33 Intersport is in and out of the pits in the early laps with a misfire.

The safety car comes out on lap 4, a mere 17 minutes in, as the 69 BMS Scuderia Italia exits the track towards the end of the Porsche curves, and subsequently exits the race.

Nearly everyone hits the pit road for tires and fuel, the 9 Creation has to have a new rear brake caliper fitted after the first was found leaking.

007 pits on lap six trailing a huge line of fluid. Darren Turner clipped a curb (he did that so much last year that the officials penalized him twice) and knocked the oil sump completely off the engine. After rejoining it is 6 laps down to the 64.

The first stop for diesel is on lap 14, the 7 beating the 8 out.

At the end of the first lap it is 7 from 16 from 8 from 17. The best laps for the Audi's in the 3:33ish bracket while the Pesca's are in the 3:35ish bracket.

Looks like 13 lap stints for the Pesca's?

29 laps in and the leading R10's are in for they're respective second stops (14, 15 each). The 7 takes tires and a new driver, McNish out Capello in, same for the 8 Biela out and Werner in. So, double stint on the tires for Audi and triple for the Pescas? Both Audi's rejoin in front of the Pesca's.

End of the hour and the 16 pits for fuel, tires, and a new driver (Collard out and Comas in). another 13 lap stint. Amazingly a completely oblivious photographer snapping shots of the Porsche pitted in front of the 16 blocks Comas' exit who is none too happy. The Pesca crew also indicates their displeasure with the photog.

10 minutes from the top of the hour and the Audi's pit for fuel only. Next lap by the 7 stops again and has another wind deflector fitted. Besides losing time, this also throws off timing of the pit stops, the 7 will now pit one lap later than the 8 for the foreseeable future.

Joao Barbosa is finally out of the LMP2 leading Rollcenter Radical/Judd, essentially a 3 hour stint for Barbosa.

Stephane Sarrazin is flying in the 009 DBR9, taking 4 seconds out of Olivier Berreta's lead 64 Corvette on one lap alone.

Capello does an 8 lap stint (9 laps total) in the 7 Audi and pits for fuel, tires, and Tom Kristensen. Capello reports a rough engine, Team Joest changes the ECU during the pit stop.

Major tire explosion on the very fast stretch to what looks like no-name corner before Indianapolis. The right rear tire shreds the rear bodywork as the car turns to drivers left and slams the barrier. It then pitches up in the air, nearly pitching over, before the front bodywork blows off narrowly missing the driver. A scary accident to be sure and the driver is lucky to walk away.

The 7 Audi is back in the pits and is wheeled straight into the garage. RLM posits that it could be the fuel filter causing the power loss, as that afflicted the R10 at Sebring. Another report is that the injectors on the right side of the V12 require changing. The 7 continues to plummet down the order eventually rejoining 6 laps down in 13th.

Previously GT2 leading 85 Spyker is suffering a water temp problem, is in the garage and also falling down the order. The 77 Panoz is apparantly stopped on course and has been for some while.

The 64 and 009 are setting up for a mega battle, separated by very as Sarrazin continued to gather up Beretta. Jan Magnussen in the Vette and Stephane Ortelli in the DBR9 will continue this battle for the next few stints.

The 7 Audi lost about 25 minutes getting those injectors changed, while the 8 laps second place Comas in the 16 Pesca at 20 minutes past the hour.

Jan Lammers' Racing for Holland Dome/Judd continues to be the best of the rest. They are sitting 4th despite an amazing 7 stops one of which was for a stop-go penalty.

Third placed in LMP2 39 Chamberlain Lola pitted for a plug change but the top three in this class have at least 5 laps on fourth. Meanwhile this heady battle for LMP2 honors has drawn the top three into the top ten overall--just outside the top 5.

When Kristensen makes his scheduled stop the mechanics pop off the rear deck and tighten the injectors. He's certiainly on a charger though, lapping in the high 3:31's.

At the bottom of the hour, the 8 pits but Biela does not get aboard. It is the first triple stint for any Audi.

Also at the bottom of the hour the 16 Pescarolo is into the garage with an apparant electrical problem. They end up replacing the injectors on the V10 Judd and rejoins a bit over 15 minutes later and more than 5 laps down; only to return the very next time around. Henri says they've replaced a lot of bits and they're going to be replace more. It is circulating again, about 6 laps down.

Martin Short pits the Radical with electrical problems too, the engine is only firing on one bank of cylinders. Shame, that entry was second in class.

A mere 13 seconds separates the 64 from the 009.

Rollcentre are in a dire state with the 22 Radical/Judd. Water is in a part of the engine that it shouldn't be. Could be race over for this lot. The 32 Barazi Epsilon had a brake fire while in the pits and are even further down the order than Rollcentre. RML continues to pace this class while the 33 Intersport car is climbing back up and is 6 laps in arrears.

The 009 DBR9 has finally made its way past the 64 Corvette and at the end of the hour is 40 seconds ahead.

Eric Helary complains that the Pesca has no grip in comparison to the R10 and it is especially so as the cooler temperatures of nighttime have come over the speedway. That's the reason for the 10 sec per lap deficit, according to Helary.

The Aston Martin must love the night, the 009's lead over 64 continues to grow as the hour goes on. 2 minutes in fact.

22 Rollcentre is back out, turning laps in the high 3:50's.

The 35 G-force Courage is a retirement after losing 5th gear.

According to RLM, the 32 Barazi Courage crew is having a pint as hour 8 comes to a close.

LMP1: 8, 17(-3), 7(-5)

Frank Montagny spins the 17 Pesca at no-name and pits immediately after being drug from the kitty litter. A new nose is fitted and the car returns.

5 Swiss Spirit is in paddle selector trouble and will require a lengthy-ish fix, they drop out of the top five and are 13 laps down.

For a few laps, Jamie Campbell-Walter in the Creation is the fastest man on the track not named Frank Biela. Unfortunately they lose a ton of time on the pit stop as a wheel is a struggle to get off.

25 RML briefly loses the class lead fixing a misfire with plugs a coils and a wastegate, replacing the right front corner, fixing the gear selection. They lose 20 minutes in the process and the lead to the 39 Chamberlain entry which, amazingly/miraculously has managed to not wreck.

The 7 Audi was already on pace to usurp the 17 Pesca in the not too distant future and that spin by Montagny didn't help.

Intersport lost most of their time with a gearbox case problem. They've returned and expect to work their way back up the order.

Spyker refuses to go away in GT2, neither does Scuderia Ecosse in the Ferrari F430 GTC which pits for a pad change just before the end of the hour. Pad change for the Saleen too.

Just at the end of hour 9 the Flying Lizard car makes it back to pit road.

The Flying Lizard went straight into the garage after making pit road, the crew set to fit new brake pads; might that be an indication of their problems out on track? No, just gravel stuck in the caliiper from the trap. Something about knocking off a starter-related piece during the spin that caused the long delay on course.

The 7 car is back in the garage for another extended stop. Dindo Capello says he was struck by an Aston Martin at Indianapolis requiring the left rear corner to be being replaced. Kristensen rejoins after losing 4 more laps. 14 RfH Dome moves back into 3rd overall.

9 Creation has a harmless spin but rejoins.

The 39 Chamberlain Lola has some start motor niggles and loses a few laps, while the 36 Belmondo Courage has joined it's sister car 37, as a retirement.

WR, still hasn't made it back out.

Emmanuele Pirro is late getting into the 8 during its stop, he was fully suited and booted earlier but is zipping up his uniform before diving in the R10. A late "pit stop" for the driver perhaps?

Back to green at 26 after the hour, still not sure what brought the safety car out though the CCTV shows a large piece of debris somewhere on the circuit.

Huge development for the lead 8 Audi. It pits with roughly 15 minutes left in the hour to have the gearset changed. We know they can't change the rear end as unit, but can they repace the cluster? I thought they had to rebuild the gearset and not do a wholesale replacement. It was a problem with 5th gear. Regardless the 8 is back out in a little over 9 minutes.

The 39 is stationary and has been for 20 minutes.

The 12 Courage pits with a flat right rear and is wheeled into the garage.

The 8 Audi pits with a flat right rear and rejoins. Approximately a 1.5 lap lead over the 17.

The 90 Peterson/White Lightning Krohn Racing Porsche GT3 RSR has been crashed and is stuck on course, Jorg Bergmeister at the wheel.

9 Creation Judd is having its started seen to, with a hammer, according to RLM.

Otherwise a metronomic hour from the majority of competitiors.

The Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari F430 GTC is wheeled into the garage after a wheel refuses to come off. Third in GT2 this car and five laps up on the fourth placed LNT Panoz.

Sadly the 14 Racing for Holland Dome Judd has retired. They were solidly in third place at halfway and in with a shot at an overall podium. What heartbreak for Jan Lammers.

At the end of the hour a whole new front end goes on the 8 Audi. The marshals wouldn't let them exit with only one headlight working.

The 67 Ferrari 550 Maranello has been retired out on course after a trip to the gravel and subsequent problems apparently. Their team car, the 61 retired earlier.

After an hour, mechanics are chiseling the rear wheel off the Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari they're barely in the top five in GT2 now.

The delayed F430 has finally returned and their chase to get on the GT2 podium begins again.

Allen McNish brings the 7 Audi back onto the course after a turbocharger expired while Kristensen was at the wheel. Roughly 10 minutes lost for this car.

Marco Werner is putting paid to any ideas about Audi mailing it in over the last 8 or so hours. He does several laps in the 3:33's before setting the fastest lap for the 8 car (3:32.515) at about 35 minutes into the hour. Yeah, he's on it.

The Rollcentre Radical is changing/fixing the clutch and the car is essentially halved as the gearbox is removed.

Suddenly it is apparent that the 86 Spyker is gone and the garages shut. The 86 dropped a valve, so engine trouble end the run of both cars.

Bit of surprise in the GT2 standings--the Taisan car in second and LNT Panoz in third.

93 and second in GT2 is in the garage to have a better look at a gear selection problem. They lose a position to the LNT Panoz but have 12 laps over the next closest competitor in the class.

8 Audi puts another lap on Pescas as the hour started.

27 Miracle Courage circulates slowly but...circulates.

This might be the year that the LMP2 class came good. In contrast to previous years the RML MG Lola had a reliable race and finished top ten overall. They controlled this class for almost the entire race.

GT1, as expected, was a dogfight. Eerily similar to last year the Aston Martin DBR9 failed in the last stage of the race. It was the clutch that ended the 009's run to glory and permitted the 64 Corvette to win it's third Le Mans on the trot.

What heartbreak and what joy in GT2. It was in the final hour that the 83 Seikel Porsche gave up the lead to the privateer Panoz from Team LNT after a broken gearshift left the car stranded on course for a short period. So after 10 years it is a Panoz in the hands of a privateer that finally puts the marque on the top step of the podium. How must Don Panoz and all the employees of the Panoz Auto Group in Georgia feel this morning; the first non-Porshe to this class at Le Mans.