The
traditional autograph session started soon after
the end of warm-up, meaning that a number of
teams had drivers still in de-briefing sessions
when the crowds started to mill around in the
paddock, seeking out suitable targets for their
collective intent. One driver above all others
was the centre of attention, and there were
wry grins and crossed arms from some of the
neighbouring drivers, who found themselves as
poor relations in the autograph-hunter's list
of priorities. Nigel Mansell's return to serious
motorsport after a sabbatical lasting several
years, punctuated by a brief appearance in a
Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari in FIA GT, and the "Masters"
series for former Grand Prix drivers. His partnership
in the Team LNT Ginetta-Zytek with his son Greg
has piqued the interest of the public and motorsport
media alike, and his every move has been dogged
this weekend by photographers and members of
the public. Finding him sat still and signing
autographs was an opportunity not to be missed.
Although
Nigel's pace has been good, it has been his
son Greg who's set the quickest times in the
orange GZ09S. The elder of the two sons (Leo
being in the Team Modena GT2 Ferrari this weekend,
as usual) has been a regular in the World Series
by Renault championship, so obviously his racing
eye is more attuned.
Mike
and Tommy were slightly late arriving for the
09:45 start to the autograph session, but Mason
and Andy had been excellent substitutes in their
absence, handing out the team's HeroCards from
beside the team's tractor unit.
Onto
the Grid
The
pitlane opened at half-ten, and cars were soon
starting to make their way out onto the pit
straight and taking up their positions on the
grid. For RML, an unexpected surprise was in
store. The publication of the official grid
revealed that once again the team had been penalised
another ten positions. This seems particularly
unfair within the context of the regulations
which, although they state that each engine
must do two races, imply that a team is permitted
three engines during the course of a season.This
interpretation is also reinforced by the revision
to the "engine rule" announced for
2010. However, RML has been penalised with every
engine change in 2009 . . . .so when does a
new engine installation become "permitted"
within the rules? Logic dictates that at least
two of RML's engine changes should have been
free from penalty this season, but they have
not. The official figures have yet to be released,
but it must now be assumed that RML has amassed
a total of -16 points for this season. Some
record, perhaps.
So
Tommy lines up on row 10 for the start of the
final round of the 2009 Le Mans Series. He is
not alone in having been demoted overnight,
and directly behind him will be Warren Hughes
in the Team WFR WF-01 #45, which had a new engine
fitted after the car's unfortunate shunt on
Friday. Another to be appearing out of sequence
is the Team LNT Ginetta-Zytek, "Red Five",
which has also had a new Zytek V8 fitted. Nigel
will take first stint, and starts from row 8.
The
backmarkers on the grid are the #16 Pescarolo
Sport, the #15 Kolles Audi and the #23 Strakka
Racing Ginetta-Zytek, al of whom failed to set
times in qualifying. This trio includes two
(if not three) of the quickest cars in the race,
so their early laps will be interesting to watch.
On pole overall, the #10 Team Oreca Matmut AIM,
with Nicolas Lapierre taking the first stint.
Alongside him will be the #007 Aston Martin
Lola, Stefan Mucke at the wheel.
The
Race
Race
coverage is created "live", and then
driver quotes and additional observations added
later. This process can lead to some inconsistency
with tenses, for which we apologise in advance.
11:34
With a minute to go, the engines fire into life,
and the grid is cleared. This race will be staged
in front of perhaps the largest crowd of spectators
seen for the Le Mans Series all year. If you're
following this on-line, then please don't forget
to tune in to Radio Le Mans for commentary throughout
the race. See the link below.
Everyone
gets away cleanly to follow the pace car for
a single formation lap to the rolling start
for the 1000 Kilometres. 195 laps of six hours.
Even the Strakka Racing GZ gets away, despite
ongoing worries over the starter motor. The
WR Salini #37 will start from the pitlane after
missing the closure of the exit, and will be
held there for a complete lap. The car had been
expected to start from the sixth row after a
constantly improving season.
11:37
The cars are weaving from side to side, attempting
to get heat into the tyres, as they circulate
sedately behind the Audi pace car.
11:38:54
RACE START
A remarkably clean and untroubled start, but
it's Stefan Mucke who gets through to lead into
Copse from Lapierre. Tommy 18th across the line.
He arrives at Copse (below) on the tail of the
Pegasus Racing Oreca, which he passes on the
exit, and then sweeps aead of the Q8 Hache Lucchini
down Hangar Straight.
Pla
is being held up by Chris Buncombe in the third
Aston, and that's allowing Jonny Kane to stay
within the ASM GZ #40. Tommy has the orange
Ginetta-Zytek with Nigel Mansell in the cockpit
leading the way. He's able to follow through
in Mansell's wake, and overtakes the Bruichladdich
Radical on the second lap.
End
of Lap 2
Jonny Kane is still holding on to the rear of
the #40 ASM car, Pla unable to take advantage
of the GZ09's undoubted pace. The RML Lola is
through to 16th, and now has Boullion in the
#16 Pescarolo in front of him, the Frenchman
having started form the very back of the grid.
He, and the other two back-starters, have been
scything through the field. Tommy has passed
two of the slower LMP2 cars; the Pegasus Racing
Oreca and the Q8 Lucchini.
End
Lap 3
Tommy passes the #28 Ibanez Courage on the exit
of Woodcote to start his fourth lap from 14th
overall, sixth in LMP2. At some stage he's lost
a position to Warren Hughes in the Team WFR
WF-01, but they're now running tightly, and
both looking to make up more ground.
Pla
now leads by three seconds from Kane. Lahaye
is third in class in the #35, with Philipp Peter
fourth in the #41 GAC Zytek.
11:46
Four laps completed and the man on a mission
is Boullion, who's already up to 11th and has
just set a new outright fastest first sector.
He's lapping a second faster than anyone else.
More problems for Mansell, who's slipped back
three or four places, and now has Danny Watts
in the similar Strakka Racing GZ09S on his tail,
(above) 16th and 17th overall.
11:48
We're into the sixth lap. Mucke leads overall
from Lapierre, but the Oreca is under enormous
pressure from the 009 Aston Martin Lola. They're
already into the thick of the GT2 tail-enders.
Pla
is having a real duel with Buncombe in the third
Aston Lola, the 008. There's a hair's breadth
between them, and Pla is evidently the quicker
of the two. Being blocked so effectively, is
allowing Kane and Lahaye to keep within sight,
just.
Tommy
has got back ahead of Warren, and they're 14th
and 15th overall now, Tommy occupying the in
class.
11:50
Darren Turner gets ahead of Lapierre to make
it one-two for Aston martin, but he's not pulling
clear very quickly. The same cannot be said
for Olivier Pla, who almost simultaneously gets
by Buncombe to take 7th overall, and daylight
is soon clearly visible between the LMP2 leader
and the last of the Astons.
11:53
Tommy now has "Our Nige" on his tail,
but the former World Champion has his own mirrors
full of Danny Watts, who is evidently the quicker
of the two Ginetta-Zyteks. The glossy black
car is trying to find a way by, and perhaps
it's just a matter of time. Both LMP1 cars have
eased ahead of Warren Hughes, who has lost touch
with Tommy as a result, and the #45 WFR car
is now 17th overall.
11:54
The impressive Boullion Charge continues, as
he sweeps ahead of Karthikeyan in the #14 Kolles
Audi to take 5th overall. Pla continues to lead
LMP2 by a country mile and has the luxury now
of two LMP1 cars between him and Jonny Kane
second in class, 10th overall. Third is Lahaye
in the Oak Racing Pescarolo, the purple car
still almost within sight of the blue and silver
Lola. The Signature Plus LMP1 Pescarolo is sandwiched
between the #35 Oak car and Philipp Peter, 1th
overall in the GAC Zytek, but the Swiss car
has a mere second now over Thomas Erdos in the
rapidly challenging Lola Mazda.
11:57
Danny Watts has overtaken Nigel Mansell, and
the Strakka Racing #23 is through to 14th.
11:58
Tommy will have to wait awhile before he can
make good his promise on Peter in the #41, because
he too has lost a slot to the charging Danny
Watts.
12:00
Midday, and the race is into its 14th lap. The
two leading Aston Lolas are now nose-to-tail,
separated by less than a second, but have pulled
clear of Lapierre in the #10 Oreca I LMP2, Pla's
lead has grown to more than ten seconds and
continues to extend. He has just set the car's
fastest lap of the race so far: 1:38.623, and
at that pace he'll be on the tail of the #14
Kolles Audi in a few laps.
12:01
Tommy's battles amid the wagging tail of LMP1
has hampered his pace, and having just lost
a place to Nigel Mansell, he's running in 16th
place again, fifth in LMP2. He's created a lead
of sixteen seconds over Warren Hughes. Tristan
Gommendy, who started the WR Salini from the
pitlane, is up to 18th overall, and is just
ten seconds behind Hughes.
12:05
Jonny Cocker in the second-placed GT2 car, the
Drayson Racing Aston Martin DBR9, is into the
pitlane.
12:06
After some period of confusion, with demoted
starters making up ground after their misplaced
starts, the field is finally starting to resolve
itself into the expected order. With the singular
exception of Pla, 7th overall, the LMP1 field
is now concentrated into the top ten, with LMP2
cars solidly between 15th and 23rd, the GT1
leaders 24th, 25th and 27th, and then GT2 cars
to 40th place.
12:10
As he belts down the main pit straight, the
rear-right suspension on Nigel Mansell's Ginetta
Zytek appears to slump, and in a plume of tyre
smoke, the #5 car presses on through Copse.
He was in 14th, but he'll have to pit. Out at
the very sharp end, Belicchi has got ahead of
lapierre, and the #10 Oreca is now about to
be swallowed up by the ever-charging Boullion.
12:11
Mansell into the pits. Tommy, and the others
around him, step up a slot. The RML Lola Mazda
is running 14th overall now, having also just
moved ahead of Philipp Peter in the #41 GAC
Zytek. LMP2 is now Pla, Kane, Lahaye and then
Erdos, fourth. Dicing through the middle of
this group is Danny Watts, now 12th in the LMP1
Strakka Racing Ginetta-Zytek.
12:15
In a dramatic through-the-traffic move, Boullion
dives through to 4th overall, completely eclipsing
Lapierre in the Oreca as they dice through the
sweeping Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel complex. It's
an awesome display of supremely confident driving.
12:16
Twenty-two laps into the race and Mucke leads
by just over a second from Turner, with Belicchi
third, another second or so adrift, but all
three looking under imminent threat from Boullion,
a mere two seconds further back. Pla's lead
in LMP2 is almost as impressive, standing now
at 12 seconds, although the pace of the ASM
#'40 car does appear to have eased a little
in the last ten minutes.
12:18
With 'Red Five' undergoing repairs in the Team
LNT garage, Nigel Mansell has slipped to 39th
out of 40th. Danny Watts, meanwhile, is gearing
himself up to pass Jonny Kane for 11th. Another
position likely to change ere long is 13th and
14th, where the gap between Lahaye, third in
LMP2, and Erdos fourth, is dwindling by two
or three seconds each lap. The margin is now
less than two seconds.
12:21
There could be considerable forgiveness for
the round of applause that erupted from the
French brigade in the Media Centre a few seconds
ago as Boullion swept through to take Turner
for second. His pass on Belicchi almost went
unnoticed, it seemed so easy, but this move
on Turner was masterful.
12:23
Just two-tenths of second separated Lahaye and
Erdos as the two LMP2 cars screamed across the
line to start lap 28. It's a final push though
from Tommy, who's on his last lap before his
first scheduled pitstop.
12:26
PITSTOP
(Erdos in, remains, Fuel only)
More cheers as Boullion undertakes, literally,
one of the most daring passes on Mucke for the
lead that anyone's seen for some while. As they
bustle through the "stadium complex",
between Priory and Luffield, he makes Mucke
look almost stationery. Tommy meanwhile has
completed his pitstop and is back out on track
again. Other cars are streaming in and out of
the pitlane as the race approaches the end of
the first hour.
12:29
The LMP2 class leader is into the pits, as is
Jonny Kane in the #33. Of the leading pack,
only Lahaye has yet to pit. Tommy has resumed
in fourth place in LMP2, but this may change
as others complete their pitstops. Boullion
has also completed his first pitstop, although
it wasn't a particularly fast one from the French
squad.
12:31
Lahaye completes his first pitstop, so a better
idea of the true state of LMP2 will emerge shortly.
Only Lahaye's team-mate, Nicolet in the #2,
and Schell in the #38 Pegasus Racing car have
yet to pit.
12:32
The order unravels, and the order in LMP2 is
now, as expected, Pla leading from Kane second
and Erdos third.
12:33
Olivier Pla has problems! The #40 ASM Ginetta-Zytek
is travelling very slowly, but most bizarrely,
he's heading on for another lap. The dar slows
to a craw as he travels down the pit straight,
right in the middle of the track! The engine
has clearly stopped. Then he gets it going again,
and presses on, but even then, not at top speed.
Kane speeds by into the lead, and Tommy overtakes
too. Kane is 9th overall, and Tommy is 12th.
Hour
2 (12:35:13:35)
12:36
Pla's incredible lap continues, as he returns
at almost walking pace towards the pits. He
may not even make it at all at this rate. It's
almost as if he's driving on the starter motor.
12:39
Kane and Erdos are trading times, and the gap
is remaining pretty constant between the two
Lolas. Pla is currently under the bridge on
Hangar Straight, and not moving. In amongst
all this, the elevation of Warren Hughes in
the Team WFR to third has almost gone unnoticed.
It's a great return to the Le Mans Series for
the former Embassy racing squad. Both he and
Tommy Erdos are currently lapping quicker than
Danny Watts in the Strakka Racing Ginetta-Zytek,
suggesting perhaps that all is not quite right
with the #23 car.
12:43
Pla has managed to get the #40 car moving again,
but still very slowly. Meanwhile, Team LNT is
still working on Mansell's car, and he's sat
in the cockpit, waiting for the guys to complete
the rebuild of the orange car's rear suspension.
12:47
Red Five returns to the race in last place.
Part of the rear suspension had collapsed, and
it's taken a fair length of tme to fit
The
gap between Jonny Kane, leading LMP2, and Thomas
Erdos in second is exactly 20 seconds, but the
gap back to Warren Hughes in third is 50 seconds.
Jonny and Tommy may be separated by distance,
but their times are virtually identical.
12:49
A spin for the leader as Boullion attempts to
dive down the inside into Vale when there's
not enough room. He clips the kerb and spins,
leaving the car he was intending to pass; the
#12 Signature Plus to continue untroubled.
12:53
Tommy adds another lap on the #24 Oak Racing
Pescarolo, passing the plum and pink car on
the run down to Stowe. There is now perfect
structure to the timing screens, with LMP1 occupying
first through 10th, LMP2 11th through 21st,
GT1 22nd through 24th, and then GT2 from 25th
to 38th.
12:56
Ajlani, who took over from Lahaye at the pitstop
in the #35 Oak car spins at Luffield, and nearly
hits the WR Salini in the process, and the LMP1
Speedy Lola just manages to miss him. Then,
quite inexplicably, Ajlani drives straight into
the gravel, and beaches the car. The driver-change
had dropped the Oak car to 17th overall, 7th
in class, but he'll drop way out of contention
after this.
13:00
News
that Pla's race is probably over, after the
#40 car was seen being towed to safety. A very
disappointing way to end such an excellent season
for the Portuguese squad, who will have the
considerable consolation of the LMP2 title,
despite this first DNF of the year.
13:02
Out at the sharp end, Boullion leads by 8 seconds
from Lapierre, where slick pitlane work has
eased the Oreca #10 back in front of the Astons
- Mucke now third, from Belicchi fourth and
Turner fifth, although the last of these positions
may change any moment, as Turner is weaving
around behind the red and silver Lola in his
attempts to get by. He does so at the end of
Hangar Straight.
13:04
There's remarkable stability in LMP2, with the
20-second gap between first and second remaining
constant lap after lap. The Speedy Team Sebah
Lola, with Jonny Kane half way through his second
stint, is 11th overall, nine seconds behind
Watts. The margin between Tommy Erdos and Warren
Hughes has stretched somewhat, and the Team
WFR #45 car is more than a minute behind.
13:09
The period for the second round of pitstops
is now dawning, and one or two of the thirstier
cars are starting to head for the pitlane. Tommy
has three laps to go, and Mike is preparing
for his first stint.
13:11
Nigel Mansell is no longer in last place, having
now passed the stationary ASM #40. Ajlani has
managed to get the #35 Oak Racing Pescarolo
back to the pits, but is about to be overtaken
by Mansell as well.
13:13
The #37 WR Salini is the first LMP2 car to make
a second scheduled pitstop. Despite starting
from the pitlane, the Zytek-powered car has
moved through to fourth in LMP2, and was just
20 seconds behind Hughes when Gommendy pitted.
13:14
PITSTOP
(Erdos out, Newton in. Fuel and tyres)
Warren Hughes puts the WF-01 into the pitlane,
just a few seconds before Erdos, a full lap
ahead, follows him down to the garage. The announcement
appears on the screen that the #37 has earned
itself a stop-go penalty. One can only guess
that it's probably for speeding in the pitlane.
Danny Watts pitted the Strakka Racing entry
at the same time as Tommy, but is still there
long after Mike Newton has departed. The Erdos-Newton
pitstop cost the team 1:59, whereas Strakka's
stop was a 2:12.
13:19
It may take some time to determine the correct
order now, and Jonny Kane has yet to make a
second pitstop for the leader LMP2. Further
penalties are confirmed, for cars #41 and #95,
and then the #28. Each has earned a one-second
stop-and-go.
13:23
Still no sign of a pitstop from Jonny Kane,
but Karim Ojeh is now in for the #41's pitstop
and driver change, and on his departure, very
nearly collides with Boullion, bringing the
race-leading Pescarolo-Judd in for a second
pitstop.
13:24
Confirmation that, as a result of the pitstop,
the #41 has dropped out of second place, and
Mike Newton has moved through. Kane's stint
continues unabated.
13:26
Kane pits from the lead in LMP2. Mike's early
pace is already good, and he's lapping in the
forty-threes and fours. He's actually one of
the quickest in LMP2 at the moment.
13:29
Karim Ajlani returns to the race after his self-imposed
exile. One must assume that his rather strange
antics at Luffield damaged the #35 Oak Pescarolo.
He's managed to get back out again just before
the now-charging Nigel Mansell overtook him.
13.31
Benjamin Leuenberger is now aboard the #33 Lola,
and leads LMP2 from Mike Newton in the RML Lola
by a lap, with Nick Leventis, now in the LMP1
Strakka Ginetta-Zytek stuck between the two.
Darren Manning in the #45 is third, another
lap behind.
Hour
3 (13:35:14:35)
13:37
Mike Newton completes the car's 67th lap, and
with his twentieth minute in the cockpit, the
CEO of AD Group has already completed more laps
in this race than he's completed previously
in the entire season. This alone is some kind
of a record! He heads Leuenberger by 27 seconds.
13:45
Things appear to have settled down, with all
four categories lacking any obvious contests
for position. Tinseau now leads in the #16 Pescarolo
by 13 seconds from Panis in the #10 Oreca AIM.
Leuenberger heads LMP2 by an even larger margin
from Mike Newton. In GT1, the Larbre Saleen
leads the class by 25 seconds from Peter Kox
in the Gigawave Aston. The situation in GT2
has the #76 Porsche leading by 40 seconds from
Rob Bell in the JMW Motorsport Ferrari.
13:48
Drama for the leader. We spoke too soon. Tinseau
is into the pits and into the garage with the
#16 Pescarolo. Olivier Panis sweeps by on the
main straight to take the lead, with Charouz
second now for Aston Martin Eastern Europe,
the #007 AM Lola.
13:50
The situation in GT2 is also more interesting
than we'd first thought. Rob Bell is catching
Pilet hand over first for the lead, and has
already narrowed the gap, but more significantly,
the title-leading Felbermayr Porsche is currently
35th overall, 12th in class, and with Bell (and
Bruni) gunning for the lead, needs to finish
seventh or higher to secure the title.
13:53
Newton's last lap was two seconds faster than
Manning's, but the gap between second and third
in LMP2 has been squeezed to just 18 seconds.
Both cars move up a position, however, as they
pass the erstwhile leader, still static and
stricken in the pits. Newton is now 11th and
Manning 12th overall. Leuenberger occupies 9th
overall, with Nick Leventis and the Strakka
Ginetta-Zytek still the filling in the sandwich.
13:55
Pitstops in GT2 see Rob Bell handing over to
Gianmaria Bruni, and Narac into the #76. The
order still has the IMSA Porsche leading.
13:57
Lap 82 completed out of a scheduled 195. So
far, touch wood, no major incidents and no safety
cars.
13:59
The gap between Newton and Manning continues
to narrow, and has now dropped to 12 seconds.
It's mostly down to traffic, and Newton's lap
times are frequently quicker than Manning's,
but on average, Manning is fractionally quicker.
14:00
Bruni celebrates the new hour by setting a fastest
lap for the #92 Ferrari, and is catching Narac
by three seconds a lap. Meanwhile, Mike Newton
is having radio problems in the #25 RML Lola,
and while the team can hear him, he can't hear
their responses. The team confirms this using
a message on the pitboard.
14:04
Darren Manning is now on Mike Newton's tail,
and they cross the line to start their 84th
lap with just three-tenths between them. They
match times on the first sector exactly, 34.9
seconds apiece, but Mike eases ahead just a
fraction on the second, 44.4 to 44.7. Darren
pits at the end of the lap, having not quite
managed to pass, and Mike has one more lap i
this stint. It may come down to efficiency in
the pitlane.
14:08
PITSTOP
(Newton in, remains, Fuel only)
Mike's first mid-stint pitstop. Team WFR managed
to complete theirs in 1:26. RML have to check
Mike's radio. The RML pitstop is 1:01, so a
good 20 seconds faster.
14:15
No improvement to Mike's radio, so he still
can't hear the team, although they can hear
him.
Situation
in LMP2 remains relatively constant, with Leuenberger
leading in the #33 Speedy Team Sebah Lola by
two laps from Mike Newton and the RML Lola Mazda,
with Manning third by eleven seconds. Fourth
is Gosselin in the #41 GAC Zytek, half a minute
down the track. Fifth is Hein in the #24 (and
surviving) Oak Pescarolo, with the #37 WR Salini
Zytek sixth. Seventh is the Bruichladdich Radical,
Bruneau in the cockpit, and 8th is the #28.
The #38 Pegasus Courage is ninth and bringing
up the rear is the #43 Q8 Lucchini tenth.
14:20
While considering the order in LMP2, the #008
Aston Martin has been in the garage having the
engine seen to. It has already dropped to 15th
overall, and continues to remain in the garage.
14:23
Darren Manning moves through to take second
in LMP2 from Mike Newton. It happens towards
the end of the lap, and there's seven-tenths
between them as they cross the line. They're
starting their 95th lap. The leader has completed
99, so we're over half way.
14:34
Matters remain pretty static within LMP2, where
there haven't been any significant developments
since Manning overtook Newton for second. That
situation remains unchanged now, although the
margin between the two has stretched to fifteen
seconds. Gosselin is fourth by another 50 seconds,
and Nicolet is fifth in the #24.
Hour
4 (14:35:15:35)
14:38
Nicolet sets a new fastest lap for the #24 Oak
Pescarolo. 1:42.760 isn't blisteringly quick,
but it's faster than Mike's just done in the
RML Lola by three seconds, although a more typical
time in LMP2 at the moment would appear to be
somewhere nearer the 1:49 mark.
14:40
A major "off" for the #43 Lucchini
Judd at Turn 4 (Becketts), which looked at first
sight to be suspension-related. Carmen Jorda,
the only woman in the race, is in the car at
the moment, and running a respectable 18th overall.
14:43
Nicolas Prost takes the lead overall, passing
the #007 Aston almost as if it was stationery.
Lapierre had been leading until recently in
the #10 Oreca car, but has been one of the first
to make a next routine pitstop.
14:46
Excitement in GT2 as the class leader, the #76
Porsche is punted off in the final complex by
Tomlinson in the Team LNT Ginetta-Zytek. Moments
later, along Hangar Straight, the new leader
the JMW Motorsport Ferrari, is also needlessly
hit, this time by the #12 Signature Plus Oreca,
and then is clouted by another prototype to
sustain further damage. Bruni has sustained
at least a puncture, and is heading for the
pitlane.
14:48
The Team LNT car is called in for a stop-go
penalty. It's only a one-second stop, and there
is already suggestion from observers that this
is far too lenient.
14:51
This is silly season time. Yet another example
of brainless driving as the #28 car appears
to drive into the rear of the #41 GAC Zytek
somewhere in the Priory-Luffield complex, ripping
off one of the so-called "legality"
panel s away from behind the rear wheel and
causing the car to sustain a puncture.
14:55
Several cars now into the pits - some for scheduled
stops, including the #37, but others, like the
#41, for repairs. The #43 is also in the pits,
but has already dropped to 33rd overall.
14:58
A quick catch-up on the situation in LMP1, where
there's a one-two situation for Aston Martin,
with #007 leading from #009. Lapierre is third
for Oreca.
14:59
Darren Manning pits the Team WFR WF-01 from
second in LMP2, and will hand over to Jody Firth.
No, it seems Warren Hughes will get back in.
The team complete their pitstop in 2:20. Mike
Newton is also anticipating his final pitstop,
with Thomas Erdos due to resume driving duties
for the RML Lola.
15:01
PITSTOP
(Newton out, Erdos in. Fuel and tyres)
Routine pitstop for RML. Erdos in, and leaves,
with a total stop for RML of 1:47. As before,
they've gained almost 20 seconds on WFR, who
are evidently a bit rusty after their extended
rest from motor racing. Mike is interviewed
on Radio Le Mans, and agrees that "less
is more" - in this situation, less power,
but more laps.
15:05
It's difficult to determine just yet, but the
rapid turn-round by the RML pit crew has narrowed
the gap between the two cars to just fourteen
seconds. However, WFR's decision not to put
Jody Firth into the car does mean that the very
experienced Warren Hughes is back in the cockpit,
and his lap times are likely to be far more
competitive - no disrespect intended to Jody.
15:08
Next lap round, and the Hughes-Erdos gap has
narrowed to 12 seconds.
15:10
Tommy closes to within 10 seconds, and promptly
sets a new fastest first sector for the #25
Lola. Nick Leventis, meanwhile, pits the #23
Strakka Racing Zytek, and both Hughes and Erdos
are likely to pass the LMP1 car while Danny
Watts climbs back into the cockpit.
15:12
Erdos was nearly five seconds faster over the
course of his last lap, and a mere five seconds
now separate the second and third-placed cars.
Leuenberger still leads, however, and by nearly
three laps. Meanwhile, Danny Watts sets a new
fastest lap for the Strakka Ginetta-Zytek, his
first flying lap, and 1:6.610 is the fastest
lap overall by anyone currently on track.
15:15
Traffic delayed Erdos on his last lap, and Hughes
has also responded with a new record lap for
the Team WFR #45, although 1:40.972 was still
about a tenth slower than Tommy's last lap.
Meanwhile, the #009 Aston Lola is into the pits
with a front-right puncture. The car has dropped
out of third place.
15:17
Clear of traffic, Erdos closes to within three
seconds of Hughes. On the next tour he claws
back another second, and they start their 124th
lap with just 1.462 seconds between them.
15:20
Tommy sails by, almost making it look easy as
he instantly pulls out a lead of 1.686 seconds
as they cross the line. RML occupies second
place in class once again.
15:22
Leuenberger pits the class leader for what appears
to be a scheduled pitstop. The #33 car enjoys
a lead of around three laps over Erdos, second
in the RML #25. However, there are still some
sixty laps yet to complete.
15:25
In just a couple of laps, Erdos has pulled out
a lead over Hughes in third of some five seconds
or more. Nicolet pits the #24 Pescarolo Mazda
from fourth in class, 12th overall.
In
the race for overall mastership of the Silverstone
1000 Kilometres, the #10 Oreca is back in the
lead again, with Lapierre at the wheel. He heads
Fassler in the #13 Speedy Sebah LMP1 Lola by
51 seconds.
News
that the ASM Quifel Ginetta-Zytek suffered a
fuel filter failure.
15:31
Pompidou has taken over the #33 Lola, and is
setting a quick pace for the blue and silver
car. He's typically circulating around the one-forty
mark. Tommy Erdos is almost as quick, but not
quite, and his regular pace is in the one-forty-two
or forty-three bracket. Warren Hughes seems
able to set this kind of pace less frequently,
and is more often crossing the line on forty-sixes.
Hour
5 (15:35:16:35)
15:35
The race enters its fifth hour with a change
in overall leader, with Marcel Fassler now leading
for Speedy Tea, Sebah, but yet to do the fifth
pitstop that Lapierre has already completed
for Oreca. It seems likely that most cars will
need to do an extra splash'n'dash pitstop at
some stage to make allowances for the high fuel
consumption figures likely here at Silverstone.
Some may elect to do that extra stop out of
sequence, and Oreca may already have done that,
as may Strakka. These are the only two LMP1
teams to have done five pitstops so far.
15:38
Erdos now leads Hughes by 17 seconds, although
both cars did laps of one-forty-one last time
around. Glancing briefly towards the later half
of the field, the #92 JMW Ferrari continues
to lead GT2, with Rob Bell currently lapping
in the fifty-threes. The critical consideration
is the position of the #77 Felbermayr Porsche,
which is currently in 32nd overall, 9th in class.
If this remains unchanged over the final hour,
then Bell and Bruni could retain their GT2 title.
15:42
Fassler pits the #13 Lola and Enge moves through
into the lead. In the greater scheme of things
it may not be significant, but Tim Greaves has
now set three fastest laps for the #26 Bruichladdich
Radical almost one after the other.
15:46
Warren Hughes brings the Team WFR WF-01 Zytek
into the pits, and then the car is dragged back
into the garage. The stop had looked to be out
of sequence, and so it is proved. It appears
to be an alternator problem.
15:50
Marc Lieb and the #77 Porsche moves up one position,
and if it holds 8th to the flag, then he and
Leitz tie with Bell and Bruni on points, but
will win the title on number of wins.
15:53
PITSTOP
(Erdos in and remains. Fuel and full set of
tyres)
With the unexpected problems for Warren and
Team WFR, a slight change of plan, and the intention
to fit just half a set of tyres (to the left
hand side, which really suffers from the abrasion
here, especially through Club) the team elects
to replace all four tyres. Tommy requests a
very thorough windscreen clean, and the team
obliges (above). It's another slick
and speedy pitstop from the RML engineers and
mechanics, and Erdos is back out and racing
after a stop of just 1:26, which is more typical
of some team's fuel-only pitstops.
15:56
Having not concentrated too hard on GT1, the
fact that the Gigawave Aston now leads from
the Larbre Saleen had slipped by unnoticed.
They are 17th and 18th overall respectively.
15:57
Tommy crosses the line to start his 146th lap
with the battle for the overall lead directly
behind him - Enge leading Lapierre by just half
a second. It is interesting to see that the
two LMP1 cars gain little on the LMP2 Lola from
Copse through to Chapel, but then impose their
power dominance down Hangar Straight.
15:59
The Team WFR WF-01 Zytek is back out again.
The stop cost the team over 12 minutes and Darren
Manning is now back in the car and in 16th overall,
6th in LMP2. Whatever the outcome, it's been
a strong return for the former Embassy Racing
squad.
16:01
Tommy has the luxury now of a full lap's advantage
over the third-placed Oak Racing Pescarolo,
#24, with Nicolet currently doing duties and
yet to make his anticipated fifth pitstop.
16:03
Tommy is pushing again, despite the margin he
has over third, and his last series of laps
have all been in the forty-ones - consistent,
and consistently quick.
16:05
A new fastest lap from Darren Manning in the
WF-01 of 1:39.692. The track conditions must
be good, because Boullion i the #16 Pescarolo
has just set a new fastest lap for the Pescarolo
as well; 1:34.316, which is about four seconds
faster than anyone else is doing, and is probably
a new fastest lap for the race too.
16:07
The leader pits; Enge stopping for fuel and
tyres, and allowing Lapierre through to the
lead. They have both now stopped five times.
Tommy
and the team have decided to take things a little
easier from now on, but not to relax too much.
A puncture at this stage could cost second place,
despite he lap's lead over Nicolet in third.
With the exception of Danny Watts in the Strakka
Racing GZ09S, who has done a sixth stop for
the #23 car, all the other front-runners in
LMP1 and LMP2 are expected to need to make another
stop .Turner makes his fifth stop from third,
and Aston change just the two left-hand wheels.
16:12
Thirty-five laps remain. In LMP2, more quick
lappery from Tim Greaves and the Bruichladdich
Radical has steadily climbed up to fourth position
in LMP2, 13th overall.
16:18
Xavier Pompidou pits the #33 Lola for what should
be the car's last pitstop of the race. It is
a quick stop at 58 seconds, concurrent with
a splash for fuel. The race leader also stops
with 29 laps remaining, but it's a slightly
longer stop than expected after the team elect
to fit a new nose section. Panis takes over
the car, and Fassler takes over the lead.
16:22
Nicolet pits in the #24 Oak Racing Pescarolo
Mazda from 11th overall, third in class. It's
a very long stop indeed at 1:49, even allowing
for the driver-change to Hein.
16:25
Fassler begins his 170th lap, leaving just 25
to go. He and Enge in second place are expected
to need another pitstop, but it's touch and
go.
16:31
Tommy is advised that he now has a two-lap lead
over the #24 Oak Racing Pescarolo, and with
the #33 a similar distance ahead, there's no
point in pushing any harder, so the priority
now is to ensure the car gets to the finish.
The team is watching the telemetry closely all
the way. The LMP2 leading trio is now 9th, 10th
and 11th respectively, with Stuart Hall chasing
from 13th in the #008 Aston Martin Lola.
Hour
6 (16:35:17:35)
16:39
Eighteen laps to go in what has been a fascinating
race. There have been changes of overall lead
throughout, and even now, there;s no guarantee
that Fassler can hold on to the flag. His lead
over Olivier Panis in the #10 Oreca is just
18 seconds. In LMP2, no such question, with
the #13 Lola leading by two laps over Tommy
Erdos. However, if it remained in this configuration,
would it be a "first" for Speedy Team
Sebah - a win in the top two classes, and no
team has ever done that before.
16:43
PITSTOP
(Erdos in and remains. Fuel and full set of
tyres)
A very slow lap for the Pegasus #38, as Tommy
comes in for his final splash'n'dash that will
see him to the flag. Fourteen laps remain.
16:47
Tommy has resumed in 10th overall, just over
two laps behind Xavier Pompidou, and still holding
a similar margin, perhaps a little less now,
over Richard Hein in third. Danny Watts makes
his final pitstop in the Strakka Racing Ginetta-Zytek.
Pompidou may catch him if the stop is slow.
The Team LNT sister car is still circulating,
with Greg Mansell currently driving, but in
29th overall.
16:51
The overall leader is into the pilane - and
it's a very speedy entry from Speedy racing.
Unfortunately, it's those "louvres"
again, and the team has to fit a new set to
the front, and Olivier Panis goes through to
take the lead, and then Turner comes through
too, so it may not even be third for Fasser,
if Enge can catch him before he's back up to
speed.
16:55
Pompidou has passed the Strakka car, which now
has Nick Leventis in the cockpit.
17:06
Two laps to go. Panis leads now by nearly a
lap, so the pressure has eased.
17:07
CHEQUERED FLAG
There is a tension and excitement in the RML
garage, with a bigger gathering than the team
has seen allseason, crowded around the monitors,
watching the laps tick by. Then, with Tommy
entering the final sector, the entire team rushed
to the pitwall, and started clambering up the
debris fencing to welcome Tommy across the line.
Fists
punched skywards, they cheered the red, white
and blue Lola across the line before jumping
down to exchange hugs, handshakes and unfamilar
emotions. It's been a long time coming - an
entire season, no less - but at last RML is
up there where it belongs, on the Le Mans Series
podium. One can only ask . . . what might have
happened if the brave decision made ahead of
this weekend had been taken earlier.
17:09
Passing the team's pit garage, the #33 Speedy
Sebah Lola slows down alongside to cheering
engineers and crew to acknowledge the plaudits
of the team and supporters. The #12 Signature
Plus LMP1Oreca Judd ploughs directly into the
back of it. There's a challenge for the scrutineers!
LMP2
Result
Pos |
No. |
O/all |
Team |
Driver |
Car |
Laps |
Best
Lap |
1 |
33 |
8 |
Speedy
Sebah |
Pompidou/Luenberger/Kane |
Lola
B08/80 Coupé |
190 |
1:38.974 |
2 |
25 |
10 |
RML
AD Group |
Erdos/Newton |
Lola
B08/86 Coupé |
186 |
1:39.340 |
3 |
24 |
11 |
Oak
Racing |
Nicolet/Hein |
Pescarolo
Mazda |
184 |
1:42.316 |
4 |
45 |
14 |
Team
WFR |
Manning/Firth/Hughes |
WF-01
Zytek |
179 |
1:39.692 |
5 |
41 |
15 |
GAC
Racing Team |
Ojeh/Gosselin/Peter |
Zytek 07S |
179 |
1:40.082 |
6 |
26 |
16 |
Bruichladdich |
Bruneau/Greaves/Sini |
Radical
SR9 AER |
179 |
1:45.194 |
7 |
28 |
17 |
Ibanez
Racing |
Ibanez/da
Rocha/Cavailhes |
Courage
AER |
175 |
1:42.138 |
8 |
38 |
18 |
Pegasus
Racing |
Schell/Thiron/Metz |
Courage
AER |
174 |
1:46.570 |
9 |
37 |
20 |
WR
Salini |
Salini/Salini/Gommendy |
WR
Zytek |
174 |
1:40.402 |
|
|
|
Unclassified |
|
|
|
|
10 |
43 |
36 |
Q8
Oils Hache |
Jorda/Cortes/Nieto |
Lucchini
Judd |
135 |
1:46.547 |
11 |
35 |
38 |
Oak
Racing |
Ajlani/Lahaye |
Pescarolo
Mazda |
138 |
1:39.266 |
12 |
40 |
40 |
Quifel
ASM |
Amaral/Pla |
Ginetta-Zytek
GZ09S |
32 |
1:38.623 |
.
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