As the rain showers have gone away, the race has started to settle into a rhythm with one third distance completed.
There continues to be an almighty battle for the lead in the LMGTE Pro category, with the Aston Martin’s No.97 Vantage V8 of Darren Turner currently leading by 15seconds over the No.74Corvette and the No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia which has just been in the pits to change from Fisichella – who completed a triple-stint – to Bruni. Behind them are the two Porsche Team Manthey 911 RSRs and over the last four hours there has been little to choose between the leading contenders.
A safety car at 21h30 for the stranded KCMG LMP2 car closed up the field to within seconds of each other but unfortunately the safety car split the leading six LMGTE Pro cars into two groups of three. When racing resumed Darren Turner was soon putting Fisichella under pressure, and not only got past him but also the Corvette for the place at the head of the class which he has held since that time.
Aston Martin has maintained its dominance of the LMGTE Am category, with the No.98 Vantage V8 of Paul Dalla Lana and Pedro Lamy (the Portuguese driver having just taken the wheel for a night stint) currently holding a firm lead over its Danish Aston Martin team mates in the No.95 Vantage V8. Third in the category is the No.72 Ferrari of ELMS entrant SMP Racing.
Alvaro Parente in the No.52 Ram Racing Pro class Ferrari had a small scare earlier in the evening when he suffered a small electrical fire in the cockpit and lost considerable time in the pits for repairs. The team’s sister Ferrari was running as high as second in class but has also had a challenging first third of the race after Archie Hamilton and Mark Patterson both experienced gearbox problems which required time in the pits to resolve.
Full classifications for each hour can be found HERE, or for more detail of each hour, click HERE.
Fiona Miller
Photo: CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES (LE MANS, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, RACE, SATURDAY 14 JUNE 2014. The LMGTE Am No.98 Aston Martin Vantage V8 of Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Christoffer Nygaard.
