LMP1
Fernando Alonso completed his stints in the #8 Toyota TS050, pulling out and maintaining a gap to the sister machine.
There is a question mark though over the pitstop where Alonso handed over to Kazuki Nakajima. The pitstop went well the front wheels appeared to spin before the car was dropped from its jacks. There has been a penalty assessed to the #8 but it has yet to be announced by race control
In any case, a should it be drive through penalty should not affect the overall standings with the #8 holding a 1:33 lead on the #7 and the drive through would not cost this time.
The Rebellions hold third and fourth with the #3 ahead of the #1 with Gustavo Menezes holding a 90 second gap over Neel Jani.
The #5 Ginetta returned to the garage through the hour for additional repairs but is back on track.
LMP2
Roman Rusinov continues to hold a strong lead in the LMP2 field with two hours to go. The driver of the #26 G-Drive holds a two lap lead over the #36 Signatech Alpine with André Negrão behind the wheel.
After the problems of the last two hours in the class, there were no high profile runners to drop out. This left Jonathan Hirschi in third for the #39 Graaf-SO24.
They hold a 30 second lead over the #32 United Autosport with Hugo De Sadeleer at the wheel. De Sadeleer was put back behind the wheel as he has proven to be faster than his illustrious teammates that includes Juan Pablo Montoya.
It is a case of what might have been for the United Autosport car. They lost several minutes when Montoya stuck the car in the gravel and they also lost seven minutes in the pits when they had to replace a communication unit after losing communication with race control.
However, they still are in contention for a podium.
There was a little drama for the #35 SMP Dallara of Norman Nato. He had put in his fastest lap before crawling back to the pits. The car was pulled into the garage before returning to the track.
Sam Tickell
GTE-Pro
With Andy Priaulx unable to get in touch with the #91 Porsche and now making his routine pitstop, Fred Makowiecki seemed to have escaped danger for the moment, the pursuing third-placed Ford GT #68 of Joey Hand 19 seconds behind.
There was another entertaining battle taking place in GTE-Pro featuring two AF Corse Ferraris. Pipo Derani’s #52 car had closed up to the #51, which was running in seventh place, a lap off the leading cars.
Just before the half-hour, another scheduled pitstop for the class leader, Vanthoor completing his second stint in the #92 before handing on to Kevin Estre.
The leading three cars pitted again without issue, Joey Hand’s #68 Ford getting an adjustment to its front dive-planes, suggesting the driver was hoping for a little more front-end grip.
The leading pink #92 Porsche had the #63 Corvette in its sights and was looking to pass Mike Rockenfeller to put the fifth-placed car another lap down.
Priaulx was right up with Lietz, the Ford challenge for second place rejoined with a 3.5 second gap. Joey Hand was closing in with the USA-run #68 Ford, 4.5 seconds away from the Ganassi UK car.
Five minutes ahead of the hour, and the #52 had a two-minutes stop-go penalty imposed for speeding in the pitlane. The car, with Giovinazzi in the cockpit, was running 8th in class.
Just ahead of the hour-end, Andy Priaulx brought the #67 Ford in for Harry Tincknell to see what could be done about the second-placed Porsche. Richard Lietz was aboard with two hours to go, Fred Makowiecki seen being readied for a potential last stint.
Richard Westbrook’s #69 Ford was sat in the pits with an electrical issue, dropping the car down the order and clipping through eighth as the race entered its 23rd hour
GTE-Am
No change at the front. Dempsey-Proton’s #77 Porsche back in the hands of Julien Andlauer, still nearly 2 minutes ahead of Ben Keating’s Ferrari, from Franc Castellacci in the #54 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GTE. These three were well separated, the earlier Safety Car opportunity presented to Spirit of Race in particular having long since been lost.
Fourth place was still with the Team Project 1 Porsche, which was looking good for some WEC points.
As the pink Porsche emerged from the pitlane to complete the pitstop and driver change, it was emotional moments for the second-placed Ferrari in GTE-Am. Ben Keating, taking a stint in his eponymous motor, lost control through Mulsanne Corner, and ended up beached in the gravel. The #85 Ferrari had been two minutes off the lead, but began dropping into the clutches of the #54 Spirit of Racing Ferrari.
Extracting the Ferrari must have seemed like it was taking an age to the distraught Keating, but he was back on the circuit as quickly as the Manitou crew could get him free of the gravel, but not before Castellacci had swept by in the #54 to take second. Fortunately, Keating’s prior advantage was still sufficient to ensure that third was safe, for the time being at least, but another issue or mistake could nevertheless throw the Ferrari into the clutches of the Team Project 1 Porsche , Egidio Perfetti currently circulating.
The #99 Proton Competition Porsche, distinctively liveried in metallic green and being run by Black Swan Racing, was still hanging in for fifth having slogged its way up the order overnight with notable stints from Pat Long.
Martin Little & Marcus Potts
