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Le Mans Series - Spa 1000kms - Final Hour We start the final hour under the safety car, the #52 Aston martin (or what's left of it) on a flatbed and into pit lane. The caution period will be a while yet though, the Blanchimont tyre wall is in some disarray. The JMW Aston meanwhile is back on track after its earlier woes. The class positions were as follows just as the Safety Car was scrambled: LMP1 LMP2 GT1 GT2 Wolfgang Kaufmann held a comfortable lead in FLM in the #47 HPR Oreca. The leading Peugeots have not yet pitted - but remember too that we had a weather forecast of a heavy rain shower at about 4:40 - It's 4:40 now and the sky is darkening, Mike Newton reporting that there is some localised light rain around the circuit at Pif Paf and through Stavelot. Wurz pits - 48 minutes remaining - Kristensen moves up to second. Newton pits in the #25 RML Lola HPD and Andy Wallace makes his first appearance. The Lola has 4 new slick bolted on so RML must be confident that this is very localised and shortlived downwardly mobile moisture. AWOL though is held up in pitlane by what looks like a hire van! He rejoins and retains second in class though. 44 minutes to go and the Safety Car will pit this time around. Before that though Sarrazin pits, fuel and tyres for the #2 car, Gene inherits third place. 41 minutes and we're racing again. Pagenaud leads Kristensen by 90 seconds with Gene a further 65 seconds back. In LMP2 Wallace is 84 seconds behind Amaral with Hein a further minute astray. In GT1 Palttla leads Beche by 100 seconds but the #60 man has Fernanvdo Rees right behind him in the #50 Larbre Saleen challenging for second. GT1 Has Lieb away and clear but the two AF Corse men in second and third are right together, Fisichelle leading Melo by a few tenths. Fourth in GT2 is another dogfight between Patrick Pilet and Tim Mullen, just over a second the difference here as we approach the final half hour. Cut slicks are being prepped for the leading car, Pagenaud pits - 32 minutes remaining. Rockenfeller pits from fifth as Kristensen has a big moment at Blanchimont - it's getting wetter by the moment. Not as big a moment as Gene goes off and into the barrier at Rivage from third position. Kristensen is struggling in these conditions he's passed by the Racing Box LMP2 car as Gene rejoins. Kristensen though is catching Pagenaud, 17 seconds the gap - He pits though for inters at the end of the lap. 28 minutes remaining Melo has passed Fisichella for third in GT2 - Rees has fallen back a little from the second placed GT battle - He skids off, keeps the foot in and rejoins before pitting for inters. The #78 BMW struggles back with a right rear puncture. The leader skids off and goes straight on at Les Combes - the car continues over the grass and rejoins but Kristensen is closing - 72 seconds off the lead last time around. That cost Pagenaud a good 8 seconds or so. The #79 BMW has dropped back to fourth behind the battling AF Corse Ferraris, Fisichella going by Melo for second in class. 20 minutes remaining and the lead gap is now 64 seconds. but, Sarazzin is catching Kristensen - The track appears though to be drying again! Melo reclaims second from Fisichella as the leader laps the pair - 18 minutes remaining- - the lead gap now 61 seconds. Pagenaud is really struggling - Kristensen takes 8 seconds out of the lead in the first sector of lap 131, a further 2 seconds in sector 2 the gap down to 52 seconds with 15 minutes remaining. Fisichella has dropped back from Melo and is battling to fend off Priaulx behind in a tussle for third in GT2. 13 minutes and Pagenaud has found his feet again, the lead extends to 56 seconds. Sarazzin is still closing on Kristensen though - 21 seconds with 10 minutes remaining - The Dane gets caught in a GT2 traffic jam on lap 134 though and that will allow the gap to close more rapidly. It does 6 seconds closer in the middle sector alone. 13 seconds now the gap as they start lap 135 - 8 minutes remaining. In GT2 Dumbreck, Ragginger and Holzer are battling for points and seventh position as Pilet ahead looks to get onto terms with Priaulx and Fisichella. 6 and a half minutes and Sarrazin can see Kristensen ahead - 7 seconds the gap now - Not for long though, the Peugeot calmly reels in the Audi and blasts by into second slot as they complete lap 136 - 4 minutes remaining. The #13 Rebellion Lola stops on the pit straight - JCB an apparent retirement - Did the leader overtake a backmarker under the yellows thrown as a result? The Fisichella / Priaulx battle has caught back up with Melo Final lap and its a fine win from Peugeot, Pagenaud brings the #3 car home (but again seems to overtake under yellows in doing so).
Sarrazin makes it a Peugeot 1,2 - the #2 908 coming home 68 seconds back with Kristensen bringing the #1 Audi R15 home 8 seconds further back. In GT2 Lieb brings the #77 Porsche home very comfortably clear of the Melo/ Fisichella/ Priaulx train, with Pilet fifth and Mullen sixth.
LMP2 saw Miguel Amaral bring the Quifel ASM Ginetta Zytek home safely for the class win, 6th overall and leading petrol-fuelled car home, just over a minute clear from Andy Wallace in the RML Lola HPD with Oak Racing taking third and fourth with the #35 (Moreau) leading home #24 (Lahaye).
GT1 fell to Marc VDS Racing team on home ground, Marcus Palttala bringing the #70 car home well clear of Mathias Beche and Cyndie Allemann in the #60 and #61 Matech Fords for A Ford GT 1,2,3,
Finally FLM and Wolfgang Kaufmann brings it home for the #47 Hope Polevision Racing squad - He'll be delighted with that and so will the team after the early retirement of their pacesetting #48 car.
Finishing Order 1 3 Run LMP1 Team Peugeot
Total Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP PAGENAUD Simon 6:02min 11.440 s 139 laps GG/ ML |
