2010 Le Mans 24 hour endurance race, 12-13 June, updated

Porsche News · 12 Jun 2010

Marco Andretti's Le Mans debut went downhill following a lengthy pitstop that dropped the Rebellion Lola to 32nd overall.

The Strakka Acura remained in the lead of LMP2, but Danny Watts was coming under increasing pressure from David Brabham in the Highcroft version.

Thomas Mutsch still led for Matech in the GT1 class a lap clear of Stephane Gregoire in the Luc Alphand Corvette.

Things have also calmed down in the GT2 battle following Risi's lengthy pit stop in the previous hour. Olivier Beretta led the class by 54s from his factory Corvette team-mate Johnny O'Connell.

orangecurry · 13 Jun 2010

The leading #2 Peugeot has just retired from the Le Mans 24 Hours with what looks like an engine failure.

Franck Montagny was on his out-lap from a scheduled fuel-stop when flames and smoke started pouring from the right side exhaust of his 908 at Tertre Rouge.

He tried to get the car back to the pits, but was forced to park it up at the side of the Mulsanne straight. He has remained by the side of car, still hoping to find a way to get it back to the pits, but the failure looks terminal.

Montagny, Nicolas Minassian and Stephane Sarrazin had been a lap clear of the #9 and #8 Audis, but were already the last remaining Peugeot running trouble free.

Stephane Sarrazin, who was due in the #2 car next, told AUTOSPORT: "We are really disappointed, we were controlling the pace - but it's Le Mans...

"We don't know exactly what the problem was, but it is the engine. It was sudden, there was no warning."

Timo Bernhard now leads the race in the #8 R15, just over two minutes clear of Benoit Treluyer in the #9 car. The #1 908 is two laps behind in third place, but Peugeot boss Olivier Quesnel does not expect the team to be able to challenge the remaining Audis.

"I don't think we can do so many things," said Quesnel. "We are going to push a lot with car #1, but I don't think it will work."

He added that he didn't yet know the cause of the #2 car's failure: "We don't know, I don't know anything yet."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84426

Zuffenhausen :O) · 13 Jun 2010

Apparently the turbo failed and deposited some of its parts into the engine. Not keen on the Pigeout team so go for it Audi!

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

Porsche takes over lead in GT2 Class

Constant lap times, proficient drivers, reliable 911 technology: These are the ingredients which aided the crew of the Felbermayr team's blue Porsche 911 GT3 RSR to grab the GT2 class lead. At 8.30 a.m., six and a half hours before the finish, Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Wolf Henzler (Germany) took over the lead of the GT2 category, which with seven manufacturers is an excellently supported class at the legendary long distance classic. At this point, Marc Lieb, three times champion of the Le Mans Series, sat in the cockpit of the 911.

'We're obviously thrilled," said Henzler on behalf of his teammates. 'The key to this interim success was that we haven't experienced any technical problems at all. The 911 GT3 RSR is running like clockwork and the team has conducted the pit stops reliably and quickly. But now we have to be careful not to risk anything and to maintain our lead to the flag. We still have five hours to go."

Ranking a surprising third after the Le Mans night is the trio driving for BMS Scuderia Italia. Surprising because although Marco Holzer (Germany), Richard Westbrook (Great Britain) and Timo Scheider (Germany) are all experienced race drivers, they have never competed in Le Mans. 'Beforehand, we all talked about how very special this race is, but you only realise this when you compete here," said Porsche Junior Holzer. 'The track really has its quirks, the atmosphere is fantastic, the enthusiasm and the sheer number of people here is unique. It would be a dream come true to climb the podium."

During the night, the French IMSA Performance Matmut squad constantly held their position behind the top Porsche trio and was sitting eighth in the GT2 class after 19 hours. Patrick Pilet (France) and Patrick Long (USA) as well as the French Porsche dealer and gentleman driver Raymond Narac were running without problems when they were forced to pit for clutch repairs.

Porsche factory pilots Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) as well as Audi works driver Mike Rockenfeller (Germany) moved into the overall lead shortly after 7 o'clock on Sunday morning. With five hours left to race they were running one minute ahead of their second-placed Audi teammates. Like last year, Bernhard and Dumas received the green light to compete in Le Mans for Audi, where they race an R15 TDI in the fastest category for Le Mans prototypes.

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

HOUR 21: #1 Peugeot pressuring Audis

There was more drama in the 21st hour of the Le Mans 24 Hours as Peugeot's last remaining 908 HDi FAP moved within striking distance of second postion thanks to a mistake by Andre Lotterer in the #8 Audi R15 TDI Plus.

As Mike Rockenfeller took over from Romain Dumas in the leading #9 Audi, the German marque's secure 1-2 was thrown in to question when Lotterer skated gently, brakes locked, into the tyres at Arnage Corner just after halfway through the hour.

Lotterer was forced to pit for a new nose section allowing Wurz to catch, and eventually, pass the #8 machine a lap after it rejoined, on the Mulsanne straight.

Wurz's second position was short-lived though as he was forced to pit for more diesel himself a lap later, but now he is less than 50s behind Lotterer.

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

Tom Kristensen in the fourth-placed Audi was warned for running outside the white lines as the Dane pressed on hard in the recovering #7 car. The eight-time winner is driving absolutely flat out and indeed recorded the R15's best lap of the race - a 3m21.965s. He remains three laps off the lead however.

Nicolas Lapierre hasn't given up for ORECA either - the privately-entered Peugeot is less than two minutes behind the #7 Audi.

Darren Turner's sixth position became a little bit more secure in the early part of the hour when Christian Bakkerud went off at Indianapolis and pitted shortly afterwards. The Kolles Audi was two laps behind the petrol 'class'-leading Aston Martin when it stopped again on-track at Indianapolis just at the turn of the hour.

The next petrol-powered car is the ORECA-Aim in eighth, 10 laps behind Turner, in eighth position.

The LMP2-leading Strakka Acura survived a scare of its own as Nick Leventis suffered a right-rear puncture. Fortunately the gentleman driver was on his in-lap and though the team was forced to make some repairs to the bodywork, Danny Watts emerged from the pits with a five-lap advantage over the #35 Pescarolo of Guillaume Moreau.

Wolf Henzler's Felbermayr Porsche maintained a two lap lead in the GT2 class, with Leh Keen still pursuing in the Farnbacher Ferrari. In GT1, the Saleen edged ever closer to first Le Mans class win with Gabriele Gardel at the wheel.

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

Action through the night and into the morning.... 1/5

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

Action through the night and into the morning.... 2/5

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

Action through the night and into the morning.... 3/5

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

Action through the night and into the morning.... 4/5

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

Action through the night and into the morning.... 5/5

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

HOUR 22: Audi 1-2-3 after #1 Peugeot exit

The Le Mans 24 Hours has been robbed of a dramatic finish after the #1 Peugeot dropped out of the race with just over two hours to go, effectively handing an unexpected potential 1-2-3 podium sweep to Audi.

Alex Wurz, running in third position, had just unlapped himself to put Peugeot back on the lead lap when a big puff of smoke out of the right bank of the turbo-diesel signalled the end of the French manufacturer's challenge on the run down to Indianapolis.

So, what had looked like becoming a fantastically intense pursuit for victory turned into poignant scenes as an overcome Peugeot Motorsport chief Olivier Quesnel was comforted by ORECA boss Hughes de Chaunac on the pitwall.

The demise of the #1 car means that Mike Rockenfeller, in the #9 Audi, now has a lap advantage over team-mate Andre Lotterer in the #8 R15. Tom Kristensen, in the #7 car - which was delayed yesterday afternoon when it went off lapping Andy Priaulx's BMW - has now risen back up to third two laps off the lead.

The ORECA Peugeot, with Loic Duval at the wheel, is now the last remaining French turbo-diesel in the race. The Frenchman has clearly been given instructions to push on in an attempt to get a 908 on the podium and ended the hour only two minutes behind the Dane.

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

All this drama has promoted Darren Turner to fifth in the #009 Aston Martin. The top petrol-engined machine has run like a train through the night and is now 14 laps clear of the ORECA Aim in sixth position.

Danny Watts now holds seventh place overall, as well as a six-lap lead in LMP2 ahead of Guillaume Moreau's Pescarolo. The two cars are split on the road by Adrian Fernandez's Aston Martin.

The Highcroft Acura spent most of the hour in the pits with fluid leaking from the car and has now dropped to 22nd overall.

The status quo remained in GT2 as Marc Lieb maintained a one lap lead over Allan Simonsen's Ferrari while the Larbre Saleen remained on course for GT1 honours.

Porsche · 13 Jun 2010

Audi 1-2-3 all but guaranteed !

HOUR 23: ORECA Peugeot retires as well

The last vestiges of a fight for the podium positions between Audi and Peugeot ended in the 23rd hour of Le Mans as the ORECA 908 HDi FAP appeared to suffer the same fate as the #1 and #2 factory cars while hunting Rinaldo Capello's third-placed Audi.

Loic Duval had closed to within 10 seconds of the R15 TDI Plus before pitting out of sequence. But shortly after resuming his pursuit a sheet of flame tore from the right underside of the car as it approached Indianapolis, signalling a massive oil fire and a final retirement for the French manufacturer with just 70 minutes to go.

This development means that Audi is now left to run unchallenged to the flag as it seeks an unlikely clean sweep of the podium.

Timo Bernhard took over from Mike Rockenfeller in the lead #9 car and commands a lap advantage over Benoit Treluyer, who looks set for his best finish at La Sarthe one year after his horrifying accident in the Pescarolo Peugeot.

Capello, who had been gearing up for a nerve-jangling climax to the race, now has an 11-lap cushion to Sam Hancock in the Aston Martin - which is set to equal its best finish from last year.

Didier Andre runs fifth in the ORECA-Aim while LMP2 leader Danny Watts is sixth for Strakka.

Marc Lieb remains in control of GT2 having extended his lead slightly over the Farnbacher Ferrari driven by Allan Simonsen. Richard Westbrook runs third in class BMS Porsche six laps ahead of the AF Corse Ferrari piloted by former F1 stars Jean Alesi and Giancarlo Fisichella.

Gabriele Gardel's Saleen is now just one hour away from becoming the last car to win a GT1 race at Le Mans as he retains a five lap lead over the Luc Alphand Corvette.

Porsche News · 13 Jun 2010

LE MANS 24 HOUR 2010 : Audi cruises to victory

Audi has taken a one-two-three finish in the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours after a succession of mishaps befell its chief competitor, Peugeot. Fewer than half of the 55 starters were classified at the finish of this brutally attritional race.

During the final hour the Audis gathered in formation for their traditional finish, crossing the line together with the #9 car shared by Timo Bernhard, Mike Rockenfeller and Romain Dumas first, ahead of Benoit Treluyer and Rinaldo Capello.

ORECA fielded the leading petrol-powered LMP1, 25 laps behind the final podium finisher. The #6 ORECA-Aim finished fourth in the hands of Soheil Ayari, Andy Meyrick and Didier Andre. Aston Martin slipped out of contention for petrol honours in the last quarter of the race and the #009 Hancock/Turner/Barazi entry retired with engine failure at the beginning of the final hour. The #007 Mucke/Primat/Fernandez car finished sixth overall.

In LMP2 Strakka Racing completed a remarkable run on the HPD ARX.01's Le Mans debut. Jonny Kane, Danny Watts and Nick Leventis brought the #42 HPD home in fifth place overall, seven laps ahead of their nearest rivals. Jan Charouz nursed the #35 Oak Racing Pescarolo-Judd across the line in a haze of oil smoke to finish second in the class.

Highcroft Racing, Strakka's chief rival in the early running, brought its car out of the garage 15 minutes from the chequered flag with Marino Franchitti at the wheel.

Behind the leading GT2s on the road in 13th overall, but five laps ahead of their nearest rivals, Gabriele Gardel, Roland Berville and Julien Canal won the GT1 class in the Larbre Saleen - the first Le Mans class win for the S7R. The car slowed dramatically in the final laps as Gardel preserved it for the finish. Jerome Policand continued to push almost to the very end in the second-placed #72 Corvette C6.R.

The quickest GT2s finished just outside the top 10 in 11th and 12th overall. Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz and Wolf Henzler had led the class in the works-supported #77 Felbermayr Porsche 911 since the leading Corvettes were eliminated shortly after dawn. The #89 Hankook-Farnbacher Ferrari of Simonsen/Keen/Farnbacher was two laps behind.

2010 Le Mans 24 hour endurance race, 12-13 June, updated

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