A well deserved overall victory for the Joest Racing team. A historic second time that the Joest team has won Le Mans two subsequent years with the same car. GT1 honours go to the Gulf Davidoff Racing No41 and in GT2 to the No 78 Elf Harbethur Racing Porsche 911 GT2. The No 3 Ferrari came a creditable 6th overall and 3rd in prototypes. Second in GT1 was the BMW team motrorsport McLaren No 43.
14:01 No 39 with Andrew Gilbert Scott at the wheel caught fire on the Mulsanne straight, the fire took hold of the rear and burnt out the engine area. This incident looked very similar to that suffered by 40, in Thursday's qualifying when an oil line fractured.
14:20 No 41 in the pits for a routine stop and a check the engine bay.
14:35 No 15 suffered a rear left suspension collapse coming out of the Ford chicane, this proximity allowed it to return to the pits.
15:02 No 15 rejoins.
15:06 No 33 in the pits with the back up to deal with a fuel supply problem.
15:32 No 33 leaves the pit lane trailing water.
15:46 No 3 with Moretti driving spins at Tertre Rouge, towed from the gravel by tractor and got underway again.
15:55 No 3 spins again this time at the first Mulsanne chicane, did not hit anything and again continues.
Positions at the finish 16:00
7*,41*,43,13,33,3,8,27,78*,74,73,23,80,63,64,10,15
(*=class win)
A dramatic turn of events. In the sunshine of this midsummer afternoon the long-time leader number 26 has given up the ghost only just over 2 hours from the finish. Remarkably we only have 18 cars left in the race.
12:38 No 33 into the pits for coolant check.
12:43 No 23 the last Nissan pushed into garage.
12:44 No 15 spun at end of pit lane while exiting the pits, (Downing).
12:48 No 33 pushed into garage.
12:49 No 15 into pit with rear wing damage.
13:12 No 74 into the pits for its other turbo blown.
13:17 No 61 spun at the Ford chicane and crashed backwards into wall significant damage and will take no further part.
13:28 No 33 rejoins after repairs to engine water leak.
13:30 No 74 rejoins.
13:40 No 26 The leader stops on the Mulsanne straight with the rear well alight. Kelleners jumped from the car and waved to the fire crews to quickly put out the fire. They did, but not before the back of the car was gutted ( somewhat like the team ).
Next update at 16:00
The promised bad weather has failed to materialise. Instead there is blue sky and only a few fluffy while clouds. The tide of spectators is beginning to mount and the atmosphere of expectation is high. This has been a race of attrition with only 21 cars now running out of 48 starters and the last few that continue to circulate are far from problem-free.
09:10 No 64 back in the race after changed brake disc's and valves.
09:20 No 7 in for an unscheduled stop for new nose.
09:22 No 7 leaves pits.
09:45 No 74 enters the pits smoking from one exhaust,blown turbo.
09:50 No 8 spun exiting the Ford chicane.Pescarolo driving.
09:55 No 27 returned to the pits with front and rear damage,pushed into garage for repairs to front suspension.
10:05 No 54 the last Panoz abandoned at the Dunlop chicane,engine blown.
10:25 No 33 losing coolant which requires regular topping up.
10:42 No 27 rejoins.
10:43 No 64 In pits to have inner front wheel arch repaired.
10:50 No 75 stopped at the Porsche curves,clearly completed its race.
11:12 No 64 rejoins.
11:17 The leading car No 25 in for an unschedule stop for water.
11:31 No 8 into the gravel at Tertre Rouge,towed out and continues.
Positions at 12:00
26,7,41,43,39,33,13,3,8,27,23,78,74,61,73,80,63,15,64,10,(75)
Retirements:42,25,29,30,9,52,55,21,28,79,22,49,5,84,44,77,46,62,60,66,45,4,70,32,14
Next update 14:00
07:00 No 64 back in the garage.
07:10 No 3 the Ferrari going quickly.
07:28 No 9 returned to the pits with damaged front and rear,Mario Andretti spun on cold tyres.Car in garage.
07:46 The leader No 25 suffered front end damage at the Porsche curves and pushed to a place of safety.Wollek was driving and explanaton was "lack of traction".
08:05 No 42 pushed into garage for attention to sticking throttle.
08:13 No 29 stopped on the Mulsanne striaght with flames at the rear.
08:17 No 42 rejoins.
08:18 N0 39 has its second stop go penalty(4 min) for pit lane speeding.
08:25 No 3 into the pits to have altenator replaced.
08:29 No 42 spun at Mulsanne corner and hit the wall damaging the front. Lehto limped the car back to the pits.
08:35 On exiting the Ford chicane No 78 lost a rear tyre,pushed to pit.
08:55 No42 retires as damage beyond repair.
08:57 No 9 retires, loose wishbone.
Positions at 9:00
26,7,41,43,39,33,42,13,27,3,8,54,74,78,23,61,73,80,15,63,64,75,10
Retirements:25,29,30,9,52,55,21,28,79,22,49,5,84,44,77,46,62,60,66,45,4,70,32,14
Next update 12:00
As I write this, dawn is breaking in an angry misty overcast morning. The night has seen 13 additional retirements including notable entries like the remaining Marcos and the Lister. At the head of the field the two works Porsche GT1 cars 25 and 26 are keeping a 1 lap advantage over the Joest TWR Porsche prototype. The Panoz No54 has gone steadily through the night and has drifted up from 28th place to 17th. The 41 Gulf Maclaren has chased down the leaders but remains in 4th place. The No 39 Gulf car has also kept it's position only one lap adrift in 5th spot. At the top end of GT2 the 78 Porsche GT2 has taken over from the No 61 Viper and 'Portugese' No73 cars both of whom ran into difficulty in the small hours to lead the class. Thomas Kristensen set a new lap record in the TWR Joest Porsche threatening to make up the deficit on the two leading GT1 cars. The surviving Ferrari No3 has made it back into the top 10. The news about the Nissans problem gearbox oil coolers is that they have been getting too hot and the melting of seams is causing splitting and loss of oil.
03:10 Dams Panoz 52 smoking and being pushed back into garage.
03:20 Tempertaure drops to 13 degrees.
04:20 Panoz 55 retires
05:05 Courage 9 pushed back into garage to secure a header tank.
05:10 Panoz 52 retires
05:20 Wheel arch problem on No73 Porsche GT2 causes long pit stop.
05:25 Broken spark plug for 61.
05:35 61 Viper rejoins.
05:35 New fastest lap for Boutsen.
06:30 Lap record for Kristensen 3:45.068
06:45 73 in garage again.
Postitions at 00:00
25,26,7,41,43,39,33,29,42,3,13,30,27,78,8,9,74,54,64,23,73,61,80,15,63,75,10,67
Retirements:52,55,21,28,79,22,49,5,84,44,77,46,62,60,66,45,4,70,32,14
Next update at 09:00
It is now nearly half way and the two factory Porsche GT1s are holding off the TWR Joest Porsche No7. The number 25 car is being superbly piloted by Le Mans veterans Stuck, Boutsen and Wollek. The rain has held off but the temperature is falling sharply. We are likely to have early morning mists that will be an additional hazard. We have lost or nearly lost the brittle Nissans and the 911 GT1s 28 and 79. The No9 Courage had a protracted pit visit that made the Andretti family victory virtually impossible. GT2 honours are currently in the hands of the 61 Viper of Beretta, Gache and Dupy.
12:55 Rear off No41 for routine checks.
01:15 Nissan 22 has a transmission problem.
01:35 No 41 McLaren moves into third place.
01:44 Downing car has chassis problem.
02:10 Gap between 1st/2nd only 0.65s
02:45 Mazda returns after an hour-long pit visit to cure suspension problem.
02:50 Courage No 9 returns after losing more than 20 laps.
Postitions at 03:00
25,26,7,41,39,43,33,29,3,42,30,61,52,55,13,78,73,27,74,64,9,8,54, 23,21,80,22,15,75,63,67,10
Retirements: 7,3,13,9,25,26,41,39,43,33,61,78,63
Next update at 07:00
21:10 All three Nissans in the in the pits for attention to oil coolers.
21:11 No 52 fitted with the front from the yellow/gold road car.
21:12 No 9 stopped circulating.
21:14 No 46 leaves the pits after 1 hour 40 minutes.
21:14 No 28 missed the 1st mulsanne chicane and snaked past the tyre walls.
21:15 No 46 hits the wall just below the Dunlop Bridge.Erdos driving.
21:18 No 63 Spun at Ford chicane.Yver driving.
21:28 No 62 Spun on the Mulsanne striaght and crashed backwards into the wall destroyed the rear end and after Ayari climbed out of the car caught fire and the car was totally burnt out.
21:30 No 44 spun at Tertre Rouge into the armco significant damage and a definate retirement.
21:50 No 77 going slowly and then pulled off at Porsche curves.Transmisson.
21:55 No 9 noted ciculating again problems with geaarbox and clutch.
21:59 No 46 spun at Ford chicane.
22:03 No 67 spun at the Dunlop chicane.
22:15 No 75 in the gravel at the Ford chicane.
22:52 No 77 officially retired.
23:16 No 84 pushed into the garage for work on an oil leak.
23:16 No 75 pushed into the garage for attention.
23:35 No 54 pushed into the garage to replace prop shaft.
23:48 No 46 in the pits for a new clutch.
23:58 No 54 back into the race, Weaver at the controls.
Postitions at 00:00
25,26,7,41,39,43,33,29,23,3,28,27,30,42,5,49,52,61,13,78,73,79,64,74 ,8,84,22,54,75,63,9,15,80,21,46,67,10,66
Retirements: 5,44,77,62,60,45,4,70,32,14
Next update at 03:00
The weather has threatened rain the whole afternoon but all the racing has been dry so far. The forecast for tomorrow is cold and wet with the possibility of early morning mists. The Hawaiian Tropic ladies, Salsa dancers and cheerleaders stayed dry too but are now just a vague memory as the track action hots up. The rate of fall-out has been reduced as the early failures are now concluded. The top positions remain open with one lap covering the first 13 positions. The 25 and 26 Porsches are still dicing with the No7 Joest Porsche. The No52 Panoz was up to 5th place at one time but has fallen back to 8th.
The 66 Mustang had a spin at the Ford Cichane that resulted in a broken exhaust that caused the driver a burned bottom. The Saleen team manager stated; "If you go to the beach you expect a suntan!".
18:05 Nissan 21 missing gears.
18:10 45 confirmed as retirement.
18:14 Saleen 67 long pit for transmission problem.
18:35 Nissan 21 into pit garage with clutch problem.
18:42 42 out and back after just 1 lap.
18:44 Henri Pescarolo off at Tertre Rouge (rejoined)
18:44 Large fuel spill in Gulf pit.
18:44 No 49 smoking and misfire.
19:01 No 22 oil cooler leak + electrical problem.
19:10 No 23 trailing smoke.
19:39 Boutsen gets fastest lap.
20:20 Nissan 22 stops then rejoins at Arnage.
20:34 No44 McLaren off and rejoined tertre rouge.
20:40 Saleen Mustang smoking.
Postitions at 09:00
25,26,7,41,39,43,13,30,23,3,44,29,33,28,27,5,49,62,55,52,42, 77,84,78,79,61,63,75,64,9,15,54,63,74,22,8,46,21,80,10,67,66
Retirements: 60,45,4,70,32,14
Next update at 00:00
After the start on a dry (for now) track the No7 Joest car began to dominate the early running. Several early casualties, including the No14 BRM that retired in the first ten minutes of the race.
00:10 BRM Retires with engine problems, Toivonen at the wheel. 00:40 Car No30 with McNish at the controls, retired after hitting the wall approching the Ford chicane. Notable pit stops by No9 Andretti car running on 3cyl due to an electrical problem now fixed and running 25th. No25 had an extra long pit stop when Bob Wollek's seat refused to fit in the car. No70 Marcos is smoking badly on one side, it came to the pits and resumed. It is now smoking from both sides. Official retirements at 18:00 ( 2hours ) cars 14 and 32. Postitions at 06:00 7,26,42,25,21,22,30,43,41,13,39,33,44,3,23,29,27,46,54,5,28,10,8 ,9,49,62,61,60,84,52,78,15,79,77,55,73,67,75,74,64,66,45,63,4,70 ,80 Cars 4 and 45 are not currently running but are not officially retired. Lister say 45 can not be repaired after a spin and rear end damage.