Audi R18 during the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans (Photo Credit: Rolex/Jad Sherif)

Race organisers the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) have announced the 56 entries invited to the 80th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June 16-17.

The list includes some surprises, with a total of four Audi R18s at the top of the list, including two powered by hybrid technology leading the field as no.1 and 2 with lead drivers Andre Lotterer and Allan McNish. The complete driver line-ups are yet to be confirmed as the ACO only require a single driver to be named at this stage of the process.

The two Audi hybrids will be joined by the two Toyota TS030 Hybrids that will also contest much of the FIA World Endurance Championship, though they miss the opening round of the new series at Sebring at the start of March, only joining for the 6 hour event at Spa-Francorchamps.

Despite the well publicised departure of the Peugeot Sport squad the LMP1 class maintains a strong line-up, featuring several experienced teams.

Rebellion Racing return with two Lola-Toyota coupes and the French OAK Racing squad have three cars on the entry list – one in LMP2 and two Morgan-Judd labelled machines in the LMP2 ranks. Henri Pescarolo’s team have a two car team using two different cars, the first the Pescarolo 03 – derived from the disastrous AMR-One chassis – the second the Dome S102. Both will be powered by Judd engines.

The premier class is completed by three teams making their LMP1 debuts at Le Mans.

After several season of running in the LMP2 category in the American Le Mans Series Dyson Racing are granted two entries for their Mazda powered Lola coupes. Two HPD ARX-03a from UK teams Strakka racing and JRM complete the class, Strakka moving into LMP1 afte two season in the lower prototype class with HPD machinery.

LMP2, often the poor relation on the Le Mans entry list in past years, has been transformed into the largest and, perhaps, most competitive looking class due to content the race.

After the success of the ORECA 03 chassis and Nissan engine in 2011 the components dominate the 18 car field with six teams using the both to create the same package that took Signatech Nissan to the class title in the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.

As you would expect the team return, this time with a two car entry, as do Greaves Motorsport, defending class champions at La Sarthe, with Alex and Martin Brundle and Lucas Ordonez already confirmed in one car, Ordonez joining Greaves after racing with Signatech in 2011.

Amid those returning with the ORECA chassis Alan Docking Racing – under the guise of ADR-Delta – enter a sole car with Australian John Martin as lead driver. Martin drove in Superleague Formula in a car prepared by ADR. As well as outings in the series Martin has driven in British F3 and for his home nation in A1GP. He also showed his 24 hour credentials by comfortably setting the pace in last October’s Britcar 24 Hours.

The class also includes two more American teams. Level 5 Motorsports return for another year at Le Mans, this time with an HPD powered ARX-03b chassis, while Starworks Motorsport – less than a week after finishing as runners-up in the Rolex 24 are to make their Le Mans bow as part of an ambitious full season in the World Endurance Championship, also with the latest iteration of the ARX chassis.

One of the less eye-catching, but more headline-grabbing entries is the Colin Kolles run Lotus entry, actually using a Lola chassis with Lotus badged BMW-based Judd engine.

The German manufacturer’s withdrawal from endurance racing – in favour of their DTM program – is one of the major changes in the GTE Pro ranks, along with the decline in Lotus’ works GT assault, reduced to just a single entry on the reserve list for 2012.

In recent years the GTE Pro class (nee GT2) has been the location of some of the closest racing in ACO regulation racing, yet the entry list for Le Mans shows the class as a shadow of that that arrived for the 2011 event.

2011 winners Corvette Racing enter their normal two cars, boasting an altered driving line-up after the departure of Olivier Beretta from the GM fold and the arrival of young American Jordan Taylor in the team’s endurance set-up.

Corvette Racing will return as defending champions in GTE Pro, facing reduced opposition to retain the title

As well as BMW and Lotus Risi Competizione are Le Mans absentees for another year, though the Ferrari 458 contingent is strong enough to make it the best represented marque in class.

AF Corse bring two cars, with Giancarlo Fisichella and Andrea Bertolini – long a Maserati driver in GT1 series – as nominated first drivers.

Small British team JMW Motorsport and Luxury Racing return for a second year with the newest GT racer from Maranello. Luxury Racing have one car in each of the GTE classes, one of many to take advantage of the 2012 eligibility of the Ferrari 458 for the lower of the two GT classes.

After the failure – and cancellation – of the AMR-One last season Aston Martin Racing drop back to their GT racing roots. Stefan Mucke will lead one car in the GTE Pro ranks with Fischer Racing/Young Driver graduate Christoffer Nygaard helming the team’s GTE Am entry while familiar Aston Martin man Darren Turner waiting on the reserve list in a third car.

The Nygaard led Aston is part of a bumper GTE Am category – numerically boosted in some part by the eligabilty of the newer generation of cars as five teams bring the Ferrari 458 to the class.

Luxury Racing enter a sole car, led by Pierre Ehret after he moved from CRS Racing following the British team’s decision to concentrate on the role in developing the new McLaren MP4-12C. Long time endurance racer Tracy Krohn’s eponymous team returns as do Monegasque outfit JMB Racing. Perhaps the most eye catching of the Ferrari teams are the two AF Corse entries – taking the team’s total commitment at Le Mans – one led by American Robert Kauffman, a man unfortunately best remembered for his role in Mike Rockenfeller’s high speed accident during the night of the 2011 event.

Also bringing a two car team – after their triumphant 1-2 finish in the Am category’s Le Mans debut are Larbre Competition, though after splitting their allegiance between Corvette and Porsche machinery in 2011 switches fully to the US marque. The Porsche representation on the 2012 grid is lower than in past years. Only Flying Lizard Motorsports and Team Felbermayr-Proton run the latest Porsche in the Pro class, but both bring a second car for the Amateur class alongside three other 997.

After contesting the Pro class in 2011 both IMSA Performance Matmut and Prospeed Competition drop into the amateur ranks with one car each – a Patrick Pilet led GTE Pro class car, however, is first reserve for the former.

The final Porsche in the GTE Am comes from the James Watt Automotive led JWA-Avila squad and driver Paul Daniels – both long term, if low key visitors to Le Mans in the GT classes.

The field is completed by the radical looking Delta Wing project, taking the 56th pit created for experimental cars at Le Mans.

After the opening two rounds of the new FIA World Endurance Championship at Sebring, then Spa the field for the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans will form up for the official test day on June 3 before the race itself on June 16-17.

Audi R18 (Photo Credit: Audi Motorsport)

Four Audi R18 will line up this June for the 80th 24 Hours of Le Mans with the two lead cars equipped with hybrid technology for the first time.

In the official entry lists for both the inaugural FIA World Endurance Championship and the French endurance race the hybrid machines, numbered no.1 and no.2 were listed with lead drivers Andre Lotterer and Allan McNish respectively. Only the lead driver needs to be nominated at this stage, with the remainder of the driver line-up unconfirmed.

“To develop the hybrid technology for Le Mans is at least as ambitious and challenging as our diesel project was in its early stages,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “The first test results are very encouraging and we are intrigued to see just how this technology performs in combination with our ultra lightweight technology on the race track at Le Mans. As before, we still, however, see potential with the conventional drive – just as our colleagues do in production development.”

The two hybrid hours, will be joined by two works-backed Toyota hybrid entries in the LMP1 class.

Furthermore both hybrid R18 are entered to contest the full World Endurance Championship season, beginning with 12 Hours of Sebring in March. The Audi entry will grow to three for selected WEC events with a ‘conventional’ R18 TDi with lead driver Timo Bernhard.  Audi Motorsport have names Sebring and the 6 hour race at Spa-Francorchamps in May, which will again serve as the dress-rehearsal for Le Mans a month later, as outings for the third car.

A fourth ‘conventional’ Audi will make a one-off appearance for Le Mans with Briton Oliver Jarvis nominated as lead driver. Jarvis has driven for Audi for the past four seasons in the DTM championship and will be making his second 24 Hours of Le Mans start after driving an Audi R10 TDi for Colin Kolles’ team in 2010 alongside Christijan Albers and the late Christian Bakkerud.

Peugeot 908 under the bridge at Road Atlanta during last October's Petit Le Mans (Photo Credit: Peugeot Sport)

Peugeot have announced the end to their LMP1 sportscar program with immediate effect.

The official announcement explains; “this decision has been taken against the backdrop of the challenging economic environment in Europe coupled with a particularly busy year for the Brand in terms of new vehicle launches.”

Peugeot expect to launch a new range of models which, they say “will take forward the brand’s strategy of moving upmarket and extending its global presence.”

The decision will end the French manufacturer’s involvement in endurance racing after five years of the current program that began in 2007 with the 908 HDI FAP, a car allowed them to join rivals Audi at the front of the grid to begin an era dominated by their diesel engined prototypes.

The high point for the Peugeot team led by Olivier Quesnel was a 1-2 finish in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans with the trio of David Brabham, Marc Gene and Alexander Wurz scoring victory. A year later Peugeot was dealt a bitter blow as they tried to defend their title as all four 908 HDi FAP cars entered in the race retired after a succession of fiery engine failures.

Elsewhere in 2010 Peugeot dominated the endurance racing calendar winning the three race Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC), a title it successfully defended in 2011 with the brand new Peugeot 908, which was built to the new rules specifications and debuted at Sebring last March.

In total Peugeot cars won 14 of their last 16 endurance races around the world, the missing two being titles at Le Mans.

In 2012 it was expected that Peugeot would compete in the new World Endurance Championship which has already attracted new factory backed entries from Toyota and Porsche.

“It is a big disappointment for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship, which begins in the year 2012. A competition created at the request of manufacturers in general and in particular Peugeot,” said Automobile Club de l’Ouest President Jean-Claude Plassart. “No doubt the hundreds of thousands of fans who flock to the 24 Hours of Le Mans each year and millions of viewers who follow will regret the absence of the Peugeot ‘lions’”.

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, a twelve months packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Now, having looked back over the previous year the writers of The Checkered Flag look forward at what the 2012 racing season could bring with new driver line-ups and regulations.

Peter Allen

Intra-team battles ad Force India and Toro Rosso
The two midfield F1 squads have gone with potential over experience for their 2012 driver lineups. The stakes are potentially very high for the drivers at both teams, with Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg eyeing any seat that becomes available at Mercedes, while Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will fight it out to become Mark Webber’s replacement at Red Bull. All four are highly-rated, and it will be fascinating to see what happens at both teams.

Toro Rosso teammates and F1 new boys Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne - one battle to watch in 2012

David Bean

Someone to match Vettel?
Sticking to F1, most fans will be looking for the emergence of a challenger to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. Will one of the McLaren pairing, or even Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, be able to stop next season becoming as one-sided as it was in 2011? It will also be interesting to see how Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean do at Renault, and how the exciting young talent – the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne and Charles Pic – manage in their first full seasons as F1 drivers.

Josh Bell

Formula One 2012
I have two, so forgive me for being greedy. The battle at Toro Rosso between their new driver line up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will be extremely intense, particularly as one of them may land themselves a Red Bull seat if Mark Webber departs at the end of 2012. Secondly, I am optimistic of five teams challenging for the Formula One World Championship next season. Or maybe I am just a romantic? Merry Christmas readers!

James Broomhead

NGTC comes of age
Nationally I think the BTCC is headed for another superb year. The second half of the year was the NGTC-spec cars coming out party, and in 2012 it will be interesting to see some more of the potential of the new cars when Honda roll out the new Civic. How their efforts – with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden compare to the teams with a whole year of NGTC trouble-shooting behind them – is just another facet in a year that could bring even more manufacturers in even bigger grids.  

Andy Champness

Challengers to Team Vodafone
The V8 Supercars has again shown it’s the best touring car series in the world, so more of the same please! Team Vodafone dominated the 2011 season, but I think teams such as Stone Brothers Racing and Ford Performance Racing will up their game and close the gap in 2012. Look out for the likes of Tim Slade, David Reynolds and in particular Shane van Gisbergen who this year won his first race at his home event in New Zealand and backed it up in Darwin to finish fourth in this year’s championship. These are the sport’s new generation, young drivers who showed in 2011 that they have the talent and ability to pose a genuine threat to the more established stars.

Mark Foley

The Young(er) Blood
Formula Renault 2.0 champion Alex Lynn and the imaginatively named Carlos Sainz Jr. join the ranks of British Formula 3 for 2012, and both could be potential headaches for the more experienced British F3 runners cracking their knuckles as they eye the 2012 title. Lynn has BRDC and FIA Excellence Academy support behind him, whilst Sainz Jr. comes ominously armed with Red Bull backing, adding pressure, removing excuses and drawing plenty of keen eyes onto the youngsters tipped for future stardom.

Formula Renault UK champion Alex Lynn - one of the drivers set to make the 2012 British Formula Three Championship a year to remember

Chris Gurton

What To Look For Next Year – National racing and beyond
For me there are a number of things to look for next year. After the teething troubles of the new NGTC cars in the BTCC, a more level playing field next season and a big field should lead to an exciting championship. On the subject of touring cars, it will be interesting to see how Arena Motorsport and Special Tuning Racing cope with the step up to WTCC.

After an extremely close fought title battle in British GT, next seasons Championship will no doubt be an equally exciting and close fight. Look out for the new look Ginetta G55 GT3 and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage adding to the array of stunning cars throughout the field. For fans of endurance racing, the new World Endurance Championships should be something to look out for too.

Also, with driver moves and deals still being confirmed within Formula One, an exciting new driver to keep an eye out for is Jean Eric-Vergne. The Frenchman showed true class in the 2010 British F3 Championships on his way to the title and runner up at the end of a season in formula Renault 3.5 has shown his ability. With the backing and support of Red Bull, could he be the new Sebastian Vettel? 

Leigh O’Gorman

What To Look For In 2012 – The World Endurance Championship
The emergence of the World Endurance Championship may not just be “the thing to look for in 2012”, but rather the biggest motorsport news of the decade. Since the WEC was announced at Le Mans, manufacturers have either thrown their hat into the ring or are weighing up future participation in a series that may – realistically – have far more relevance to the automotive industry than Formula 1 could ever dream of. Also, a nod to Tony Fernandes, who continues to raise the profile of motor racing in Asia, by organising national and club championships in emerging territories.

Simon Paice

What to look for in 2012 -Ginetta Juniors
In 2012, I’m really excited for the Ginetta Junior Championship. 2011 saw the teenage racers once again produce superb racing and while Seb Morris dominated, the likes of Niall Murray, Charlie Robertson, George Gamble and Sennan Fielding emerged as top talent. With some of them returning to join the usual influx of exciting new rookies, it is sure to be a fascinating, must watch 2012 season in the G40′s.

Also something I’m really looking forward to seeing is Petter Solberg in a Ford in the WRC, taking it to the Citroens and hopefully picking up a second world title.

Vince Pettit

British Superbikes
The 2012 season in British Superbikes looks set to be another great championship battle, defending champion joined by Isle of Man record breaker Ian Hutchinson, the Swan Yamaha team will be hard to beat. Although with that said that the PBM squad have assembled a strong team with the likes of Shakey Byrne and Stuart Easton. TAS Suzuki will also feature with Alastair Seeley looking to continue his momentum in the main class after securing the National Superstock 1000 and British Supersport titles in 2009 and this season respectively.

Louis Suddaby

A New Era Begins
2012 sees the introduction of CRT (Claiming Rule Teams) in MotoGP and a glimpse into the future of the premier class of motorcycle racing. Don’t expect too much too soon but this new philosophy had to happen, if anything to give us more bikes to look at. Moto3 will replace the 125cc class and unpredictability is the only certainty while EVO rules will now effectively be standard in the British Superbike Championship, surely producing another open season. 2012 will also be a huge year for Valentino Rossi. Surely Ducati will get it right this time?

Scott Wilkes

New regulations in BTCC and MotoGP
In the BTCC, the NGTC cars that started to make a surge to the front of the pack at the end of this season should be a preview of what’s to come this season, and it should be an even better season for close racing than we have just seen.

In MotoGP, the withdrawal of Suzuki and the arrival of the CRT machines should herald the start of an interesting shakeup in the sport. With the addition of the new standardised Moto3 series replacing the 125cc Championship, I am expecting the same level of competition as we saw in the spectacular Moto2 championship this year.

As for a rider/driver to look out for, it has to be Marc Marquez. After a poor start to last season, I wasn’t expecting much more from the young Spaniard. However, as happens most times with myself, I was proved wrong, and Marquez started a brilliant resurgence which left him a position to possibly win the championship at the final race, only to be ruled out by injury.

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

 The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. As the writers of The Checkered Flag continue to look back on the year they pick their ’Race of the Year’, inlcuding a GT race decided on the final lap,  an endurance race to convert the unconvinced and a Grand Prix that became an endurance race – at least for spectators. 

Peter Allen

GP3 Nurburgring Race 1
Lewis Williamson had been set to become GP3’s first two-time winner of 2011 with his second consecutive victory after his Arden teammate Mitch Evans had received a drive-through penalty. But then the rain came down with just a few laps to go. Rio Haryanto quickly reeled Williamson in, taking the lead when the Scot ran wide at Turn 1. The lead then changed hands between the pair twice more over the following corners, before Valtteri Bottas caught and passed Williamson and chased after Haryanto. The Indonesian would hold on for a fine win, while Williamson would regain second from Bottas before the finish.

the changing weather brought Rio Haryanto to the front of the GP3 race at the Nurburgring

David Bean

Canadian Grand Prix
The Canadian Grand Prix was an epic race. It was the longest in F1 history – mainly thanks to a rain delay of over two hours in the middle of the race – but when the cars were on track there was not a dull moment. There were collisions between frontrunners, mistakes from champions, fantastic overtaking manoeuvres, an excellent drive from Regenmeister Michael Schumacher and, of course, the victory that Jenson Button described as the best of his career. Other F1 races came close to matching this one – China, Monaco and Hungary spring to mind – but nothing was quite as gripping as that June afternoon in Montreal.

Josh Bell

Formula Renault 3.5 at the Nurburgring
Given that the Canadian Grand Prix is probably going to be the most popular choice, I have gone for something less ingrained in the minds of the public. For me, and perhaps I am little biased given I cover the category, Race One in the Formula Renault 3.5 event at the Nurburgring was scintillating, as Robert Wickens and Daniel Ricciardo battled for victory in intermittent conditions from the very first lap. The Canadian won it by a nose and courtesy of Eurosport, here is the link to the highlights of that wonderful race:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HABa8ZC6HqU

James Broomhead

British GT, Snetterton
You cannot talk about races without mentioning the 24 Hours of Le Mans – that was pure fairy tale. However, the two hour Avon Tyres British GT race at Snetterton was the most impossibly twisting event of the year. Matt Bell and Michael Guasch won United Autosports’ first ever race by leading just the final lap and after serving two penalties. Glynn Geddie almost wins the race in the pits, Matt Griffin hit a spinning backmarker while battling for the lead, the two Porsches hit each other early on in the rain and the GT4 winner came back from the longest stop-go penalty I can ever remember – 1:11.

Matt Bell and Michael Guasch came back from two penalties to take a last gasp win at Snetterton

Andy Champness

Bathurst 1000
For me it has to be Bathurst. Call me predictable, but this race is anything but! It had everything – drama, heartache, crashes, breakdowns and even a terrifying fuel fire. But after 161 laps around this perilous mountain and almost six and a half hours of driving, it was an epic, down to the wire battle between Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander racing for everything they had. Over the final 20 laps, Lowndes stormed through from fourth carving chunks of out of Tander’s lead to just half a second going into the last lap. Tander did brilliantly to survive the onslaught and the difference between winning and losing the 2011 Bathurst 1000 came down to just 0.292 seconds!

Mark Foley

Macau GP
When open-wheel champions from all corners of the globe were set to go wheel-to-wheel for the 58^th Macau GP, it promised much, and didn’t disappoint. After a furiously paced 4-way scrap for the lead fought with slipstreaming and heavy braking – jubilant opportunist Daniel Juncadella took the win with Marco Wittmann in 3^rd (the early leader and certainly the moral victor having dropped down the order after a late safety car). With British F3 champ Felipe Nasr in 2^nd, a podium rich with young talent served as a great book-end to the Formula 3 year.

Daniel Juncadella beat pole-sitter Marco Wittmann and British F3 Champion Felipe Nasr in a terrific close to the F3 year

Chris Gurton

24 Hours of Le Mans
For me the race of the year has to be the Le Mans 24 hour. Set to be another ding dong battle between the Peugeots and Audi with their new R18 car, it didn’t disappoint. After two huge accidents involving the Audi no.3 of Allan McNish and the no.1 of Mike Rockenfeller the German marque was left with what some would say was their weaker driver line up of Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer to bring home the sole remaining Audi. Up against the 3 factory backed Peugeot 908’s and the privateer Oreca 908 they certainly showed their true ability and maturity in the face of some quite remarkable and dangerous tactics from the French team to pressure the Audi into a mistake. With seconds splitting the front running Audi and the Bourdais, Lamy and Pegenaud Peugeot in second place the finishing margin after 24 hours of racing was just 13.8s. Those who think endurance racing is boring should think again.

The Audi R18 of Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer, winners of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, photographer Chris Gurton's race of the year

Leigh O’Gorman

Race Of The Year – Ford 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway
This is easy easy. From the moment the flag dropped, eventual champion Tony Stewart was absolutely on it and taking the challenge to Carl Edwards, with Stewart winning by a second. Thankfully, there was no nonsense, no ridiculous wrecking, no competition cautions and no TV-driven interruptions – just some of the hardest racing of the year. It was everything NASCAR could be if they just stopped screwing around with the package. The rain delays only ramped up the tension throughout. Brilliant stuff.

Simon Paice

BTCC’s first Croft Race
My race of the year has to be the opening BTCC race at Croft. Mat Jackson produced one of his trademark drives through the field in changing conditions and after passing twelve cars, narrowly missed out on the win by 0.055 seconds to Matt Neal, a race that epitomised the entertainment of the BTCC.

Neal and Jackson race towards the checkered flag - Neal would win. Just.

Another race that will also last long in my memory is the Canadian Grand Prix. The longest race in Formula One history, it had it all, safety cars, a rain delay, Michael Schumacher nearly getting his first comeback podium, a rare Sebastian Vettel mistake and a superb Jenson Button drive through the field for the most unlikely of victories.

Vince Pettit

British Superbike Finale, Brands Hatch
My race of the year has to be the final race of the British Superbike 2011 season on the GP circuit at Brands Hatch. After a season of hard racing the championship comes down to the last race and was decided by just 0.006 seconds. The race itself was amazing to watch, especially the last lap where it so easily could have been either Hill or Hopkins; neither rider wanting to roll over and accept defeat. Eventually the Brit defeated the American in a fight that will go down in BSB folklore.

The BSB finale - John Hopkins and Tommy Hill battling on track over the title - was a two-wheeled race of the year

Louis Suddaby

BSB Final Weekend: Race Three
Often, title deciders end in tears but the very last race of the British Superbike season saw Tommy Hill and John Hopkins race fair and square with everything on the line, producing the best lap of racing I’ve ever seen, bar none. The two swapped places six times on the last lap and Hill made it over the finish line six thousandths of a second ahead of Hopkins to win the championship. For sheer excitement and given what was at stake, nothing on two wheels came close this year.

Scott Wilkes

Canadian Grand Prix
This was the most difficult accolade for me to chose this year, as this years motor sport season hasn’t really pulled me in as much as previous seasons. Thinking back throughout the year however, one race stood out to me. On my way back from spectating at Silverstone for the British MotoGP, I was witnessing reports on Twitter that the Canadian Grand Prix had been red flagged for around an hour. I almost hadn’t tuned in once I’d arrived home, but how glad I was I had.

Witnessing Jenson Button‘s surge through the field was a sight to behold. Despite various contacts throughout the race with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari‘s Fernando Alonso, Button held onto the leading pack, and in drying conditions which he loves, he was able to set some blistering laps to catch Sebastian Vettel, and force the leader into making a mistake on the penultimate lap.

Tom Kimber-Smith with the Woolf Barnato Trophy

After a season in which he won the LMP2 class title in the Le Mans Series and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Tom Kimber-Smith picked up two prestigious awards at two separate awards ceremonies.

Tom’s first accolade came from the Guild of Motoring Writers annual awards held on December 1 at the RAC Club in Pall Mall, collecting the 2011 Driver of the Year award. Kimber-Smith joins a long line of motorsport greats to be given the award including Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Damon Hill, and Sebastien Loeb. Kimber-Smith collected the award from another man on the list of past winners – triple F1 champion Jackie Stewart.

The 27-year-old’s next award came from the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) a few days later (December 5) in an event hosted by Jake Humphrey.

Kimber-Smith was awarded the Woolf Barnato Trophy for his eighth place in the Greaves Motorsport run Zytek-Nissan. Named in honour of three time overall Le Mans winner Barnato – one of the fabled Bentley Boys – the prize is given to the highest finishing British or Commonwealth driver in a British car at the 24 Hours.

Kimber-Smith collected the Guild of Motoring Writers Driver of the Year award from Sir Jackie Stewart

“After working hard all year it is very nice to be recognised for my efforts,” said Kimber-Smith. “The Guild of Motoring Writers Driver of the Year Award is very special as there are many great previous winners, and I couldn’t have imagined before that I would win a trophy that was once held by so many incredible names. The BRDC Woolf Barnato Trophy is another great award and one of the oldest trophies in the Club. The BRDC is the best motorsport club in the world and to pick up the – seriously heavy! – trophy in front of all my fellow members and guests was a great feeling. I’m now looking forward to picking up my LMS championship trophy in January next year.”

Alex and Martin Brundle (Photo Credit: Nissan)

Last month father and son  Martin and Alex Brundle announced they will enter the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans in an LMP2 class car entered by Greaves Motorsport, who won the class this year.

While father and son pairings at the world’s most famous endurance race are rare, they are not unheard of. Modern racing greats Nigel Mansell and Derek Bell have both shared Le Mans charges with their sons – Greg and Leo; Justin respectively – but neither have been able to match Louis and Jean-Louis Rosier who shared victory in the 1950 edition of the race.

Neither will next year’s race be the first time Brundle senior and junior have shared a car. They have several races in Radical sportscars, as well as races in Lamborghini’s together behind them. They also have experience of competing against each other, when Martin made a guest appearance in Formula Palmer Audi as his son progressed up the single seater ladder.

More recently the elder Brundle competed with United Autosports at the Rolex 24 at Daytona last January, recording a fourth place finish, but has not driven at Le Mans since he was part of the Bentley team in 2001.

“To share this experience with your son – for me to be able to strap him in the car and send him on his way – is going to be very special.”

However, he adds; “I think it means quite little to him to be racing with his dad to be honest. He just sees it as a professional opportunity. But it means a lot to me because dad and his lad means a lot more to the dad.”

“For me, I have a small window to do this,” Martin explains some of his motivation for the entry. “I am still fast enough to drive an LMP2 car. Alex will still be 21 at Le Mans and before he takes off, I might never get a chance to race with him there again. I regret not having raced more in the intervening time since I last did Le Mans, but I’ve got the speed, I’ve got the fitness and stamina and I would be absolutely open to continuing past 2012.”

“I had some massive disappointments at Le Mans. I’ve had a puncture in the first chicane while leading for Toyota, and in 1998 I hit a patch of water and went off and had a massive shunt. That’s Le Mans for you – but it’s incredible.”

A younger Martin Brundle (middle of the three drivers) on the 1990 Le Mans podium

Wary of recent 24 Hours races – it was a fact he mentioned in preparation for his drive at Daytona – Brundle is aware that in order to win the class, or even take a place on the podium, the team – he, his son and an as yet unconfirmed third driver – will need to be faultless.

“If you ever lift you won’t win in my experience: someone will drive flat out in a trouble-free run to the end of the race so you all have to. It’s a sprint race for 24 hours; I don’t ever remember coasting there in anything. Its bloody hard work.”

Of course, there will be much that will passed down from father to son during build up to the race, and then the race itself. “I can shortcut his pain process of learning a lot of things, even if he’ll still be very young. It’s a mighty track and a mighty motor race and he’s very aware that we have to deliver.”

“It also will help Alex massively,” he continues. “I’ve always said, and I stand by it, that sportscar racing can offer you a number of elements that single seater racing can’t: working with the pressures of a manufacturer, working with the tyre company, the set up, the dynamics within the team. You have 100s of people in the pit team, a big budget, a lot of pressure and that’s just like being in a grand prix team. I think it will broaden his horizons, give him confidence and I can’t see any downside.”

In contrast Brundle senior is also expecting his son – who has also raced in Formula 3 and Formula 2 – to be able to teach him on one of the aspects of racing that has grown massively since he bowed out of international racing.

“Racing nowadays is so much more data driven than it was when I did it, so I’m actually following Alex a lot on that if I’m honest,” he says. “I think it was 1991 when I first had data acquisition on my F1 car, and then I remember seeing Alex’s cadet kart with the Pi system giving all sorts of data – at that low a level. It has all moved on so much, so I’ll be listening more than talking about that side.”

He admits he has concerns – driving at night, for example – and the new experience of having to check his mirrors for the faster LMP1 cars.

“I’m going to find it strange at night and I’m going to realise how much I have terrified people in the various 24 Hour races I have done.”

“I saw a tweet today from Alex Wurz saying “hi mate, adjust your mirrors please ” – and in many ways that’s the perfect welcome.”

Toyota enter World Endurance Championship with ORECA

Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) have confirmed a partnership with ORECA to provide operations support for their 2012 World Endurance Championship project.

The French team will bring its experience in sportscars,and specifically of the 24 Hours of Le Mans,where it has competed for several seasons.

ORECA has shown its qualities by rivaling the two official constructors, Audi and Peugeot in the enduro classic.

Most notably, Hugues de Chaunac’s men won the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2011, and finished 2nd in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta a few weeks ago.

The LMP1 chassis that will be entered in 2012 has been designed, developed and built at TMG’s technical centre in Cologne.

The prototype will be powered by a petrol engine equipped with hybrid technology, provided by Toyota Motor Corporation.

ORECA will support the TMG track operations team and this partnership will begin in the coming weeks.

Hugues de Chaunac, President of Groupe ORECA, said: “It’s a very big day for ORECA. To be chosen by Toyota Motorsport GmbH is a huge reward for the work we’ve done in recent years.

“ORECA has proven its worth at the highest level of endurance racing, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2011 and finishing three straight times in the top 5 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“Thanks to its know-how, ORECA now has the opportunity to work with the biggest automobile manufacturer, and on a project that’s particularly interesting.

“We are proud to support Toyota Motorsport GmbH in this challenge and we’re looking forward to an exciting future.”

Rob Leupen, Director Business Operations, Toyota Motorsport GmbH added: “This is clearly good news for TMG. ORECA’s competence and track record are well known, which is why we were very keen to develop a relationship with them.

“They will enhance our track operations team as we make progress in the world of endurance racing.”

The Sebastien Loeb Racing logo

Sebastien Loeb has established his own racing team with the aim of competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the future.

The seven-time World Rally Champion has created Sebastien Loeb Racing together with his friend Dominique Heintz, with the team due to enter the French Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup in 2012. They are also looking to enter the Le Mans Series with a Formula Le Mans Oreca-FLM09.

Loeb’s relationship with Heintz began in 1997, when the latter’s outfit ran a Peugeot 106 Volant for Loeb.

“With Dominique, we’ve often spoken about this desire to start a team together,” said Loeb. “A true friendship links us. The story began fifteen years ago: he’s the one who began the idea. We promised to each other that we would do it one day, and that day has come.”

“It’s the logical continuation of the adventure,” added Heintz. “Sebastien felt ready, he has clarified his future as a driver. It’s the right time. After these next two years in rally (2012 and 2013), he’ll have the opportunity to get even more involved in the team which will have already gone through its growing pains. It’s not an idea that we came up with yesterday. We’ve been talking about it for a while now we just had to let time do its thing.”

Rallying may be Loeb’s first love, but setting up a racing team gives him a chance to get more involved in that side of the sport.

“I’ve had a few experiences on circuits, in different disciplines, and I liked those experiences as well as the atmosphere around them,” said Loeb. “Rallying represents a large part of my life and it’s something I still enjoy, which is why I’m continuing in the sport. But in the coming years, when I’ll have more time available, I want to discover a new universe.”

Sebastien Loeb Racing will make its competition debut in the Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup, a series that Loeb himself is racing in this weekend at Paul Ricard. The team will enter two Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.

“I’ve driven in this series, and I was seduced,” said Loeb. “Each competitor has the same car, so it’s the driver who makes the difference. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup can be entered in several championships : it’s an element that counted for us, as well as its reasonable price.

“We will be running two cars in France, but it’s also accepted in Porsche Supercup and even in the Le Mans Series, in the GTC class. Therefore, another program could come online as a compliment. This choice is the fruit of a lot of forethought. It’s a solid base.”

Having twice competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Loeb has his sights set on endurance racing.

“Our desire is to acquire the necessary experience to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans around 2014 in LMP2,” said Heintz. “Formula Le Mans is a good solution to start in prototype racing. This is why we are working to get the necessary budget.”

“Endurance racing is an attractive discipline,” added Loeb. “The World Endurance Championship will be launched in 2012, with three officially entered constructors. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a legendary race and we hope to one day be on the grid as a racing team. To accomplish this, we must put together a cohesive project and take it step by step.”

Reiterating his seriousness about the project, Loeb said: “This isn’t a one-shot deal. We want to build a serious and professional team, which will be there for the long haul. It’s a real challenge, we can’t underestimate the size of it. But that’s also what’s good about it. I’m going to discover new aspects, aspects that will represent my future, and which will allow me to stay in racing and therefore keep living my passion.”

Loeb and Heintz will now assess potential drivers for next season, and could look towards young drivers.

“It’s one of our hopes,” said Heintz. “We must not forget that this was the base of our friendship: Sebastien climbed his way to the top thanks to ladder series. Today, we’d like to help young talent work their way up the hierarchy with the same principle. We’ll use Sebastien’s path as inspiration to reproduce a great career, it’s a formidable challenge. That said, sharing his experience with a gentleman driver would be a unique adventure as well.”

The team’s definitive plans will be announced during an official presentation before the end of the year.

This year is also 41 years since Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood powered to Le Mans glory for the first time in their 917K Porsche, a year later Porsche set a distance record of 3,315 miles at an average speed of 138 mph.

And it is with this heritage in mind that the new Porsche Design Drivers Selection has been announced with the Porsche Team Salzburg livery of the 1970 winner adorning overnight bags (£125), wallets (£15), mugs (£15) and a glass coaster set (£40).

For diehard fans, Porsche have also revealed that a 1:43 scale model of the record breaking 1971 917KH  Le Mans winning car is available for just £40.

Martini Racing which has long been linked with Porsche since the classic win 40 years ago has also been honoured with designs featuring the livery from the car.

Customers willing to splash the cash will be able to buy polo and rugby shirts from £50, hooded shirts (£75), beach balls (£39) and beach towels (£45) for their summer getaway, all decorated with the Martini Racing colours.

Model fans will also be able to pick up a 1:43 scale of the 1976 Porsche 936 ‘Black Widow’ racer along with all the other items from the 32 Porsche centres nationwide or online at http://shop1.porsche.com/uk.

The no.2 Audi R18 of Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler crossed the line only thirteen second clear of the nearest Peugeot in on the closest finishes in the storied race’s history. It was a margin so narrow that organisers the Automobile Club de l’Ouest eschewed the traditional ceremonial last lap in favour of a final tour completed at full racing speed. Some traditions remained as the brave flagman still ventured out onto the track to greet Lotterer, bringing the Audi home.

With such a tiny margin between the leaders after 24 hours of racing, picking that crucial moment – the moment favour tipped in Audi’s favour is near impossible. Benoit Treluyer’s (and his Michelin tyres’) unmatched quintuple stint aboard the Audi, is certainly a candidate for the decision that may have won the race.

In the late morning the Frenchman opted for a fifth stint in the cockpit – pushing the regulations for maximum stint length – going some way to snap the game of pitstop leapfrog that had characterised the race between the metronomic diesels.

Though he still emerged from the pitlane in second place, Sebastien Bourdais flashing past up the hill to the Dunlop Chicane in the no.9 Peugeot , the decision not to take on tyres saved around half a minute and gave him a comfortable lead when Bourdais came in for his own stop.

Still, the lead was almost lost by another Audi pit call in the final hour of the race. With Lotterer in the car both he and Simon Pagenaud in the no.9 had to make one more pitstop to reach the end of the race. However, Lotterer, reportedly with a puncture was forced to change tyres – a time consuming endeavour under ACO regulations – cutting his lead down to just seven second with less than forty minutes remaining. However, now with fresh rubber to rely on, and a lead to build on, the opportunity Peugeot were handed came to nothing, Lotterer able to pull away.

Peugeot were not without their mistakes. The no.7 car of Alex Wurz, Anthony Davidson and Marc Gene had been the leader of the three Peugeots for much of the race, however – in Wurz’s hands – a hour nineteen off at Indianapolis damaged the front suspension on the 908, necessitating a visit to the garage for repairs that would leave the trio off the podium.

Peugeot pushed the lone Audi all race, taking the lead during the night, but fell short in the daylight of Sunday

As expected the race was dominated by the diesel powered cars – none of their petrol fuelled counterparts able to match their performance despite the ACO’s best attempts at balancing performance. Such was the diesel’s advantage that the Team ORECA Matmut year old Peugeot 908 HDI FAP was able to finish fifth, despite two incidents, including an off at the first Mulsanne chicane that delayed the car for 14 minutes in the pits.

The French privateers were only able to take fifth because of the late demise of Henri Pescarolo’s team on their 24 Hours return Emmanuel Collard spinning at the entrance to the Porsche Curves on a greasy track, wrecking the chassis bringing Henri’s Le Mans to a sadly premature (and very emotional) end with just hours to go.

Collard’s accident handed the best petrol title to Rebellion Racing, who had quietly run well with the no.12 Neel Jani, Nicolas Prost, Jeroen Bleekemolen entry, finishing a full ten laps clear of the Kronos Racing Lola-Aston Martin. The pair of works AMR-One lasted only six laps between the, Darren Turner and Adrian Fernandez suffering near simultaneous, identical water pump failures.

The revamping of the GT classes at Le Mans – as in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup – did little to change the style of racing in, arguably, the most competitive class of all.

Corvette Racing looked to have been dealt the winning hand early on. After an early pitstop – a strategy call by the team to set their fuel calculations – the team were able to run during the first safety car intervention without stopping, leaving a comfortable cushion between the no.74 Corvette of Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen and Richard Westbrook and the nearest challenger.

While Corvette look almost destined to take the win they should have taken in 2010 second place was the front line in four way manufacturer tussle. Ferrari, with AF Corse, the pair of BMW Motorsport M3s that had shown their pace in qualifying and the second Corvette all fought over second. The fleet of Porsches only made fleeting appearances towards the top of the class. Team Felbermayr-Proton’s second car got all the way up to second with Nick Tandy driving before Olivier Beretta in the second Corvette deposed it.

Prospeed Competition, Flying Lizard Motorsports, Felbermayr-Proton. All made visits to the higher places in the GTEPro class, but all were delayed. Partly by tyre durability problems that effected all the Porsches, stopped by a myriad of technical problems, punctures, and accidents like that which knocked the erstwhile second placed Felbermayr-Proton car out of the race.

The crucial point in the GTEPro race was the coming together of Magnussen’s leading Corvette and the GTEAm Proton Competition entry with Horst Felbermayr Sr. at the wheel. Magnussen, in the faster car, was forced offline to pass the Porsche, ran over the kerb and was spat into the side of the Porsche, sending both cars cannoning off the wall on the approach to the Ford Chicane. The damage to the Corvette prompted instant retirement, Magnussen not returning to the team’s garage for a time despite the car coming to a halt just metres from the entrance to the pitlane.

Once more, as they had done twelve months ago when a mechanical problem and a charging Anthony Davidson put paid to their two cars, Corvette appeared to have dramatically snatch defeat from the jaws of a certain victory.

AF Corse were the immediate beneficiaries. The pre-race favourites – Giancarlo Fisichella, Toni Vilander and Gianmaria Bruni – were presented with the lead, but as the hours wound down their Ferrari 458 Italia began to encounter problems of its own. A pitstop extended by the team taking the engine cover off the rear of the car to examine the workings was the first warning sign, as electrical and clutch problems transformed every pitstop into a massive hurdle the team had to clear and the cumulative total of all their delays was enough to drop them to second in class by the end of the race.

Behind the other Corvette.

Corvette Racing snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, after their dominant lead car crashed out

The no.73 car (Olivier Beretta, Tommy Milner and Antonio Garcia) had constantly been among those fighting around the class top three but reliability just as the leading Porsches, BMWs and Ferrari were flagging lifted them to the lead. Doug Fehan’s team had taken victory from defeat, after apparent defeat from victory.

The Corvette joy was bolstered by the French Larbre Competition squad taking their ex-works example to the GTEAm title. The class was almost a benefit for the 2010 LMGT1 class champions, as they proved to be too good for the rest of the field. Not only did their Corvette win the class, but their Porsche finished second in class, both cars dominating the class throughout the 24 hours.

LMP2 was the scene of perhaps the biggest surprise.

Team ORECA were the dominant force in LMP2, before David Hallyday crashed

Reigning champions Strakka Racing had recovered from their qualifying crash, but retired after half distance. Instead the pace was set by the pair of Nissan engined ORECA 03 chassis. The Signatech Nissan entry was dogged by punctures – a feature of Le Mans in 2011 seemingly more than any year before. That left the way open to the Team ORECA Matmut entry.

With Alexandre Premat, David Hallyday and Dominik Kraihamer sharing the driving duties Hughes de Chaunac’s LMP2 representative was a constant in the battle for the lead. That was until Hallyday stacked the car comprehensively and though he (with the help of some marshals on what can only be described as ‘tyre-turning duty’) tried to get the car back from Arnage with a destroyed front end, overheating soon claimed the car, abandoned by the side of the road.

That gave the tiny Greaves Motorsport squad – who had been the other half of the lead battle with ORECA – an easy lead. The squad – Team Bruichladdich before 2011 – were one of the few reliable entries in the class, steadily building a lead. Such was their advantage that when Tom Kimber-Smith was another to spin on the damp track the team could afford to use some of the seven lap lead to bring the car into the garage for precautionary checks, emerging back into the lead when everything with the Zytek Nissan combination was declared sound. Untroubled Kimber-Smith, Karim Ojjeh and Olivier Lombard were left to stand atop the LMP2 podium.

Greaves Motorsport took the wins for the minnows in LMP2, thanks to stunning reliability

Also enjoying a reliable, quiet, run to the finish were Level 5 Motorsports. The American team had been fighting their Honda powered Lola coupe all weekend, but almost silently stalked up the order with the minimum of problems.

However, it’s impossible to look back on the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans without confronting the elephant in the room, and the two horrific accidents that put the no.1 and no.3 Audis out of the race before Sunday had dawned over La Sarthe.

Mike Rockenfeller was the second to crash, overtaking Rob Kauffman in the AF Corse Ferrari he shared with Michael Waltrip and Rui Aguas. Kauffman may have moved across on the Audi, but only to take the natural line through the right hand kink ahead. However, whether Rockenfeller simply misjudged the gap he was aiming for, or Kauffman was dazzled by the LED lights of the R18, the contact spun Rockenfeller left into the wall, the impact with barriers sending a fountain of carbon fibre skyward before he span back across the track to end on the right hand side of the track. Rockenfeller, despite what was later described as a flesh wound to his arm was reportedly able to climb from the remains of the car himself.

Only hours earlier Allan McNish had suffered another terrifying accident at the Dunlop Esses after making contact with another GTE car. In McNish’s case too contact as he tried to move past sent the car into the barriers, corkscrewing frighteningly on the verge of vaulting the barriers into the gathered marshals and photographers. That the main tub of the car landed back on the trackside of the barriers and that no-one was seriously injured by the shower of pieces and parts is something every race fan should be thankful for, even more so when the car the was righted and a visibly shaken McNish walked away.

Though the two crashes were only split seconds of a 24 hour race, and a fantastic 24 hour race at that, the destruction of two Audis will, this writer fears, be remembered long after the victory of one.

The winning car and the winning team - Benoit Treluyer, Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Race Engineer Leena Gada, the first female race engineer ever to win the 24 Hours

Audi may have feared they had lost the race at times. Lotterer needed to pit twice in the final 60 minutes to ensure he could make the finish, and while the first stop, with 55 minutes still on the clock went without worry the second stop was more alarming.

Both Lotterer and Pagenaud pitted at the end of the same lap, with just 34 seconds between them, but while Peugeot only fuelled the no.9 Audi elected to give Lotterer one last set of Michelin tyres for the final 26 minutes.

The tyre change cost Audi time, and cut Lotterer’s heart-stoppingly slender lead in half, but he remained in the lead and soon begun to put his fresh rubber to good use and pull away from Pagenaud after initially losing more time to the Peugeot man.

The gap was never truly comfortable, and the race was close enough for the ACO to eschew the tradition of the ceremonial last lap in favour of final lap at full racing speed and a full slowing down lap around the entire Circuit de la Sarthe.

As with any 24 Hour race the final hour was full of both joy and heartbreak. Robertson Racing – husband and wife Andrea and David Robertson with David Murry took the final podium place from the GTEAm class, passing the JMB Racing Ferrari early in the final hour of racing.

Shinji Nakano suffered an engine failure on the penultimate lap, the no.49 OAK Racing entry expiring beneath him around the first corner.

Greaves Motorsport won LMP2, the tiny team finishing eighth overall. Signatech Nissan finished second at the end of a difficult 24 hours that included three punctures for the squad of Franck Mailleux, Lucas Ordonez and Soheil Ayari, who took the car across the finish line. Scott Tucker’s Level 5 Motorsport squad completed the class podium.

After looking like they had lost the class when their dominant no.74 car crashed on Sunday morning Corvette Racing won GTEPro – arguably a year later than they should have done – ahead of AF Corse and the no.56 BMW M3 third.

Another Corvette won GTEAm, this one from French squad Larbre Competition. The team’s second car, a Porsche finished second, surviving a final hour spin at Arnage, with the Robertson Racing Ford GT in third, the American team taking advantage of the rate of attrition in the lowest class.

LMP1
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
No.9 – Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.8 – Peugeot Sport Total – Sarrazin/Montagny/Minassian

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.26 – Signatech – Mailleux/Ordonez/Ayari
No.33 – Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.73 – Corvette Racing – Beretta/Milner/Garcia
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.56 – BMW Motorsport – Priaulx/Muller/Hand

GTEAm
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No 70 – Larbre Competition – Bourret/Gibon/Belloc
No.68 – Robertson Racing – Murry/Robertson/Robertson

On paper the no.2 Audi passing the no.7 Peugeot should have been an easy move. The lead car passing a car 4 laps down should never be a problem, in reality Marc Gene made his 908 as wide as possible, making it near impossible for Andre Lotterer to pass safely. Lotterer would eventually pass the Peugeot but not after being blocked and nearly run off the circuit.

Asked about the manoeuvre the Peugeot team simply responded “There was no blue flag”.

In LMP2 Greaves Motorsport continued to march onwards with Lombard taking over the no.41. Signatech Nissan followed by Level 5 Motorsports make up the top 3 places.

Positions in the GTEPro class remain the same with the Corvette leading Ferrari and BMW.

There was some brief movement in the GTEAm class as the no.83 slowed on track and limped back to the pits. Thankfully for the team the problem was sorted and they would regain their third place from the no.68 Ford GT.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after twenty-three hours

LMP1
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
No.9 – Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.8 – Peugeot Sport Total – Sarrazin/Montagny/Minassian

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.26 – Signatech – Mailleux/Ordonez/Ayari
No.33 – Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.73 – Corvette Racing – Beretta/Milner/Garcia
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.56 – BMW Motorsport – Priaulx/Muller/Hand

GTEAm
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No 70 – Larbre Competition – Bourret/Gibon/Belloc
No.83 – JMB Racing – Rodrigues/Menahem/Marroc

While others – most notably the no.8 Peugeot 908 took on intermediate tyres to cope with the increasingly tricky conditions, Lotterer remaining on slick tyres, though obviously struggling with the conditions, tip-toeing through the Porsche Curves visibly, allowing a normally slower LMP2 car to get past him. Still Lotterer passed up the opportunity for new tyres of any denomination when he made his regular pitstop.

Lotterer’s caution allowed a charging Simon Pagenaud to cleave time out of the healthy lead, often at more than ten seconds a lap as the two cars on the lead lap began to close up.

While the leaders avoided any major incident because of the conditions other high profile entries were not so lucky. The no.10 ORECA Peugeot went off at Indianapolis, hitting the barriers before getting going again, depositing it’s rear bodywork on the short blast towards the 90 degree right of Arnage.

Tom Kimber-Smith of Greaves Motorsport – the leaders in LMP2 – went off at the Dunlop Chicane, spinning into the gravel. The Zytek was soon back on track but Tim Greaves’ team chose to use some of their seven lap lead to check the car over in the garage as a precaution before rejoining the race, still easily leading the class in seventh overall.

Greaves’ lead had grown because of a flurry of problems for the Signatech Nissan that had been their nearest competitor. Franck Mailleux suffered a left-rear puncture at the beginning of the hour, stopping on track at one point before limping the car back to the pits for repairs, overseen by Hughes de Chaunac of chassis builders ORECA.

Once returned to the track Mailleux became another spinner in the wet, lopping the car at the first chicane on the Mulsanne Straight. The largest accident in the wet came at the sweeping fast right hander at the start of the Porsche Curves when Emmanuel Collard hit the tyre wall in the LMP1 Pescarolo, damaging the car enough to make it an instant and very emotional retirement on Henri Pescarolo’s return to Le Mans after a year away.

The lead has changed in GTEPro, Tommy Milner taking the lead back for Corvette Racing in the no.73 car, passing the increasingly sickly AF Corse Ferrari.

In the Amateur class Larbre Competition still hold a 1-2 with their Corvette heading their Porsche by about a lap with the JMB Racing Ferrari completing the provisional podium on the debut for the new class set-up.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after twenty-two hours

LMP1
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
No.9 – Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.8 – Peugeot Sport Total – Sarrazin/Montagny/Minassian

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.26 – Signatech – Mailleux/Ordonez/Ayari
No.33 – Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.73 – Corvette Racing – Beretta/Milner/Garcia
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.56 – BMW Motorsport – Priaulx/Muller/Hand

GTEAm
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No 70 – Larbre Competition – Bourret/Gibon/Belloc
No.83 – JMB Racing – Rodrigues/Menahem/Marroc

A pretty uneventful hour came to a close with the no.8 Peugeot holding ground while Lotterer looked to lap him, the French team not making it easy for the Audi to continue onwards. While the no.2 car holds strong at the front the no.9 and no.8 Peugeots make up the top three.

Greaves Motorsport continue to lead the LMP2 class with Thomas Kimber-Smith easily in control of the class. the no.26 Signatech Nissan holds second with the Level 5 Lola in third.

The GTEPro class would see a change of leader after the no.51 AF Corse Ferrari came in to the pits for a scheduled stop only to experience problems while trying to pull away. This would hand the lead to the no.73 Corvette in the hands of Antonio Garcia. The no.56 BMw of Dirk Muller moves up to third in class.

GTEAm remains the same with Julien Canal maintaining the advantage in the no.50 Corvette. Jean-Philippe Belloc sits in second place in the Labre competition Porsche followed by the JMB Racing Ferrari.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after twenty one hours

LMP1
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
No.9 – Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.8 – Peugeot Sport Total – Sarrazin/Montagny/Minassian

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.26 – Signatech – Mailleux/Ordonez/Ayari
No.33 – Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.73 – Corvette Racing – Beretta/Milner/Garcia
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.56 – BMW Motorsport – Andy Priaulx/Dirk Muller/Joey Hand

GTEAm
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No 70 – Larbre Competition – Bourret/Gibon/Belloc
No.83 – JMB Racing – Rodrigues/Menahem/Marroc

That man is Benoit Treluyer in the only surviving Audi R18. By not changing Michelin tyres or swapping driver the team saved approximately 30 seconds and though the Frenchman still emerged from the pits in second it was by a matter of seconds as Bourdais flashed by on the climb away from the pits towards the Dunlop Chicane.

Bourdais stopped only a handful of laps after the Audi giving Treluyer a lead of over a minute. However, he was now tucked up behind Anthony Davidson in the no.7 Peugeot, four laps off the pace after Alex Wurz’s earlier off.

The Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan continues to lead LMP2, with a four lap advantage over the similarly Nissan engined ORECA O3 of the Signatech squad. Level 5 Motorsports hold third place, with their nearest challengers – the no.49 OAK Racing car fell away, their Pescarolo being pulled back into the garage. The other OAK Racing LMP2 entry also found problems ??? Lafargue becoming the latest man to suffer a puncture.

There were also problems for Raymond Narac in the Imsa Performance Porsche, who ran into the gravel at Tetre Rouge and the JMW Motorsport Ferrari which ran out of fuel and had to crawl the last remaining yards into the pitlane on the starter motor of the ailing Ferrari, struggling since Saturday with clutch problems.

There are also clutch problems for the no.51 AF Corse Ferrari, the car coming in for a pitstop, the team lifting the engine cover off the rear of the 458 Italia which also – according to driver Giancarlo Fisichella in a TV interview is suffering an electrical problem.

And as if the final four hours of the race aren’t unpredictable enough, there are the first signs of rain falling over La Sarthe.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after twenty hours

LMP1
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
No.9 – Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.8 – Peugeot Sport Total – Sarrazin/Montagny/Minassian

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.26 – Signatech – Mailleux/Ordonez/Ayari
No.33 – Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.73 – Corvette Racing – Beretta/Milner/Garcia
No.56 – BMW Motorsport – Hand/Muller/Priaulx

GTEAm
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No 70 – Larbre Competition – Bourret/Gibon/Belloc
No.83 – JMB Racing – Rodrigues/Menahem/Marroc

With the lone Audi of Treluyer out front the Peugeot of Pagenaud was chasing hard and would briefly take the lead through the pit stops which saw Audi pit nineteen minutes in to the session followed by the Peugeot seven minutes later. Wurz would take the top spot for a further eleven minutes until his pit stop saw the no.2 Audi take back the lead.A brief scare for Treluyer came when lapping the no.55 GTEPro BMW of Augusto Farfus, a slight indecision from Farfus would see the no.2 Audi narrowly avoid the rear of the Brazilian’s car.

Alex Wurz would end his session in the car with a bump as he ran wide through Indianapolis, heading straight over the gravel trap and in to the tyre barrier, damaging the front right bodywork and suspension in the process. After being recovered by the marshalls the no.7 Peugeot would limp back to the pits ready for the team to repair the accident damage before handing the car over to Anthony Davidson just before the end of the hour. With Wurz dropping down the order the no.8 Peugeot of Sarrazin would move up in to third place in LMP1.

Greaves Motorsport continue to lead the LMP2 following a driver change with Karim Ojjeh taking the helm, the no.26 Signatech Nissan would also see a driver change with Soheil Ayari taking over. The Level 5 Motorsports No.33 would hold on to third spot with Joao Barbosa continuing his run.

The only change in the top three for GTEPro category see’s Augusto Farfus drop down the order following a long pit stop with the car briefly visiting the garage. Marc Lieb moves up in to third place with the no.77 Porsche.

GTEAm continues with Labre competition leading the way in the Corvette over the No.70 Porsche and the No.83 Ferrari F430.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after nineteen hours

LMP1
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
No.9 – Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.8 – Peugeot Sport Total – Sarrazin/Montagny/Minassian

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.26 – Signatech – Mailleux/Ordonez/Ayari
No.33 – Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.73 – Corvette Racing – Beretta/Milner/Garcia
No.77 – Team Felbermayr-Proton – Lieb/Lietz/Henzler

GTEAm
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No 70 – Larbre Competition – Bourret/Gibon/Belloc
No.83 – JMB Racing – Rodrigues/Menahem/Marroc

The hour started under safety car conditions after an incident between the GTE Pro Corvette of Magnussen and the GTE Am Porsche of Horst Felbermayr Sr.

At the start of the hour both the #8 and #7 Peugeot pitted while the #2 Audi swapped drivers, as Lotterer jumped out as Treluyer jumped in. There was a spin for #35 Da Rocha in his LMP2 ORECA 03-Judd BMW who nearly collected the #9 Peugeot of Pagenaud.

The #9 Peugeot lead the field from the #2 Audi by .8 of a second as a battle for the lead ensued. The #2 and #9 were joined by the lapped #8 of Sarrazin and the three encounted heavy traffic towards the end of the lap twice in succession. 2.3 seconds covered the top three as the #7 of Wurz closed in.

There was trouble lower down the field as the #80 GTE Pro Flying Lizard encountered problems and slowed dramatically before coming into the pits. The #81 GTE Am Flying Lizard of Pumpelly the pulled off with what seemed a terminal problem.

Sarrazin then over took Treluyer to reclaim a lap as his team-mate Wurz closed. The pair then spectacularly over the #70 car in a move reminiscent of that between Hakkinen /Zonta/Schumacher at Spa many years ago, with Treluyer having to take evasive action to avoid incident.

Blue flags then caused the #8 car of Sarrazin to let the #2 Audi repass before he caught and passed the #9 Peugeot for the lead. The pair then pitted on the same lap, however the #2 Audi had pulled a gap between the two.

A 1 minute stop/go for the #8 Peugeot of Sarrazin for a pit stop infringement left his well out of contention, as the hour ended with the good news than the #80 Flying Lizard car was fully fixed after a broken injector wire to the cylinder.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after eighteen hours

LMP1
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
No.9 -  Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.7 – Peugeot Sport Total – Davidson/Gene/Wurz

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.26 – Signatech – Mailleux/Ordonez/Ayari
No.33 – Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.73 – Corvette Racing – Beretta/Milner/Garcia
No.55 – BMW Motorsport – Farfus/Muller/Werner

GTEAm
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No 70 – Larbre Competition – Bourret/Gibon/Belloc
No.83 -  JMB Racing – Rodrigues/Menahem/Marroc

Jan Magnussen was aboard the class leader and was trying to pass the slower GTEAm Porsche of Proton Competition on the inside of the left handed kink that points the cars back towards the main grandstands that flank the start line of the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Magnussen, he says, tried to avoid the Porsche by taking to the grass and kerb but the Corvette speared right, into the side of the Porsche sending both cars pin-balling across the track to hit both barriers heavily. The second impact destroyed the rear or the Corvette. Horst Felbermayr Sr., driving the Proton Competition car was tended to by medical crews, and was taken away in a neck brace. His hands were moving, but there is no confirmed news of his condition.

“I’m OK, but the car is not,” said the Dane. “It had lots of damage, there was no steering input, and I couldn’t drive it back. I’m so sorry for all the guys.”

The Corvette, which Magnussen shares with Oliver Gavin and Richard Westbrook had led the GTEPro class comfortably since the opening hour, when the car was able to gain an advantage having pitted just before the safety car came out after Allan McNish’s accident at the Dunlop Curves.

“It seems when it gets around 8 o’clock, something happens, whether it’s an issue with the car or a crash like today,” said Gavin. “It’s just devastating when you work all year toward this race. The crew has worked so hard, they’ve done everything right. We didn’t have the easiest car to drive but it was fast when we got it dialed in. We led from the first safety car period and that’s what makes it so hard – we keep leading for so long and then something happens. That’s what makes Le Mans so cruel and so great to win when you overcome all that and succeed. This is the hardest race in the world to win.”

The second Corvette has moved up to second place with its teammate’s retirement, Olivier Beretta having survived nosing into the tyres barriers at Arnage shortly before the safety car came out to help recover and tend to the two stricken cars near pit entrance

Magnussen was trying to pass the GTEAm Proton Competition, reportedly driven by Horst Felbermayr Sr. at the time, but the Dane’s Corvette snapped right into the side of the Porsche, pushing both first into the right hand wall, then across the track and into the wall on the left of the track.

Magnussen backed into the wall, tearing the rear of the no.74 Corvette apart, while Felbermayr struck the concrete wall side on.

The crash – and the debris from it – brought out the safety car for the fifth time, once more bunching up the lead battle.

Again, however, pit strategy intervened Sebastien Bourdais bringing the no.9 Peugeot in from the lead for a driver change to hand over to Simon Pagenaud. The stop, dropped the car not only out of the lead but back behind a different safety car train.

As the lengthy safety car continued – crews tending to Felbermayr Sr. – both no.7 and no.2 made their own pitstops, shuffling Pagenaud back into the lead.

In better new for Corvette fans the GTEAm example run by Larbre Competition now leads that class having passed the Flying Lizard Motorsports car. The Porsche lost time with an off at Mulsanne Corner, followed by a pitstop but still maintained the lead until the Corvette got past on the track.

The Lizards car – Spencer Pumpelly back in the car after Seth Neiman had the off – is now second, with Larbre’s Porsche in third.

In GTEPro AF Corse have taken the lead from the stricken Corvette, though the other Compuware backed car is now in second place, after surviving its own brush with the tyre wall at Arnage.

Greaves Motorsport still lead LMP2 in ninth overall, with the Signatech Nissan ORECA 03 in second and Level 5 Motorsport in third with their Lola Coupe.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after seventeen hours:

LMP1
No.9 – Peugeot Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.7 – Peugeot Sport Total – Davidson/Gene/Wurz
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.26 – Signatech – Mailleux/Ordonez/Ayari
No.33 – Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.73 – Corvette Racing – Beretta/Milner/Garcia
No.80 – Flying Lizard Motorsports – Bergmeister/Long/Luhr

GTEAm
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No 81 – Flying Lizard Motorsports – Neiman/Law/Pumpelly
No.70 – Larbre Competition – Bourret/Gibon/Belloc

The two Peugeot’s hold a two pit stop advantage over the #2 Audi’s are expected to pit soon into the 17^th hour.

Hour sixteen started with the fourth safety car of the race after the #59 Luxury Ferrari of Ortelli stopped on track, just before his team mate Jakubowski (#58) in the sister Luxury Ferrari crashed at the same spot as Boullion just hours earlier.

The Peugeots reacted to the safety car as the #9 and #7 pitted together and ran nose to tail.

Nissan ran 1-2-3 in LMP2 before the #48 Team ORECA Matmut of Hallyday crashed from P2 in class under the safety car.

Soon after a number of pit stops followed at the #26, #55, #8 and the #16 all pitted.

The #8 Peugeot joined the number #7 and number #9 Peugeot on the race track, albeit a lap down.

The #2 Audi pitted and a drive changed ensued as Fassler gave his seat to Lotterer and he promptly then set a new lap record with a 3.27.710. The #9 of Bourdais then responded setting a 3.27.388 before Lotterer set a new lap record of 2.36.298, which was .5 shy of the #2 Audi’s qualifying time of 3.27.7.

With rain predicted in the closing stages the race is still very much up for grabs.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after sixteen hours:

LMP1
No.9 – Peugeot Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.7 – Peugeot Sport Total – Davidson/Gene/Wurz
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.26 – Signatech – Mailleux/Ordonez/Ayari
No.33 – Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.74 – Corvette Racing – Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.73 – Corvette Racing – Beretta/Milner/Garcia

GTEAm
No 81 – Flying Lizard Motorsports – Neiman/Law/Pumpelly
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No.70 – Larbre Competition – Bourret/Gibon/Belloc

Once more, though the car was an instant retirement, the driver was able to walk away from the accident. However, the most interesting development from the crash was that the three leaders – the no.9 and 7 Peugeots and no.2 Audi were all collected behind the same one of the three pace cars deployed around the track.

Thankfully the safety period was shorter than the two earlier in the day, the getting back underway after just 20 minutes behind the fleet of Audi saloon cars.

Sadly the tightly packed lead group didn’t see the green flag intact, Simon Pagenaud pulling the no.9 Peugeot out of the lead and down the pitlane to hand over to Sebastien Bourdais as the race went green.

Davidson was in soon after in the no.7 entry, allowing Marcel Fassler through into the lead of the race and with enough margin to maintain the lead – just – when he made his own stop. Davidson was close behind, however, and made a pass for the lead squeezing down the inside of the Audi into the sweeping right hander before Indianapolis.

The Briton’s lead lasted less than a lap as he ran wide in the middle element of the first chicane on the Mulsanne Straight, handing Fassler and Audi back the lead.

Boullion’s accident aside the main incidents affected one time front runners in GTEPro. Stephane Ortelli was struck by electrical failure in his Luxury Racing Ferrari, leaving him stranded on the run towards the Porsche Curves.

The Prospeed Competition Porsche was the other trouble hit GTEPro car, being heaved into the garage after running in the class top three, the best Porsche in the race, during the night.

In ninth overall Greaves Motorsport continue to lead LMP2 over the Team ORECA Matmut ORECA 03, and the no.64 Corvette continues to lead GTEPro, having made an extended pitstop under the safety car to change the brakes.

The no.51 AF Corse Ferrari is now their nearest challenger, with the second Corvette in third, sizing up the potential for a 1-2 finish for the American manufacturer. The Flying Lizard Motorsports entry has moved into fourth and picked up the chase as the best Porsche representative.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after fourteen hours:

LMP1
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
No.7 – Peugeot Sport Total – Davidson/Gene/Wurz
No.9 – Peugeot Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.48 – Team ORECA Matmut – Hallyday/Kraihamer/Premat
No.26 – Signatech Nissan – Ayari/Mailleux/Ordonez

GTEPro
No.74 – Corvette Racing – Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.53 – Corvette Racing – Beretta/Garcia/Milner

GTEAm
No 81 – Flying Lizard Motorsports – Neiman/Law/Pumpelly
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No.70 – Larbre Competition – Belloc/Bourret/Gibon

The Peugeot 908’s run 1-2 after the #7 of Davidson overtook the #2 Audi of Fassler as the top three were covered by just 30 seconds after 200 laps.

A majority of the hour was uneventful with a smattering of pit stops by the major contenders.

The #5 Hope Racing team have shown a never say die spirit and even after 20 pit stops continue to try and find the problem with the ORECA car which has had consistent problems.

The #8 Peugeot, which suffered damper problems early in the race, was one of the first of the leading cars to blink as Sarrizan left the car after a three hour stint, and he handed over to Minassian. Soon after the #2 Audi followed for a fuel only.

Some of the closest action in the race comes from the GTE Pro class with half a lap covering the top 4.

However, it was the LMP1 action that saw an overtake after Ant Davidson set a new lap record with a 3.27.713 on lap 188 as he closed on the #2 Audi. Davidson continued to close the gap before he and his team mate, the #9 Peugeot, pitted.

Then an LMP2 pit stop race began as the #33 Level 5 Motorsports car and the #26 Signatech Nissan entered pit road in close proximity, however the #26 suffered some trouble as the crew began to fix something within the cockpit.

Just as the hour ended the #7 of Davidson pounced on the #2 Audi at Indianapolis to take 2^nd place and pulled out a 5.3 second lead before the safety car came out after the #13 Rebellion Racing car crashed out with Boullion at the wheel.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after fourteen hours:

LMP1
No.9 – Peugeot Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.7 – Peugeot Sport Total – Davidson/Gene/Wurz
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.48 – Team ORECA Matmut – Hallyday/Kraihamer/Premat
No.33 – Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.74 – Corvette Racing – Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.59 – Luxury Racing – Ortelli/Makowiecki/Melo

GTEAm
No 81 – Flying Lizard Motorsports – Neiman/Law/Pumpelly
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No.61 – AF Corse SRL – Perazzini/Cioci/Breslin

Such was the impression Pagenaud was able to make on the lead that it tumbled from nearly two minutes at the start of the hour to only half a minute at its end. The hour also included a full service pitstop for the Audi – new Michelin tyres, more diesel and Marcel Fassler strapped into the car – that allowed Pagenaud through into the lead for the first time in several hours.

Pagenaud would have to pit – though a shorter stop during which the Frenchman remained in the car meant that he could maintain some level of contact with the long-time leader. The no.8 car of Stephane Sarrazin is just over a minute off the lead in third, with the third 908 in fourth ahead of the best of the petrol fuelled entries – the Pescarolo Team entry.

Greaves Motorsport maintain their LMP2 lead gained when the ORECA Matmut car was delayed with electrical problems. Their stint in the lead was briefly interrupted during a sequence of pitstops that allowed the ORECA squad briefly back into the lead before making their own stop.

Third in class is another ORECA 03 chassis, that of Signatech Nissan, visiting the top three for the first time – at least consistently – since their early puncture.

Corvette Racing continue to be the dominant force in GTEPro. With a lap advantage Jan Magnussen was able to come in and hand the no.74 car over to Richard Westbrook with their lead being troubled by the chasing AF Corse Ferrari.

The Gulf AMR Middle East, a factor in the GTEAm class during Saturday crashed heavily in the Porsche Curves, Michael Wainwright looping the no.60 car and slamming the concrete wall on the outside of the track.

Larbre Competition were leading when the hour finished, but had only recently taken the lead back from the Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche that Spencer Pumpelly had driven to the head of the class. Pumpelly’s lead – no matter how brief at this point – is a lonely high point for Porsche.

Elsewhere their week of woe continued, Bryce Miller returning to the pits with the much delayed no.88 Felbermayr-Proton Porsche carrying a second puncture in the space of an hour, the flailing tyre also have claimed much of the right-front bodywork to compound the misery.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after twelve hours:

LMP1
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
No.9 – Peugeot Sport Total – Bourdais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.7 – Peugeot Sport Total – Davidson/Gene/Wurz

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.48 – Team ORECA Matmut – Hallyday/Kraihamer/Premat
No.26 – Signatech Nissan – Ayari/Mailleux/Ordonez

GTEPro
No.74 – Corvette Racing – Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.75 – Prospeed Competition – Goossens/Holzer/van Lagen

GTEAm
No.70 – Larbre Competion – Belloc/Bourret/Gibon
No.81 – Flying Lizard Motorsports – Neiman/Law/Pumpelly
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel

The Audi leads the Peugeot 908’s of #9 Pagenaud, #7 Wurz & #8 of Sarrazin at the 12 hour mark.

Hour twelve began with the Hope Racing #5 ORECA car struggling with problems that have persisted since the start of the race. The leading #2 car pitted, like clockwork, 11 laps after its last pit stop, only stopping to refuel.

The #9 Peugeot in the hands of Bourdais set a blistering time of 3.28.739 before he handed over to Pagenaud, while team-mate Wurz pitted for fuel only.

Then drama as the fifth placed #10 Peugeot 908 of Team ORECA Matmut in the hands of Duval went of at Playstation suffering substantial damage to the front right of the car. Initially, it looked like the car had retired however Duval drove back to pit road and after a 12 minute pit stop rejoined at the back of the LMP1 class, 8 laps down.

In GTE Pro the #56 BMW had an off before pitting, as Hand relinquished control to Priaulx. The GTE Am sole remaining Aston Martin of Gulf AMR Middle East (#60) had an off at the Porsche Curves.

A flurry of pit stops followed as the #48 ORECA Nissan (2^nd in class) and #26 Nissan changed drivers.

The GTE Am class was very close as the #81 Flying Lizard Porsche 911 overtook the #70 Labre Porsche 911 before they both pitted and the #70 overtook its rival in the subsequent laps.

There will be no LMP2 defence by the #42 Strakka Racing car as the car stopped out on track in the hands of Danny Watts at Mulsanne corner.

The #2 Audi pitted once again 11 laps after its last stop to take on fuel and he was joined by the #41 Greaves Motorsport (1^st in LMP2) and the #13 Rebellion Racing Lola (5^th in LMP1).

The hour ended as it started with the #5 Hope Racing car back in its garage, but the sole remaining Audi remained in the lead.

Retirements: Oak Racing #15 retired with a power steering failure while the #57 Krhon Racing Ferrari F430 retired. The #39 Pecom Racing also retired.

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans standings after twelve hours:

LMP1
No.2 – Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
No.9 – Peugeot Sport Total – Bordais/Lamy/Pagenaud
No.7 – Peugeot Sport Total – Davidson/Gene/Wurz

LMP2
No.41 – Greaves Motorsport – Ojjeh/Kimber-Smith/Lombard
No.48 – Team ORECA Matmut – Hallyday/Kraihamer/Premat
No.33 –  Level 5 Motorsport – Tucker/Bouchut/Barbosa

GTEPro
No.74 – Corvette Racing – Gavin/Magnussen/Westbrook
No.51 – AF Corse SRL – Fisichella/Bruni/Vilander
No.75 – Prospeed Competition – Goossens/Holzer/van Lagen

GTEAm
No.50 – Larbre Competition – Bornhauser/Canal/Gardel
No.70 – Larbre Competion – Belloc/Bourret/Gibon
No.81 – Flying Lizard Motorsports – Neiman/Law/Pumpelly

“We were just starting to really get into the rhythm of the race,” said driver Shaun Lynn. “The times were good and the car felt good. I went into the Ford Chicane fast but no faster than normal and the car just turned around.”

The car span around under Lynn – “like a duck on ice” according to the driver – backing the right rear corner of the car hard into the tyre wall causing substantial damage. With the accident at the final corner of the lap at the Ford Chicane the team rushed out to help Lynn, shouting instruction to him to help him restart the car.

However, after a lot of effort by the team and discussions with the race stewards the team took the decision to officially retire the car from the 29th 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Their effort did not go unappreciated, as the team left their stricken car a grandstand of fans gave the British crew a standing ovation.

Before the crash all three drivers – Pierre Ehret and Roger Wills the other wheelmen – had completed successful and relatively trouble free stint, although Ehret complained of a vibration during his stint, following starting driver Lynn into the car.

“This was my first Le Mans and it was an incredible experience,” continued Shaun. “The team has worked so hard this week and we haven’t made it easy for them. It has been amazing and I will definitely be back to do it all again.”

The two BMW M3 GT #56 car was second in is GTE Pro class in the hands of Andy Priaulx until an engine misfire forced the squad to change the engine ECU as well as an ignition coil. After these changed Dirk Muller rejoined in tenth after a pit stop over eight minutes long.

The #55 BMW has also suffered problems and after a puncture in the early part of the race Dirk Werner managed to drag the BMW from 11^th to 7^th position over the course of his stint before Farfus took over. Jorg Muller will be back in the car after the Brazilian has finished his stint.

“The first stint was pretty flawless for me and I was able to do good times,” said Dirk Werner (#55).

“The car was working fine and I kept my tyres for a double stint. I then struggled a little bit because I had some problems to see as the windscreen was very dirty. I think a car had put oil on it or something like that so it was very difficult for me to have a good vision. Then there was a big crash and I just hope Mike Rockenfeller is ok.”

“It was a rough one. First of all we had the issue when Andy had a misfire in the car. He had to bring the car into the garage and the boys did an awesome job. They worked out what it was, changed the right parts and sent me back out. I did a nice stint and was getting used to the sunset was quite difficult to begin with. Unluckily we had the massive incident with Mike Rockenfeller. I really hope he is okay as he is a very good friend of mine. Apart from that it has been a long, long yellow.” Said Dirk Muller (#56)

As the light faded at the Sarthe circuit, Peugeot were running a strong 2-3-4-5 at the nine hour stage and under safety car conditions after.

The second quarter of the race began with Minassian (#8) overtaking Lamy (#9) to claim third place as before the Lamy managed to retake the position later in his stint.

The battle between the #2 Audi and the #7 Peugeot for the lead continued with Marc Gene taking to the wheel.

“I really thought we were going to have a faster car in the race,” said Davidson (#7) “but

it’s not the way. We now have to wait for the race to come to us. We’re on a different strategy to the leading car now; in reality they’re a little ahead of us. There’s a lot of traffic which makes it even harder to keep the tyres in good shape, and to keep temperature in the tyres. As long as we make no mistakes, we’ve a chance in the race.”

“My first two stints went well but the third stint was very difficult. There was a lot of vibration in the car, and it got worse every passing lap. I couldn’t see anything, so I decided it was better to stop before losing too much time.” Said Minassian (#8)

“We opted for tyres which are perhaps a little too hard. At the moment, the traffic is really affecting the race. Overnight, it’s going be even more difficult. So we have to keep going and avoid any problems.” Commented Lamy (#9)