Oliver Rowland in the #6 Ginetta is stopped, but it isn't an official retirement just yet. We've completed another racing hour, and we are starting the halfway point. It's the witching hour... 2AM at Le Mans. Jose Maria Lopez will take over the #7 from Mike Conway. "Pechito" is off and running. Fernando Alonso has an average lap time of 3:21 while Mike Conway was running in the 3:24 bracket. Mark Patterson has made it back to pit lane with the #25 Algarve car. There was a left front suspension break on the bottom wishbone pickup on the car being shared by Mark Patterson, Ate de Jong, and Korea's Tacksung Kim, as David Heinemeier Hanson nearly runs off the road. This race is rolling on at an amazing clip.
There's still half of this race to run. There's no way this is over by any means. Romain Rusinov does not have the pace of some of his team mates or competitors. Romain Rusinov is not a Silver driver. Andrea Pizzitola is. He has just under a lap over the Panis Barthez car, in the hands of Tim Buret. Bruno Senna brings the #1 Rebellion to pit lane. The #92 "Pink Pig" Porsche has pitted. Michael Christensen is into the car, and coming in soon will be #91, the Rothman's cigarettes liveried car. Most GTE teams are doing double stints while in LMP1 they are doing triple and quadruple stints.
Vitaly Petrov has the #11 SMP BR01 on track again, in 55th in the overall. Both Ginetta's are still out there. The DragonSpeed BR Gibson is 23rd overall, car #10. Corvette #63 pits and so does #48, and the #69 Ford GT. Ryan Briscoe will get in the car. The #11 also pitted, the Button/Aleshin/Petrov car. It is still a Toyota 1-2, separated by 1:40. 187 laps completed. Oreca and Ligier still battle each other in LMP2. Romain Rusinov leads LMP2. The Porsche's continue to lead LM GTE Pro with Ford's behind. GTE Am still has the Dempsey Proton #77 Porsche 911 RSR, Matt Campbell at the controls.
Track temperature is still 15 degrees Celsius. Watch out for Fernando Alonso. He is closing on Jose Maria Lopez, rapidly. Keep watching LMP2. Paul Loup Chatin in the IDEC Sport #48 is really going for it. Roberto Gonzalez has stopped at the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight. Very few cars are in the garage, and rather, being fixed in the pit. New alternator for the #50 Larbre Competition Ligier Gibson shared by the French trio of Thomas Dagoneau, Erwin Creed, and Romano Ricci. Porsche #77 and #88 are pitting, and Fernando Alonso pits for fuel and a windscreen cleaning. 13 more minutes, and half this motor race will be in the bag.
Matt Campbell hands the #77 to Julien Andlauer. Christian Ried is the third driver. The Porsche's and the two WeatherTech Ferrari's are going for it. Those cars are from two teams. Luca Stolz in #85, and Liam Griffin in #84. Driving time rules are different at Le Mans. Everyone must do six hours. Who has already done three hours? Regardless of class, type of car, or driver rating, which is a piece of cake compared to some of the other races we've covered here on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog. Michael Christensen and Gianmaria Bruni are racing the two retro livery Porsche's. Dirk Mueller has the #68 Ford GT. #52 is fourth. with #67 and #69 Ford's. Corvette #63, BMW#82, and Aston Martin #95 are next in the queue.
Game over for Ginetta #6. Patrick Lindsey in the #56 Porsche 911 RSR is still pounding around. Fernando Alonso is into his third stint in Toyota #8, and he needs more to close the gap on Jose Maria Lopez in the sister car. We are now on the back nine. Half the race is done and dusted.
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