Le Mans 24 Hours - Hours 2 and 3

The LMP2 lead battle between the two RS Spyders continues to be the closest on track, Bleekemolen and Elgaard now contesting 15th place overall and still lapping with just a half second gap.

Guy Smith is harrying Juan Barazi for fourth in LMP2, this pair ten seconds behind the #45 WF01

The #19 Chamberlain Synergy Lola suffers a front left puncture and has to complete almost a whole lap at reduced speed, dropping well out of the top 30 as a result.

The pit stop cycle allows McNish, still 2 seconds a lap faster than his team mates in #1 and #3, to lead again.  The fifth and sixth place Audis are lapping in close company.

The #83 Krohn Racing Risi Competizione car, second in GT2 last year, is our first retirement.  Tracy Krohn, on his out lap, brushed the barrier at Arnage with the rear and then impacted at the front, radiator and suspension damage have meant the car can't continue.

Not 90 minutes in and there are only eight cars on the lead lap such is the pace of the Peugeot trio.  The #16 Pescarolo and #5 Courage Oreca are the last two petrol cars on the lead lap.

Stephane Sarrazin is flying in the lead, his lap 25 is the fastest of the race so far, a 3:21.872 for the #8 Peugeot (Beating McNish's 2007 race lap record by a cool 7.5 seconds!), a minute ahead of the fourth placed Audi and over 30 seconds ahead of the #9 and #7 908s.

Thomas Erdos has begun his long, long recovery drive with some spirited lappery, the #25 car though is 52nd place and 12 laps off the LMP2 class leaders.

The Embassy WF01 has been leapfrogged by both the #33 Lola Coupe and the #40 Quifel ASM Lola, Pompidou and Smith respectively now third and fourth in class.

Pierre Kaffer has been making progress up the GT2 order now fifth in class in the Dunlop-shod #90 Farnbacher 430.

The #12 Charouz Lola Judd has had a second problem, it seems that it has been in a disagreement with the #41 Trading Performance Zytek in the Ford Chicane, Klaus Graf has a rear left puncture, Karim Ojjeh is embedded in the gravel with the nose section of the Zytek at the Ford Chicane.  He is out of the car whilst the #12 car, apparently struck in the rear by the #41 car, is receiving attention in pit lane.

The #73 Luc Alphand Corvette has received a 30 second Stop/Go penalty, overtaking in the pitlane (the RML MG Lola.

Allan McNish is beginning to catch Jacques Villeneuve, the gap closes to 15 seconds before Villeneuve responds.

Jan Charouz has a huge moment at the braking area for the Dunlop Chicane.  The car spinning going rearwards into the gravel, losing the rear wing and damaging the right front in the process.  Charouz attempts to get the car back but as he comes onto the Mulsanne the front bodywork comes adrift and folds under the front wheels of the car, jamming the steering and forcing Charouz to a grinding halt.

Pitlane Comment

IPB Spartak : Peter Kox “ Problem is with the diff., but we don’t know exactly what. It’s been a long stop, which is disappointing because we’ve had a good car all week”.

#96 Virgo : Car was hit by the 59 Aston. The Aston pulled out of its pit as the Ferrari was coming in. Thought a rear bumper may be required (they have “a spare”), but for now heavily taped up and back out. “Not what is expected of the competition in a 24 hour race”.

Pat Long, just out of the 76 car. “There was no need for heroics in the first couple of laps but once I got in the groove it was easy to make up places. The car feels really good, we’re just playing with some TC settings and tyre pressures at the moment.”

Pedro Lamy: "There is no strategy to break the Audis, we are where we are - it’s just how it is for us. Franck and I were not racing each other, but just kind of pushing each other at similar speed. We’re obviously where we want to be, we’ll see if we’re still there tomorrow at 3 o’clock – there’s a long way to go.”

The #12 Lola's dramas continue, Klaus Graf spins and brushes the barrier on the exit of Mulsanne Corner.

The two strong Porsches dance off together at the outskirts of Indianapolis. It appears that Richard Lietz (No. 76 IMSA entry) tapped the tail of the Lizard, jockeyed by Seth Neiman. No. 80 regained the track, but not before the Lizard pees its radiator fluid into the reptile litter. Lietz’ car has lost a wheel. While it remains out there, Charouz has somehow brought the deranged No. 10 Lola-Aston back to the garage.

Guy Smith (still in the Portuguese Lola) has contact with one of the Corvettes (No. 64 of Olivier Beretta). The delay for No. 64 is enough to propel Antonio Garcia into second in class. His No. 009 Aston Martin trails Johnny O’Connell’s No. 63 Corvette by less than a second.

A stop by Klien temporarily allowed McNish up a slot, but not before the No. 2 Audi made its stop. The Scotsman stayed aboard for yet another stint. Emmanuel Collard now leads I-B with the No. 16 Pescarolo. Well down at the back of the LM P1 field, Yojiro Terada flat spots the Courage-Mugen just past the pit entrance and the aging son of the land of the rising sun makes a slow long lap around.

Stephane Sarrazin brings the leading No. 8 Peugeot in at the 2:15-mark, handing over to Alexander Wurz. It’s an early stop and the car is backed into the garage—it’s stuck in gear. This puts Klien’s No. 9 onto the lead, but a lap later and this Peugeot comes in. It has been penalized for lacking a headlight and the nose is being replaced.

While the Peugeot team is experiencing a minor meltdown the races in each of the other three classes. Verstappen holds a 30 second lead over Nielsen in the battle of Porsches for LM 2 honors. Garcia has taken the GT1 lead from O’Connell. The top four in that class are close with Beretta third (No. 64 Corvette) and Piccini (No. 007 Aston) fourth.

Alex Davison leads GT2, a tremendous result thus far for the often overlooked Felbermayr Porsche. A former Porsche team—Farnbacher, now Ferrari, is second in class with Pierre Kaffer aboard the No. 90 car. Fabio Babini is up to third in GT2 with No. 97 BMS Ferrari.

The No. 12 Lola-Judd has pitted with some damage near the front left wheel. Meanwhile, the petrol proto leader, the No. 16 Pescarolo of Emmanuel Collard, runs backwards into the gravel after Collard gets a wheel onto the grass and brushes the No. 20 Euskadi of Miguel de Castro. The No. 14 Creation has come in with a rear left puncture.

The travails at Peugeot have allowed McNish to take the overall lead with a full minute's advantage AND he's currently lapping more quickly than the Peugeots.  The #8 Peugeot rejoins, 6 laps down and almost out of the top 30.

The refettled Lola Aston Martin is having some steering issues after Jan Charouz's off, Enge now at the wheel but down in 48th place.

The #1 Audi receives a new nose section as things start to hot up right down through the top 20.

John Nielsen sets the quickest lap of the Essex Racing Porsche's race thus far, closing in a little on Jos Verstappen, still with a 30 second advantage, this pair 11th and 12th overall.

Janos Wimpffen believes that the #3 Audi is just receiving its first new set of Michelins, after two and three quarter hours, as McNish finally climbs out of #2, from the lead after completing a time/ distance equivalent to a full ALMS race!

The current petrol-fuelled leader is the 6th place #5 Courage, Duval currently at the wheel.

Gene is the new leader in the #7 Peugeot, all three 908s (and the #2 Audi) now having led.

We have proper battles underway in all four classes, Alex Davison pits from the GT2 lead.  Garcia's lead in GT1 is down to 5.5 seconds from Johnny O'Connell with Beretta closing in fast in third having just posted the fastest GT1 lap of the race thus far, a 3:50.899.

Also in GT1, Christophe Bouchut suffers a wild ride as the left rear wheel of the Larbre Saleen comes adrift as the car comes through the Dunlop Esses, the Saleen ends up otherwise undamged, is towed out of the gravel and starts a slow and careful lap back to the pits.  The team Modena Aston has a trip through the gravel and across the grass on the inside of the Ford Chicane, Jos Menten continues down pitlane and rejoins.

As the third hour is completed the leader pits (#7) for a routine stop, the #2 Audi, now in the hands of Dindo Capello will retake the lead.