order

1 3 Run LMP1 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP PAGENAUD Simon 6:02min 11.440 s 139 laps
2 2 Run LMP1 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP SARRAZIN Stephane +1min 08.308 s 
3 7 Run LMP1 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI KRISTENSEN Tom +1min 26.215 s
4 1 Run LMP1 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP GENE Marc 138 laps
5 9 Run LMP1 Audi Sport North America Audi R15 TDI ROCKENFELLER Mike 137 laps
6 40 Run LMP2 Quifel - ASM Team Ginetta-Zytek 09S AMARAL Miguel 130 laps
7 25 Run LMP2 RML Lola HPD Coupé WALLACE Andy +1min 03.735 s
8 35 Run LMP2 Oak Racing Pescarolo – Judd MOREAU Guillaume 129 laps
9 24 Run LMP2 Oak Racing Pescarolo – Judd LAHAYE Mathieu 128 laps
10 30 Run LMP2 Racing Box Lola B09 Coupé – Judd PICCINI Andrea +8.738 s
11 13 Run LMP1 Rebellion Racing Lola B10/60 Coupé – Rebellion BOULLION Jean-Christophe 127 laps
12 8 Run LMP1 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 TDI FASSLER Marcel 126 laps
13 008 Run LMP1 Signature Plus Lola Aston Martin ICKX Vanina 125 laps
14 47 Run LMP2 Hope Polevision Racing Formula Le Mans KAUFMANN Wolfgang 124 laps
15 77 Run LMGT2 Team Felbermayr Proton Porsche 997 GT3 RSR LIEB Marc 124 laps
16 36 Run LMP2 Pegasus Racing Courage-Oreca LC75 – AER SCHELL Julien 123 laps
17 70 Run LMGT1 Marc VDS Racing Team Ford GT PALTTALA Markus 123 laps
18 45 Run  LMP2 Boutsen Energy Racing Formula le Mans - Oreca 09 RAIHAMER Dominik 123 laps
19 96 Run LMGT2 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT  MELO Jaime 123 laps
20 95 Run LMGT2 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT FISICHELLA Giancarlo +0.765 secs
21 79 Run  LMGT2 BMW Team Schnitzer BMW M3 PRIAULX Andy +1.482 secs
22 76 Run  LMGT2 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3 RSR PILET Patrick +10.627 secs
23 60 Run LMGT1 Matech Competition Ford GT BECHE Mathias 123 laps
24 91 Run LMGT2 CRS Racing Ferrari F430 GT MULLEN Tim 122 laps
25 85 Run LMGT2 Spyker Squadron Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R DUMBRECK Peter 121 laps
26 88 Run LMGT2 Team Felbermayr Proton Porsche 997 GT3 RSR RAGGINGER Martin +6.946
27 75 Run LMGT2 Prospeed Competition Porsche 997 GT3 RSR HOLZER Marco +7.821 s
28 61 Run LMGT1 Matech Competition Ford GT ALLEMANN Cyndie 121 laps
29 89 Run LMGT2 Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari F430 GT SIMONSEN Allan 121 laps
30 94 Run LMGT2 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT RUSSO Matias 120 laps
31 50 Run LMGT1 Larbre Competition Saleen S7-R REES Fernando 120 laps
32 72 Run LMGT1 Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R JOUSSE Julien +7.259s
33 66 Run LMGT1 Atlas FX-Team FS Saleen S7-R LACKO Adam +1:03.203
34 78 Run LMGT2 BMW Team Schnitzer BMW M3 ALZEN Uwe 120 laps
35 98 Run LMGT2 Prospeed Competition Porsche 997 GT3 RSR MACHIELS Louis 119 laps
36 46 Run LMP2 JMB Racing Formula Le Mans - Oreca 09 HARTSHORNE John 117 laps
37 93 Run LMGT2 JWA Racing Porsche 997 GT3 RSR SLINGERLAND Oskar 116 laps
38 90 Run LMGT2 CRS Racing Ferrari F430 GT EHRET Pierre 105 laps
39 27 Run LMP2 Race Performance Radical SR9 – Judd MEICHTRY Ralph 103 laps
40 92 Run LMGT2 JMW Motorsport Aston Martin V8 Vantage  BELL Robert 86 laps
41 52 Run LMGT1 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin DBR9 NYGAARD Christoffer 82 laps DNF Accident
42 39 Run LMP2 KSM Lola B08/47 – Judd de POURTALES Jean 77 laps DNF
43 42 In LMP2 Strakka Racing HPD ARX – 01 LEVENTIS Nick 69 laps DNF
44 49 In LMP2 Applewood Seven Formula Le Mans - Oreca 09 TOULEMONDE Damien 67 laps
45 12 Run LMP1 Rebellion Racing Lola B10/60 Coupé – Rebellion PROST Nicolas 65 laps DNF
46 48 In LMP2 Hope Polevision Racing Formula Le Mans FLM - Oreca – 09 30 laps DNF
47 43 In LMP2 Dams Formula Le Mans - Oreca 09 CHALANDON Gary 23 laps DNF
48 41 Run LMP2 Team Bruichladdich Ginetta-Zytek 09S EBBESVIK Thor-Christian 15 laps DNF Accident
49 4 Run LMP1 Team Oreca Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi FAP PANIS Olivier 4 laps DNF Accident
50 29 Racing Box Lola Judd Coupe – 0 laps DNF - Accident

GG/ ML