ILMC/LMS, Spa 1000 kms - Hours 3 and 4

James Walker passes Toni Vilander for the lead of GTE Pro for JMW, Vilander pits straight away in the #71 AF Corse.

Ayari pits in the Signatech Oreca so Firth leads the class for TDS Racing but Watts is closing in fast in the Strakka HPD

The Oreca Peugeot, Panis now aboard, is back into the top 30.

2:10 The leader (#7 Peugeot) and the #63 Porsche are under investigation.

The Neil garner FLM car looks to be in trouble - tumbling down the order - Steven Keating gets the car back with damage to the right front bodywork.

The #2 Audi makes a very late pit call, Treluyer apparently deciding through the Bus Stop to pit, the tyres not ready as he reached the box. It seems the only issue was to remove a large lump of pick up from the front left.

Panis loops the Oreca Peugeot as he exits the Bus Stop with some help from the JMB FLM - he recovers beautifully and is past the offending Oreca by Eau Rouge!

The #59 Luxury Racing Ferrari gets a stop/go penalty.

The LMP2 lead battle is resolved as Jody Firth locks up on his way to the pitlane, Danny Watts sweeps by to take the class lead. 

James Walker pits from the class lead after an excellent stint in the JMW Ferrari. Rob Bell climbs aboard.

Anthony Davidson puts in the fastest first sector of the race as the lead gap stretches over 30 seconds - it's a Peugeot 1,2,3; Davidson from Lamy and Sarrazin.

In GTE Pro Vilander leads again, but Bell is reeling him in; a 2:22.4 the fastest of the race so far for the #66 Ferrari. The lead battle is rather interrupted, though, by the passage of the recovering Oreca Peugeot, Panis up into the top 20.

2:27 The leader pits and Lamy inherits the lead, the #7 car putting in a 24 lap stint. #9 pits from the lead next time around, Sarrazin goes through to lead the race.

Thus far the debut of the R18 has been somewhat troubled, all three cars suffering issues ranging from the dramatic to the routine-but-delaying!

There's a problem for the #2 Audi, after Treluyer sets his fastest lap and then the fastest first sector of the race. Treluyer goes off the circuit and struggles back to the pits.

The Greaves Racing Zytek smokes by the pitlane after a problem at La Source, the car sporting damage to the right rear. It manages to get around to the pits with Karim Ojjeh aboard.

2:37 SAFETY CAR - after Bouchut suffers a substantial failure at the right rear of the car coming up through Eau Rouge; the #33 Lola crashing sideways into the tyre barrier on the outside. Bouchut is out and entirely unharmed.   The Marshals add further woe to Level 5's troubles as the recovery vehicle rips off the rear of the Lola as it tries to tow it out from its position wedged under the tyres!

Bad news for #2 which loses around two minutes being held at the end of the pitlane.  Jousse gets ahead for sixth. 

Green flag at 2:52.

The BMWs choose to do their pitstops right at the end of the safety car period. 

Davidson is trying to lap Dumas straight away and the squirming R18 looks a real handful as he tries to hold onto the lead lap. Davidson gets past into La Source.

Rob Bell runs wide after Les Combes and skims the tyre wall - so from fighting for the lead he finds himself defending from Fisichella; a place he loses just under a lap later under braking at the end of the Kemmel.

Great news for AF Corse, but more bad news for the other red Ferrari team, #59 slow on track.  Green Ferraris not faring well either with a puncture for the Krohn car, fifth in class. 

Half distance.

Treluyer is past the Pescarolo again.  Bell is still glued to Fisichella's tail.  Hankook Farnbacher are ahead of the two BMWs, but the Bavarians have done an additional stop so have changed strategy.

Lamy is now looking to put a lap on Dumas too.  Peugeot already have a death grip on this race; can Audi shake it?

Audi try, with Dumas squeezing across on Lamy at the kink onto Kessel. Lamy backs out of his pass but the race director summons #1's manager immediately. It seems he considers the defending from lapping traffic rather overzealous.

Race Perfomance hits problems from third in class, taking the escape road at Les Combes and then into the pits for a long stop.  Gates moves up to fourth for RLR and Ordonez to fifth.  Strakka are getting good mileage again in third, running notably longer stints than the leaders, 45 and 46.  3:36 gone and they make their third stop.

#88 is back up to second in GTE Am. CRS #62 still leads but is on a final warning for track indiscretions. Narac and Cioci are third and fourth, but then Cioci receives a stop/go.  FLM appears to be between #91 and #95.

Some text lost since the update - Bell managed to re-pass Fisichella but then started losing water at very high pressure from the front, possibly a result of skimming the wall; the car is brought into the pits and it looks like being a long stop or game over.  Jota move into sixth with a smooth and impressive run.  Walker rejoins eighth in class.

Vilander and Alzen are battling for the lead in GTE Pro as Fisichella hands back to Bruni.  Simonsen passes Muller in #55 so Ferrari and BMW, Dunlop, Hankook and Michelin are all set for a great final 130 minutes...

Kristensen gets down to a 2:05, quickest lap for the #3 car so far.  Minassian is 47 seconds up the road.

Bruni and Simonsen are both down into the 2:22s as the GTE Pro battle just gets better - Alzen pits from second in class as we close in on the four-hour mark. Priaulx climbs aboard and Simonsen inherits third - this is a tactical game now for BMW, and strategy is going to be key.

Thierry Boutsen reveals that the second in LMP2 #45 Oreca has a fuel pick-up problem, forcing the team to pit every 30 minutes. The Strakka car is around 90 seconds behind - could that prove to be a factor as Kane jumps aboard to go to the finish?

Kristensen continues to close the gap to Minassian - now 43 seconds as we complete Hour 4.