Le Mans Series

Spa 1000 km LIVE at Planetlemans - Chapter 1

© Planetlemans - Gabriel Portos

As usual you can follow the race minute by minute at Planetlemans. From a sunny Ardennes region we’ll be reporting all instances of the legendary 1000km as they develop, the last battle before Le Mans will start at 12.50 CET (11.50 GMT, 6.50 EST) so join us for 6 hours of excitement!

12:34- Cars are arriving at the grid, a beautiful day at a sunny Spa circuit and crowded grandstands getting ready for the start, Kruse-Schiller won’t be starting after yesterday’s accident but Quifel ASM will. The Oreca car starting from the pitlane.

12:40- Grid is being cleared…

12:50- The safety car leads the warm-up lap, Peugeot and Audi share the front row, a few minutes more to the green light!!!!

12:53- The 46 Embassy has crashed during the warm up lap!!! A second warm up lap is therefore initiated

12:55-The race is officially started under safety car in fact, there are four cars on pitlane waiting, Oreca, 94 Speedy Spyker , Quifel ASM and another prototype , real racing starts with Peugeot leading Audi

13:00- Minassian attacks McNissh for 2nd, Verstappen leads LMP2, Modena and Virgo lead the GT classes

13:03- Big battle between Minassian and Mc Nish, the Speedy Sebha Lola challenging Verstappen, have the Porsche grip issues from yesterday been solved?

13:04- Minassian locked and almost lost it at La Source! McNish gets a bit of a gap therefore.

13:06- The Charouz Lola keeping up nicely with the second Audi… good race pace again

13:08- The leader already hits traffic, the proper race is therefore starting, will Audi make their fuel economy advantage count?

13:10- Moreau on the 72 Alphand Corvette in the GT1 lead now ahead of García on the 59 Modena Aston, this will be another long battle…

13:12- Lamy leads on Peugeot number 8 and has laready lapped the GT1s , the Speedy Lola still following the van Merksteijn Porche while they also go through GT2 traffic

13:14- Belicchi now really close to Verstappen , this is a great duel developing here and that Lola IS QUICK!

13:15- The second lap was is fact a warm up lap so the cars starting from the pits did not lose a lap. Lapierre on the Oreca progressing steadily lapping in 2.06 on 15th overall

13:16- Essex Porsche in for a nose change, rejoins last

13:20- In Gt1 the 72 Alphand leads 59 Modena and the IPB lamborghini. In GT2 the Virgo Ferrari leads the 77 Felbermayr ,76 Imsa and 91 Farnbacher Porsches, the 98 JMB ferrari is 5th

13:24-Big battle between Rollcentre and Creation for 9th overall while the 99 JMB Ferrari spins after contact with the Euskadi car at Rivage

13:27- Lapierre on the Oreca has caught up with these two while the 73 car has had an unplanned driver change and Blanchemain has stepped in for an unwell feeling Dumez

13:30- Lapierre overtakes Hall and now pursues Barbosa, in LMP2 the Speedy-Sebah Lola has taken the lead ahead of van Merksteijn, Horag, Barazi and RML

13:32- Grip issues for Verstappen, that was the reason Belicchi overtook him right at the bus stop

13:34- García retakes the Gt1 lead, good battle between him and Moreau, Aston vs Corvette, a real classic

13:36- Lamy already lapping the Oreca car, only 9 cars in the lead lap while the LMP2 leader Speedy-Sebha Lola gets its first pit stop, Verstappen back in the lead in this class

13:38- less than 8 seconds the difference between the 8 peugeot (overall leader) and the 1 Audi, pit stops now for 26 Bruichladdich, 20 Epsilon Euskadi and now BOTH Peugeots!!!

13:40- The Lola-Aston in the garage… Jan Charouz looking troubled…

13:42- The Oreca has overtaken Rollcentre Pescarolo and chases now the 16 Pesca. First he will need to overtake the van Merksteijn Porsche though… as Audi 1 comes in the pits, that’s 1 lap more than the Peugeots

13:44- Audi 2 is also in the pits, Lavaggi as well running 22nd overall

13:45- Charouz Lola-Aston rejoins, hardly any pit stops yet in the GT classes

13:48-Top 4 unchanged after the pit stops, 8,1,7,2 fifth is the 16 pescarolo

13:49- In LMP2 Speedy leads van Merksteijn while Quifel ASM gets a stop and go. Lapierre in the pits for Oreca

13:51- Spykers running 7th and 10th, GT1 still Modena, 72 Alphand, IPB Lamborghini and the 61 Strakka Aston

13:53- Essex has a pit stop from 8th in class. Virgo pits as well with Bruni taking over from Bell, the GT pit stops are now on!

13:55- Great job by Speedy-Sebah leading LMP2, an excellent performance as well from Lapierre on the Oreca, up to 5th overall ahead of the 16 Pescarolo. The farnbacher Ferrari in the pits after a gravel excursion

13:57- Good solid race as well from Lammers in the Horag Porsche , 3rd in class and 9th overall. The 77 Felbermayr leads, not pitted yet however but Bruni is in second, big battle between these two again…

14:00- A very long pit stop for the Modena Aston has dropped them to last in class and 38th overall

14:03- Minassian chasing McNish again for second and both go off up at les Combes, the Peugeot ahead of the Audi…

14:04- Spin from Creation as McNish enters the pits having suffered from that off-track excursion. The Lola-Aston back in the pits and refuel and tyres for McNish

14:06- The TV feed on the press room showed a swinging of McNish on the track, were the problems before that Minassian contact?

14:08- Good recovery from Enge overtaking the Strakka car for 3rd in class, top 2 are the 72 Alphnd Corvette and the IPB lambo. GT2 is Virgo, 77 Felbermayr, 91 Farnbacher and the 85 Spyker

14:10- Verstappen back in the lead on the van Merksteijn Porsche, ahead of the Speedy-Sebah Lola, Horag porsche, Barazi Zytek and RML MG Lola

14:12- 12 second between the Peugeots, Lamy leads Minassian

14:14- The Strakka car on the gravel trap, Lavaggi still running as are the Charouz Lola and the Bruichladdich radical, all these way back among the GT field

14:16- Quifel ASM into the garage while behind the 2 Peugeots and 2 Audis we have the Oreca, 16 pescarolo, Rollcentre and the 17 Pescarolo. Spin of the 32 Barazi at the bus stop while the Essex porsche is in the pits for a regular stop

14:20-Lavaggi loses the whole front section under braking at La Source…it will be a long lap back to the pits to get a new one. Villeneuve in the meantime ready to take over at number 7 Peugeot

14:22- Speedy-Sebah Lola in the pits, Zacchia substitutes Belicchi

14:25-Lola Aston still in the garage..