Dunlop 24 hours Sunday Morning update

The Audi R8 leads (Photo by Marc Waller)This morning sees the London Marathon where people run for 26 miles but back up in Northamptonshire, another marathon race that’s just as tough is still going on.

Often in a 24 hour race everything changes overnight and this one has been no exception with the leaderboard this morning looking very different to the one that we last updated you on last night.

The biggest change is that the Team LNT Ginetta LMP3 prototype has fallen out of contention. The car suffered a fire that caused major damage and although the team are working flat out to fix it, they are now out of contention for the win.

Currently at the front is the Simpson Motorsport Peter Cook Audi R8 but in second place is the ever impressive Beachdean Aston Martin which for a while after dawn was lapping faster than the lead car. With the quicker drivers now taking over the Audi, it’s now pulling away once more but Beachdean are close enough to strike if there are any problems for the leader. Of course they are leading their class as well!

The St Bas Koeten racing Seat is another car showing impressive pace having passed the Cor Euser Lotus for third it also has the class lead by nine laps. The Cor Euser Lotus has had an almost trouble free run but is unable to match the pace of the seat.

Many of the early front runners are out of the race. The Schlep Porsche retired late on Saturday night with a clutch problem forcing them out. The MJC Ferrari, a past winner is also out with mechanical problems, the car entering the pit lane for the last time by Marshall-power rather than horse power!

Radical are trying to fight up the field (Photo by Marc Waller) The Fiesta is still going. Here it comes for another stop (Photo by Marc Waller) The Focus V8s had a difficult night (Photo by Marc Waller) The Osbourne team have to retire (Photo by Marc Waller) The third placed Seat (Photo by Marc Waller) Beachdean are no up to second overall (Photo by Marc Waller) LNT work on repairing their car (Photo by Marc Waller)

The Alex Osbourne Porsche is out after having several trips into the barriers, it eventually lost all it’s fluids and over heated it’s engine.

The two Marc Cars/Team Russia by Barwell Ford Focus V8’s are still going although trouble through the night saw them fall down the other. They are in twelfth and fifteenth and first and third in class with the number 15 Top Cats Marcos splitting them.

In fifth place in the top ten, the Speedworks Aston Martin is going well, as dawn broke they had been running second but a couple of collisions with other cars saw them lose time in the pits for repairs. Sixth is the JR Motorsport BMW E46 GTR. They’ve been gradually moving up the field as others hit problems. The works run Aston Martin GT4 that has Alice Powell amongst the drivers is currently in seventh and fourth in class. It tends to move up the order when Alice has a stint and then drops back again when the slower drivers take over.

The Saxon BMW 1 series is in eighth place and third in class, it’s yet another car that is managing to creep up the order through consistency. The Dutch Red Camel team are in ninth in their Seat Leon ahead of the works Radical RXC in tenth. The Radical suffered from various issues overnight and is now trying to make up for lost time. It’s out of contention for the win but could move well inside the top ten by the end with no more problems.

We couldn’t have an update without mentioning the Fiesta! It’s now in eighteenth overall. Although they’re the slowest car in the race they’ve stayed mostly reliable and have kept out of trouble. They are however now ninety eight laps down on the leader.

Despite losing several of the quick cars, the race still looks like it could still provide an exciting finish.

Full times and positons are on TSL timing  By Marc Waller  

   

   

 

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