Porsche Three Laps Up At The Midway Mark.

By P. Michael Clarke

After 12 hours of racing, Porsche is firmly in the lead with a 3-lap advantage over its closest rival, the Nissan R390 GT1. No one expected the competition to come from Nissan, but in the absence of Mercedes-Benz (forced out of action in the fourth hour) and the demise of Toyota (victims of mechanical woes), the Nissans are looking strong for cars which had qualified 10th, 13th, 14th and 19th. The British announcers who broadcast the prediction of a Nissan win "from somebody famous" before the start of the race must be wondering where this mystery guest got his information...

The Nissans are all in the top 10 at the moment and running like clocks, needing only fuel and tires since the beginning of the race (with the exception of the #33 entry which needed work to the front hub carriers earlier in the race).

The Porsches are driving a slightly more conservative pace than they were when the Toyota was in the lead. No doubt team manager Norbert Ampferer remembers the 1997 edition of the 24 Hours, where his cars were literally pushed over the edge by the #7 Joest/Porsche prototype. Driver Yannick Dalmas had remarked that the pace of the race was infernal, that it resembled more of a sprint and the cars might not make it if the pace did not slow a bit. His predictions, alas, came true as both cars retired while in the lead. The management of the team certainly does not want a repeat of 1997 this year.

The Toyota is 4 laps down, but the team is starting to push harder, forcing Porsche to pick up the pace a little while staying within reason. So, at the midway mark, it is Porsche, Nissan and Toyota in order.

The surprise of the day is without a doubt the Courage Nissan C-51 which is leading the LMP 1 category and fourth place overall. Yves Courage, who is from this area of France and enters cars regularly at Le Mans, albeit with limited budgets, is expectedly very pleased with this performance thus far. The #8 Porsche LMP 1 prototype is in 8th place and running steadily; the dashboard gremlins have not come back since the 6th hour and the drivers are now very happy with the handling of the car. They are not really excited at the prospect of driving in the rain, because of the open cockpit of the car and the wider tires, which have more of a tendency to hydroplane.

Finally, in the GT2 category, the Viper has regained a solid advantage over the Porsche 911s as the leading Porsche missed its pit on two occasions, costing it time; the cars may not engage reverse in the event the driver misses the pit area. The mechanics must push the car back into position and then proceed with the pit stop. The car also lost a few laps with a damaged windshield. Even so, the # 64 Porsche is only 4 laps down on the Viper...not a insurmountable lead by any means.