The La Filière Courage locked in combat with the 333 SP Ferrari for a place on the proto rostrum

 The only remaining Panoz no.54 (Wallace-Weaver-Leitzinger), retired at 10h10 in the Dunlop chicane with a blown engine. Also out went the no.75 GT2 Porsche of Larbre Competition which stopped in the Porsche corner with broken transmission. Bourdais tried to carry out repairs on the spot but without success. He gave up at 11h55.
The C36 La Filière Courage went into the sand trap at Tertre Rouge, the fourth "off" for this car in the same spot! It managed to get going again but by this time the 333 SP Ferrari had nipped by into eight place. The Courage hared off in pursuit of its rival for a place on the proto rostrum.

 In the GT2 category the two 911 GT2s no. 78 and 74 were in the first 2 places ahead of the no.61 ChryslerViper, 10 laps behind the leaders Neugarten-Martinolle-Lagniez.
With 4 hours to go there were still 20 cars officially racing and just under a lap between the 2 leaders, the 911 GT1 factory Porsche and the TWR-Joest. They were followed by 3 McLarens led by no.41 the first of the Gulf entries, in the hands of Gounon-Raphanel-Olofsson, two laps behind. There could be more surprises before 16h00 this afternoon!