Le Mans 24 Hours - Race Report - Hour 9

23:00 GTE Pro Vilander pits and Bruni takes over the #51 Ferrari.

23:01 One-third distance reached.

23:01 50 cars are still running.

23:02 LMP1 Gene has now caught the P1 pack, having passed the pit-bound JRM car and #3 is back to sixth overall and in class with his #3 Audi.  Baguette takes over #15, and it isn't even breakfast time!

23:02 LMP2: The problems for the #35 appear to be on-going, and after that lengthy pitstop last time around, Maxime Martin is back into the pitlane again, and into the garage. The car has slipped from the top three to 22nd overall,13th in P2.

23:03 GTE Am Pilet moves up to tenth in class as the #83 JMB Ferrari makes a stop.

23:04 LMP1 Full service for the leader Fassler in #1.

23:05 GTE Am Rob Kauffman pits the #61 AF Corse-Waltrip Ferrari from fourth and and resumes still in the positions.

23:06 LMP1 And a full service for #3 with Duval taking over.  JRM return to the track now with Brabham at the wheel.

23:07 GTE Pro Garcia pits the #73 from third. Melo moves up to third in the #59 458. The Spaniard stays in the car.

23:07 LMP2: Pitstop for Duval in the #3 Audi, and Hughes and Pla both pass, giving Hughes 6th overall. The gap, though, between him and Pla in the chasing #24 Oak is a mere 14 seconds, although the two are fairly evenly matched.

23:08 LMP1 Lotterer took over the lead car during its stop a lap ago according to RLM, but the timing screen has not updated.

23:09 LMP2: Pitstop for Soheil Ayari in the #49 Pecom Racing Oreca allows Panciatici (#26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan) to move through into fourth in class.

23:09 GTE Am A 4:10 from the leader Lamy seems a bit too slow - a momentary glitch or an issue arising? Hmm...his next lap is a 4:13!

23:12 LMP2: The #35 Oak Racing Morgan is back into the pitlane once again, for further attention to what is evidently a recurrent problem.

Routine pitstop for the Brundles, with Martin currently in the #41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek, running 24th overall, 15th in P2. The #41 Greaves Zytek is two slots ahead with Ricardo Gonzalez at the wheel.

23:13 LMP1 Dumbreck tells RLM that the tyre (on its third stint) exploded pitching him off and causing a little bit of damage to the car. 

Jarvis pits to swap over to Rockenfeller.  Their third place is looking very safe for now.

23:13 LMP2: A couple more pitstops in P2, with Sam Hancock (#38 Jota Zytek) and Alex Sims (#30 Status GP) each making a visit. They retain 7th and 8th respectively.

23:13 GTE Pro Ollie Gavin pits for his eighth scheduled stop. Tommy Milner takes over.

23:15 LMP1 The #17 Dome is now a lap ahead of the #7 Toyota.

23:16 GTE Am Lamy pits and Patrick Bornhauser takes over. Fuel and tyres are taken on, but no other work is done before it rejoins (in second). The issue was probably gripless rubber.

23:18 LMP1 Prost pits #12 for tyres, fuel and a seat-swap - Heidfeld aboard.

23:19 LMP2: The margin between Hughes and Pla has narrowed slightly to 12 seconds, and fluctuates with traffic. The gap back to T K-S is significantly more.

The problems for the #35 have proved to be tyre related, with two consecutive punctures on the same wheel, and Martin having to make slow return journeys to the pits each time.

23:19 GTE Am Camathias takes the #55 back out into the race. The reason for the stop was Paul Daniels getting onto the marbles on his inlap while moving over for a lapping prototype; glancing the wall and breaking a trackrod.

23:20 LMP2: Routine pitstop for Tom Kimber-Smith, and Panciatici inherits third.

23:20 LMP1 #7 is back out, looks like Wurz aboard.

23:23 LMP2: The Level 5 HPD #33 has been making steady progress, never quite drawing attention to itself, but remaining consistently "there, or thereabouts". The car makes its tenth pitstop, and Luis Diaz hands across to Christophe Bouchut. They're running 11th in LMP2, 20th overall.

23:24 LMP1 No, it appears that Nakajima got back into #7.

23:24 LMP2: Pitstop for Olivier Pla, who closed to within 11 seconds of Warren Hughes before having to side-step into the pitlane.

23:26 LMP2: Christophe Tinseau pits the Thiriet TDS Oreca from 10th in P2, and clambers out of the car. Beche retuns to the track.

23:28 LMP1 The Dome's relatively trouble-free run has ended and it is pulled back into the garage.  Advantage Toyota?  Nakajima has three laps to make back.

23:30 LMP1 Jonny Kane has been in the gravel with Strakka's HPD at the Ford Chicane but manages to swing it across into the pitlane where it is pulled into the garage, some minor bodywork damage apparent.

23:32 LMP1 Fuel for McNish.

23:32 LMP2: The #23 Signatech Oreca Nissan has returned to Pit Road for a freshen-up. Jordan Tresson is in the cockpit, but has slipped to 7th (from 6th) in the process, giving Sam Hancock the position for Jota Zytek #38. Those are class positions of course - 13th and 14th overall.

23:33 LMP1 Bourdais has taken over the Dome after an 8:29 stop so for now they do still head the Toyota.

23:35 There have now been six oficial retirements, with the DeltaWing now officially listed. Only one LMP2 casualty so far; the #29 Gulf Racing Lola, the first retirement.

23:37 LMP2: The #26 Signatech Oreca Nissan is the last P2 runner to complete a tenth pitstop, and Ragues takes over from Panciatici.

23:37 LMP1 Kane rejoins having lost nearly 9 minutes in the pits.

23:41 LMP2: Warren Hughes brings the P2 leader into the pitlane for a routine stop - the car's 11th. The car is refuelled and the oil system is pressure-filled too. It's a very slick pitstop and the green and white #48 is swiftly back on its way. It's not clear yet whether the car will retain its lead.

23:42 LMP1 Bellichi stops for fuel.

23:43 GTE Am Armindo pits from the class lead and Raymond Narac takes over. Rob Kauffman pits after spinning in the Corvette Curve and suffering rear-end damage. The car goes into the garage for the necessary repairs.

23:43 Just a quick note to remind everyone following us here that we are posting "live" as events unfold on the screens and track around us. We have no "edit" facility, so if typos slip through, we can't correct them - please forgive the inevitable errors!

23:44 LMP1 Lotterer is in with the leading Audi for fuel - a really quick stop at 54 seconds.

23:44 GTE Pro Lieb pits from fifth.

23:45 LMP2: After that last pitstop, Warren Hughes has returned to the track just 5 seconds ahead of Olivier Pla. The decision not to replace the #48's tyres (or perform a driver change) has saved the lead, but how effectively may depend on the state of Pla's tyres.

23:46 GTE Am Brian Vickers brings the #61 458 for his first stint in the dark. The car retains its fourth place.

23:47 GTE Am Tracy Krohn takes over the third placed Ferrari.

23:50 GTE Pro Milner leads Bruni by 32s, with Garcia a lap down in third.

23:51 GTE Am Narac leads Bornhauser by nine seconds, with Krohn a lap back in third.

23:52 LMP2: A straightforward visit to the pitlane for Soheil Ayari in the #49 Pecom Racing Oreca from fourth, handing over to Pierre Kaffer.

23:52 LMP1 Duval pits and Baguette makes 2 stops in one lap with #15, it has a puncture RLM report. It might be more than that though as it is pulled back into the box.  Brabham would have taken the seventh position in class but he pits too. 

#7 spins at Dunlop and continues having lost around 15 seconds. 

Brabham's stop was routine so JRM do take seventh in class, 15th overall.

23:53 LMP2: The gap between Hughes, leading the class for Murphy, and Pla, chasing him in the #24 Oak Racing Morgan, appears to have stabilised at arouind 6 seconds. The two drivers are very evenly matched.

23:55 GTE Pro Mücke pits the Aston from sixth. he stays in the car.

23:55 LMP1 Rockenfeller pits for fuel and tyres.

23:55 LMP2: Next to pay a visit to the pitlane is Yelmer Buurman in the Status GP Lola. The car has been running consistently and well, and Buurman has again demonstrated good pace to keep in touch with the leading group. The #30 lies 8th in class, 15th overall.

23:57 GTE Pro Bruni is speeding up again - the Italian has just posted the #51's fastest time (3:56.953) but still has half a minute to find on Milner.

23:59 LMP2: It's closing on midnight as Sam Hancock pits the Jota Zytek from 6th in class.

Pierre Kaffer is harrying Pierre Ragues for 4th, and there's barely a sheet of paper between them, according to the last timing split. We'll keep an eye on that over the coming laps.

23:59 LMP1 1 minute pitlane speeding penalty for Strakka.

#15 is released 90 seconds before Strakka would have passed them.