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24H Le Mans - Hour 12

Twelve hours of racing in the 80th 24 Hours of Le Mans has elapsed, and at the half way point Audi have a 1-2-3-6 hold on the top of the leaderboard. The two R18 e-tron quattros are ahead of the two R18 ultras, with the petrol-powered Rebellion Racing's No.12 and No.13 running very strongly and reliably to add to the mix.

As temperatures are falling some competitors have struggled with traction and there have been a number of incidents over the last hour. In LM P2 the No.44 HPD ARX 03b has a one lap lead over the No.49 Pecom Racing Oreca Nissan and the No.26 Signatech Nissan Oreca. The Status Grand Prix entry has suffered delays after the loss of front bodywork but the majority of the class is still running very reliably.

There is just one retirement in the GTE Pro class so far, the No.80 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche, but the long-time class leading No.74 is dropping further and further back after losing a wheel and then having gearbox and halfshaft issues. Ferrari have taken control of the class with the No.51 AF Corse entry one lap ahead of the No.59 Luxury Racing Ferrari 458.

In GTE Am, Frankie Montecalvo learnt about how the Le Mans track can easily catch out a competitor and went off the track causing considerable front end damage. The car was retired just before the half way mark. Porsche and Corvette are maintaining their place at the head of the class.

02:02:43 No 24 Morgan - Judd. Official retirement.
#24 MORGAN JUDD
02:07:14 Debris on track at Forza chicane exit
02:11:52 Long visit to pit box for No 74 Corvette
#74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C6 ZR1
02:14:18 No 51 contacted barriers at Forza chicane on out-lap Fisichella at the wheel
#51 FERRARI 458 ITALIA (Giancarlo FISICHELLA)
02:15:27 No 58 Ferrari returns to pits with extensive damage
#58 FERRARI 458 ITALIA (Frankie MONTECALVO)
02:30:06 No 30 Status GP Lola Judd going slowly on approach to Mulsanne corner
#30 LOLA JUDD (Alexander SIMS)
02:36:11 No 74 Corvette rejoins the track after lengthy repair
#74 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C6 ZR1 (Richard WESTBROOK)
02:37:52 30s stop and go penalty for No 67 Porsche for speeding in pit lane
#67 PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) (Anthony PONS)
02:39:20 Audi No 3 in gravel at Ford chicane.
#3 AUDI R18 ULTRA (Romain DUMAS)
02:40:40 Audi No 3 rejoins circuit
#3 AUDI R18 ULTRA (Romain DUMAS)
02:42:58 Change of rear bodywork on No 3 Audi, no loss of position
#3 AUDI R18 ULTRA (Romain DUMAS)
02:45:27 Status Lola-Judd No 30 spun into gravel at Indianapolis, then extracted and rejoined track
#30 LOLA JUDD (Alexander SIMS)
02:47:22 Luxury Racing Ferrari No 58 now officially retired
#58 FERRARI 458 ITALIA
02:52:26 60s stop and go for No 55. Detached wheel not permanently carried in pit lane.
#55 PORSCHE 911 RSR (997) (Markus PALTTALA)
02:56:22 Anthony Davidson has fractures to T11 and T12 vertebrae but is likely to be able to leave hospital later on
#8 TOYOTA TS 030 - HYBRID (Anthony DAVIDSON)

Photo: CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS (LE MANS, SARTHE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, 17TH JUNE 2012. The GTE-Pro class leading No.51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia.