With 10 hours to go the leaders of the 2022 race have long since passed the winning lap count of the weather-interrupted race winners last season.
More on-track incidents have accounted for the #5 Phoenix Audi, Kelvin van der Linde misinterpreting the signalled intentions of yet another Cayman on the Grand Prix circuit, the R8 tagged into a spin and impact with the barriers and going no further.
Soon afterwards the #44 Falken Porsche, on a fightback and trying to unlap themselves from the fourth-placed (previously leading) Schubert BMW, was hit twice by the #22 Audi of Nico Mueller, an incident for which the Swiss was later dealt a 90 second penalty, the second hit spun the Porsche at T2 where the car was hit hard by the Opel Astra of Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares, the Porsche would struggle back to the pits but would be retired.
The lead of the race was held at 2am local time by Dries Vanthoor, his #15 Phoenix Audi piling on the pace and fending off Adam Christodoulou in the #3 GetSpeed AMG with a near 20-second advantage, Dani Juncadella in the sister GetSpeed AMG was third, a minute down on the leader.
