Could Team ORECA Matmut pull off the Sebring victory?
(Photo: John Dagys)
Team ORECA Matmut may have had the intention of playing a supporting role to the works Peugeot squad, but at the end of twelve hours of hard-fought racing, the veteran French squad came out on top at the 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Nicolas Lapierre, Olivier Panis and Loic Duval drove their 2010-spec Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP to a 31.868-second victory over defending American Le Mans Series LMP champions Highcroft Racing with its brand-new HPD ARX-01e, which proved to be the other surprise of the race.
RACE REPORT
HOUR 11 UPDATE —With one hour remaining, the 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is likely going to come down to the wire. Nicolas Lapierre pitted his race-leading Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP with 58 minutes to go, but will likely need a final splash of fuel to get their first-generation diesel-powered LMP1 car to the checkered flag.
The No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e of Simon Pagenaud, on the other hand, currently leads and will likely only need one final stop. Team Peugeot Total's No. 8 Peugeot runs in third but has struggled to recover from their lost time in the ninth hour. Audi Sport Team Joest's pair of Audi R15s run fourth and fifth, also having been heavily delayed with incidents throughout the 12-hour marathon.
BMW Motorsport has continued to hold command of GT, with the Tommy Milner-driven Corvette C6.R running second. Dirk Werner has elevated his No. 55 BMW to third after suffering a puncture with a collision with the No. 03 Corvette in the tenth hour.
The latest retirement is the No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia, which had battled electrical issues with its new Prancing Horse.
LMP2 is paced by the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda of Ryan Hunter-Reay, who holds a nine-lap lead over the pole-sitting Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan in second.
Krohn Racing appears to be en route to the inaugural GTE-Am victory, with the Nic Jonsson-driven No. 57 Ferrari F430 GT now 25 laps ahead of the stricken Prospeed Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in second.
The No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 and No. 054 Black Swan Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup lead LMPC and GTC, respectively.
HOUR 10 UPDATE — Team ORECA Matmut's Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP continues to lead the way, with only two hours to go. Nicolas Lapierre has stretched out to a one-minute lead over the No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e of David Brabham. The No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908, which lost time due to a front bodywork change and subsequent spin, fell to third.
While the No. 56 BMW Motorsport M3 GT of Dirk Muller still paces GT, its sister entry of Augusto Farfus dropped back to fifth after suffering a tire puncture from contact with the No. 04 Corvette Racing C6.R. Olivier Beretta aboard the sister No. 03 Corvette moved into second, ahead of the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT driven by Pierre Kaffer.
The No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 battled electrical issues, losing a lap after its Prancing Horse failed to fire up from a routine stop. It dropped the Jamie Melo-driven machine to sixth. Four GT cars remain on the lead lap.
LMP2 has turned into a last-man standing affair, as the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda now leads, thanks to continued electrical gremlins for the Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan, which has dropped 10 laps behind in second. OAK Racing's P2 entry runs on the same lap as the Signatech machine in third.
In GTE-Am, Krohn Racing continues to lead the way, one lap ahead of the pole-sitting Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. It's turned into a two-horse race in the new GT-based category, as the No. 62 CRS Racing has dropped back to 39th overall.
A close battle has developed in LMPC between the No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 and CORE Autosport's No. 005 entry, which are separated by less than 40 seconds. GTC sees the No. 054 Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3 Cup car hold a one-lap lead over the No. 066 TRG entry in second.
HOUR 9 UPDATE — Drama has unfolded for the leading Peugeot with less than three hours to go. The No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908 lost the lead when it was forced to replace its damaged front bodywork during its latest stop. The ruling, newly enforced in the ALMS, cost the Peugeot 25 seconds in the pits. And to make matters worse, Pedro Lamy suffered a spin on his out lap, losing even more time.
The misfortunes for the factory Peugeot has given the year-old Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot the lead, with Loic Duval holding a 40-second advantage over the No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e in second. Lamy has now fallen back to third, with the No. 016 Dyson Racing Lola B09/86 Mazda promoted to fourth following a fuel leak for the No. 15 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo Judd of Matthieu Lahaye, which put the LMP1 contender out of the race and left the Frenchman with burns to his feet.
While the Audi R15s suffered early race misfortunes, both now run in fifth and sixth, respectively. Although out of a chance for victory, late race attrition could played into the German factory squad's benefit.
The No. 56 BMW Motorsport M3 GT continued to hold command of GT, now in the hands of Andy Priaulx. The hard-fought battle was reduced by one late in the hour when the No. 017 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR went behind the wall with gearbox failure. It had run as high as 3rd in class. Other GT contenders still with a shot include the second-placed No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT and the sister BMW of Augusto Farfus in third.
LMP2 continues to be paced by the No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan, now up to 31st overall, while the No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 and No. 054 Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3 Cup car pace LMPC and GTC, respectively.
HOUR 8 UPDATE — Team Peugeot Total continues to lead the way with just four hours remaining. Having taken over from Franck Montagny, pole-sitter Stephane Sarrazin holds a 30-second lead over Team ORECA Matmut's 2010-spec Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP with Loic Duval at the wheel. While the French Lions run 1-2, Highcroft Racing still holds a fighting chance of victory with its No. 01 HPD ARX-01e of David Brabham, which runs third, the final LMP1 entry on the lead lap.
The fight for top honors in GT continues to be an all-out brawl between BMW, Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette, with the No. 56 BMW Motorsport entry of Joey Hand out front. With the top-six still all on the lead lap, the race could play into anyone's favor at this stage, although BMW has held the upper hand.
LMP2 has become a race of attrition, with all four of the class contenders hitting trouble. In fact, the class-leading Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan runs in 37th overall, over 20 laps back from the pace-setting Peugeot. With the Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda Coupe rejoining the fight, all four cars remain in the fight. Luis Diaz runs second in the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda, with the No. 24 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo now in third.
Nic Jonsson continues to pace the GTE-Am category in his Krohn Racing Ferrari F430 GT. Other class leaders include Michael Guasch (LMPC) and Damien Faulkner (GTC). Faulkner re-took the top spot after the No. 077 Magnus Racing Porsche suffered a puncture and possible radiator leak.
Trouble also hit the No. 052 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09, which suffered an engine fire. Ryan Lewis bailed from the car uninjured, although it brought out the race's ninth full course caution.
HOUR 7 UPDATE — While the No. 8 Peugeot 908, back in the hands of Franck Montagny, continues to lead, the story of the seventh hour came in the ultra-competitive GT ranks. A fierce four-way battle developed between the Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia, AF Corse's Ferrari F430 GT as well as the two BMW Motorsport M3 GTs, often all running nose-to-tail.
While Bill Auberlen's No. 55 machine lost ground after suffering a tire puncture, the BMW ace worked his way back up to fifth prior to the eighth caution of the race just prior the end of the hour. Dirk Muller led the way in the No. 56 BMW, with the Mika Salo-driven No. 062 Risi Ferrari close in pursuit in second.
The No. 10 Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP continued its impressive drive in second overall, with David Brabham's No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e rounding out the top-three in LMP1.
There was drama in LMP2, as the class-leading No. 33 Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda Coupe of Christophe Bouchut slowed on track with a broken wishbone. It gave the No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan the top spot once again, following a recovery from gearbox problems of their own. Level 5's sister car of Luis Diaz, which became stranded on track in the sixth hour, rejoined and currently runs third.
Krohn Racing's Nic Jonssson retook the GTE-Am class lead in the No. 57 Ferrari F430 GT, ahead of the Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in second. CRS Racing's Prancing Horse remains as the third and final class contender left in the race.
Dane Cameron continues to impress in the No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09, leading LMPC and running ninth overall, while the Magnus Racing Porsche leads the way in GTC.
Additional retirements include the No. 089 Intersport Racing Oreca FLM09 (mechanical), No. 24 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo Judd (engine) and the No. 008 West Racing Lamborghini (broken wheel).
The misfortunes for the factory Peugeot has given the year-old Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot the lead, with Loic Duval holding a 40-second advantage over the No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e in second. Lamy has now fallen back to third, with the No. 016 Dyson Racing Lola B09/86 Mazda promoted to fourth following a fuel leak for the No. 15 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo Judd of Matthieu Lahaye, which put the LMP1 contender out of the race and left the Frenchman with burns to his feet.
While the Audi R15s suffered early race misfortunes, both now run in fifth and sixth, respectively. Although out of a chance for victory, late race attrition could played into the German factory squad's benefit.
The No. 56 BMW Motorsport M3 GT continued to hold command of GT, now in the hands of Andy Priaulx. The hard-fought battle was reduced by one late in the hour when the No. 017 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR went behind the wall with gearbox failure. It had run as high as 3rd in class. Other GT contenders still with a shot include the second-placed No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT and the sister BMW of Augusto Farfus in third.
LMP2 continues to be paced by the No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan, now up to 31st overall, while the No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 and No. 054 Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3 Cup car pace LMPC and GTC, respectively.
HOUR 8 UPDATE — Team Peugeot Total continues to lead the way with just four hours remaining. Having taken over from Franck Montagny, pole-sitter Stephane Sarrazin holds a 30-second lead over Team ORECA Matmut's 2010-spec Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP with Loic Duval at the wheel. While the French Lions run 1-2, Highcroft Racing still holds a fighting chance of victory with its No. 01 HPD ARX-01e of David Brabham, which runs third, the final LMP1 entry on the lead lap.
The fight for top honors in GT continues to be an all-out brawl between BMW, Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette, with the No. 56 BMW Motorsport entry of Joey Hand out front. With the top-six still all on the lead lap, the race could play into anyone's favor at this stage, although BMW has held the upper hand.
LMP2 has become a race of attrition, with all four of the class contenders hitting trouble. In fact, the class-leading Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan runs in 37th overall, over 20 laps back from the pace-setting Peugeot. With the Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda Coupe rejoining the fight, all four cars remain in the fight. Luis Diaz runs second in the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda, with the No. 24 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo now in third.
Nic Jonsson continues to pace the GTE-Am category in his Krohn Racing Ferrari F430 GT. Other class leaders include Michael Guasch (LMPC) and Damien Faulkner (GTC). Faulkner re-took the top spot after the No. 077 Magnus Racing Porsche suffered a puncture and possible radiator leak.
Trouble also hit the No. 052 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09, which suffered an engine fire. Ryan Lewis bailed from the car uninjured, although it brought out the race's ninth full course caution.
HOUR 7 UPDATE — While the No. 8 Peugeot 908, back in the hands of Franck Montagny, continues to lead, the story of the seventh hour came in the ultra-competitive GT ranks. A fierce four-way battle developed between the Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia, AF Corse's Ferrari F430 GT as well as the two BMW Motorsport M3 GTs, often all running nose-to-tail.
While Bill Auberlen's No. 55 machine lost ground after suffering a tire puncture, the BMW ace worked his way back up to fifth prior to the eighth caution of the race just prior the end of the hour. Dirk Muller led the way in the No. 56 BMW, with the Mika Salo-driven No. 062 Risi Ferrari close in pursuit in second.
The No. 10 Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP continued its impressive drive in second overall, with David Brabham's No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e rounding out the top-three in LMP1.
There was drama in LMP2, as the class-leading No. 33 Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda Coupe of Christophe Bouchut slowed on track with a broken wishbone. It gave the No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan the top spot once again, following a recovery from gearbox problems of their own. Level 5's sister car of Luis Diaz, which became stranded on track in the sixth hour, rejoined and currently runs third.
Krohn Racing's Nic Jonssson retook the GTE-Am class lead in the No. 57 Ferrari F430 GT, ahead of the Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in second. CRS Racing's Prancing Horse remains as the third and final class contender left in the race.
Dane Cameron continues to impress in the No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09, leading LMPC and running ninth overall, while the Magnus Racing Porsche leads the way in GTC.
Additional retirements include the No. 089 Intersport Racing Oreca FLM09 (mechanical), No. 24 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo Judd (engine) and the No. 008 West Racing Lamborghini (broken wheel).
HOUR 6 UPDATE — Peugeot appears to be in firm control of the 59th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring as the race reaches the halfway point. The No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908 of Franck Montagny sits ahead of the Marino Franchitti-driven Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e in second, which Simon Pagenaud took to the overall lead.
Level 5 Motorsports has a firm grip in LMP2, with its No. 33 Lola-Honda Coupe of Christophe Bouchut running a solid 10th overall. However, it's second-placed No. 055 Lola-Honda of Luis Diaz stopped on track just at the six-hour mark, bringing out the seventh and most recent caution.
In GT, Jamie Melo has taken control of the class with his No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia. The Brazilian enjoyed a spirited battle with the BMWs of Andy Priaulx and Dirk Werner, as well as the pole-sitting AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT of Giancarlo Fisichella, with all four leading at one point or another.
Reigning Porsche Cup champion Gianluca Roda continues to lead GTE-Am in his Proton Competition Porsche, while Dane Cameron (Genoa Racing) and Sean Edwards (NGT Racing) lead LMPC and GTC, respectively.
HOUR 5 UPDATE — The face of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring changed dramatically in the fifth hour as Simon Pagenaud peddled his new Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e to the overall lead. The reigning ALMS LMP co-champion passed the No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908 of Pedro Lamy just prior to the sixth full course caution period of the race.
Pagenaud benefited from a clash between the No. 2 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R15 plus plus of Dindo Capello and the Marc Gene-driven No. 7 Peugeot, which collided in Turn 17. Both cars ended up spending time in the garage, effectively eliminating two further favorites from possible victory. Capello lost six laps with left-rear suspension repairs, while Gene falling 30 minutes behind with a broken steering column and possible clutch issue.
The incident clearly changed the fate of the race with only one of the factory diesels having yet to hit trouble. Team ORECA Matmut's first-generation Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP runs in a solid third, while the No. 15 OAK Racing Oak-Pescarolo Judd has been elevated to a surprise fourth.
Joao Barbosa continues to lead LMP2, despite making an unscheduled stop under a yellow with what appeared to be an electrical issue. The No. 33 Lola-Honda Coupe holds three-lap lead over the sister entry of Ryan Hunter-Reay, with the Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan a further 9 laps back in third.
BMW regained its 1-2 in GT, with the No. 55 machine of Augusto Farfus ahead of the Andy Priaulx-driven No. 56 entry. Mika Salo slipped to third in the No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia.
The No. 63 Proton Competition Porsche has retaken the GTE-Am class lead ahead of the Krohn Racing Ferrari, while the No. 036 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 and No. 030 NGT Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car pace the LMPC and GTC categories, respectively.
Elton Julian in the No. 063 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09 was punted into the tire barriers, which brought out the sixth caution. The field returned to green shortly after the five-hour mark.
HOUR 4 UPDATE — With four hours now in the books, Pedro Lamy in the No. 8 Team Peugeot Total 908 has stretched out to a 10-second lead over the No. 2 Audi Sport Team Joest R15 plus plus of Dindo Capello. The two factory juggernauts have continued their battle following the race's fourth caution midway through the hour, with all four of the front-running diesel-powered cars enjoying time out front.
The No. 33 Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda Coupe has jumped from third to first in LMP2, thanks to the two class-leading prototypes hitting trouble. Signatech's Oreca 03 Nissan went behind the wall with gearbox issues, losing 12 laps. It has put Joao Barbosa with a four-lap lead ahead of the sister Level 5 Lola B11/40 Honda of Ryan Hunter-Reay, who lost time in the pits after briefly retaking the lead.
A fuel-only stop for the No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia has put Mika Salo out in front in GT. Both BMW Motorsport M3 GTs had led the way for the majority of the hour but took tires during the last round of pit stops while under the fourth caution of the race.
GTE-Am is headed up by the No. 57 Krohn Racing Ferrari F430 GT of Nic Jonsson, while Dane Cameron and Duncan Ende leads the way in LMPC and GTC, respectively.
Jan Seyffarth's race appeared to come to an early end when his GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car caught fire, bringing out the fourth caution of the race.
Other notable retirements thus far include the No. 001 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari (accident), No. 050 Panoz Abruzzi (electrical) and the No. 50 Larbre Competition Corvette, which stopped on track.
HOUR 3 UPDATE — Anthony Davidson has taken over control in the No. 7 Team Peugeot Total 908, thanks to a quick stop that helped him jump ahead of the sister No. 8 entry driven by Stephane Sarrazin. While it's a Peugeot 1-2 at this point, the No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e of Simon Pagenaud runs in a solid third, but is yet to make its third stop of the race.
The No. 2 Audi Sport Team Joest R15 plus plus of Tom Kristensen is fourth after opting for a fuel-only stop on Lap 77. The two Peugeots pitted for routine service three laps earlier. Audi's sister No. 1 machine of Timo Bernhard, meanwhile, has moved up to 26th overall following a series of two punctures. The car went behind the wall in the second hour for repairs, losing 15 minutes.
LMP2 is now again paced by the No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan of Lucas Ordonez, who retook the top spot after Luis Diaz pitted his Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda from the lead. Now under the controls of IndyCar star Ryan Hunter-Reay, the No. 055 machine runs in second.
BMW sits 1-2 in GT, with the No. 55 BMW M3 GT of Bill Auberlen ahead of the No. 56 machine of Joey Hand in second, rebounding from two early incidents by co-driver Dirk Muller.
Krohn Racing has stretched out to a one-lap lead in GTE-Am, thanks to a solid stint by Michele Rugolo in the No. 57 Ferrari F430 GT. Christian Ried in the No. 63 Proton Competition Porsche runs second.
Elton Julian leads the way in LMPC aboard his No. 063 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09, while the No. 066 TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Spencer Pumpelly paces the GTC class.
HOUR 2 UPDATE — The No. 8 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908, now under the command of pole-sitter Stephane Sarrazin, leads the way with 54 laps in the books. While the French Lions run 1-2-3, with the privateer Team ORECA Matmut 908 HDi-FAP of Loic Duval in third, the story of the hour came from a three-car incident in GT.
Patrick Long and Jan Magnussen collided in Turn 17, sending both the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche and No. 04 Corvette Racing C6.R around. But it was the No. 001 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia of Johannes van Overbeek that got the worst of the incident. Van Overbeek clipped the spinning Corvette, sending the Ferrari hard into the tire barriers.
The heavy accident brought out the third caution of the race, just two laps after going back to green due to the stranded PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09 of Ryan Lewis.
Quick pit work had put the No. 55 BMW Motorsport M3 GT of Bill Auberlen out front following a round of pit stops, but the No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia of Toni Vilander retook the top spot just prior to the third caution.
LMP2 is now paced by the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda of Luis Diaz, who has stayed in the new cost-capped car since the start. The former class champion took over the top spot following the second round of pits stops when leader Franck Mailleux handed over controls of his No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan to Lucas Ordonez.
In the GTE-Am class, Gianluca Roda leads the way in the No. 63 Proton Competition Porsche, ahead of the Michele Rugolo-driven Krohn Racing Ferrari in second. The No. 50 Larbre Competition Corvette C6.R, one of the early favorites for class honors, ground to a halt on-track midway through the hour.
LMPC is paced by the No. 089 Intersport Racing Oreca FLM09, while the pole-sitting No. 023 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car is now in control of GTC.
HOUR 1 UPDATE — While Peugeot led from the start, drama has unfolded in the Audi camp in the opening hour of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The No. 1 Audi R15 plus plus of Mike Rockenfeller suffered a left-rear puncture late in the hour, dropping the defending 24 Hours of Le Mans winners well down the running order. A second identical puncture just moments after the German returned to the track, sent the LMP1 machine back behind the wall for repairs.
While one Audi now appears to be out of the running, the sister R15 of Allan McNish runs third, less than three seconds behind the two leading Peugeots of Alex Wurz and Franck Montagny. The No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e of David Brabham sits fourth, with the Nicolas Lapierre-driven Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP rounding out the top-five.
The No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan of Franck Mailleiux leads the way in LMP2, holding a slight advantage over Luis Diaz in the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda in second.
Jamie Melo leads the way in GT in his brand-new Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia, although the opening laps saw the No. 04 Corvette Racing C6.R of Oliver Gavin pace the highly competitive category. The pole-sitting No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT of Gimmi Bruni then retook the lead on Lap 8, but a full-course caution at the 35-minute mark for the stranded West Racing Lamborghini played into the favor of the Risi team.
There was also early drama in GT, as the No. 56 BMW Motorsport M3 GT of Dirk Muller collided with the Christophe Bouchut-driven Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda, leading to a left-front puncture for the BMW. A further coming together with the PJ Jones-driven Jaguar RSR XKR GT dropped Muller to 12th, one lap back.
Ryan Dalziel in the No. 005 CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09 leads the way in LMPC, while the NGT Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Sean Edwards paces GTC. Richard Lietz paces the new GTE-Am class in his Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
The No. 2 Audi Sport Team Joest R15 plus plus of Tom Kristensen is fourth after opting for a fuel-only stop on Lap 77. The two Peugeots pitted for routine service three laps earlier. Audi's sister No. 1 machine of Timo Bernhard, meanwhile, has moved up to 26th overall following a series of two punctures. The car went behind the wall in the second hour for repairs, losing 15 minutes.
LMP2 is now again paced by the No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan of Lucas Ordonez, who retook the top spot after Luis Diaz pitted his Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda from the lead. Now under the controls of IndyCar star Ryan Hunter-Reay, the No. 055 machine runs in second.
BMW sits 1-2 in GT, with the No. 55 BMW M3 GT of Bill Auberlen ahead of the No. 56 machine of Joey Hand in second, rebounding from two early incidents by co-driver Dirk Muller.
Krohn Racing has stretched out to a one-lap lead in GTE-Am, thanks to a solid stint by Michele Rugolo in the No. 57 Ferrari F430 GT. Christian Ried in the No. 63 Proton Competition Porsche runs second.
Elton Julian leads the way in LMPC aboard his No. 063 Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09, while the No. 066 TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Spencer Pumpelly paces the GTC class.
HOUR 2 UPDATE — The No. 8 Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908, now under the command of pole-sitter Stephane Sarrazin, leads the way with 54 laps in the books. While the French Lions run 1-2-3, with the privateer Team ORECA Matmut 908 HDi-FAP of Loic Duval in third, the story of the hour came from a three-car incident in GT.
Patrick Long and Jan Magnussen collided in Turn 17, sending both the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche and No. 04 Corvette Racing C6.R around. But it was the No. 001 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia of Johannes van Overbeek that got the worst of the incident. Van Overbeek clipped the spinning Corvette, sending the Ferrari hard into the tire barriers.
The heavy accident brought out the third caution of the race, just two laps after going back to green due to the stranded PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca FLM09 of Ryan Lewis.
Quick pit work had put the No. 55 BMW Motorsport M3 GT of Bill Auberlen out front following a round of pit stops, but the No. 062 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia of Toni Vilander retook the top spot just prior to the third caution.
LMP2 is now paced by the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda of Luis Diaz, who has stayed in the new cost-capped car since the start. The former class champion took over the top spot following the second round of pits stops when leader Franck Mailleux handed over controls of his No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan to Lucas Ordonez.
In the GTE-Am class, Gianluca Roda leads the way in the No. 63 Proton Competition Porsche, ahead of the Michele Rugolo-driven Krohn Racing Ferrari in second. The No. 50 Larbre Competition Corvette C6.R, one of the early favorites for class honors, ground to a halt on-track midway through the hour.
LMPC is paced by the No. 089 Intersport Racing Oreca FLM09, while the pole-sitting No. 023 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car is now in control of GTC.
HOUR 1 UPDATE — While Peugeot led from the start, drama has unfolded in the Audi camp in the opening hour of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The No. 1 Audi R15 plus plus of Mike Rockenfeller suffered a left-rear puncture late in the hour, dropping the defending 24 Hours of Le Mans winners well down the running order. A second identical puncture just moments after the German returned to the track, sent the LMP1 machine back behind the wall for repairs.
While one Audi now appears to be out of the running, the sister R15 of Allan McNish runs third, less than three seconds behind the two leading Peugeots of Alex Wurz and Franck Montagny. The No. 01 Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01e of David Brabham sits fourth, with the Nicolas Lapierre-driven Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP rounding out the top-five.
The No. 26 Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan of Franck Mailleiux leads the way in LMP2, holding a slight advantage over Luis Diaz in the No. 055 Level 5 Motorsports Lola B11/40 Honda in second.
Jamie Melo leads the way in GT in his brand-new Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia, although the opening laps saw the No. 04 Corvette Racing C6.R of Oliver Gavin pace the highly competitive category. The pole-sitting No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT of Gimmi Bruni then retook the lead on Lap 8, but a full-course caution at the 35-minute mark for the stranded West Racing Lamborghini played into the favor of the Risi team.
There was also early drama in GT, as the No. 56 BMW Motorsport M3 GT of Dirk Muller collided with the Christophe Bouchut-driven Level 5 Motorsports Lola-Honda, leading to a left-front puncture for the BMW. A further coming together with the PJ Jones-driven Jaguar RSR XKR GT dropped Muller to 12th, one lap back.
Ryan Dalziel in the No. 005 CORE Autosport Oreca FLM09 leads the way in LMPC, while the NGT Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Sean Edwards paces GTC. Richard Lietz paces the new GTE-Am class in his Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
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