Audi held first, second and third places at the end of the fourth hour of the race, though running shorter stints allowed the Toyotas to challenge the trio of e-tron quattro.
The two TS030 Hybrids rose as high as second and third before Anthony Davidson and Nicolas Lapierre pitted in turn, handing over to Sebastien Buemi and Alex Wurz in the #8 and #7 entries respectively. After pitting the two cars fell back to fourth and fifth with the two Rebellion Racing cars sixth and seventh, though the #12 was delayed by a spin at Tertre Rouge.
Conditions were tricky through the hour, short sharp showers slicking different areas of the track, transforming braking zones into hazardous challenges. At times both of the Mulsanne Chicanes and Mulsanne Corner were the scene of several minor offs, the #36 Signatech Alpine car one of those that needing plucking from the gravel early in the hour.
OAK Racing’s #24 continues its run at the front of the LMP2 class, David Heinemeier Hansson holing the lead in the car by nearly a minute over a Mike Conway piloted G-Drive Racing ORECA-Nissan.
After the Circuit de la Sarthe was rocked by news of Allan Simonsen’s death after his first hour accident there was confirmation that the remaining four Aston Martin Racing entries would continue in tribute at the request of the Dane’s family.
Fittingly then Aston Martin Racing ended the hour in the top two places in LMGTE Pro, the #97 and the #99 split by just four seconds at the end of the hour, with the #92 Porsche only six seconds further behind. Fifth in class was the best of the AF Corse Ferraris with #73 Corvette sixth.
AF Corse Ferraris, however, held both of the top two spots in LMGTE Am, the #61 enjoying a near two-and-a-half minute lead over their teammates in the #55.
2013 24 Hours of Le Mans class standings after 4 hours
LMP1
1 – #1 Audi Sport Team Joest – Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer
2 – #3 Audi Sport Team Joest – di Grassi/Gene/Jarvis
3 – #2 Audi Sport Team Joest – Duval/Kristensen/McNish
LMP2
1 – #24 OAK Racing – Brundle/Heinemeier Hansson/Pla
2 – #26 G-Drive Racing – Conway/Martin/Rusinov
3 – #35 OAK Racing – Baguette/Gonzalez/Plowman
LMGTE Pro
1 – #97 Aston Martin Racing – Dumbreck/Mucke/Turner
2 – #99 Aston Martin Racing – Bell/Makowiecki/Senna
3 – #92 Porsche AG Team Manthey – Dumas/Lieb/Lietz
LMGTE Am
1 – #61 AF Corse – Cioci/Gerber/Griffin
2 – #55 AF Corse – Case/Perazzini/O’Young
3 – #67 IMSA Performance Matmut – Gibon/Henzler/Milesi
