No Raceday for RML AD Group

With the official withdrawal of the RML AD Group HPD from the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 Kilometres, our coverage from Belgium was a little different from normal. We again provided our "live" coverage of the six-hour race, with the usual emphasis on LMP2, but with a slightly different focus.

We reported on the overall battle for honours in the class which is the focus of the team's interest, but we also followed the fortunes of two of the smaller outfits in this year's championship. Team RLR is campaigning the former RML MG Lola EX265 this season - the same chassis that gave Mike Newton, Thomas Erdos and Andy Wallace a historic second win in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2006. The car still bears a red, white and blue livery that is remarkably similar to the one designed for RML, and continues to fly the flag for MG.

In addition, we also kept an eye one of the real small fries in international endurance racing. With a racing pedigree that includes co-driving in the 2005 Le Mans 24 Hours with Jan Lammers (finishing 4th in LMP1 900 with Racing for Holland) and a great run in the Spa 24 Hours in 2004 with Mike Jordan, Danny Bear may be small, but he has an excellent record. In conjunction with Dailysportscar, we shall see how he fares with Neil Garner Motorsport, co-driving with Phil Keen, Stephen Keating and John Hartshorne.

This season the RML AD Group HPD has battled to achieve competitiveness against the cost-capped cars in LMP2. The encouraging signs prior to Mike's accident on Thursday were that the new restrictor issued to the turbocharged teams had made some difference, and Tommy had been fourth quickest in class in the first session, and then officially second fastest just prior to the red flag in the second. We will never know how he might have fared in qualifying, which was also curtailed by another serious accident - for Matthieu Lahaye in the #15 Oak Pescarolo.

This cut the session short by six minutes, and left Danny Watts in the Strakka racing HPD delighted to have clinched pole. "We’re very surprised to be on pole, as the speed traps show that our car is still down on speed. I had a big tow in sector one, which really helped because we’re seven kilometres per hour slower than we should be down the long straight and have been losing a lot of time there. I then had no traffic in sector two, the fast and flowing section where our car is awesome, and then I picked up another tow in sector three. There was no way we could be that lucky twice so I knew we couldn’t lap any faster, but with six minutes of the session remaining we were expecting to be bumped down the order. " In the end, that never happened, so the Strakka HPD, similar to RML's own, will start this afternoons race from LMP2 pole.

If RML and Strakka have suffered under the "grandfather" rules, Team RLR have suffered even more. The chassis is almost six years old now, and although extensively redeveloped, first by RML, and then subsequently by Lola and RLR, the open-topped MG has been unable to match the pace of the newer cars. Carrying an extra 20 kilos, and with the smaller restrictor issued to the "grandfathered" cars, even the pacey Rob Garofall has found it hard to keep up with the pack. He qualified 11th in class yesterday. It will be interesting to see whether the car's inherent reliability can ease it through the order as the race progresses.

Neil Garner Motorsport is the only all-British outfit competing in Formula Le Mans this year, and Phil Keen is one of the quickest young drivers in the Series. He posted an impressive 2:13.592 in qualifying to take pole in FLM, and will line up ahead of the Team RLR MG Lola EX265 on the grid. In some respects, this is proof, once again, that the equivalence in the LMS this year isn't quite working as planned - but congratulations to Phil nevertheless for a very swift lap.

Danny Bear will partner all three drivers during the race, giving advice and instructions from the passenger cockpit!

Warm-Up

Official Warm-up began at 09:50. After their disastrous run in qualifying, when all three cars missed the cut, Team Peugeot was obviously out to prove that there was pace in the new 908, and they were setting brisk times in the twenty-minute session.

In LMP2, Strakka's Jonny Kane was quickest of the early runners, handing over to Nick leventis mid-session. The Level 5 Lola Coupé ran second with the Pecom Lola third, but towards the end of the period Ayari stepped up to the top with the #26 Signatech Oreca. Phil Keen set second fastest in FLM, just behind Lombard in the #99 JMB Oreca 09 FLM.

Obviously Warm-up is not a time to be pushing too hard, and times are fairly meaningless, but the drivers in those Peugeot diesels didn't necessarily see it that way,and there was some very spirited driving in evidence from the blue and silver cars throughout the session. The #8 Peugeot, with Montagny in the cockpit, set the fastest time of 2:03.744.

As the session ended, an announcement flashed up on the timing screen instructing the Peugeot and Audi drivers to visit the Race Director, in two separate groups. It is understood that they are to be given a separate Drivers' Briefing advising them that they are being "watched". Driving tactics such as those exhibited by Pedro Lamy in the case of Mike's accident, and also arising from an incident in Warm-up, when a GT Ferrari was sandwiched between one of the works Peugeots and the privateer Oreca car, will not be tolerated.

The weekend had already been marred by a succession of serious accidents, with four drivers ending up in hospital, and the organisers were keen that there should be no further major incidents during the race itself.

AD Group

The show must go on, of course, and with more than 30 guests invited to the event, AD Group's hospitality was characteristically busy again. Mike Newton was also back at work, explaining the intricacies of the AD Group video technology systems to his gusts, and sharing the marvel of all those around him that he is back at the track so soon after such a terrifying accident. We have access to footage of the accident, although we are not permitted to publish it on-line, and this reveals categorically that Mike was the innocent party in the incident.

What the video also reveals is the astonishing rate of deceleration that Mike endured as his car moved from a top speed of around 230 kph to a standstill in well under a second. Mike has carried out some complex mathematics (which is, after all, part of his day-job!) to determine that the rate of that deceleration was approaching 30g. He credits the new carbon fibre crash helmet, which all Le Mans drivers now have to wear, for the fact that he survived unscathed. The helmet took almost the full force of that impact, as the #36 HPD was fired like a missile into a tower of red tyres. Although Mike readily admits that he much prefers driving in an open-topped car, and being "more in touch with his environment", this isn't exactly what he had in mind.

The coverage below was created and uploaded "live" during the six hours of the race. Driver comment and other observations may have been added later, so please forgive any inconsistencies of tense, spelling errors made in haste, and any other mistakes.

Race Start

The grid has been cleared and we're getting ready for the start of the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 Kilometres. Exactly two o'clock and the cars move off the grid, lead by Timo Bernhard and Andre Lotterer in the #1 and #2 Audis. The usual stirring music resounds around the circuit.

The lights are off on the pace car as they move round on their green flag lap. That means no second lap.

Pace car pulls off, and the race is on! The leaders cross the line three seconds ahead of time. A clear start as the leaders sweep through La Source. Down the old start straight and through Eau Rouge, and the Quifel Zytek is an impressive third as they sweep up into Radillon.

Drama for McNish in the #3 Audi as they head into Les Combes, and he spins. The #3 Audi slumps way down the order, and down to 16th overall.

End of the first lap and it's the #2 Audi heading the charts from the #1, with the privateer Peugeot #10 third now, ahead of Pla. Also having a cracking second lap is Wurz in the #7 Peugeot, who then takes Duval for third next time through./

Mark Lieb has gone off in the #77 Porsche - a very rare sight. In LMP2 Ayari and beche have both moved through ahead of Jonny Kane, who took the start for Strakka. He's also then passed by Tom Kimber-Smith in the #41 Greaves Zytek, so first to fourth inside two laps for the HPD.

Confirmation that Lieb was pushed, and he's out of the car without even completing a lap. He then gets back in again, is pulled out of the trap, and limps back to the pits.

14:10
Not sure what happened at the start for Phil Keen in the Neil Garner Oreca, but he (and Danny Bear!) have dropped a couple of places, and is lying 20th overall, second in FLM, and just a fraction of a second behind Rob Garofall in the RLR MG Lola.

The pace is frantic, and keeping up with happenings throughout the field is hard to manage. Alan McNish is recovering steadily, dodging through the mid-field to recover the ground he lost at the start. he's up to 6th already.

After his terrific start Olivier Pla has dropped now down to 7th, and has been passed by all bar one of the late-starting Peugeots. The third works 908 has diced through to 10th from the back of the grid, with Montagny - faster in warm-up than any Peugeot had gone previously - in the cockpit.

14:15
McNish is closing on the Oreca Peugeot through Eau Rouge. He comes alongside along the Kemmel Straight, and then tucks in ahead to take 5th from the 2010 908.

14:16
Beche in the #46 Oreca takes the LMP2 lead from Ayari in the Signatech car, with Tom Kimber-Smith third. Rob Garofall in the ex-RML Lola is holding 20th now, having lost a place to the #13 Rebellion Lola - another back-row starter.

Phil Keen trails Maroc by about 6 seconds in the battle for Formula Le Mans.

Jonny Kane is evidently struggling in the traffic, perhaps as the HPD's straight line disadvantage is costing him dear as he dices with other LMP2 runners, and even GT cars that are almost as quick. He's lying 15th overall, fourth in LMP2.

14:23
Tom Kimber-Smith in the #41 Greaves Zytek has pitted, and dropped out of third. That's what allowed Jonny back through to fourth.

The two cars we're trying to follow today; the RLR MG Lola and the Neil Garner Motorsport FLM are running nose-to-tail, 19th and 20th overall.

In LMP1, the two untroubled Audis, the #2 and then the #1, lead comfortably from the #7 and #9 Peugeots, with Allan McNish now back up to fifth, having passed the #10 Oreca 908. Montagny has swept through to 7th after that pitlane start.

14:27
McNish has now caught up with Bourdais and they're like a train through Les Combes. That's the battle for fourth.

Rob Garofall is overtaken by the leaders, and the #7 Peugeot has passed Bernhard in the #1 Audi to take second place. Rob had a front-row seat for that move!

Sadly, in amongst all the confusion as those leaders elbowed their way through, Rob loses three places, and slumps to 21st. Phil Keen was another to suffer, and lost a place to Lombard in the #99. So the Neil Garner car now runs third, just ahead of Garofall.

14:32
McNish has passed Bourdais for fourth.

In LMP2, the Oak Pescarolo #35 is into the pits and backwards into the garage. The order in LMP2 has Beche still leading in the #46 from Ayari in the #26, 11th and 12th overall. They have the recovering Belicchi in the Rebellion Lola bearing down on them, having passed de Crem in the #45. Jonny Kane is plugging away steadily in the #42 Strakka Racing HPD, 15th overall and fourth in P2. He's two seconds clear now of Frey in the #40 Race Performance Oreca and then Kaffer in the Pecom Lola 17th overall, 6th in class.

14:35
Half an hour gone and we have a new battle for the lead. Wurz has caught up with Lotterer he's now within touch of the Audi. The gap is well less than a second. Allan McNish is not far behind Bernhard for third.

Several cars have been issued with warning for not "respecting" the circuit. In other words,running wide, cutting corners, clipping kerbs, or generally not following the approved route. After two warnings, drivers can be called in to serve a penalty.

14:45
This is developing into quite a thrilling race, with great battles throughout the field.

Alexander Wurz takes the lead! It was an opportunistic move through heavy traffic, but he makes it work, and we have a Peugeot into the lead.

Bernhard pits the #1 Audi R18 - the first of the leaders to stop for fuel.

14:48
Pitstops happening now throughout the classes. Jonny Kane hasn't stopped yet; the HPD once again showing its excellent fuel economy, and the HPD is now through to second in class, although it may not last. In the battle for the outright lead, the Peugeots appear able to run longer than the Audis, and it's a Pug one-two-three at the moment.

The FLM cars are also fairly fuel-efficient too, and Lombard now leads for JMB in the #99 ahead of Phil Keen second.

15:53
We're having trouble following the race as the timing screens occasionally post times and orders that are evidently wrong.

Phil Keen is the last to pit in FLM, so leads the class for a couple of laps. Jonny Kane has also pitted, and handed over to Danny Watts in the Strakka Racing HPD. In GTE-Pro, Rob Bell and Jaime Melo are having a real ding-dong battle for the lead, and just at the moment, Rob bell has the edge, and leads for JMW in the Dunlop-sponsored Ferrari 458 #66. It's a Ferrari benefit in GTE-Pro too, with the Italian marque dominating.

14:57
The #65 Lotus Evora makes a smoky entrance to the pitlane, and it looks fairly terminal.

14:58
Phil Keen pits from the lead of FLM, and rejoins in third, behind Marroc (#91) and Lombard (#99).

Hour 2 - 3 (15:03-16:03)

With the first hour completed and the race is still very much "on", and the Peugeots have worked their way through from their lowly starting positions to be running 1st, 4th and 5th, with Audis 2nd, 3rd and 6th.

Tom Kimber-Smith leads LMP2, but it's hard to work out how that's happened! He made an early pitstop, perhaps while the pitlane was less chaotic than during the scheduled pitstop window, and he's also the quickest in class at present, so it's not by chance that he leads the class.

15:08
No sooner have I written that than TK-S is into the pits, and dropping down the order again. The team replace the front-right wheel, suggesting that's a puncture.

During the pitstop for RLR, Rob Garofall handed over to Simon Phillips, and with most others double-stinting their opening driver, the extra time in the pits cost them dearly. They're now running 23rd overall, 8th in LMP2.

The true nature of LMP2 has been restored by that first round of pitstops, and after starting on pole, the Strakka HPD is now lying 6th in P2, behind de Crem, leading for Boutsen Energy, first from Ayari (Signatech #26) and Jody Firth, third for TDS, in another of the "new" Orecas. Michel Frey holds fourth for Race Performance, and fifth for Pierre Kaffer in the cost-capped Pecom Lola,#39.

15:24
Phil Keen moves through to second in FLM, having been dicing around in the slipstream of Lombard in the #99 for several laps, but then both cars overtake Schell. So Lombard leads from Phil Keen.

15:26
Dramas for Audi after damage to the rear of the #1 Audi, which pits for repairs.

15:30
An incident at Rivage, with the Greaves Motorsport Zytek and the Level 5 Lola coming together in the gravel. Somehow Karim Ojjeh manages to drive out again, but the Level 5 is there for some while, with evident damage to the rear.

15:34
Apologies to Phil Keen and Olivier Lombard . . . they're still second and third. Our problems with the timing screen continue, and Marroc continues to lead FLM, having briefly disappeared off the screens completely!

The #33 (Level 5) and #41 (Greaves) are "under investigation.

The Level 5 Lola pits for remedial attention. It was running fairly well down the order. The black coupé joins several other cars in the pitlane, including several of the leaders, as the race enters its second phase of scheduled pitstops for fuel. More may take on fresh rubber here too.

Bourdais leads for Peugeot, in the #9, with the two other 908s behind, all yet to stop. McNish has handed over to Capello.

Phil Keen takes the lead in FLM, but mainly on pitstops, although he did just pass Lombard on the lap before the #99 headed for fuel.

As before, the Strakka Racing HPD is the last P2 runner to pit, and consequently, inherits the class lead, but only briefly. The only benefit of running under power is that the engine uses less fuel! Watts comes in a lap later. It's 15:47.

15:52
Drama for Audi as the #3 slows almost to a halt and coasts past the pits. he manages to get round la Source, and then the engine fires up again, and he's away again.

Even more dramatic, seconds later, when the #44 Norma ploughs across a gravel trap and head-buts the tyre wall. It's not a heavy impact, so the car may be OK. The car was lying 33rd.

Steven Keating has taken over from Phil Keen, and rejoined the race in 19th overall, but still holding second in FLM from Moro, who's now aboard the #91, and leading the class.

15:58
After that last round of pitstops, Strakka's HPD has moved through to third in class. Danny Watts has stayed in for a second stint, so they're out of sync on driver swaps) with the others, and that second pitstop was blisteringly quick. That gained them valuable seconds on track, although the gap to Jody Firth (second in P2) is nearly 30 seconds. Ayari leads for Signatech, the Frenchman into his third stint, but he only has nine seconds over Firth.

Anthony Davidson leads overall for Peugeot (#7) from Treluyer (#2 Audi) and Lamy third (#9 Peugeot).

The tight battle in GTE-Pro continues, with James walker taking the lead for JMW (#66) from Vilander (#71), with Farfus third. Although the Ferraris continue to dominate the class, the two BMWs are still in contention, with the M3s lying third and fifth. They're evidently employing a softly-softly approach, and hoping to catch a monkey before the end of the race.

Hour 3- 4 (16:03-17:03)

Ayari pits from the lead in LM2, and Firth moves through to the top slot. Watts is running a genuine second place. He sets a new fastest lap of 2:13.881 at 16:10.

James Walker, the leader in GTE-Pro, passes Steve Keating for 19th overall, but the Neil Garner Oreca continues to hold second in class. The #43 MG Lola is running 20th.

16:15
There's a car off at Turn 11, and it may be the neil Garner FLM. Steve Keating has dropped quickly from 20th to 25th.

Steve Keating appears at the exit of Blanchimont, and grass-tracks all the way back to the pits. There's damage to the car too.

16:22
Danny Watts takes the lead into the new Bus Stop, and Jody Firth promptly heads straight into the pits, having locked up under the pressure.

16:26
Much against all predictions, it's a 1-2-3 for Peugeot at the moment, with Audis 4-54-6. The leading petrol-engined LMP1 is, yet again, the veteran #16 pescarolo.

Danny Watts leads the class again, more by dint of not yet having made his third pitstop, but efficient use of fuel, and quick pitstop work is the sign of a well-managed team, and strategy could be a race-winner here just as much as pace.

The Neil Garner #92 remains pitbound. The #43 RLR MG Lola, still with Simon Phillips at the wheel, has just completed a third pitstop, and is running 24th.

16:35
A series of cars with punctures! The #2 Audi runs widen into the gravel, possibly caused by a puncture, and then the #41 Greaves Zytek heading through La Source.

16:40
Major incident for the #33 through Eau Rouge! It looks as if something at the right rear broke under compression, and the coupé spun wildly up the hill and heavily into the tyre wall.

Meanwhile. Danny Watts has pitted, and Nick Leventis then held at the pit exit awaiting the arrival of a safety car.

The extraction crews are trying to remove the Level 5 car from the depths of the tyre wall, but their first attempt fails when the rear towing eye rips free, with large chunks of carbon fibre attached.

SAFETY CAR

A different kind of disaster for the cars held in the pitlane. They've lost perhaps two or three minutes being held in the pit exit, and that will have destroyed all the valuable time that Strakka Racing worked so hard to earn.

Bouchut is out of the Level 5 car and appears to be OK. It was a heavy impact, but nowhere near as sudden as Mike's on Thursday. The car, though, is in bad shape.

Various other cars are now making pitstops under the safety car, but it may be a some time before we know what the result of all these elements will be on the race order.

It currently stands at: Peugeot 1-2-3 (#7, #9, #8) and then Audi 4th and 5th (#3 then #1), followed by the #16 Pescarolo, leading the petrol class, ahead of the #2 Audi, which suffered with that puncture.

In LMP2, Kraihamer leads for Boutsen ER #45, from Thiriet in the #46 (TDS Racing) and Rostan in the #40 Race Performance Oreca third. Nick Leventis managed to get back out in fourth, despite the pitlane delay.

16:56 RACING RESUMES
The race gets back under way.

17:00
Rob Bell goes across the gravel as he pushes in second place in GTE-Pro. He clouts the tyres, but was lucky to get away with it, and regains the track with only a second's delay.

Barry Gates in the RLR MG, while there's been such frantic excitement all around him, has steered the EX265 through to 5th in class, and is running a steady 18th overall.

Steven Keating is back on track, but the repairs have cost the team several laps, and the #92 is now 47th overall

Hour 4- 5 (17:03-18:03) Half Way

17:05
Puncture for the Krohn Racing Ferrari.

Apologies for the break in service, but the Internet connection here is very unreliable, and keeps dropping out.

The #39 Pecom Lola pitted some while ago with what looked to be a heavily smoking engine, but this wasn't the case. It was a smoky puncture, and the team fitted a new wheel . . . but the car only got as far as the pit exit before stalling. The crew recovered the car and pushed it back to the garage, but the problem looks more serious this time.

17:13
The JMB Formula Le Mans #99 loses it on the run through Pouhon and hits the barriers heavily. It spins on round the corner, so is probably in a safe position, but the car's race would look to be over.

Rob Bell is battling on in GTE-Pro, but appears to have a problem. Fluid appears to be spraying up from under the bonnet of the car, across the windscreen. The engine, obviously, is in the back of the Ferrari, but there are radiators at the front. He pits, and the team haul the yellow 458 backwards into the garage.

The Greaves car is still in the garage after that earlier puncture (and contact with the Level 5) and has dropped down to 43rd overall.

Dumas in the #1 Audi has been defending his line a little too vigorously against Pedro Lamy in the #9 Peugeot. The tussle was not over position, but Dumas was trying to prevent being lapped. As a consequence, the Audi team director has been summoned to the Race Director's office.

17:26
The next series of fuel-stops is in the offing, and several cars have pitted already, including some of the P2 runners. Nick Leventis has moved through to third in LMP2, but may gain more positions before it's his turn to pit.

Bouchut is under investigation now (car #33, Level 5).

The #40 race Performance Oreca has crawled back to the pits and is in the garage - reason currently unknown.

17:32
Scheduled pitstop from RLR, who had been running fifth in LMP2, 18th overall. If they can get the MG back out quickly enough, there's a good chance they can pass the #40.

Pedro Lamy sets a new fastest lap for the #9 Peugeot of 2:05.304. It included a fastest first sector overall. Marc Gene leads in the #7, with Lamy second.

The LMP2 class leader, car #45 (Boutsen), is under investigation by the race officials. The advantage over the #46 Oreca is 47 seconds. Nick Leventis continues to hold a strong third place, but around a minute down on the class leader.

17:45
Barry gates is doing a sterling job in the RLR MG Lola, and has moved through to 17th, ahead of Patrick Simon in the #95 FLM, second in the class. Moro leads FLM for Hope Racing in the #91, but has just pitted.

The overall position seems to have been stuck in a rut for the last hour or more. Peugeot continues to enjoy an unexpected dominance, with a 1-2-3 that also includes a full lap's lead over the first of the Audis, the #3, with Tom Kristensen currently in the cockpit.

Manu Collard is still leading the petrol-powered sub-class for Pescarolo, from 7th, with the two Rebellion Lolas taking up slots in 8th and 9th. The #10 Oreca Pescarolo is well out of contention, 15th overall, after problems with a diesel (or maybe oil) pump.

The two new Orecas continue to head LMP2, although Strakka's HPD is still in with a chance, thanks again to excellent pitwork and fuel economy.

Hour 5- 6 (18:03-19:03)

Two hours remaining.

16:05
Jonny Kane climbs aboard the Strakka Racing HPD, as Nick Leventis completes a stint-and-a-half in the middle of the race. This is deliberate strategy from Piers Phillips, who can now hope to have just one more stop between here and the flag.

With JMW's coolant problems, GTE-Pro is now a less exciting area of interest. Vilander leads from Bruni by more than 30 seconds, and Alan Simonsen is now eyeing a podium finish for the Hankook team. He holds third, although by just 14 seconds from Andy Priaulx in the #56 BMW.

16:10
The Leventis/Kane pitstop has left the Strakka Racing HPD holding third in class, 15th overall, and with Barry gates a couple of laps behind him.

18:14
JMB's entertaining outing in the #99 FLM Oreca continues, with the car nudging the barriers again,this time at Turn 11. Rodrigues recovers the track after a short break, and continues.

18:18
The engine in the #20 Quifel ASM Zytek lets go at the top end of the Kemmel Straight, and Amaral coasts smokily up the relief road at the end of the straight, alongside the Les Combes complex. It's race over for the Portuguese squad, which had been holding tenth overall.

16:20
The #9 Peugeot is of the track and into the gravel at Rivage - Pedro Lamy in the cockpit, but not for long, perhaps?

Kristensen moves ahead of Lamy to take third, but the marshals have managed to push the Peugeot out of the gravel, and it heads to the pits. Lamy gets out and Pagenaud clambers in. It's not a lengthy pitstop, so perhaps the off was simply driver error?

De Crem pits the #45 from the lead, and it's a clean drive through the pitlane for fuel, leaving the Boutsen Engineering with a generous lead of around 30 seconds over Beche, back in the #46 TDS Racing example. Jonny Kane is in third, but even his experience cannot match the sheer grunt of the Nissan-powered Orecas, and he has little chance of closing the gap.

Doing really well, by comparison, is the old lady. The ex-RML MG Lola, being run this year by RLR Motorsport, holds a richly deserved fourth in class. The team has put Rob Garofall back into the MG, and he's about to move through to 16th overall.

Bruni has taken the lead in GTE-Pro, and Simonsen is now second, ahead of Andy Priaulx. The former leader, #71, is a fairly distant fourth now, having enjoyed a 30 second lead less than half an hour ago.

18:38
A frightening moment for Barlesi in the #35 Oak, as something appears to give way at the rear of the car as he runs through the bottom of Eau Rouge. He manages to steer the car just wide of a heavy impact with the tyre wall at the top, then spears across the track to halt, remarkably unscathed. The car then crabs back towards the pitlane, but then discovers that he can't steer it particularly well, misses the entry,and beaches on the kerbs. The marshals struggle to free him, but eventually succeed. Barlesi returns to the garage for repairs.

18:48
Jaime Melo is issued with a stop-go penalty for overtaking under the yellows. The man he passed was Andy Priaulx, but he'll now lose that third place, and possibly leave far too much of the gap to have any hope of recovering the ground before the end.

18:50
Pagenaud sets a new fastest lap for the race in the #9 Peugeot, clocking 2:04.832.

18:53
Melo takes his penalty, and drops to fourth. Bruni pits from the class lead, and Simonsen moves through, but has yet to make his final pitstop.

18:54
Kristensen is really pushing hard, and closing on Minassian for second place. The gap is down to just 14 seconds.

Jonny Kane into the pits with an hour and eight to go - can the HPD go that far without a splash 'n dash?

Damage to Kristensen's Audi. The rear left legality panel has been ripped off, so he'll have to pit for a replacement.

18:59
Kristensen pits, effectively ending all hopes of a podium for Audi?

Pagenaud moves through to retake third before Kristensen can regain the track. The Dane rejoins in fifth. Car #3 (Kristensen) and car #46 (TDS Racing), second in LMP2, are under investigation. Was there contact?

The #46 coincidentally takes the lead in LMP2, ahead of the Boutsen Oreca. The #45 then pits from second, but there's a hefty gap to Jonny Kane in third. Rob Garofall continues to hold a rock-steady fourth for RLR, but a sizeable three-lap gaps behind.

An incredible 2:04.781 from Tom Kristensen, fresh out of the pits on new tyres but a full tank of diesel. That's impressive, and a new race record for the #3 Audi.

Hour 6- Finish (19:03-20:03)

19:11
An incident for the #2 Audi, which rolls to a halt at the entrance to the pitlane. It then rolls forward a little further, restarts, and heads on down to the pits. Could have been a fuel shortage?

The #9 Peugeot is also into the pits, for a new nose. It's not a lengthy stop, but with only 47 minutes to go, any delay could be circuital.

Kane through to second in LMP2, but he may still have to make another pitstop. The HPD went for around 50 minutes to the first pitstop,so may be fifteen short of going to the flag after Jonny's last stop.

Rob Garofall continues to hold fourth, but has only a lap over Mailleux in the #26.

19:26
Could it be a puncture, or something more, for the #9 Peugeot as it came down the hill towards Eau Rouge. It looks as if there's damage to the wheel or suspension problem. Kristensen is the first to get by.

16:27
Pagenaud is still struggling to drive all the way round the 5 kilometre circuit and now Rockenfeller may go through as well. He's only a minute behind.

16:29
The #9 is hauled backwards into the garage, with a collapsed front-right suspension. Rockenfeller goes through into fourth.

Jonny Kane has just lost second, on track, to Beche in the #46.

Kraihamer continues to lead LMP2 for Boutsen, but the last report suggested they were having problem refuelling the car, and couldn't take on a full load at the last stop, so may have to call in again before the finish. Just under half an hour to go.

Beche has only 1.8 seconds over Kane. Rob Garofall has a firm grip on fourth, but can't really hope for much better unless those ahead hit serious problems.

19:37
Pagenaud returns to the track, with the front-right fully rebuilt. He rejoins in 8th.

Just a brief update on Neil Garner Motorsport and DSC's Danny Bear. After Steven Keating's introduction to the barriers, and extended pitstop for repairs, the car rejoined in the nether regions of the forties. Steven, and then John Hartshorne, completed several solid stints without further incident, and the #92 car is running in 40th position, fourth in FLM.

19:41
The LMP2 leader pits for fuel and tyres, handing the lead to Beche in the #46, but the gap to Jonny Kane has narrowed since our last update to just 6 seconds. We have a race on now for LMP2, except we think Jonny still has to stop, one last time.

19:43
As predicted, Jonny Kane pits in the #42. It's a very quick stop, but anything was too long to retain that tenuous grip on second, but third is still very much on the cards.

A new fastest race of the lap for Simon Pagenaud, clocking 2:04.673. It's far too late to make a difference, after the suspension failure, but enough to prove a point.

19:47
Still leading the petrol charge, the #16 Pescarolo is holding 6th overall. Pagenaud has now shaved almost a second off his last lap-record, and follows that with a 2:03.699. Meanwhile,. Rob Garofall sets a new best for the RLR MG Lola, with a 2:16.713 to help safeguard the car's hold on fourth.

19:50
Several cars involved in a coming-together, including Vilander in the #71 Ferrari, which had been fourth in GTE-Pro. It pits with front-end damage, probably out of the race now. Also caught out was the #50 larbre Corvette, which had been fourth in GTE-Am.

The #3 and the #1 Audis are both into the pits together . . . and Rockenfeller gets out ahead of Kristensen, unlapping himself in fourth.

The official attendance figure for the race this weekend is 34,600. If accurate, that's a good turnout.

19:53. Very nearly another off for the #92, running very wide across the tarmac, clattering across the kerbs, but John Hartshorne eventually regaining the track.

19:58
Less than six minutes to go, and Hummel in the #82 CRS Ferrari, at the time holding third in GTE-Am, has had a coming together with several other cars, and it doesn't appear to be his fault, but he's come off the worst. The ferrari is making a smoky transit back towards the pits, all hopes of a podium gone. Not sure who else was involved.

The class-leading Hope FLM car, #91, is under investigation following the incident with the #82.

Jonny kane has narrowed the gap to second in LMP2 to 11 seconds, but with only 2 minutes to go, little chance of achieving more - although this incident-packed race could still offer us more!

FINISH

20:03
The final lap, and a maiden victory for the new Peugeot 908, with Alexander Wurz taking the chequered flag for the factory team in the #7, a lap clear of his team-mate Stefan Sarrazin in the #8. A consolation podium for Audi and the all-new R18, Kristensen crossing the line for the older generation, but Pagenaud gets into the photo as the winners cross the line.

A win in LMP2 for TDS Racing, followed through by the #45 Boutsen Energy Racing Oreca, making it a one-two for the Nissan-engined Orecas. But terrible drama for Strakka Racing, as Jonny Kane stutters to a half on the last corner, but then the Northern Irishman demonstrates his experience and composure by using what seems to be the starter motor to stutter the HPD across the line. That claims a second successive podium for the Silverstone-based team - third at Paul Ricard, and third again at Spa.

Further drama in GTE-Pro, as Fisichella takes the win, but a neck-and-neck battle between Farnbacher and Alzen sees the Hankook Ferrari cross the line just 1.5 seconds ahead of the #56 BMW. In GTE-Am, it's a win for #67 (IMSA Matmut Porsche), with the #61 (AF Corse Ferrari ) second and the #50 (Larbre Competition Corvette) third.

The win in Formula Le Mans went to Hope Racing, with the #91 crossing the line two minutes clear of the #95 Pegasus racing FLM, with the #93 Genoa racing car third. The Neil Garner Motorsport #92 finished fourth.

It was a rather strange experience, reporting on a race in which the team was not actually taking part. During the final hour we had a call from Tommy Erdos, returned to the UK and awaiting the arrival of a son. We wish Sheila all the best for the next few days, and look forward to the arrival of another Erdos.

Ben Collins had also returned to the UK, but his production was more of a regeneration, in as much as he was working to promote the recent publication of a paperback edition of his book; The Man in the White Suit. We reviewed the hardback edition here.

Mike Newton spent the day with his guests at the circuit before heading back to the UK and a well-earned rest. His key concern is to return to fitness in time for the Le Mans 24 Hours in a little over 4 week's time. The rest of the team had headed back to Wellingborough, leaving a dedicated crew of just three to take the team truck and support vehicles back to the UK. Rest assured, it will be a busy time in the workshops over the coming weeks as the team work day - and probably night - to get the car rebuilt in time for scrutineering on June 6th.

POSTSCRIPT
It was confirmed after the race that the Hope Racing Formula Le Mans entry, #91, which crossed the line first in class on Saturday, subsequently failed the technical scrutineering examination, and was excluded from the results. This gave Pegasus their second successive win in the category, with Genoa Racing second, and Neil Garner Motorsport third - elevating Danny Bear (right) and his co-drivers to a richly deserved podium step. Any step is useful to a small chap like Danny, but one with a trophy on it is better still. He awaits the delivery of his silverware with bated breath . . .

RML AD Group at Spa 2011
For an explanation of why RML AD Group is not racing this weekend, including comments from Team Manager Phil Barker and the three drivers, please see Spa 1000 Kilometres Weekend Report.

For high-resolution images, please see the Spa Francorchamps Gallery