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Le Mans Series - Spa 1000kms - Hours 4 & 5 As the 4th hour begins Capello was leading by 3 seconds but is reeled in by Bourdais. An epic scrap ensues for several laps, the higher downforce of the Peugeot drawing in the Audi, which manages to use its slippery aero to pull away on the faster sections. Dindo misses his braking point into La Source and Seb is through, but the Audi re-challenges up the hill to re-take his position into Les Combes. In a massively committed run through traffic Dindo manages to pull away slightly for a few laps. Bourdais closes again to 0.38s.
Erdos maintains a 7s lead over the 40 Ginetta Zytek, Pla at the helm.
In FLM the early dominance of the 48 Hope Polevision car with Nicko Verdonck at the wheel comes to an end with the car spending time in the pits. The class is now led by team mate Luca Moro in the 47 car. In GT2 Marc Lieb has established a lead over a lap to the Schnitzer BMWs of Jorg Muller and Augusto Farfus. Tim Mullen trails in fourth a lap down on the class leader. A few significant runners that have suffered delays out of sight from our spotters in the technology free zone that is currently Spa Francorchamps - The previously dominant #48 Hope Polevision Oreca and the Young Driver Aston have both tumbled to the tail of the order. More recently the #92 JMW Aston Martin has pitted after a very slow lap.
Rob Bell reports that the car suffered a stuck throttle, the car was off the road and into the barrier hard at Turn 8, the car is back in the garage, the team looking both to fix the damage and to trace the throttle problem, this a repeat of an identical issue suffered earlier on by Darren Turner at the same point on the circuit. The #12 Rebellion Lola is out of the race with just over 2 hours and 30 minutes to run - Nicolas Prost stranded out on the circuit with an overheating gearbox the initial diagnosis. The team are also keeping a weather eye on the #13 car. The lead pair pit, but the Peugeot gets out ahead this time. Davidson leads in the #1 car but needs to pit. The #3 car behind keeps Bourdais at the wheel and the Peugeot squad don't change tyres. Audi do, Capello stays at the wheel and the order changes - After lap 77 the gap is already 30 seconds. The 42 Strakka HPD, right back into the hunt after a magnificent fight back, is off backwards again, this time at Fagnes – more rear end damage for Nick Leventis, who returns to the pits - the car tumbles back down the order. Mike Newton takes over the #25 RML Lola HPD, Miguel Amaral climbing aboard the #40 Quifel car at the same time. Both cars resume setting similar lap times but trail the Jacques Nicolet Oak Racing car, which has a stop to make. Jorg Muller gets a stop/go penalty for an infringement at the Bus Stop. Jacques Nicolet makes his pit stop to return the P2 lead to Amaral. Jean de Pourtales grinds to a halt in the KSM Lola Judd at Stavelot, the car has been running in the top 5 for most of the race but looks like a probable retirement. The #008 Lola Aston Martin meanwhile has had time in the garage (stuck in 5th gear) but is about to rejoin the race. The remaining (#13) Rebellion Lola is also in the garage with a recurring electrical problem, the car cutting out on the circuit earlier. GT2 still headed by Lieb with a 1:41.3 advantage over Farfus in the 79 BMW.
Farfus pits, enabling Alesi and Bruni to take over 2nd and 3rd. Priaulx is now aboard the 79 BMW. The #78 BMW meanwhile takes a stop-go and pits again the next time around dropping down from second to sixth Bourdais now leads Capello by 42 seconds, Wurz and Montagny holding 3 and 4 from Dumas’ Audi. Paul Daniels goes straight on at Eau Rouge but applies enough brake effort to nudge the tyre wall very gently. With 2 hours remaining the leading cars in each class are as follows LMP1 and overall: #3 Bourdais LMP2 #40 Amaral (6th
overall) GT1 #70 Leinders 16th
overall GT2 #77 Lieb 13th overall Capello's pace seems to be not up to the stellar level we'd expect - the tyres apparently not performing as he would like. He pits to hand over the #7 Audi to Tom Kristensen with 1 hour and 45 minutes remaining with the gap to the leader already up to 50 seconds. The leader pits too Bourdais out of the #3 car after an excellent run replaced by Simon Pagenaud. Montagny then brings in the #2 908 from fourth, Sarrazin climbs aboard. With the pit stops winding out - Wurz leads in the #1 car but owes us a stop - The pit stops have allowed Kristensen to close a little on Pagenaud - 47 seconds the gap 2-3rd with Dumas in fourth but also needing a stop.
The already penalised #78 BMW is dealt a further 3 minute stop-go for failing to respect the track limits - that will drop the car right out of contention. At the current pace we will still see the race finish at 17:30 local but only a lap or two short of the 143 lap (1000km) distance. The #48 HPR Formula Le Mans car is posted as a retirement after a pace setting early run, fuel pump problems being responsible. Further down the pitlane the DAMS car is retired with a broken steering rack. JWA’s earlier excursion can be explained by problems with retaining heat in the rear tyres. The Young Driver Aston Martin has dropped down to 40th overall due to water pump issues. Farnbacher takes Westwood
for 8th in GT2 but this pair are battling hard. Dumas takes his stop and hands over to Rockenfeller, re-establishing the order in P1. Having clawed back a few seconds to the leader, Kristensen is now dropping back again into the clutches of Wurz Vanina Ickx is in the gravel with 80 minutes to go, the #008 Lola Aston Martin 11th overall before that incident - the car is towed out of the kitty litter and pits. The luckless #42 Strakka HPD squad are a confirmed retirement, the team lacking further spares for the panels damaged twice today. Guillaume Moreau is back up into second in LMP2 in the #35 Oak Racing Pescarolo Judd he's taken that position from Mike Newton but is 45 seconds back from Amaral, leading the class and now 6th overall. As I type that though he (Moreau) is cruising, the car nowhere close to racing pace, he pits and team-mate Jacques Nicolet takes advantage - the #25 RML car back in second (more than a minute behind the class leader), the #24 Pescarolo up to third. The #35 car is straight back out though - could he have been low on fuel? The leading GT2 car, the #77 Felbermayer Proton Porsche - and the #72 LAA Corvette are both warned over respecting the track limit. 64 minutes remaining - Safety Car - Christopher Nygaard with a huge off at the exit of Blanchimont, the front of the #52 Young Driver AMR DBR9 wrecked - driver looks OK. |
