Herbert maintains lead as sun rises at Le Mans

The leading Audis both put in strong stints during the fourteenth hour of 24 Heures du Mans as they approached their pitstops. Johnny Herbert and Seiji Ara both exchanged fastest sector times and matched each others lap times as they ran one lap apart. Herbert pitted at the end of lap 213 and took on a replacement engine cover.

Emanuele Pirro in the Champion Audi was closing on the fourth-placed Rollcentre Racing Dallara Judd of Robert Barff at an alarming rate. Pirro was forced to make an extended stop to have a brake disc changed, as a result of Lehto's earlier accident which cost him some time.

Alain Menu was leading the GTS class in his Prodrive Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello by five laps from the Corvette Racing C5-R of Jan Magnussen. In the GT class Stephane Ortelli, in the Freisinger Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, was two laps ahead of the Orbit Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Mike Rockenfeller.

Audi Sport Japan Team Goh made a driver chance on lap 218 and Rinaldo Capello took over behind the wheel. He rejoined still in third place by a long way although the Pescarolo Sport Judd of Sohail Ayari behind then was slowly catching them.

Frank Biela, in the repaired Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx after Allan McNish's accident, was pushing extremely hard to make up places and was running in twelfth place at the start of the fifteenth hour, behind Justin Wilson's Racing For Holland Dome Judd who was lapping equally as quickly.

Chris Dyson picked up a puncture in the Racing For Holland Dome Judd and was forced to make a pit stop - the car was running in seventeenth place overall. Clint Field spun his Courage Competition AER off at the exit of the Ford Curves just before the pit lance entrance at the head of the LM P2 class. He dived into the pit lane and the cause of the spin was quickly discovered - a right rear puncture.

The Choroq Racing Team Porsche 911 GT3 RSR picked up a left rear puncture at the hands of Manabu Orido and slid around the circuit on the way back to the pits.

Martin Short, in fourth place, was punted off the circuit in his Rollcentre Racing by the sixth-placed Pescarolo Sport Judd which he was lapping. The Dallara Judd stopped in the gravel and had to be pulled free by a rescue track so that he could rejoin.

Jens Moller spun the Lister Racing Storm on the pit straight and had some trouble getting the car pointint the correct direction. At the same time the Audi of Frank Biela spun off the circuit at the entrance to Indianapolis but was able to rejoin and tour slowly to the garage.