Relive the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, a true endurance classic that tested every limit of man and machine. Audi and Peugeot went head-to-head in a relentless battle for supremacy, with strategy, reliability, and pure speed deciding the outcome. From breathtaking night stints to heart-pounding final hours, this race captured the raw essence of Le Mans and delivered moments that would define a new era of endurance racing.
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#24hLeMans
#EnduranceRacing
#AudiVsPeugeot
#MotorsportHistory
#RacingDrama
#LegendaryRace
#LeMans2010
#24hLeMans
#EnduranceRacing
#AudiVsPeugeot
#MotorsportHistory
#RacingDrama
#LegendaryRace
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SportsTranscript
00:00:00...of this race, and anything can happen in four hours, so it's all very exciting right now.
00:00:05Well, hello, everybody. I'm back after my break in about 14 cups of coffee.
00:00:10And speaking of Addy, I've just bumped into Dindo Capello, actually, when I was on break,
00:00:14and I had a quick chat with him, and he said they're in an interesting situation at the moment
00:00:17because they're having to push very, very hard to stay in front of the Peugeot No. 4,
00:00:23but at the same time they don't feel that they can actually catch No. 1.
00:00:26So he said it's a very interesting situation they're in where they can't really fight for a place above them,
00:00:30but they must push like they are in order to avoid losing the place they're in,
00:00:34and all they can do is hope that maybe some ill fate comes up to Alexander Wurz.
00:00:40But I wonder if Addy would have dreamt, after qualifying on Thursday,
00:00:45that they could be in this situation on Sunday morning.
00:00:48I think surely not. They couldn't have believed that they would be up in front.
00:00:53It's still all to play for. We'll be back with you soon.
00:00:55We're just going to a quick break. Stay with us.
00:01:03Welcome back to Eurosport. I'm Stuart Hall, joined with Liz Halliday and Mark Cole.
00:01:07Mark, you have some information for us.
00:01:09Yeah, we've just been scrolling through all the help we've been given by DailySportsCar.com.
00:01:12Thank you, guys.
00:01:13Just confirmation of Giancarlo Fisichella's accident earlier on.
00:01:18Told them I had brake failure, which is after his trip down the escape road.
00:01:21Highcroft, we're told now, it's water pressure problems.
00:01:25They've had a lot of problems with the alarm going off over that.
00:01:27They thought it was an alarm sensor, but they've now discovered that it is, in fact, water pressure problems.
00:01:33So they're having a major rebuild of the water systems there.
00:01:36The Lamborghini, the J-Lock Lamborghini, is now an official retirement.
00:01:42We're going for an interview.
00:01:42It's a big problem for you in the night, Olivier.
00:01:53We're not going to make the podium now, he says.
00:02:03We're doing everything we can to just climb back up through the rankings.
00:02:06I'm going to be getting back in the car soon.
00:02:17Then I'll drive to the end.
00:02:19Get a good result, hopefully.
00:02:22At the moment with fifth.
00:02:28Bearing in mind all the retirements we've had so far.
00:02:31Let's see what sort of result we can get.
00:02:33So Olivier walks off into the sunset there.
00:02:35And we haven't seen much of him in the race, have we, Liz?
00:02:39It seems to have been Nick Lapierre who's done the bulk of the driving while we've been on.
00:02:43And I was actually thinking this morning, where's Olivier?
00:02:46I think maybe Olivier's been on the same shifts or opposite shifts to us, hasn't he?
00:02:50I think we've just missed him in our little, so to speak, driver changes we've had up here.
00:02:55So some other information.
00:02:56I ran into Tiff Nadell when I was down on my break.
00:03:00And he's been doing some filming for the number 11 car.
00:03:03And he was asking me, he said, they're not going to get black flagged, are they, if they, you know, don't quite make their limit for their amount of driving they need to have?
00:03:11He said, they've made the 50% at 9 a.m.
00:03:13He said, but, you know, they might not make it to the race finish.
00:03:15And I said, no, no, I don't think they'll black flag you.
00:03:18But, you know, a lot of teams quit.
00:03:19And he said, well, we're not a lot of teams.
00:03:20They want to carry on.
00:03:21They want to finish the race.
00:03:22I've just spoken to another team member on my way back over here.
00:03:25And he said, as long as they can keep it running, they are going to keep it going to the checkered flag unless someone stops them.
00:03:29Some man beast or other creation tries to stop them.
00:03:33So they are fighting strong, the Dresden Racing crew.
00:03:36Well, fighting talk there, as you say.
00:03:37But we have Roman Dumas coming into the pits in the number nine leading Audi.
00:03:41A little bit of a lock up into the pit lane.
00:03:43So that shows they are pushing awfully hard.
00:03:46Looks to me like he's handing over to Mike Rockenfeller now.
00:03:48So that will be full service, tyres, driver and fuel.
00:03:51And they'll head the number nine car back out on his way.
00:03:55That'll be lots of time to push for Mike Rockenfeller.
00:03:59It's definitely closing up a little bit here on the front runners.
00:04:02And I can see Alan McNish still pushing as hard as he can, trying to catch that Peugeot of Alexander Wirtz.
00:04:08But I think it's really going to be a struggle for them to upset the top three at the moment.
00:04:12It's all going to be down to whether or not something goes wrong.
00:04:14And it still could happen.
00:04:16We've got a good four hours left to the end of this race.
00:04:18There's still very much to play for, isn't there, Mark?
00:04:22Yes, indeed.
00:04:22That absolutely is.
00:04:24And it's just going to be so, so exciting now, isn't it?
00:04:27We've got at least two and a half Grands Prix to go.
00:04:30Good news for Jean-Lacy lovers, talking of Grands Prix.
00:04:33That car is back in the running now.
00:04:35It's in fourth place after those front-end repairs.
00:04:38As we heard, Giancarlo Fisichella had brake failure, went straight on the escape road.
00:04:42They had to rebuild the whole front of the car.
00:04:44In fact, they were using every single type of widget and gadget to knit it together.
00:04:49A lot of fiberglass damage, carbon fiber damage at the front there.
00:04:53That car now in 22nd place overall.
00:04:55And as we say, back in fourth in class.
00:04:58John Lacy at the wheel.
00:04:59He's behind Richard Lieb for Porsche.
00:05:01Dominic Kahnbacher for the Felbermayer Ferrari.
00:05:04And Timo Scheider, the two-times DTM champion, driving in the 97 Porsche.
00:05:09Of course, that number 77 car is still leading this race.
00:05:12I ran into Mark Lieb, and he looked very, very tired.
00:05:15In fact, that's pretty much the only words he could figure out, was under the dark circles in his eyes.
00:05:19He just said, I'm so tired.
00:05:21We're double stinting.
00:05:22He said, the car is very, very difficult to drive.
00:05:25They're trying as hard as they can to keep it up in front and keep hold of the lead.
00:05:28But I think that's important for the viewers to know.
00:05:31Is that the GT2 cars are just as difficult, if not more difficult sometimes, than the LMP cars.
00:05:36Most, I would say, none of them are triple stinting.
00:05:38They're all doing double stints.
00:05:40And when I said, I said, oh, are you not doing any triples?
00:05:42Having a bit of a prototype blonde moment there, because I've only driven prototypes here.
00:05:46And he looked at me a bit silly and went, no, no, no.
00:05:48We don't triple stint these cars.
00:05:50And I thought, well, of course, I've driven GT cars.
00:05:52I know how difficult they are.
00:05:53But you just sort of think the way you know it, Le Mans.
00:05:56And certainly, they are working just as hard as the guys at the front of the grid.
00:05:59Sorry, after you.
00:06:01We always think with, they always say that the prototype is a more physical car to drive because of the G-forcing load.
00:06:06But what you don't understand in the GT car is, you've got, most of the time, you've got a big front engine in front of you.
00:06:13It's very, very, very hot inside.
00:06:15The car's moving around an awful lot.
00:06:17There's not a massive amount of downpour.
00:06:19So you're always working at the wheel.
00:06:20You never really have a time to rest, which means, you know, you do get very tired very quickly.
00:06:25Right, let's look at the number one car, incidentally, going back out.
00:06:28Alex Wurtz at the wheel.
00:06:29He's taken over.
00:06:30He took over at the last stop from Anthony Davidson.
00:06:33Now, Anthony Davidson has been cornered.
00:06:36We got hold of him finally.
00:06:37He said, they told me to push, so I pushed like hell.
00:06:40Everybody's blaming me for the incident with the Corvette, but it was absolutely his fault.
00:06:45It was Manu's fault.
00:06:46I went for the inside.
00:06:47I had the racing line, and there was no contact.
00:06:50That's what he's been telling daily sports car.
00:06:53On going off the track to make an overtake, you remember he ran off onto the red section going down on the Mulsanne straight, for which he got a warning.
00:07:01He said, I don't care.
00:07:01I'm a racing driver.
00:07:03I'm here to win, not to finish third.
00:07:05I think that's exactly the attitude you need.
00:07:09I mean, and it's not going to, well, as we all know, it's never your own fault, is it?
00:07:14You're never going to blame yourself, but really, that was a racing incident.
00:07:17He has been told to push.
00:07:19There's no point putting blame, you know.
00:07:23He's out there pushing.
00:07:23He's out there trying to win Le Mans for Peugeot, and he's going to do absolutely, he's a racer, he's going to do absolutely everything he possibly can do to do that.
00:07:32And speaking of that same car, that number one car, I've just heard from Jeremy Shaw over here, one of our co-commentators, that that car has actually made its second pit stop in about seven laps.
00:07:42So that is not good news.
00:07:43There could be a problem there.
00:07:45They're still holding on to third place, but that would be exactly what the car of Alan McNish wants to happen.
00:07:50So we're going to have to watch this space and see what happens there.
00:07:53Yeah, the previous stop was 11 laps, I think, and that one was seven, Jeremy's telling us.
00:07:58Yeah, so that is getting, perhaps they've got a fuel pickup problem.
00:08:01They could.
00:08:02We've got no idea.
00:08:03We'd only be speculating, but we'll just have to wait and see.
00:08:05But certainly, this is going to be the chance that maybe the number seven car would have, and certainly Audi is going to know exactly what's going on.
00:08:11And they're going to be on the radio saying, come on, Alan, keep pushing.
00:08:14Can you imagine, Liz, Peugeot started this race one, two, three, four.
00:08:18Audi could finish it one, two, three.
00:08:20I mean, can you imagine, that would be one of the biggest upsets in the history of this race.
00:08:24I can't say I would be upset.
00:08:27I love them both.
00:08:28I love all the guys in all the cars, but I think it would be an awesome take back for Audi.
00:08:34And just going on, the verts coming into the pits again.
00:08:37There is a little bit of bodywork flack on that car, which did come off on the Mulsanne straight.
00:08:44So if you remember, they've been putting tank tape on that side of the car, so it's probably that coming off.
00:08:49Down to the pits.
00:08:51Roman, the car is going really well, Roman.
00:08:58Yeah, it's absolutely fine.
00:09:06We've got everything we need to take this fight against Peugeot.
00:09:11We're doing our best to go even quicker, though.
00:09:12Now we're going to have a little bit more risk because we're trying to get to the end.
00:09:15Big problems passing traffic.
00:09:17It's just struggling to get by some of it.
00:09:20The course of the 4 hours is still, so you're on the course of the race.
00:09:22It's dangerous.
00:09:24The Peugeot is too fast for you.
00:09:26The Peugeot is very fast.
00:09:28Now, you know, the road is long.
00:09:32He said, well, Peugeot are going quickly, but we're fairly confident we can stay there.
00:09:37Well, he's going to say that, isn't he, of course, because I guess at the end of the day, they could just push forward.
00:09:42There's Olivier Canal, the sporting director of Peugeot.
00:09:45Not a happy day for him, this.
00:09:46No, it hasn't been.
00:09:48I think it's been really difficult for them.
00:09:50But certainly, I think Roman Dumas has got to be quite happy.
00:09:54He's their number one Audi and number two, which is going to be a good little buffer there, isn't it, between that last remaining Peugeot.
00:10:00And then, obviously, between the next Peugeot in line, we have another little buffer there of Alan McNish, who is, in fact, just coming down pit lane, I think.
00:10:08In just a moment, I think we're going to switch over to Eurosport International for all of you viewers.
00:10:12So, make sure that you move over with us.
00:10:14And here comes Alan McNish down pit lane, number seven car.
00:10:19This looks like just a routine stop.
00:10:21We've got tires lined up and ready, so I think we'll be doing a driver change.
00:10:24Yes, we are.
00:10:25Yeah, that'll go back to Tom Christensen.
00:10:27He hasn't been in the car for some time.
00:10:29So, as Liz said, we are going to be changing channels, so don't start throwing your toys at the TV set.
00:10:34We will still be live, uninterrupted.
00:10:36Just look for the Le Mans signal on whichever Eurosport channels you've got.
00:10:40We're not 100% sure with you, but we're certainly joining Eurosport International.
00:10:46So, this is Liz Halliday.
00:10:49Stuart Hall, Mark Cole and Chris Parsons here from Le Mans Live.
00:10:58Well, let's have a look and see what's been going on in this race here today.
00:11:02Four Peugeot starting at the front of the grid.
00:11:04And that all went wrong very quickly on.
00:11:10Right, just scrolling through the field at the moment, looking at who the leaders are.
00:11:38We just saw Mike Rockenfella in the Audi.
00:11:40This is the Harry Leventis-driven Stracker, leading LMP2 at the moment.
00:11:45And in GT1, here we are.
00:11:48This is the Celine, the car everybody loves.
00:11:50Gabriel Gardel still at the wheel of that car.
00:11:53It's, of course, underneath all that.
00:11:54It is a Ford, so even though Ford GTs might have gone out, we still have a Ford-powered Celine, leading GT1.
00:12:00Last time we'll see that category.
00:12:02And here, in the Felbermayr Porsche factory driver, Wolf Hensler, 15th overall, leading GT2 after one of the most extraordinary GT2 battles we have ever seen here at the Mandlers.
00:12:15I think we've seen three different manufacturers swap it around in GT2 already.
00:12:20So we've gone from Ferrari, Corvette, down to Porsche.
00:12:24So it's looking like Porsche might be able to pull this out of the bag.
00:12:27Yeah, and they've been so desperate to do this, twice beaten by Ferrari in the last two years, by Rizzi Competizione.
00:12:33They went out fairly early on, Rizzi had such a dreadful race, didn't they?
00:12:38Well, we're still with you on Eurosport 2, looking at moments at the Hancock's Palmbacker car.
00:13:02This is the Ferrari in second place, and Liz, this is the car that also took second at the Nürburgring 24 Hours just two weeks ago.
00:13:09It is. What an accomplishment, I mean, especially for the team and for the car.
00:13:12This is a testament to what this team can do, because most teams, after completing a 24-hour race, especially one as difficult as the Nürburgring 24 Hours, would do an entire car rebuild.
00:13:22It would be a major process, and just to turn it around that fast, to come here and be this competitive at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the biggest 24-hour race in the world,
00:13:30and it's a really big testament to Ferrari and to all of the boys that have worked hard there.
00:13:34I mean, if the Porsche had only got to have a problem, and they could pull off the double, that would be something for Hancock tyres.
00:13:40That would be incredible, yeah. I mean, one of our smaller tyre manufacturers here, but there are a few cars running on Hancock,
00:13:46and over the last couple of years, that tyre manufacturer has really found great leaps and bounds in sports car racing,
00:13:51and it's nice to see them so successful with a car like Ferrari.
00:13:54It is, Liz, and that car going very, very well, as we see the number 97 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR with DTM racer Timo Schneider at the wheel.
00:14:05Now, he's a debut, it was his first Le Mans, and doing a very, very good job there, third in class.
00:14:10Absolutely, and this has clawed its way back up through the rankings as well.
00:14:15Not too long ago, we were seeing the whole front of the field dominated by Corvette, followed by Ferrari, who then lost out.
00:14:22Then it was Porsche, and now Porsche's clawing its way back up, as we have said.
00:14:26Number 25 car, the RML car, going back out of pit lane.
00:14:29They've had a few problems, but are also working their way back up.
00:14:32They've made their way back into podium contention,
00:14:34so this is exactly what long-time Le Mans racer Andy Wallace wants to see, isn't it?
00:14:40Wouldn't it be lovely to see Andy Wallace on the podium?
00:14:42He certainly deserves it.
00:14:43Those guys have done a sterling job throughout the race.
00:14:46They're running third now at the expense of the Highcroft Racing Acura,
00:14:50that I think is still in the pits.
00:14:52It's a great shame for them, but good for the RML boys, another British team.
00:14:56Another huge moment there for Oak Racing, currently in second place.
00:15:00This is one of the Pascarolo cars.
00:15:01Both of those Pascarolos still running, which I think, like I said earlier, I think is fantastic.
00:15:06It's a bit of a tribute to Henri, since he's not here this year, which I feel he's greatly missed.
00:15:10I think he's a big part of Le Mans, isn't he, Chris?
00:15:12Oh, tremendous.
00:15:14He's always, the crowds love him, the organisers love him,
00:15:17and the media, of course, absolutely adore him.
00:15:20He is very much part of the race, and has been for, I dare say, 40 years, I believe they said.
00:15:27About 40 years, yes.
00:15:27I think he only missed one Le Mans, which was purely based upon a fire that he was caught up in,
00:15:32so he actually physically couldn't drive in it.
00:15:34But he's been 40 years either as a driver or an entrant.
00:15:37And I think he's the driver who's started it the most times.
00:15:41Oh, is it?
00:15:42Oh, wow.
00:15:42God, that's an accomplishment, isn't it?
00:15:44And I heard that he was planning to go fishing this weekend,
00:15:47but I must say he's been next door to us a lot of the time,
00:15:50doing some commentary for Eurosport France, I think, so he couldn't stay away.
00:15:54And when he's not there, I think he's doing a blob for Le Keep as well.
00:15:58Yeah, he couldn't resist, could he?
00:16:00As we keep on saying, this place is a drug.
00:16:03Once you start to come, you just can't stop it.
00:16:06As we were having shots there of the DBR9 young driver Aston Martin with Thomas Enger at the wheel,
00:16:13that car is slowly clawing back on Gabrielle Gardell in the Saline.
00:16:17Still five laps down, though, but in the last 30, 30, 40 minutes, it's clawed another lap back.
00:16:22So tough ask to try and win that class, but anything can happen.
00:16:26We still have over three and a half hours of racing to go here at Le Mans.
00:16:30And certainly in GT1, we've seen it swap it up just as much as we have in GT2.
00:16:34I think those have been the two classes where the most turnarounds have been, really.
00:16:38And we're seeing some of the older cars, like the Saline, really hanging on to the top position.
00:16:43It's really going to be sad to miss GT1.
00:16:46We've only got three cars left in the class, so I do think maybe the ACO is right.
00:16:51Maybe these cars aren't really durable enough for this sort of racing anymore.
00:16:54But it will be sad to see them go when it's due.
00:16:56It certainly will. They are wonderful cars.
00:16:58I know we've both had the privilege to drive a number of them.
00:17:01And they're a great car, especially my favourite is the DBR9.
00:17:06It sounds beautiful. It looks beautiful.
00:17:08And, you know, it's just a pleasure to drive.
00:17:10I agree. I still remember the first day I ever drove the DBR9,
00:17:13and I fired up the engine in pit lane and was like, oh, yeah.
00:17:17It's just awesome. There's nothing better than that engine.
00:17:19The other day, a couple of years ago at Sebring, I bought the most lovely bookmark,
00:17:24which is a clear picture of a DBR9 in profile.
00:17:28And it is just everyone's idea of what a GT car should look like.
00:17:33I agree. I think it is the epitome of GT1 car and just the sound, the shape, everything about it.
00:17:39And quite a tricky car to drive, actually. It's a bit loose, but definitely something of a special car to drive.
00:17:46And, in fact, it looks like we're going to get an interview from one of the drivers of the Aston Martin.
00:17:50We're going to have an interview with Peter Cox.
00:17:52And we are going to head down there now with Sebastian and Peter Cox.
00:18:00Peter Cox, you're second in the GT1 category. It's a question of survival here.
00:18:05Well, survival, yes, as always. But we still try to push, you know.
00:18:09We had a problem in the beginning of the race, unfortunately.
00:18:13Now the Aston Martin is running really well.
00:18:16And we just try to take as much time out of the sleen as possible
00:18:19and hope they have a problem or a mistake, you know.
00:18:21In my stint, the driver went off as well.
00:18:25So if we keep putting pressure, maybe something will happen and we can still win the race.
00:18:30Your car is called the young driver Aston Martin. Where does that come from?
00:18:34Sorry?
00:18:35Your car is called the young driver Aston Martin. Where does that come from?
00:18:38I don't know. You have to ask the team.
00:18:40Okay. But what's the plan for the rest of the day? You're going back into the car?
00:18:43No, as I said, we try to do as fast as safe laps as possible
00:18:47and see if the race will come to us.
00:18:50It's still a few hours to go, so everything can still happen.
00:18:53Okay, thank you very much.
00:18:54Interview with Peter Cox. I'm not sure whether you viewers got any of that.
00:18:58We certainly didn't. And I'm no lip reader, but I'm sure he was saying
00:19:01we're pushing very hard and trying to get on terms, but it's going to be a bit of a tough ask.
00:19:06He looked pretty chirpy. He looked like they were feeling a bit better about being back up there,
00:19:10at least in a slightly fighting position, albeit about five laps away from that sleen.
00:19:15But all it would take is for something else to happen in the sleen.
00:19:17We've seen it have a little blip already today.
00:19:20If anything went wrong, they would be waiting to pounce.
00:19:22So I'm sure they've been pushing as hard as they can.
00:19:25A new fast lap for Darren Turner's car.
00:19:27That is the 009 Aston Martin, the petrol leading car,
00:19:31if we say our little subclass, our own subclass of the petrol cars in LMP1.
00:19:35Still running in sixth place, and he's just done the quickest time for that car in this race.
00:19:40Also, sorry, sorry, Stuart.
00:19:43Also, the fastest lap for the car with Andre Lotterer in number two car, two car, number eight car in second place.
00:19:55Got my words for the wrong way round.
00:19:56But, yes, he set a 321.5, so their best lap.
00:20:02So they really are pushing on to keep ahead of the Peugeot with Alexander Wirtz in it.
00:20:09Darren Turner has actually gone three seconds quicker than he did in qualifying.
00:20:14So that car is going really, really, really well at the moment,
00:20:18and Darren Turner really trying to eke out that gap on Christian Bacquard.
00:20:23We're going to go to a break, and we'll be back with you fairly soon.
00:20:33Welcome back to the Le Mans 24 Hours 2010 live here on Eurosport.
00:20:38And it's all been going on in all these classes, especially in GT2, where there's been a huge turnaround.
00:20:44We've lost both of the Corvette racing Corvettes.
00:20:47And I've got here a quote from race program manager Doug Feehan.
00:20:52He says, unfortunately, it appears to be an engine failure.
00:20:55This is the number 63 car, I believe.
00:20:57Our first in 11 years of racing at Le Mans, says Doug Feehan.
00:21:01We'll get the car back, take it apart, determine what the problem was, resolve it, and move forward.
00:21:05The engine was running perfectly one minute, and then not perfectly the next.
00:21:10Now, this is a huge, huge smack for Corvette.
00:21:13I mean, like he says, their first failure.
00:21:16Oh, it's just shocking, isn't it?
00:21:17And we're going to go down to the pits quickly for an interview with Mark Leib, also in GT2.
00:21:21Mark Leib, you're leading the GT2 category.
00:21:24Finally, there's a lot of things happening in this category.
00:21:28How is it going for you guys?
00:21:29At the moment, it's going very well.
00:21:31The car is still running fine.
00:21:32We can do consistent lap times, but it's still three hours and 45 minutes to go.
00:21:38What about your program?
00:21:39Are you going to climb back into the car later?
00:21:41Because you're already in, not in a real race suit here.
00:21:46Yeah, I just have enough time.
00:21:48You know, I can relax.
00:21:49We're doing double stints.
00:21:50So, Richie just got out of the car.
00:21:52Now it's moved.
00:21:53And then the last two hours, I'm in the car.
00:21:55Okay, you're two laps ahead of the Ferrari.
00:22:00Does it change your strategy?
00:22:01Are you trying to keep it safe?
00:22:03Yeah, definitely.
00:22:04We're trying to keep it safe.
00:22:05We're not going maximum attack anymore like we did in the night when we were chasing the
00:22:09Corvettes.
00:22:09We have to look after the car a little bit now.
00:22:11But it's a strange feeling.
00:22:14We are all very nervous.
00:22:16I guess, especially after last year.
00:22:19Yeah, definitely.
00:22:20I mean, the last year the race was finished very early.
00:22:24And this year we have a really good chance to win it.
00:22:26So, hopefully, we can do it.
00:22:28Okay, all the best.
00:22:29Well, Mark Lieb, really hoping to win this class this year.
00:22:33And it is so stressful at this time in the race because you feel like you're almost to
00:22:37the finish, but you're still quite a ways off.
00:22:39And so much of sports car racing and endurance racing is luck.
00:22:43I mean, it really does come down to the machinery you have.
00:22:45And everyone can work hard, but sometimes it just doesn't go your way.
00:22:49And we're just seeing some of the debris on the track.
00:22:51It really starts to heat up at this time of day, doesn't it, Stuart?
00:22:54It does.
00:22:55There's so much debris offline.
00:22:56Everyone's getting a bit tired.
00:22:58Mistakes are creeping in.
00:23:00This is the part of the race where you really, really, really do need to focus.
00:23:03And you really do need to have your wits about you because it's the place where you
00:23:08can really lose it.
00:23:09And there are a lot of cars out there.
00:23:12Mark was just telling me that there are 22 retirements out of the 55 starters.
00:23:17So, we've still got 33 cars out there.
00:23:19That's a lot of overtaking, a lot of being forced offline and picking up all that debris
00:23:26on the road.
00:23:27Funnily enough, though, that'll start to feel almost empty to some of these
00:23:29drivers who are used to having the full 55 and qualifying.
00:23:33And it's funny because when you've had a little bit of a break and you've been driving and
00:23:37you have maybe a few hours off and you get back in and when you've lost quite a few cars,
00:23:40you do sort of start to notice it.
00:23:41And you think, wow, I'm not getting past as much or passing as much on the straights.
00:23:45And you start...
00:23:46It's almost a little bit depressing because you start to realise they're dropping off.
00:23:50And you start to think, oh, gosh, I hope it's not going to be my car.
00:23:52But also, it's actually a nice time of day because there is less traffic out there.
00:23:57The circuit's really rubbered in.
00:23:58As we're seeing with guys like Darren Turner, they're pulling in some stunningly quick laps
00:24:02right at this time.
00:24:04And it must be a joy to drive.
00:24:06Absolutely.
00:24:06It's great to be lower on traffic.
00:24:08No doubt about that.
00:24:10But certainly, I know this time of day, you're starting to get really tired.
00:24:13I remember driving towards the end of the 2006 race and so many problems.
00:24:18Oh, we've got a slow-moving car on track.
00:24:20This is disaster.
00:24:22This is the Stracca racing car.
00:24:23Thankfully, he's right in front of pit lane.
00:24:26It is Nick Leventus at the wheel.
00:24:28This is the car owner, team owner even.
00:24:31We're going to have to wait and see what the problem is.
00:24:33Hopefully, it's nothing too detrimental.
00:24:35They do have a little bit of a lead.
00:24:37They've actually got quite a big lead over the Oak Racing car.
00:24:39They've got a six-lap lead over them.
00:24:41So if they can get this car back out on track soon, he should be all right.
00:24:44Looks like he's going to get out of the car because he's just undid his water
00:24:48and he'll be taking the radio off soon.
00:24:49So I think we'll see a driver change.
00:24:51Hopefully, we'll find out what's going on.
00:24:53Yeah, big news for Stracca Racing because we, well, we thought they had it sewn up.
00:24:57But again, there's still three and a half hours to go.
00:24:59So, you know, they'll fuel it, they'll tire it, then they'll investigate what sort of problem is.
00:25:03We see Nick Leventus getting out, Johnny Kane getting in.
00:25:07Johnny Kane are part of the BRDC marathon team with Ollie Gavin, another sub-three-hour marathon runner.
00:25:14So he's certainly fit enough to drive one of these cars.
00:25:17Absolutely.
00:25:18Another class leader has just come in for pit.
00:25:21That is the Celine number 50.
00:25:24Looks like they are not doing a driver change.
00:25:26I think they've purely just given the driver some water.
00:25:29So Gabrielle Gardell looks to be staying in the car.
00:25:32Looks routine.
00:25:33They've cleaned the windscreen.
00:25:35Should be firing up the engine in a minute and back out on track.
00:25:37So that car seems to be running all right at the moment.
00:25:39But I don't want to give it the curse of the commentator.
00:25:41So I'm not going to say too much.
00:25:42And we're trying to look out of our window here.
00:25:45We've got it on screen now.
00:25:47The Johnny Kane Strakka Racing Acura.
00:25:51A bit of a long stop.
00:25:52They seem to be changing over some water.
00:25:55Maybe this is just precaution because they do have a 10-lap lead.
00:25:58They can afford to go about things a little bit slowly and a little bit more methodically.
00:26:03So we'll see six-lap lead.
00:26:07Sorry, not 10-lap.
00:26:07It has been a long night.
00:26:10But we're now looking at it.
00:26:11I think that's the number 30.
00:26:13Is that the number 35?
00:26:15No.
00:26:16No, it's not.
00:26:17I think that's the 24 Oak Racing car.
00:26:21That car is not a threat to the Strakka car.
00:26:25That's the gentleman driver car, I think.
00:26:27But the Oak Racing 35 car is a threat.
00:26:31Six-lap down.
00:26:32So hopefully just a routine check-up for the Strakka car and it will be out soon.
00:26:36Well, I have to say, they don't look very panicked.
00:26:39So I'm wondering if maybe Nick himself just let off a little bit on his way into pit lane.
00:26:43It's hard to say, really.
00:26:44We just don't really know.
00:26:45But they don't seem to be too panicked.
00:26:47So hopefully this is not an issue.
00:26:49Johnny Kane's in there very calmly indeed, just waiting to get the call to go out.
00:26:56Maybe just taping a bit of loose bodywork.
00:26:58We did see, in fact, that he did have a little bit of contact with Roman Dumas at the Ford Chicane.
00:27:03So just precautionally taping up the bodywork, making sure it doesn't disperse going down the straight or anything like that to cause an accident.
00:27:11It seems to be a remarkably relaxed pit stop, in fact, when all the panic when he came in that they don't seem to be doing very much at all.
00:27:20I think it's possible that maybe Nick just came in a little bit quieter.
00:27:24Maybe he was even low on fuel.
00:27:26We don't really know.
00:27:27Oh, no.
00:27:27This is a disaster.
00:27:29Number 15.
00:27:31This is one of the Colas Audi cars.
00:27:33Christian Baccarud.
00:27:34Yes, this is not good.
00:27:36I'm not entirely sure what this is.
00:27:37Do you know where it is, Stuart?
00:27:38No, it's a gravel bed at the moment.
00:27:41But which gravel bed is the big question.
00:27:43I thought it was Indianapolis.
00:27:44It looks like the gravel bed in Indianapolis.
00:27:47I was just thinking that because it is a really big wide one and a very common place to go off at this time in the day, actually.
00:27:52You know, you never know what could happen there.
00:27:55But this is a real disaster for them.
00:27:57They've been running, you know, really right up there in the top ten.
00:28:02They're running in seventh place.
00:28:03So really not what we want to be happening this close to the end.
00:28:06But hopefully if there's not too much damage, the tracks will come along.
00:28:09It is Indianapolis.
00:28:10It's the same sort of place where Giancarlo Fisichella went off.
00:28:12But just he hit the tyres properly and Fisichella didn't.
00:28:16But hopefully they'll be able to tow that car out.
00:28:18Those R10s are very, very strong.
00:28:20So the Audi boys will be able to, well, the collars Audi boys will probably be able to rebuild that in a number of seconds.
00:28:27Doesn't look like it's been a big impact, does it?
00:28:30And thankfully, I think the gravel bed has done its job there.
00:28:32I mean, that is why we have the gravel beds, obviously, is to help slow these cars down from speed.
00:28:36Because he would have been coming in at a huge amount of pace into that turn and braking very, very hard.
00:28:41So he's been lucky there, I think.
00:28:43And hopefully he's going to get him back.
00:28:45Now the job will be not spreading that gravel across the whole racing line.
00:28:48And I've just had a word in my ear from Jeremy Shaw, who's in the booth, saying,
00:28:54was the 15 car chasing down 009?
00:28:57Was he actually pushing a little bit too hard and went off?
00:29:01But there seems to be very little damage.
00:29:03As long as he's kept the engine going or can get the engine going, he should be able to get that one back.
00:29:09In fact, there seems to be no damage at all.
00:29:11Yes, a rare mistake this race from the number 15 Audi.
00:29:15They've been running very, very well.
00:29:16And thankfully, not too much damage.
00:29:20And one lap behind the Darren Turner 009 Aston Martin.
00:29:24So he was chasing, but Darren's probably five, six seconds a lap quicker than Baccaroud at the moment.
00:29:29So Darren, as we see, gravel being spread everywhere.
00:29:32Again, that's more debris on the circuit, more punches.
00:29:36Aston Martin will be breathing a little bit easier at the moment.
00:29:39And there's the sister car.
00:29:42The maimed Audi in the car graveyard that we have going on here at Le Mans.
00:29:47Such a depressing sight.
00:29:49Number 24 car coming in for a pit stop.
00:29:52This is not the car running in second place, but in fact, the other car,
00:29:56which is currently running in fifth place, I believe, in LMP2.
00:30:01They've had a pretty decent run.
00:30:02And I think we are going to be lucky enough to have an interview with Nick Leventis.
00:30:09And we're going down to the pits now to speak with him at Strakka Racing.
00:30:14Nick Leventis, you're just coming out of the car.
00:30:16How did it go?
00:30:17Yeah, it was good.
00:30:18Obviously, when Highcroft went out, we backed off the pace a little bit.
00:30:21Unfortunately, I had a punch on the in-lap.
00:30:23But yeah, it's good.
00:30:24We're just trying to take it easy and make it to the end of the race.
00:30:26Nick Leventis, I suppose you're taking the wheel the next time, the last stint.
00:30:33What is the program until the end of the race?
00:30:36It's just to solely stay out of trouble.
00:30:39You can see in the last few hours that a lot of cars have gone off
00:30:42and caused damage and spinning and cutting across the gravel bed.
00:30:47So I think it's just a case of being really, really disciplined now.
00:30:52Really look after the car, nurse at home.
00:30:54We've got a few laps advantage, though there's no need for heroics at this stage.
00:30:59We just saw the crew nursing the car really well with a lot of guffer tape.
00:31:03Is that the first part of it?
00:31:05Yeah, I think, I mean, it's been through a hell of a ride, hasn't it,
00:31:10through the night and since 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon.
00:31:12So anything we can to make it doubly sure, you know, we'll do it.
00:31:18So it's had a bit of oil, fresh tyres now for Johnny.
00:31:22And, yeah, I mean, the clock's still ticking.
00:31:25There's a long way to go, so we're not counting our chickens just yet.
00:31:28Thank you very much.
00:31:29I think you're absolutely right there, Chris.
00:31:31They've just done a few little top-ups,
00:31:33made a quick little look over on the car when it came in earlier,
00:31:35just to make sure everything is absolutely spot on.
00:31:38And the best thing that could have happened to this team was to have Highcroft go out
00:31:41because now they can take a deep breath and just chill out
00:31:44and make sure that they look after that car.
00:31:46And I know we've seen a huge turnaround in LMP1,
00:31:50but what about LMP2?
00:31:52Stracca really have come right at the right time.
00:31:55Of course, Mark Cole and I are very happy because this is our local team.
00:32:00We know quite a few of the people involved in the team,
00:32:04but it really is fabulous.
00:32:06Because they've had so many problems up until now,
00:32:09and they're off, and they've had a really good Le Mans.
00:32:13They have so far, but Chris, three hours 30 to go,
00:32:16so like Danny Watts said,
00:32:17they're not going to start counting their chickens yet because...
00:32:20The curse of the commentator.
00:32:22There is a long way to go.
00:32:23I think they absolutely have the right mindset right now, though.
00:32:26You can tell all three of those drivers know what they're doing at the moment.
00:32:31I think Nick Leventus did a great job to look after it and keep it out of trouble.
00:32:34He's really just putting in the consistent lap times now,
00:32:37and they all have a job at hand,
00:32:39and that job is to keep hold of that car
00:32:41and bring it through the checkered flag in first place.
00:32:43Yes, in the middle of the night,
00:32:44we were saying that we thought the other drivers would take over
00:32:47and let Nick have a quiet time,
00:32:50and we saw a driver in that car doing very consistent times,
00:32:54and lo and behold, it was Nick in the middle of the night about 2.30.
00:32:58He was going and doing very consistent lap times.
00:33:01They've all held up extremely well.
00:33:03Well, I think it's nice for Nick.
00:33:04He is the team owner, and it's great.
00:33:06He wants to be there and wants to be driving and wants to be part of it,
00:33:09and I think it's wonderful for them to have held this lead
00:33:11throughout virtually the entire race.
00:33:13I think there was only a quick swap about early on,
00:33:15but they've mostly just kept the charge forward for LMP2,
00:33:18been very, very strong.
00:33:20And like I say, I think I should stop talking now
00:33:22because I'm worried I'm going to make something happen
00:33:24that shouldn't be there.
00:33:25We'll just leave the trucker racing and do what they're doing.
00:33:28Let's talk about a Peugeot for a bit, shall we?
00:33:32We're on board the number one Peugeot,
00:33:35coming up to the second chicane now with Alex Virts on board.
00:33:39Last lap round was a 3 minute 20.004,
00:33:42so they're still trucking on very, very nicely indeed.
00:33:46And as we see, Tom Christensen now has just done
00:33:48his fastest middle sector of the race,
00:33:50and last lap round he'd done his fastest lap of the race,
00:33:53which was a 3.21.9.
00:33:55So they're trying to hunt down Alexander Virts as well.
00:33:59I think as much as that,
00:34:00I think they're trying to keep that gap away from LaPierre
00:34:02because he's really pushing hard.
00:34:04He's been doing a 3.21.4,
00:34:06and Christensen did a 3.21.9.
00:34:09There's not a very big gap between those two cars,
00:34:11so like I said when Dindo Capello spoke to me earlier,
00:34:14he said they have to push very, very hard
00:34:16just to even keep the position they're in,
00:34:18even though it's currently not a podium position.
00:34:20So an interesting, unique situation they're in.
00:34:23Well, they've got to try and keep Alexander Virts honest as well.
00:34:27And number seven, actually, of Christensen,
00:34:29has actually been shown the warning flag
00:34:31because he's exceeding track limits.
00:34:33So he's doing all he can to keep Virts honest
00:34:37and hopefully push Virts into a mistake
00:34:40that will give Rockenfeller and Lotterer
00:34:42in front of him some breathing space.
00:34:44I've just noticed something.
00:34:46I don't know if it's already been announced or not,
00:34:47but I'm seeing a retirement on the board.
00:34:50The first of the Lola Astons to be out of the race completely.
00:34:53That is a 008 car.
00:34:55Vanina Eaks was in the car at the time.
00:34:57I'm not sure what happened.
00:34:58We saw that car have some impact into a barrier
00:35:00off the second chicane not too long ago.
00:35:03It then managed to get itself back to the pits,
00:35:05but I think perhaps there's been some terminal damage there.
00:35:08So really unfortunate for a team that had run so strongly
00:35:10alongside the 009 and earlier the 007 car.
00:35:15They were doing a very, very good job
00:35:16and all three drivers were holding their own.
00:35:18And that car on Dunlop tyres, not Michelin,
00:35:21so slightly different setup to the works cars,
00:35:25but doing a very, very good job in their own.
00:35:28Yeah, absolutely.
00:35:29And nice to see the 007 cars back in action
00:35:32and hasn't actually lost too much.
00:35:34And, oh, no, we've got a number eight,
00:35:36second place Audi in the tyres.
00:35:39Is that off Arnage?
00:35:40It certainly looks like it.
00:35:41That looks like Arnage, yes.
00:35:41Another one caught out by the slippery surface at Arnage,
00:35:44or have they had a problem?
00:35:45This could be disaster for Audi.
00:35:48He's got it going again.
00:35:49We'll see how long they can be in the pits.
00:35:52Is there much damage?
00:35:53Because he's accelerated off very, very quickly indeed.
00:35:56He may have just outbraked himself.
00:35:58I think we'll see him pop into the pits probably
00:36:00for a quick look over, but hopefully he'll be able to carry on.
00:36:03But that's so easily done.
00:36:04We're seeing the best of the best even doing it
00:36:06in exactly the same time as Alexander Wirtz has done,
00:36:09a fastest sector time of the entire race.
00:36:12Not ideal timing.
00:36:14So, yeah, this is game on.
00:36:15This is Wirtz has just done a 319.8,
00:36:20and Andre Lotter has been in the wall.
00:36:26Suddenly it all comes alive again.
00:36:28And we're just going to go down to pits for an interview
00:36:31with Bakarut, with the Kola Saudi.
00:36:36Mr. Bakarut, I think we saw you a little bit off the track.
00:36:39What happened?
00:36:41Well, we were using some soft tires,
00:36:43which usually we use in the evenings.
00:36:47But again, they were starting to understeer a little bit
00:36:50because the temperature was coming up,
00:36:52and I came into the corner a little bit too fast.
00:36:55And off the line, I don't know if you can see it,
00:36:58there's a lot of stones and things like this.
00:37:00And as soon as you miss the racing line a little bit,
00:37:03then you just understeer off.
00:37:04And that's basically what happened.
00:37:06You're sevens overall at the moment.
00:37:08Good result for you guys?
00:37:10Yeah, I think so.
00:37:10I mean, we are with quite an old car here.
00:37:13You know, it's still obviously a car
00:37:15which has won quite a few times.
00:37:16But to be honest,
00:37:18I think we should all be quite pleased
00:37:20apart from that little mistake I made.
00:37:22I am quite pleased with the weekend so far.
00:37:24Thank you very much.
00:37:26As we hear from Christian Backwood,
00:37:30Andre Lotto, like you say,
00:37:31Liz, is coming into the pits.
00:37:33This will probably just be
00:37:34an earlier than scheduled routine stop
00:37:37with a change of a nose
00:37:38that will probably take 10, 15 seconds with the Audi.
00:37:40Look, you see the Audi boys go to work now.
00:37:42They're well drilled on all this.
00:37:44They'll have been practising this
00:37:45from the start of the week in the workshop,
00:37:49so they'll know exactly what they're doing.
00:37:51You see the old nose coming off now.
00:37:52A little bit of a struggle to get it off,
00:37:54but we'll see a new nose coming on now, hopefully.
00:37:56So it suggests there's no suspension damage.
00:37:58Always getting caught in an air hose as well.
00:38:00It's going from bad to worse for Audi at the moment.
00:38:02But, yeah, that nose is going on fine now,
00:38:04and hopefully they can get that car out
00:38:06in front of Alexander Wurtz.
00:38:08The unfortunate thing here, of course,
00:38:09is he's only four laps into his stint,
00:38:11which Jeremy Scholls just pointed out to me.
00:38:13And that is not good news for them.
00:38:15They don't want to be pitting early,
00:38:16especially with the likes of Alexander Wurtz
00:38:18putting in incredible times,
00:38:20like a 3 minute 19 on his last lap.
00:38:22And you can bet anything that Peugeot is down that radio going,
00:38:26here's your chance, mate.
00:38:27Push that thing as hard as you can,
00:38:29as long as you can keep it on the track.
00:38:30Push it hard.
00:38:31You don't even have to stay on the track all the time.
00:38:33Just make sure it comes back.
00:38:34And Alexander Wurtz defending champion here.
00:38:36So he'll know he wants to repeat that, definitely.
00:38:41All to play for it right now.
00:38:42So we'll just see how fast the Audi boys can make this happen.
00:38:46It's back off the jacks.
00:38:47I think we're going to see it making a move very quickly.
00:38:51What a speedy recovery.
00:38:53I don't think we'll see any team here that well prepared
00:38:55who can do that fast of a turnaround
00:38:57when the car has just had an impact with the wall.
00:38:59No, Audi really are second to none in that.
00:39:01And they have been since they came back into sports cars
00:39:04all those years ago.
00:39:05Well, we saw much earlier in the week
00:39:08when we had Alan McNish grab hold of the mic
00:39:11and wander us around the Audi pits
00:39:13that they have all their spare packages lined up perfectly
00:39:15so that they can just grab hold of things
00:39:18and put them on as they need to,
00:39:19which is exactly the way you need to be.
00:39:21And look at that.
00:39:22Alexander Wurtz has answered the call from Peugeot
00:39:24and just on another fastest sector time,
00:39:27sector three time, the fastest of the race,
00:39:29not just the car.
00:39:30And we believe that puts him on the same lap
00:39:33as the number eight car.
00:39:34So the whole thing is coming back right down
00:39:38one minute, 54 seconds between the two of them now.
00:39:42And the fastest lap of the race he's just done.
00:39:46And there's still three hours and 22 minutes to go.
00:39:49So there really is just everything to go for here.
00:39:53The only thing is that the number nine Audi
00:39:55is still a lap ahead.
00:39:57But they really have to keep themselves on it now.
00:40:01It's a complete role reversal.
00:40:03The hunters have now become the hunted.
00:40:05And we're seeing a good last three hours or so of the race pan out.
00:40:10The real pressure, you do realise.
00:40:13No pressure on Andrew Lotterer at all.
00:40:15He's now just put the pressure on himself by having that bit of an off.
00:40:18And now it's going to be right made, off you go.
00:40:21Push as hard as you can.
00:40:22Because, by the way,
00:40:23Alexander Wurtz has just done the best lap of the entire race.
00:40:27And he's not far off.
00:40:28So, time to find something special in that Audi.
00:40:31There's not a moment's break here.
00:40:34Unbelievable.
00:40:34You nip off for a quick cup of coffee and all hell breaks loose.
00:40:38Phenomenal push by Peugeot.
00:40:39They're still on the march here.
00:40:41And Alexander Wurtz is heading for second place.
00:40:44There is the number one car.
00:40:46They've not given any quarter,
00:40:48no matter whose hands this number one car has been in.
00:40:51And this skirmish is going to go right down to the wire.
00:40:54Nobody can quite predict it.
00:40:55There's been a lot of questions about the range of the Peugeots
00:40:58when they are running on full juice as they are now.
00:41:01But look at this.
00:41:02They're absolutely side...
00:41:04Well, they will be side by side in just a few moments' time.
00:41:06One can only assume.
00:41:09Is this...
00:41:10This is...
00:41:11This is...
00:41:12It's just approaching the back of Lotterer.
00:41:15Behind her. Is it Lotterer?
00:41:16Yes, I believe so.
00:41:17So this is for position?
00:41:18It is for position, absolutely.
00:41:19Lotterer is not going to hand that over in a hurry, is he?
00:41:21No, he's not.
00:41:22He's seen him within sight.
00:41:23They've been getting closer and closer to each other right now on course.
00:41:26This is unbelievable.
00:41:29And they're just coming down into our knowledge corner.
00:41:32He's just about to un-lap himself, I believe.
00:41:34We've just been told.
00:41:35My bad.
00:41:36So I was getting a bit overexcited on that.
00:41:38As Jeremy just pointed out.
00:41:39He's still not going to hand it over, is he?
00:41:42No, he doesn't even want to give position.
00:41:44But he's snaking now.
00:41:45The Peugeot is...
00:41:46I wonder if he's got some kind of issue.
00:41:48I'm wondering if he's actually...
00:41:50Surely it can't be a fuel issue at this point.
00:41:52No, he may have picked up some debris on his tyres.
00:41:56Places like Arnage and Indianapolis, we've seen many, many, many cars go off.
00:42:00And there's all sorts of stuff over the circuit.
00:42:02So if you do run wide...
00:42:03Stuart, they've been told to just go absolutely flat out.
00:42:05I think, basically, all cards on the table.
00:42:08It's all in, in poker parlance for Peugeot at this point.
00:42:11You can see they're just, at the moment, looking at it.
00:42:14Very, very loose all over the racetrack here.
00:42:16This is fantastic racing.
00:42:18And exactly what we need.
00:42:19And who would have believed it?
00:42:20We could get to this point when you had a look last night.
00:42:22There's been so many turnings of the page here.
00:42:25There'll be more stories to be told here as they come back onto the start finish rate.
00:42:28And everybody leans out to watch them come by here as they head off up the hill towards Dunlop.
00:42:33Carlton, that is for position.
00:42:35It is for position.
00:42:36That is Andre Lottra.
00:42:37So this is race on.
00:42:38But it absolutely is.
00:42:39They are racing right now.
00:42:40As soon as he got a view of him, he knew that this was the moment.
00:42:44The streams telling their own fibs here.
00:42:47But they come across the line.
00:42:48And this is for second place.
00:42:50It's a battle for second place in the 24 hours of Le Mans.
00:42:53Out front, we've got the Rockefeller on the nine car at the moment.
00:42:57But this is Lotto under all kinds of pressure from Alexander Verz.
00:43:00And this push is going to go very, very deep into this now.
00:43:02And this is what it's all about in sports car racing at this level with these top teams and top drivers.
00:43:08Here we are so far into this 24-hour race when so many cars have fallen by the wayside.
00:43:12And here we are having a race for position only just three hours from the end of a 24-hour race.
00:43:17And you wait until you see the straight line speed of the Peugeot.
00:43:20The Peugeot is kept.
00:43:21Look at the rate of knots.
00:43:22It's catching Lotto in a straight line.
00:43:24There's now four of these to come.
00:43:25This lap, these straight lines.
00:43:27So Lotto's going to have to have his defending head on right now.
00:43:30It seems that whenever we get to a little technical section, when it gets a little bit twisty,
00:43:33the Peugeot has just got its work cut out here.
00:43:36But we're straight lining right now.
00:43:37And let's see.
00:43:38That Audi, don't forget, bit flat fronted.
00:43:41It punches a big hole in the air.
00:43:43And you just feel as we cut away once more, we get him back on board.
00:43:48We're just losing pictures, I think, on the relay.
00:43:50And there they are side by side.
00:43:51And this is for second place.
00:43:52And it looks like he's there.
00:43:53They're coming into the chicane.
00:43:54They've got to be so careful as they go into here.
00:43:55And he does.
00:43:56He keeps it sensible for once, thank goodness, not getting airborne.
00:43:59And the one car moves into second place as of now.
00:44:03Traffic ahead of them.
00:44:05Superb racing.
00:44:06And great that Peugeot have just taken a bit between their teeth.
00:44:09And they are running with this one.
00:44:11I think that would have been the one time that Andrew Lutterer would have been praying for traffic on that straight.
00:44:15He would have been praying that someone, something, could have stopped that Peugeot.
00:44:19But the charge it gives in a straight line so much quicker, there was nothing he could do.
00:44:23Earlier on in the race, we saw as they go to that point, here is the pass now.
00:44:26On board from the Peugeot number one car, living up to its number.
00:44:30And when we got to this, after, I thought we were back with live pictures, but we're not.
00:44:35Still, this is the move.
00:44:36And using even, he may well even get called for just extending off the track there.
00:44:41That's been occasion, on occasion they have actually been called for that.
00:44:45But both teams as well, Audi and Peugeot, such is the pace that they've carried through this race so far.
00:44:51Now, Jeremy's just had a word in my ear.
00:44:53It seems the Wurt's car is due for a pit stop.
00:44:56So they are out of sequence.
00:44:57Although André Lotterer had to come in and make a very early stop because of his little misdemeanor at Arnage,
00:45:03the Wurt's car has one more stop to make, I believe.
00:45:07So it's not as close as we think at the moment.
00:45:12But, you know, that number one Peugeot is closing fast.
00:45:18Well, they definitely would have fueled André Lotterer when he came in,
00:45:20even though he'd only been out for four laps.
00:45:22I'm sure they would have fueled him up.
00:45:23So he will have virtually a full stint's worth of fuel to go.
00:45:27Which is going to be very useful for him if Alexander Wurtz is about to pit.
00:45:31But still, you're not going to, Audi's not going to want to give that away either way.
00:45:35Number nine, the race leader has just come into the pits.
00:45:38I think this is routine.
00:45:40Don't see any stressful looking actions in the Audi pit.
00:45:45Yeah, as we see it's first in the pits.
00:45:46Jeremy, you're entirely right.
00:45:47That was the lap he was coming into pits.
00:45:50And André Lotterer has now retaken second place.
00:45:54But we're going to go down to the pits.
00:45:56And we're going to hear from André Lotterer's teammate, Benoît Trillier.
00:46:00Benoît, we just saw the Peugeot overtaking your car number eight.
00:46:03What does that change for the strategy for the rest of the race?
00:46:07You know, we have to do our best all the time.
00:46:11We have to do as less mistakes as possible, go as quick as possible.
00:46:15And sometimes, you know, in Arnage it's very difficult when you really push hard to feel the grip and to do a little mistake.
00:46:23It's very quick.
00:46:25So what's happened to André can happen to anyone when they chase the other one.
00:46:30So anyway, we are still on the podium and the race is not finished.
00:46:35So we still hope to do a good job.
00:46:37We saw the team changing the front of the car.
00:46:39What actually happened?
00:46:41Sorry?
00:46:41We saw the team changing the front of the car at your car.
00:46:44What was broken?
00:46:46I think the front bonnet was a little bit damaged and they changed to make it new.
00:46:52Okay, when are you going back into the car?
00:46:54Are you going back into the car?
00:46:56Yeah, I should go back in the car for the last stint of the last two stints.
00:47:00Thank you very much.
00:47:01Interestingly enough, the last run, the last stint for the number one car was 12 laps.
00:47:08So they've managed to find something while keeping the pace.
00:47:10They've got themselves into second place.
00:47:12Even if the race finish right now, I think that would be a huge, huge plaudits for Peugeot.
00:47:17They've battled their way.
00:47:18They've never said die.
00:47:20Audi did exactly the same thing.
00:47:22So we saw the race come to Audi.
00:47:24Is it now coming the way of Alexander Wurz here and the number one Peugeot?
00:47:30We've seen it zigzagging ever so slightly on course.
00:47:32I think as it's just got a little bit offline, it's starting to squirrel a little bit out there, Liz.
00:47:37It is. I think they're having to push very, very hard.
00:47:40And we heard Benoit even saying, you know, sometimes these things happen when you're told to push really hard.
00:47:45So he's even admitted that even the best will make mistakes when they're just under that sort of pressure.
00:47:49And a lot of pressure to be under at this stage in a 24-hour race, Carlton.
00:47:53Yeah, an awful lot of pressure, Mark.
00:47:55Both teams riding it very, very well indeed.
00:47:57Nobody's been relaxed.
00:47:59Audi didn't exactly celebrate either when Peugeot had their issues.
00:48:02They knew that being out in front, being the head, being chased down by the house was always perhaps going to have its issues.
00:48:08And you cannot count on anything here, can you?
00:48:11No, I mean, but our main problem here is that Lotterer has been prone to making mistakes.
00:48:16He did it at Spa, the opening, even the formation lap at the Spa 1,000 kilometers.
00:48:20He put that car on the wall.
00:48:22Here he is.
00:48:22He makes just a rookie mistake, if you like.
00:48:24I mean, it's a big, big pressure on Lotterer.
00:48:26The only thing that's going in his favor at the moment is the shorter runs of Peugeot's having to make.
00:48:33The last, we had 11 laps, 7 laps, then we're back to 12 on the last run, I believe.
00:48:37But they should be able to squeeze 13 out of these fuel tanks.
00:48:41They should be.
00:48:41They've been as low as 11 when they've been on the Peugeot, and even less than that on some of their runs.
00:48:46We'll take a break back in a moment.
00:48:50Welcome back.
00:48:51You're live to Eurosport.
00:48:53Well, we all thought that the main talking points would be a roundabout, the GTs,
00:48:59and that because of the performance differential, as we thought, between the Peugeot's and the Audi's up to qualification,
00:49:05that this would be a tale already told.
00:49:09It has been completely the opposite.
00:49:11We've had plenty to talk about within the GTs, but it's been illuminating.
00:49:15From the very first, Jeremy Shaw, this P1 category has been absolutely fascinating.
00:49:24Thrilling.
00:49:25Yeah, it has.
00:49:25It's been very, very interesting, almost exciting, perhaps.
00:49:30I mean, there have certainly been some great memories that I think we'll take away from this event.
00:49:35Fascinating contests, as you say, they're going on now.
00:49:38The Alex Wurtz car shares with Anthony Davidson and Marc Genet.
00:49:41They've been turning a series of stunning lap times, absolutely incredible lap times, by that car.
00:49:47Earlier on in the race last night, they were doing 13 laps on a tank of diesel fuel.
00:49:52Now, they're only getting 12 laps.
00:49:54That's because instead of doing what was then fast lap times around about 3 minutes 22,
00:49:59now they're down to 3 minutes 19, 3 minutes 20 on a fairly regular basis, which is a stunning pace.
00:50:05But, you know, even at the pace they're running now, Wurtz is now back up to speed.
00:50:10He's 53 seconds behind André Lotterer, and he's more than a lap down still to our race leader,
00:50:18Mike Rockenfella, in car number 9.
00:50:20And by my reckoning, Rockenfella and Wurtz, number 9 in the overall race leader,
00:50:25and they're chasing Alex Wurtz on similar fuel strategies.
00:50:29So I reckon they've probably got a similar number of fuel slots at the end of the race,
00:50:33which means that it's going to be very, very difficult now, I believe, for Alex Wurtz to catch Mike Rockenfella.
00:50:39However, he's certainly in with a shot of catching the second-place car of André Lotterer, at the very least.
00:50:44Lotterer is going to be so focused now.
00:50:47He's made that mistake, and he doesn't want to be the guy who costs Audi a 1-2 here,
00:50:51and he'll be so, so focused.
00:50:53He won't make another error now, but how much quicker is this guy?
00:50:56Can he catch him?
00:50:57Just LMP2, just to let you know that Nick Leventis has finished his driving in the LMP2 leading car,
00:51:04brought the car back in with a left-rear puncture.
00:51:06They had to change the legality panel at the rear.
00:51:08Johnny Cain's taken over, and he and Danny Watts, two of the quickest drivers here this weekend,
00:51:13will do the rest of the driving.
00:51:15I think, crucially, what they now have amongst Peugeot is a belief.
00:51:18First, they had disappointment.
00:51:20Then they had hope, and now they've got belief.
00:51:23They have worked their way back into this one, Jeremy,
00:51:26and they are totally, totally committed here.
00:51:30They may have held a brief hiatus for a stop here,
00:51:32but they now know that the second place could well be theirs,
00:51:35and you never know, they might take a further step forward.
00:51:37You never know, yes, sir.
00:51:38I think certainly second place at least is on for that car number one.
00:51:41The lead?
00:51:42I don't know.
00:51:42We'll see.
00:51:43We'll be back on Eurosport in just a couple of moments.
00:51:46And a very warm welcome to you.
00:51:54We're spread across Eurosport now as we're bidding a farewell to Eurosport 2.
00:51:59We're bridging to Eurosport International.
00:52:01We've had an absolutely thrilling Le Mans 24 hours.
00:52:05If you're only just joining us, then buy the DVD.
00:52:08Unbelievable racing throughout all classes.
00:52:12Absolutely gobsmacking on occasion.
00:52:14The number one car of Alexander Wurz at the moment,
00:52:16the quickest car on track, a 3.22, he's just posted.
00:52:20He just had to make a stop, pitting off second place,
00:52:22a position that he'd actually fought back to take off Lotterer,
00:52:26the eight-car Audi.
00:52:27Rockefeller is the lead car,
00:52:29but he is crucially a lap clear of Wurz,
00:52:33who is currently 51 seconds behind the second-place car, Lotterer,
00:52:36having had to make a stop.
00:52:37It's straight-line speed that it's all about,
00:52:39as far as the Peugeot is concerned,
00:52:40that and much, much more.
00:52:41They've had a decent range which has collapsed
00:52:44because they've been on the push for so many laps here,
00:52:47but in safe hands, certainly, it seems,
00:52:50safe and committed hands.
00:52:52Certainly committed if it's in the hands of Anthony Davidson,
00:52:55who, the suspicion of a little bit of bullying going on on the track,
00:52:58he clearly just didn't care.
00:52:59It was all cards on the table for Peugeot.
00:53:02They just said, go for it.
00:53:03Every single one of you,
00:53:04and every single one of their drivers has responded.
00:53:07They have indeed,
00:53:07and if you notice on the in-lap there for Alex Wurz,
00:53:11when he came into the pit lane,
00:53:12what, three or four minutes ago,
00:53:14he locked him up.
00:53:15There was kind of a chicane on the way into the pits,
00:53:19and we saw on the previous time
00:53:20when Anthony Davidson handed over to Alex Wurz,
00:53:23but Davidson left his braking just a little bit too late,
00:53:25been clattering over the curbs there,
00:53:27and Alex Wurz almost did the same thing.
00:53:29He certainly locked him up going into that little chicane.
00:53:31So these cars are trying to get every second they can
00:53:34to get themselves, each themselves closer
00:53:37to that, first of all,
00:53:38that second-place car of Andre Lottre,
00:53:40who's already made one mistake.
00:53:42So that's just a taster for those of you on Eurosport International
00:53:45to tell you what's going on on Eurosport 2.
00:53:48You can fish around the Eurosport Challenge
00:53:49with your remote control,
00:53:50and you will find us live throughout here at Le Mans.
00:53:53Yes, we are well and truly installed on Eurosport 2.
00:54:03Nailed to your seats, you certainly should be,
00:54:05because these drivers are producing
00:54:07potentially one of the classic finishes of all time.
00:54:11It's certainly been a classic race so far.
00:54:14So much heartbreak throughout all classes.
00:54:16And that gap between the second and third-place cars,
00:54:18between Andre Lottre in the Audi
00:54:20and Alex Wurz in the Peugeot,
00:54:22back on, what, 20 minutes ago,
00:54:25the gap between those cars was 2 minutes and 52 seconds.
00:54:29Since then, they've both made a pit stop,
00:54:33or have they?
00:54:33I think maybe actually Andre Lottre owes us a pit stop.
00:54:36I think he does.
00:54:37Yeah, he's about halfway through a stint.
00:54:39So they're on slightly different strategies,
00:54:40but the gap between those two cars
00:54:42went from 2 minutes 52 to 51 seconds,
00:54:45despite half of that, of course,
00:54:47gained by the fact that Andre Lottre went off the road,
00:54:49and that cost him about a minute.
00:54:51Well, Lottre, I'm not sure whether he's just under pressure,
00:54:55or whether it's just one of those things.
00:54:57Deep into a race like this,
00:54:59you can't go 24 hours without having an incident,
00:55:01without having a shaky moment.
00:55:03He had one.
00:55:04He got away with it.
00:55:05He's still in second place,
00:55:06the Peugeot having made its pit stop.
00:55:08But we're still waiting to see how this all spins out.
00:55:11But we believe that the Peugeot,
00:55:12in the hands at the moment of Alexander Virts,
00:55:14the number one car,
00:55:15is heading for second place
00:55:17as they stand at the moment
00:55:18under current pace and current strategies.
00:55:21Quite likely.
00:55:21The pace of the two cars at the moment
00:55:24is fairly similar.
00:55:25Virts a little bit quicker than Lottre
00:55:27that lap around.
00:55:28Of course, Alex Virts has still got pretty much
00:55:30a full tank of fuel on board.
00:55:31So, you know, he's got 81 litres of diesel fuel on board,
00:55:35whereas Andre Lottre is getting towards the end of his stint,
00:55:37or about two thirds away through his stint.
00:55:40Jeremy, on the Eurosport forum,
00:55:42Jack Wood has asked a question.
00:55:44It just says, thanks, everyone.
00:55:45I've stayed up all night to watch it.
00:55:4628 hours for me.
00:55:48Question.
00:55:49What does the winning team and the other teams
00:55:51do with the cars once they've been used for 24 hours?
00:55:53And secondly, more importantly and more pertinently,
00:55:55what are the fuel consumptions
00:55:57of the higher placed cars?
00:55:59Well, 81, we figured it out.
00:56:04If you've got a calculator,
00:56:05I haven't done the maths,
00:56:07but if you've got a calculator,
00:56:08well, it's 81 litres, isn't it?
00:56:1081 litres, 12 laps.
00:56:1112 laps, 12 times.
00:56:1313.
00:56:13Yeah, exactly.
00:56:14So, if you can do the maths,
00:56:15you work it out.
00:56:16I'm too tired.
00:56:17If you're up 20, 28 hours,
00:56:19then you're probably tired as well.
00:56:21Just to let you know,
00:56:22we do have a fuel price here,
00:56:23the Michelin Green X Challenge,
00:56:24and not surprisingly,
00:56:25it's LMP two cars that are leading at at the moment,
00:56:28the 42 Stracca cars top of that,
00:56:31the Highcroft car second,
00:56:33and the Oak Racing Pescarello third.
00:56:35We're going for a break.
00:56:36Back with you on Eurosport Live.
00:56:40Welcome back.
00:56:41The camera's absolutely loving the number one car here.
00:56:44It is, of course, a French car
00:56:46that's in the hands of Mr. Alexander Virts
00:56:48at the moment,
00:56:48and he's doing a tremendous job,
00:56:50as you can see,
00:56:51using just about every single inch of the track,
00:56:54and maybe just a little bit more as well.
00:56:57They've been called for shortening
00:56:58the route through some of the more technical sections.
00:57:02They're not the only ones.
00:57:04Audi under pressure as well.
00:57:05Finally, they are out in front.
00:57:07Well, they have been for some time,
00:57:09but Peugeot,
00:57:09it really looked like it was going to be their race.
00:57:12It looked like it had drifted away from us.
00:57:14Audi took control,
00:57:15but Peugeot are battling back here,
00:57:16and we're going to have one heck of a close finish here.
00:57:19Right now,
00:57:20the gap between Lotterer in the eighth car
00:57:22that's running in second place
00:57:23is down to 44.8 seconds,
00:57:25because Virts is on the push so much,
00:57:27he's actually found,
00:57:28just in the last few minutes,
00:57:30I think about the last quarter of an hour,
00:57:32he's actually got a couple of minutes back here,
00:57:34and more.
00:57:35It is amazing, the pace,
00:57:36and look at this,
00:57:37the 15 car,
00:57:38that's had its issues as well.
00:57:39Oli Jarvis running in seventh place,
00:57:42and going very, very slow on track,
00:57:43just pulled into a siding here.
00:57:46I hope he's all right.
00:57:47Yeah, that's,
00:57:48looks like a fairly major problem for Oliver Jarvis.
00:57:51That's a great shame,
00:57:52because Christian Bakarud,
00:57:54he'd been off the road,
00:57:55wasn't he, a little while ago?
00:57:56I was in Bakarud, sorry.
00:57:57Then, now he's handed over to Oliver Jarvis,
00:58:00but that is a,
00:58:01looks like a very time-consuming detour here
00:58:05for Oliver Jarvis.
00:58:07That's a great shame,
00:58:08and a great young challenge here from England,
00:58:09of course,
00:58:09and, you know,
00:58:10he's on his way up through the motorsport ranks.
00:58:12The other guy to keep an eye on,
00:58:13we talked about Alex Wurtz
00:58:14turning some stunning laps
00:58:16in third place.
00:58:17The other guy who's going quick,
00:58:18particularly quickly,
00:58:20is quick Nick Lapierre.
00:58:21Nicola Lapierre,
00:58:22driving the number four,
00:58:23Orica Matmut Peugeot.
00:58:25He also is trying to track down
00:58:27one of the Audis.
00:58:28That, the battle for fourth place,
00:58:29with Tom Christensen,
00:58:31currently in that position,
00:58:32in Carnivus 7,
00:58:33in the Audi,
00:58:34but Nicola Lapierre,
00:58:35he's got that gap between the fourth
00:58:37and fifth place cars,
00:58:39down to 55 seconds.
00:58:41And I'll look back through my notes here.
00:58:42Back about one hour ago,
00:58:45the gap was one minute and 24 seconds,
00:58:48so in an hour,
00:58:49he's pulled up about 30 seconds.
00:58:51On board with the lead car here,
00:58:52not getting any favours through the field.
00:58:55Everyone's got their racing lines,
00:58:56of course,
00:58:56and they do approach very,
00:58:57very quickly.
00:58:58Just had to dip a wheel off there,
00:59:00but through the sector times,
00:59:03looking very good
00:59:03as we approach the three hours to go mark here.
00:59:08It's been 21 hours of racing,
00:59:11and it's been full-on sprint racing
00:59:13from the very start to finish,
00:59:14saved for the safety cars,
00:59:15which have peppered this event
00:59:17due to the unfortunate of some, Mark Cole.
00:59:19Yeah, but we are very close
00:59:20to the record distance.
00:59:22We are getting towards that way,
00:59:24three hours to go.
00:59:24We needed 1,000 kilometres
00:59:26when we got to the five and a half hour mark,
00:59:30so I think at the speeds
00:59:31they're doing at the moment
00:59:32and no more safety cars,
00:59:33there is a possibility
00:59:34we could get towards that.
00:59:35I'll check what the lappage was exactly
00:59:37in a moment,
00:59:38but just looking down there
00:59:39at the overall positions,
00:59:41look at that,
00:59:41Stracker Racing leading GP2
00:59:43in ninth place,
00:59:45and then even more importantly,
00:59:46look at that number 15th place car,
00:59:49the Elbermeyer Porsche GT2.
00:59:51When's the last time we had a GT2 car
00:59:53at the Mon in the top 15?
00:59:55Yeah, it's terrific, actually.
00:59:57We've got three of them
00:59:58in the top 20, actually.
01:00:00We've got Keely in the Ferrari
01:00:02running in second place in class.
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