0230: With 10 hours in the bag and 14 hours of the race still to run, the #1 WRT Audi crew has tightened its grip on the lead of the race. Rene Rast is currently driving the car, and a slow pitstop from the second-place #77 Marc VDS BMW has handed him a lead of over 90 seconds. WRT’s Belgian rival hasn’t given up, however – Finn Markus Palttala currently lapping as fast as the Z4 has gone all race and leading the race for several laps a stint as the pitstops cycle through. Meanwhile, James Nash is keeping the penalty-hit #3 WRT Audi in third overall, ahead of the #26 and #2 Audis in fourth and fifth and the #84 HTP Mercedes in sixth.
0247: The top two Pro-Am cars currently sit seventh and eighth in the general classification – the #90 Villorba Corse Ferrari about a lap ahead of the #53 AF Corse machine. Third in this class, but some way behind on track, is the #12 TDS Racing BMW.
0250: 200 laps now covered. The #1 and #2 Audis have both pitted recently and neither is double-stinting tyres yet. Joe Osborne attempted double-stinting in the #38 Aston but later tweeted that it was the wrong call.
0303: Drivers clearly enjoying the cooler conditions – Stippler has done his fastest lap of the race so far and Rast does the fastest overall lap of the race.
0305: Pro-Am leading car Villorba Corse Ferrari does a driver change (Rizzoli out, Castellaci in) but retains its position.
0315: The #19 Mercedes SLS reported in the gravel at Fagnes – Al-Faisal was on his out lap. The car drops down the order to 29th position before AbdulAziz is extracted and completes the lap.
Rast pits from the lead after his 216th lap and hands the car over to Laurens Vanthoor – Palttala leads again in the #77 BMW
0344: Stippler pits from second, after Fassler brought the fourth placed #2 Audi in on the previous lap
Alex Sims pits the Ecurie Ecosse BMW from 8th overall, second in Pro-Am – Oliver Bryant climbs aboard
0357: Markus Pattala is pulling away a little in the lead of the race at present Palttala sets the car’s fastest lap of the rce so far on lap 225, as, coincidentally, does Andre Lotterer in the #2 Audi
The #54 AF Corse Ferrari gets the ‘meatball’ flag – reason unknown at present, Alex Mortimer is at the wheel
0404: Palttala pits from the lead after completing lap 230
Al Faisal meanwhile pitted from 28th some time ago and is tumbling further down the order again with the car still in the pits.
Lucas Luhr climbs aboard the #77 – Laurens Vanthoor retakes the lead
0409: Trouble for the #10 TDS BMW, its slow on track then gets up to speed –
0410: SAFETY CAR – a car, as yet unidentified, stopped on track at Blanchimont It’s the #44 Oman Racing Aston, and looks to have been involved with another car, reported as the #31 on the screens – but there isn’t one!
Also at the same time the MRS Molitor #82 McLaren stops at pit in but is moved quickly to clear pit entry.
0426: The Safety Car will be in at the end of this lap
0430: Halfway point
Bernd Schneider posts the fastest lap of the race so far (2:20.452) but immediately is dealt a drive through for improving under yellows.
Wolfgang Reip is on the attack in the recovering #80 Nissan – into the 2:21s
The #44 Oman Aston is back in the pits – we’ll take a look and see what the extent of any damage is.
Lucas Luhr sets the fastest lap of the race for the now leading #77 Marc VDS BMW – The 2:21.437 though is almost a full second slower than the fastest lap for the now chasing Audi.
0449: The #98 ART McLaren is reported on fire at T17
0513: Luhr pits the lead BMW – Vanthoor to the lead again and extending the advantage
