Le Mans 24 hours

5am - 10.30am

Richard Dean’s still keeping the GT2 race alive with some close racing with the #93 Porsche. Dean took the Porsche’s 4th position when it came in to pit and emerging 12 seconds ahead, but Shinichi Yamaji at the wheel of the Porsche is closing the gap.

Dean is passed, but stays right on Yamaji’s tail.

6.30 – 6.40 am and the GT2 cars come in to pit. 6.52am and Lawrence Tomlinson gets behind the wheel for a double-stint himself. Rejoins in fifth place, but the Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 is in trouble.

The #87 car is back in the pits for an unscheduled stop and are having difficulty with the left rear tyre. The nut will not come off. After 191 laps, the ‘Prancing Horse’ is wheeled into its garage from a comfortable third place. The mechanics begin work on getting the wheel freed.

Their three lap advantage is lost as 4th place Porsche and 5th place Panoz move up a position as the Ferrari remains in its garage.

GT2 classification: 1st #83, 2nd #86, 3rd 93, 4th #81, 5th #87 (in the pits), 6th # 91…

9am and #86 Spyker has been in the pits a good ten minutes. In fact, the garage doors have just closed. Team LNT promoted to 3rd. The Scuderia Ferrari has rejoined the track 12 laps behind. This is the Le Mans 24 hour race and anything can happen…

9.15am – Tomlinson comes into the pits for a driver changeover. He had been catching Kazuyuki Nishizawa in the #93 Porsche, lapping 4.15’s and a 4.14.

Kimber-Smith takes over the drive – maintaining 3rd position out of the pits; 2.07 minutes behind second position. Kimber-Smith laps 3-4 seconds quicker running 4.14’s. The Team LNT Panoz is also an impressive 20th position in the overall race – out of the original 50 starters.

At 9.45am, the safety car is deployed so a clean-up operation can take place at Indianapolis where oil has been laid on the track by a car who’s engine has failed.

Alan Mugglestone – Team LNT’s Chief Engineer calls in the Panoz to the garage and undertake routine brake works. New pads and discs. These would have to be fitted at some point, so this was the perfect opportunity. The Porsche cars ahead stayed out – but will have to do the same break works eventually, or risk brake failure.

Kimber-Smith rejoined the track behind the safety car so lost minimal time.

The #93 Porsche pulled into its garage at 10.20am – we presume to retire. There is no evidence of any work being done to the car, and it has been sat there for about ten minutes. Team LNT are now second in the race.

There are still 6 half hours to go… The most agonising 6 half hours for the Team for a long time…