Total 24 Hours of Spa - Hours 4-5

19:02
A very familiar sight in this year's BES - huge clouds of spray and gloom.

19:03
Meyrick takes 11th from the Reiter Lambo of Marc Hayek

19:04
The #71 Kessel Racing Ferrari 458 Italia is still in the pit - just dropped out of the top 20.

19:05
Our photographer is right when he says that at Spa the Blancpain Endurance Series should be called Backpain Endurance Series....or perhaps Headache Endurance Series.

19:05
With just over three hours of the race complete, Bas Leinders' lead over Stephane Ortelli is 31s

19:05
Message from race control: "It's starting to rain again"

19:12
John Gaw pits the #107 Beechdean Aston Martin V12 Vantage from 20th.

19:12
And also in is the leader - Maxime Martin pits the #3 BMW.

19:14
The #87 RMS Porsche has stopped at T7.

19:18
From the pitlane:

Rob Bell (after handing over to Andy Meyrick): “The tyre degradation is hard for everyone but we’re coping with that. The lap time goes off a bit but the car is still drivable. The biggest problem I had was avoiding maniacs everywhere – unbelievable the way some of them were driving for the first hour of a 24 hour race! It was very hot and stuffy in the car, mostly due to the outside temperature and humidity I think, and it saps your energy so it’s a cool shower and lots of energy drinks for me now.”

19:18
Pit stop for Stephane Ortelli (#1 WRT Audi).

19:22
#35 Nissan GT-R GT3 is still in the pit with a problem - down in 61st now. RJN crew working hard to fix electrical problems.

19:24
Very big off - the #86 RMS Porsche hit the wall really hard between Blanchimont and the Bus Stop. Heavy damage, no word on the driver.

SAFETY CAR

19:33
Race control tells team "slow speed, left hand side of the accident area, right side blocked" No update on Philippe Salini though...

19:40
As the caution continues, the sun comes out over the paddock area and a rainbow can be seen over the forests. More rain is forecast, but when and how much is not clear.

19:40
"Medical cars may be overtaken at slow speed"

19:46
Andy Meyrick reports via team radio that the crashed car and driver have been removed and that it shouldn't be long before the safety car pits. He also reports light rain and that the track is wet all the way round.

19:48
Safety car in at the end of this lap.

19:53
GREEN

19:54
Driver change to Stef Dusseldorp in the #60 Von Ryan Racing McLaren.

19:54
This race is now almost four hours old...and we've already been behind the safety car for 71 minutes!

20:02
While Leinders and Ortelli are still first and second - Rast (back from Hungary) is currently third and Van Hooydonck is fourth.

20:04
Update on the delayed cars:

#6 Phoenix Audi - currently 54th (Fässler at the wheel)
#62 Lapidus McLaren - 63rd (Quaife)
#18 Black Falcon SLS - 64th (Jans)
#60 Von Ryan McLaren - 52nd (Dusseldorp)
#12 ART McLaren - 31st (Parisy)
#51 AF Corse Ferrari - 12th (Ardagna Perez)

20:13
With 83 laps complete, the gap between Leinders and Ortelli is exactly eight seconds.

20:16
Car 35 - the RJN Nissan - has stopped at T4 after emerging from a very long stop. The team had been trying to trace an electrical problem, but it would appear they haven't been completely successful.

20:16
Updates from the paddock.
- Salini taken to hospital in Verviers for further checks.
- RaceArt Porsche gets gearbox change

20:17
Ortelli takes 1.4s out of Leinders' lead on Lap 84.

20:21
In Pro-Am, the gap between class leader Christian Menzel, in the #8 Haribo Porsche in seventh place overall, and Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #52 AF Corse Ferrari in eighth is just over ten seconds.

20:22
Tom Kristensen begins his first stint in the much-delayed #6 Audi

20:23
The top two have both pitted for their latest routine stops.

20:34
There has been a lead change in Pro-Am with Louis Machiels leading in the #52 Ferrari from Mike Stursburg in the Haribo Porsche.

20:35
Marc VDS is reporting a rapidly drying track, but also forecasting more rain in the next 30-40 minutes.

20:38
Team manager car #4 (Marc VDS Racing Team BMW) to the race director immediately.

20:38
The #51 AF Corse Ferrari makes its first appearance in the top ten. Meanwhile, a car previously in the top ten, the Preci-Spark SLS, is now down in 55th as a very long pitstop continues.

20:39
MP just before scaring us with a rain warning!!!

20:42
Christopher Haase has the bit between his teeth and has closed to within five seconds of Leinders in the #1 WRT Audi after a series of quick laps.

20:44
It's getting darker here - partly due to clouds though.

20:46
Just three cars - 3, 1 and 16 - are on the lead lap (Lap 95).

20:47
Haase is now under a second behind Leinders and lapping two seconds quicker consistently. A change looks imminent.

20:49
The Belgian responds and drops into the 2:38s to extend his lead to 1.3s. He has four slower cars immediately ahead, however.

20:53
Leinders increases his lead to more than three seconds as Haase is delayed by what looks suspiciously from the in-car cameras to be the #4 Marc VDS BMW.

20:54
The leader dips into the 2:37s to make good his escape as Haase's pace drops to 2:40 as he negotiates traffic. The lead is now six seconds.

20:56
It is very dark indeed for nine o'clock on a summer's evening and people are suddenly hurrying for cover.

"Heavy rain at T1"

20:56
Here we go again - it's throwing it down!

20:57
SAFETY CAR

20:58
Heavy rain again!

20:58
Safety car!!!

20:59
The race director took the decision to slow the pace almost as soon as the rain started as heavy rain is reported all round the circuit. Only one car is reported to have spun and it looks to have rejoined without issue.