Down to the Wire

The final round of the 2010 Le Mans Series, and there was still all to play for in almost every category of the race for titles. The only class decided was GT1, largely because there was only one competitor. In the other categories, there were several teams and drivers with chances of glory.

In LMP2 RML lead by 12 points, down from thirteen after Danny Watts earned a single point for taking pole in Saturday's qualifying session. In theory, that margin was enough to secure the P2 titles (for Mike and Tommy as drivers, and for RML as a team) provided the car finished the race in the top nine of the category. To be denied that reward for a season's hard work, Strakka Racing not only had to win the class, but the RML Lola HPD also had to fail to score points.

The allocation of points in the Le Mans Series is as follows:

If there are more than twelve classified finishers, each car that takes the chequered flag within the required distance is also awarded a single point. In addition, an extra point is awarded for pole position, making 16 the maximum possible for a driver from a race weekend. If a race exceeds more than a further 50% of the 1000 Kilometre race distance (as happened at the Algarve) double points will be awarded. To be eligible for full points, a driver must complete at least 75 minutes' in the cockpit during the race.

Additional team points are available. Bonus or penalty points will be given per event in accordance with the number of engines used for the five races of Le Mans Series as follows:

• 1 engine: +2 points per event if the car is classified.
• 2 engines: +1 point per event if the car is classified.
• 3 engines: no bonus. The car keeps only the score corresponding to its position.
• More than 3 engines: 1 point will be removed from the total points obtained.

Early morning news and a bit of gossip to follow, but first, warm-up . . .

Warm-up
Moments before the hour, the pitlane was crammed with drivers eager to get back out onto the sunny Silverstone tarmac, and dot on nine o'clock, the exit lights turned green, and the first stream of thirty-eight cars took to the track. That number had swiftly risen to forty-four, suggesting that just about everyone was up bright and early, and without significant issues.

It was an important few minutes for one LMP2 driver. Richard Hein in the #35 Oak Racing Pescarolo was making his debut on the Arena circuit, having had his only previous attempt cut short when the cockpit fire broke out on Friday.

Within five minutes all 45 cars were out on track, and some of the drivers were evidently taking the twenty-minute warm-up very seriously. Jonny Kane, first out in the Strakka HPD, was dicing with Tommy for fastest in LMP2.

One of the MIK Racing Lolas stopped on circuit, the #30, and was passed by one of the CRS Ferraris trailing smoke (later revealed to be a driveshaft failure). Not everything was going to plan. Greg Mansell fastest overall for the opening ten minutes was also something of a surprise, until Jonny Cocker matched his own qualifying time in the Drayson Lola to move ahead.

Then the works teams got in on the action, and the front line became another Audi-Peugeot skirmish, with Peugeot getting the better of the opening maneuvers.

Tommy returned to the pitlane after his statutory (for RML) out lap, flyer and in, and handed over the #25 Lola to Mike Newton. The routine is one of the features of RML's weekend strategy that rarely, if ever, changes. and the team work through the drivers in the same order they'll race, simulating a full pitstop and driver change each time the car comes in, even at the end of the session.

The number one Peugeot, although fastest overall at the time on the screens, was back in the garage several minutes before the end, with the front-right corner being attended to, but went back out just in time to catch the chequered flag.

The session rounded off with one or two fairly quick times, with most looking able to match, or in some cases, better the times set in qualifying - a sign, perhaps, of the improved track conditions on what was a very bright and sunny Sunday morning. Quickest overall was Anthony Davidson in the #1, with a 1:45.545, a few tenths ahead of Allan McNish. In LMP2, Jonny Kane's opener was fastest, with 50.179, ahead of Tommy's single flyer 1:51.885.

Warm-up - LMP2 and Formula Le Mans Times

The morning's schedule was remarkably tight - as it usually is - and the drivers were on call from ten to meet the expectations of a very large Silverstone crowd. Despite the scheduling of the Silverstone 1000 Kilometres to clash with the Italian Grand Prix from Monza, the turnout was excellent.

At most of the year's previous rounds, the official Autograph Session has been a relaxed and unflustered affair, with plenty of space for fans to mill around and collect printed memorabilia and signatures. Not at Silverstone. The paddock was a heaving mass of humanity, with a near-100% turnout from all the drivers. Three squads seemed to attract the most attention. The Beechdean Mansell table was swamped, thanks to the presence of a non-driving Nigel Mansell, and the AF Corse position was also scrum-like, with fans eager to get the autographs of Alesi and Fisichella. The appeal of Grand Prix drivers long surpasses the end of their F1 careers.

The next most popular line-up was undoubtedly RML's, where mutterings from those clamouring around the three drivers tended to be centred around comments like; "There he is . . . it's The Stig!" The word "stig" is one of those phonetics that travels, and even if you can't hear the words either side, the sibilant "S" and the harsh "tig" carries through the rhubarb. Ben may have been way out of his comfort zone, but such is his nature that he sat it out, and then added in an extra half-hour at the end, just to fulfil the demand for his "aka The Stig" moniker. How such an affable chap ever managed to keep his identity secret for seven years is a marvel.

Duty calls, however, and there was a race to prepare for.

The stands overlooking the pits and Copse were packed as the cars started to take up their positions, with the only significant changes since qualifying being the demotion of both Oak Racing Pescarolos, which would start from the back - the #35 as a result of setting no time in qualifying, and the #24 through a new set of tyres, fitted after the original set were flat-spotted during qualifying. Both CRS Ferraris were also at the back, due to new tyres, having cooked them in qualifying. No cars would start from the pitlane.

Our race coverage was created and uploaded "live", as the race developed. Please forgive us any grammatical, tense and spelling errors that may have crept in!

11:55 and a few seconds, and the cars start to move off the grid and begin the formation lap, and drama almost straight away, as Timo Bernhard spins off the #8 Audi at Becketts and heads out across the grass. The #30 MIK Racing Lola also spun off. Both were able to rejoin, and because the whole field hadn't passed them, they were permitted to regain their grid positions, overtaking through the massed ranks to do so.

The Race

11:59
The race starts, and it's a dramatic run down to Copse as everyone jostles for position, but it's Audi leading, then Peugeot, and Audi third as they set off round the track. McNish leading, with Davidson diving through to take second from Bernhard, with the Oreca Pug fourth.

LMP2 retained most of the grid order. Kane leading for Strakka, chasing the #5, with Ebbesvik third behind Pla, and Tommy fourth. The LNT Ginetta-Zytek is already back into that mix, Jonny Mowlem struggling just a little in this opening lap.

It's getting very aggressive for the lead as they come through for their third lap, where McNish is under increasing pressure from Davidson. Kane is holding on to the the Mansell GZ at the head of P2, but Mowlem takes Pla for position along the pit straight to start the orange Team LNT car's recovery. Ebbesvik strong in P2 third and a slight gap developing back to Erdos.

Possible first retirement in P2? The Pegasus Courage is showing signs of a blown engine, and there's oil at Woodcote as a result. The car enters the pits and is drawn back into the garage.

12:08
It's nose-to-tail for the overall lead, with Davidson all over the back end of McNish in the Audi. They're in amongst the tail enders, and Davidson is driving very forcefully - far too forcefully, if truth be said. Is he going to repeat his Le Mans antics, and take someone off? It may only be a matter of time.

Kane continues to lead P2, from 11th overall, and with the cushion of Mowlem between him and Pla. Ebbesvik continues in third, with Erdos fourth. We're on lap seven.

12:13
Jonny Cocker has moved up to 7th, passing the #12 Rebellion Lola. Another making progress is Fernandez in the #007 Aston Martin, which started from the back after their steering rack problems. He's up to 16th, and chasing down Tommy in the #25.

12:14
Davidson takes the lead! He runs wide along the main straight, almost brushing the concrete, and gets through. Moments later he receives his first (?) warning for not observing the track limits - crossing white lines as he weaved behind McNish.

The KSM Lola is into the pits for some repairs, after unknown contact.

12:16
Tommy has lost 15th to Fernandez.

Jonny Kane is up to tenth overall, having got ahead of the Beechdean Mansell Ginetta Zytek. He's already eased out two seconds over Greg Mansell. Jonny Cocker is looking for space to get by the second Rebellion Lola, and he's dicing well through the GT2 traffic, hoping to make it stick. They're disputing sixth overall.

The gap between Tommy Erdos, fourth in P2, and Guillaume Moreau, chasing for Oak in the #35, is a healthy ten seconds, although he's dropped back almost 20 seconds from Ebbesvik in the #41 Bruichladdich entry.

12:21
Barry Gates is into the gravel - Vale possibly - in the Team RLR MG Lola. He's dropped back to 27th.

Tommy has just been lapped by Davidson in the #1 Peugeot, for the first time. It's taken almost 25 minutes for the leaders to get this far through the field. A few moments later (12:23) and he's overtaken by McNish, who's running five seconds behind Davidson now.

Having been challenging for sixth, Cocker is back under pressure himself now, from Jani in the #12 - three Lolas in a tight chain.

12:25
Gates gets the MG back to the pits for a checkup. He's not stationary for long.

Kane continues to lead P2, but hadn't shaken off Greg Mansell, but that changed when the #5 pitted at 12:27.

12:27
Disaster for Audi, as McNish slows to a crawl through Becketts, and then trundles along Hangar Straight at a snail's pace.

12:28
Moreau has closed to within three seconds of Tommy. The #35 Oak Pescarolo started from the back of the grid, of course.

12:29
McNish has stopped, and it's possible we may get a safety car as a result? Everyone else presses on, acknowledging the waved white flags around the ailing #7 R15. At 12:30 McNish jumps from the car, and walks away. Race over . . . and there goes my prediction for a race winner! Sorry Allan.

12:31
Jonny Cocker is through to sixth! With all eyes on the demise of McNish, Cocker had been collecting his efforts and swept through to lead the Lola trio.

Moreau passes Tommy for fourth in class, 14th overall. Under normal circumstances Tommy might have defended harder, but with a minor handling issue, and eyes on the Series title, a finish is more important today.

12:34
Eighteen laps into the race, and Davidson leads overall by six seconds from the privateer Oreca Peugeot, with Bernhard third for Audi by a further three seconds. Stephan Mucke holds fourth for the #009 Aston Martin Lola and is the leading petrol-engined runner.

The battle for fifth hasn't been settled, and Bellichi is back ahead of Cocker again.

Greg Mansell's stop was to rectify a puncture. He resumed in 17th overall.

12:39
Jonny Cocker pits, so that battle now eased. In LMP2, the other Jonny - Jonny Kane - continues to ease out a significant class lead. He's now 50 seconds clear of Olivier Pla, who's ten seconds ahead of Ebbesvik. There's then an eighteen second gap to Moreau.

12:40
Tommy loses another position, this time to Lahaye in the #24 Oak Racing Pescarolo. Both Oak cars started from the back of the grid, but RML's strategy today is to work towards a good finish, and pushing unnecessarily hard and risking the car is not part of that agenda. If Tommy's challenged, he won't defend fiercely.

12:45
Tommy is lapped by Davidson for the second time, and Davidson drives into the side of the Lola, totally without reason. This gives some indication not only of the pace differential between the diesels and top P2 runners, but also the somewhat irresponsible driving style of Davidson. Tommy asks the team to keep an eye on the tyre pressure telemetry, in case he's sustained a puncture.

12:47
Further demonstrating the mindlessness of the move, Davidson then pits for his first scheduled stop, after 27 laps. No fresh tyres for Davidson.

Tommy is preparing for his first pitstop, and has had his first low-fuel warning light.

12:49
A spin for the #007 Aston Martin Lola as he clashes with one of the FLM cars - the white one, #46. There have been several casualties in Formula Le Mans already. Meanwhile, Cocker taps the #12 into a spin, and gets through to 7th again. Nicolas Prost was in the Rebellion Lola.

12:50 Pitstop. (Thomas Erdos remains in the car. Fuel. No tyres)
Tommy pits for fuel. Phil Barker confirms that everything looks OK at the right front, where the contact with Davidson occurred. He heads back out after the briefest of stops.

"There was a vibration from the brakes before we even got out onto the grid," said Tommy later. "The engineers checked the car while we sat on the grid, but couldn’t find any obvious source. As it happened, the vibration settled soon after the race started, as the brakes warmed, which was fortunate. Even so, it was a difficult first stint. The tyres weren’t giving the grip we were expecting."

12:51
Kane pits the Strakka HPD from the class lead, having risen to fifth overall through the pitstops.

12:55
The #007 Aston Martin has stopped, in the pitlane. It's pushed back by the team and into the garage. It had been running 14th. Out at the sharp end, it's still tight for second and third, with just four seconds between Sarrazin and Bernhard, but by double-stinting tyres, Davidson leads by 40 seconds.

Hour 2 - 3 (13:00-14:00)

13:00
The Drayson Lola, having been dicing merrily with the two Rebellions, has now benefitted from some slick pitwork (and on-track wheel tapping) and stands fifth overall, second in the petrol "class", with a meaningful gap of 12 seconds back to Prost in the #12.

After the pitstops, Kane (still in the #42) lies 9th, just inside the top-ten, by 3 seconds from Greg Mansell in the Beechdean Mansell car. Olivier Pla retains second for Quifel ASM by twenty seconds. Then other Ginetta-Zytek, the Team LNT works #20, is doing well, running 7th in the hands of Jonny Mowlem.

After his pitstop, Tommy has resumed in 16th overall, sixth in class behind the two Oak Pescarolos.

In GT2, the #75 Prospeed Competition Porsche leads by 8 seconds from the #77, with a third Porsche, the #76 IMSA Matmut car, third. The pole-setting JMW Aston is fourth, and the first of the Ferraris, the AF Corse #96 is fifth. Not the expected order perhaps.

13:06
Barry Gates soldiers on in the #31 Team RLR MG Lola, but after his earlier problems is running a relatively lowly 32nd overall, tenth in LMP2. The only cars behind him are the KSM Lola, back out and racing, but having lost a lot of ground after the early pitstop, and the #36 Pegasus Courage, an early retirement with a blown AER engine.

13:11
Mowlem is off the track at the exit of Woodcote, and has beached on the kerbs. The #29 Lola is also in trouble

13:15
Tommy continues to hold sixth in class, and is running 16 seconds behind Lahaye in the #24, but has a full 80 seconds over the #30 MIK Racing Lola.

Kane has dropped to 10th after losing position to Greg Mansell and Jean-Christophe Boullion in the #13 Rebellion Lola, but Mansell then pits to hand over to brother Leo. Leo's not quite as quick as Greg, so will be interesting to see how the next couple of hours pan out for the #5.

13:19
Tommy crosses the line to begin his 42nd lap, and the #29 MIK Racing Lola is four seconds behind . . . but a full lap in arrears.

Various cars are being warned for not respecting the track limits. This is drivers crossing white lines, and the most recent culprit is Jonny Kane, earning a black and white flag for the #42 Strakka Racing HPD.

Jonny Mowlem has been stationary for some time in the Team LNT Ginetta Zytek, but finally he gets the car moving again, but he'll have to do another full lap, despite being opposite the pitlane entry. Wisely, he elects not to attempt a cross-track excursion, and drives half way along the pit straight on the concrete run off, and then bides his time as traffic passes before negotiating the grass and easing onto the track again. Good thinking. He gets back to the pits, and swaps with Chris McMurry. Jonny, interviewed on Radio Le Mans, makes it very clear that he holds a GT2 Ferrari wholly responsible for his spin, and the loss of position and so much valuable time.

13:30
The #45 FLM car is the first to have a warning converted into a penalty. The Boutsen car is awarded a stop-go. This is a development that other team managers would be wise to note.

13:35
Christian Ebbesvik pits the #41 Bruichladdich Ginetta Zytek from third in LMP2. Kane still leads (with only one pitstop so far) from Olivier Pla by a full 90 seconds. Ebbesvik's pitstop allows Moreau through to third. The second Oak #24 is next.

13:39
Tommy is hit heavily by the Spyker (Tom Coronel) and heads into a spin, but remains on the track, gets the nose round the right way again, and presses on, but the crew is already preparing for a pitstop. He continues though for a couple more laps, suggesting that there's some rear-end damage, but not affecting the car's handling significantly. Phil, spotting from the pit wall, suggests that it all looks fine.

"I was already clear of him, but he followed me too deep and slid into me," suggested Tommy, of the clash with Coronel. "There was nothing I could do. It was lucky it didn’t cost us more time. There was a fresh vibration, but no permanent damage."

13:44
Strakka up to fifth again overall, and JK just done his fastest laps of the race so far at 1:48.873.

13:46 Pitstop. (Thomas Erdos out, Mike Newton into the car. Fuel and tyres)
Tommy into the pitlane for what is now a scheduled pitstop for fuel, tyres and driver-change. Mike Newton will be getting into the car. The team examines the car, and confirms that Lola is good to go. Mike heads out to resume the race.

"We couldn’t do anything until Tommy came into the pits," explained Phil. "He drove through the problem for a few more laps until we were able to bring him in almost on schedule. When we got the tyre off the car, we saw that the balance weights were missing, so the vibration had been nothing to panic us too much."

13:50
Jonny Kane pits the Strakka HPD from fifth overall.

13:51
The #45 is given another penalty, for the same oversight, but this time it's 3 minutes! Other team managers please note.

Hour 3 - 4 (14:00-15:00)

14:03
Into the third hour, and Nic Minassian is now in the cockpit of the leading works Peugeot.

14:04
Nick Leventis is tipped into a spin, possibly by the Spyker, and has lost the lights and legality panel on the rear of the car. As he spun he was clipped by another prototype, passing to the rear of the HPD. (Later confirmed as the #41 Bruichladdich car). There may be more damage, so Nick heads straight for the pitlane and some repairs.

The #40 Quifel ASM also pits at the same time, so the P2 leaders are in the pitlane at the same time. There's grass being thrown out of the Quifel car too. Meanwhile, the Oak Pescarolo, which was third, is back up onto the lead lap for P2.

The #40 car is out well ahead of Leventis, so change of leaders in P2.

Elsewhere, a spin for the #41 Bruichladdich, now with Karim Ojjeh at the wheel. It seems there are changes afoot, but all as the result of errors. Leventis rejoins in fifth, just ahead of Mike Newton in the #25 Lola HPD.

14:15
After that flurry of excitement, LMP2 has settled down again, but to different rules. The Oak Racing Pescarolo, #35, having started last in P2, now leads from 9th overall. Richard Hein is in the cockpit, and leads by just nine seconds from Karim Ojjeh - except the #41 Bruichladdich car pits as as I write, so it will possibly be an Oak one-two in a few moments, if Ojjeh can't get out again ahead of team-boss Jacques Nicolet in the #24. However, both cars owe a pitstop, and the #40 is only three seconds down the road.

14:21
Mike Newton holds fifth now for RML AD Group, passing the #41 as the Bruichladdich squad effect repairs. Mike's lead over the #30 MIK Lola is nearly a minute. "My stint didn‘t exactly start particularly well," said Mike. "I hadn’t even got through Becketts on my out-lap before I got cut up by a Formula Le Mans car. Here we go, I thought. I think I even closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact, but there wasn’t one. He went off, and I didn’t. That was a huge initial scare, but after that I managed to settle down fairly quickly, and it developed into a good, steady run."

Brief mention of the GT1 leader. The Larbre Saleen was hit early in the race by one of the MIK Racing Lolas, and lost part of an exhaust, which was then possibly run over by the Drayson Lola. The Saleen had to stop for repairs, and is now running 42nd overall.

In GT2, the JMW Aston Martin has regained the class lead, with Rob Bell currently taking driving duties, ahead of the #96 AF Corse Ferrari second, and the Prospeed Porsche third.

14:24
Miguel Amaral passes Jacques Nicolet for second in LMP2, even after having made one more pitstop than the Oak Racing Pescarolo. The #41 is still pitbound.

14:30
Just had a text to suggest that the Vulcan may be doing a fly past any moment. Heads up, as they say!.

The Oak cars still have yet to stop. Impressive fuel economy from the Michelin Green X leaders!

The #35 leads from the #40 Quifel ASM Ginetta Zytek, with the #24 third, but has just coasted to a halt in the new Arena section. He stops at 14:38. The car is pushed clear by the marshals.

The #35 has a mere 28 second lead over Miguel Amaral, which is way short of the requirement to hold on to position through a pitstop. Leventis is in fourth, with the #24 moving quickly again, but likely to pit again soon.

Nicolet gets the #24 back to the pits, where it's refuelled, and the team then start fiddling with the front bodywork. It seems reluctant to re-start, and all the while the car is dropping down the order. It may be a steering problem? The engineers are working around the front of the car.

Leventis moves through to third, and Mike Newton up to fourth.

14:44
Finally, the #35 Oak Racing car pits from the lead. Amaral has about 90 seconds over Leventis for the lead in LMP2.

The Silverstone 1000 Kilometres remains a Peugeot one-two, with Dindo Capello third for Audi. There's only 25 seconds between one and two, but a minute back to Capello.

14:46 Pitstop. (Mike Newton remains in the car. Fuel. No tyres)
Mike in for a scheduled pitstop, but only for a splash and dash of fuel, so is ahead of expected schedule. It's a 15 second fuel stop, but Mike suggests that the pit limiter isn't working, so he's steady on the exit, careful to remain below 60 kph. "We needed to make sure we’d run the right number of laps to ensure that Mike completed his minimum time in the car to score points," said Phil Barker. "It was just a straightforward strategy decision."

The leading Peugeot is given another warning for not respecting limits. Once more and there will be a penalty.

14:50
The #11 Drayson Lola is travelling slowly after losing a wheel through the Arena complex. Bizarrely, after losing the wheel, the errant unit then tries to rejoin the car! Lord Drayson pits for a new wheel.

Having made its pitstop, Richard Hein resumed the race second in LMP2, but Nick Leventis is lapping significantly quicker, by more than five seconds a lap,. and with the gap standing at only 19 seconds, it won't be long before the places are exchanged. Mike Newton is lapping steadily around the two minute mark and holding fourth, but not by a vast margin. Mike is muttering about the traffic!

The #24 has gone back out again after addressing a power steering problem.

14:57
Mike's advantage over Babini in the #29 is only 12 seconds. Leventis has closed to within ten seconds of Hein. The gap ahead to Amaral is about 18 seconds, so all to race for in LMP2.

14:59
That Lola-Lola gap in P2 has narrowed to 8 seconds, and with Babini's last lap a good four seconds faster than Mike's, it'll be pistols at dawn in a moment.

Hour 4 - 5 (15:00-16:00)

15:00
BMW off at Copse, and announcement on the screen that the #42 Strakka HPD has been given a one second stop-go penalty. Indiscretion not revealed, but Nick is into the pitlane next time through.

15:02
Mike passed by Babini for 12th overall, fourth in class.

With three hours completed, the #40 Quifel ASM leads P2 by 28 seconds from the #35 Oak Pescarolo. Third is the Strakka HPD, a full minute now behind the leading #40. The #30 MIK Racing Lola is fourth and having opened up an 8 second lead over Newton in the #25. There's a fair lap or more between the #25 and the next-up MIK Racing Lola, the #29, 16th overall, 6th in class. Between that Lola and the #41 Bruichladdich Ginetta Zytek is some three laps of the track and a gaggle of FLM cars; the #47 leading the sub-class from 17th overall, followed by the #44 (Warren Hughes and Jody Firth) and the #48 third.

15:09 Pitstop. (Mike Newton out, Thomas Erdos into the car. Fuel and tyres)

Mike into the pitlane for a routine refuel, tyres and driver-change. It's a typically quick pitstop, and the Brazilian is soon on his way once again.

There are some very dark clouds overhead. No imminent sign of rain, but can't be excluded as a possibility.

15:15
Spoke too soon. It's now drizzling lightly along the pit straight, as Nick Leventis brings in the Strakka HPD #42 for fuel, tyres and driver-change with Danny Watts.

Richard Westbrook pits the Prospeed Porsche from the GT2 lead, as Ojjeh also pits the #41 Bruichladdich Ginetta Zytek, now out of contention.

The drizzle has not worsened significantly, and everyone is still on slicks, but it's getting tricky. The #12 Rebellion and the #90 CRS Ferrari clash, and both sustain damage and pit. The Spyker narrowly missed collecting them both.

Danny's opening lap was a 1:49.3.

15:22
Another off for Karim Ojjeh in the #41 necessitates an additional pitstop for the Bruichladdich car. The #29 MIK Racing Lola has lost a left-rear wheel. Danny Watts' last lap was 8 seconds faster that Richard Hein's, so the Strakka HPD is closing on the Oak for second in class.

Clarification that the two warning notices for the #1 Peugeot were for two different offences, which is why the second didn't result in a penalty. One was for Davidson's poor driving standards, and the other for not observing the track limits.

15:25
The #30 pits for fuel and tyres, and the #29 re-emerges from the garage. The #30 left the pitlane with the louvres above the right-hand front wheel badly damaged, and this could become a penalty issue.

15:29
The gap between Amaral in the leading #40 ASM Quifel car and Richard Hein is 47 seconds, and growing. Conversely, the gap between Hein and Watts is shrinking at a far swifter rate. although still stands at 95 seconds.

Tommy is back up to fourth for RML in the #25 having passed the #30 MIK Racing Lola during that recent pitstop, and Tommy now has six seconds over the Italian Lola.

The threat of rain has receded, and the clouds have thinned once again, and there's even a possibility of a return to sunshine. Never caught sight of the Vulcan, which must have been obscured by those dark clouds..

15:34
A warning now for the #40 for not respecting limits. There are several cars now on final warnings, which could make the last couple of hours quite interesting.. Another spin for Tom Coronel in the Spyker. The Dutchman's having an entertaining race, mostly at other people's expense.

Davidson is back in the leading Peugeot, and has 31 seconds over Sarrazin in the #4, with Bernhard in the #8 third by 27 seconds. Stephan Mucke lies fourth, leading the petrol-powered group in the #009 AML, with Mailleux fifth for Signature Plus and the #12 Rebellion Lola sixth. Greg is back in the Beechdean Mansell Ginetta Zytek, seventh, from Harold Primat in the #007 9th, sandwiching the P2 leader.

With Amaral up to 8th overall, his advantage is 69 seconds over Hein, while Watts has removed almost a minute from Hein's advantage in little over twenty minutes. The margin he's aiming at is now down to less than sixty seconds.

Tommy, under instructions to drive well within his - and the car's capabilities - is lapping in the mid one-fifties, and holding station on Frederico Leo, seven or eight seconds behind him, but both are closing on Hein.

15:43
Danny Watts has passed Hein on the pitstop, and Moreau is into the #35 Oak Racing Pescarolo, leaving Watts to chase the LMP2 leader, with Amaral pitting now to hand back to Olivier Pla for the final stints. It may take a minute or two for the exact situation to become clear. It looks as if the gap one to two is only 30 seconds.

Confirmed, the gap is 32 seconds.

The race leader completes 126 laps, so 44 laps to go.

15:53
Tommy is easing away from Leo steadily, and the gap between the RML Lola and the MIK Racing #30 has grown to about 12 seconds. Tommy is typically one or two seconds a lap quicker.

15:59
A fastest lap of the race so far for the #31 RLR MG Lola, with a 1:55.819 from Rob Garofall, still pushing hard, even if 25th overall, 9th in class.

Hour 5 - 6 (16:00-17:00)

16:02
A somewhat dramatic start to the fifth hour as Mailleux limps into the pitlane with a left-rear puncture. The #008 Signature Aston was sixth overall. Meanwhile, the #30 Lola gets a warning, and Warren Hughes in the second-placed FLM #44 very nearly gets clouted by Primat in the #009.

16:05 Pitstop. (Thomas Erdos out,Ben Collins into the car. Fuel and tyres)
A final pitstop for Tommy Erdos, handing over the #25 Lola to The Stig. Ben Collins will see the race through to the chequered flag. We wonder what music he's chosen to accompany these last thirty-odd laps. Something pastoral, perhaps?

"My second stint in the car was much more enjoyable than the first," said Tommy. "The grip levels were so much better, despite the rain, although it was only really spitting and easy to manage."

16:12
Danny Watts closing down on Olivier Pla for the class lead, narrowing the gap by three seconds every time around. The two cars start their 130th lap almost together, with the gap officially 1.9 seconds.

16:14
Danny Watts takes the class lead from Olivier Pla.

Ben lost one position in the pitstop, but is comfortable in fifth. He trails the #30 MIK Racing Lola by almost a lap. “The other guys had done all the hard work,"claimed Ben afterwards. "However, they had de-tuned the car a little, by taking off some of the dive planes before I took over.” Mike and Tommy acknowledged that the right-hand planes had been missing, but they couldn’t agree on who was responsible. "Thankfully, we were ahead of where we needed to be to secure the championship, and that took a lot of the pressure off me."

16:19
Pitstop for Danny Watts - his final pitstop of the race, with perhaps 45 minutes or so remaining. Olivier Pla regains the lead.

A stop-go penalty for the GT2 leading JMW Aston Martin for a repeated track limit infringements.

16:21
A final pitstop for the #31. The #30 pits, and is warned by one of the ACO officials about the damaged louvres, but they send the car out again unrepaired even so.

16:23
Pla has retaken the lead, as expected, but the #35 Oak Racing has also moved through, so the Strakka HPD is now running third in class. The gap between the #30 and Ben Collins in the #25 is down to 15 seconds. Ben may have to make another pitstop, but he might also catch Leo before then, as his lap times are consistently better.

16:26
Quifel ASM pits from the lead with 25 laps to go. The #35 Oak is second, a minute behind, but may have another pitstop to make. Ben has narrowed the gap to Leo by another couple of seconds. Rob Bell fulfils his pitstop penalty, and Jaime Melo moves into the GT2 lead in the #96 Ferrari.

Davidson leads LMP1 and overall from Sarrazin with Bernhard third, so no change in outright positions for a fair while.

16:31
Watts is bearing down on Moreau in the #35 Oak, and the gap is less than five seconds. Pla, meanwhile, has 56 seconds over the Pescarolo and is only marginally slower than Watts. Could be close if neither has to stop again.

16:33
Watts passes Moreau for second on the exit of Chapel, and extends his advantage down Hangar Straight. He then passes Tony Burgess in the Team LNT Ginetta Zytek LMP1 with ease, but the orange car is laps behind in the race.

Ben is not pushing unnecessarily hard, and the gap to Leo has stabilised at around fifteen seconds.

16:36
Olivier Pla pits the Quifel ASM car from the class lead, and takes on fuel only.

In FLM, Warren Hughes skipped a new set of tyres in the last DAMS #44 pitstop, and narrowed the gap on the leading Hope Polevision #47 from the best part of a minute to about 8 as a result. lf he can cope with the less forgiving tyres he's using, and he has the experience to do that, then a class win is possibly within reach.

Strakka's Danny Watts retakes the class lead, and heads Pla by 4 seconds.

16:40
The #30 MIK Racing Lola pits for fuel and tyres, and the team reluctantly takes the advice of the ACO officials and replaces the entire nose section, deeming this quicker than swapping the louvres alone. The additional delay may be enough to allow Ben through to fourth.

16:44
A penalty for the #47 FLM class leader! Warren Hughes, who'd closed to within four seconds anyway, will find it far easier to overtake than he'd expected.

Confirmation on the screens that Ben is through to fourth in class, having passed the #30 while the pitstop and repairs were carried out.

Danny Watts is not letting up, which suggests he may have to make a splash'n'dash before the end. He's opened up an 18 second lead already

16:47
Coincident to the time, the #47 comes through the pitlane to meet its penalty, and Warren Hughes sweeps by along the main straight.

Timo Bernhard has, almost unnoticed, moved through to second overall. Did Sarrazin have an off? It could be a transponder issue? It may be that the screens are not accurate, and the Oreca Peugeot could actually still be running second, even if the screens show it as third.

16:52
Danny Watts has stretched the Strakka class lead to 42 seconds.

16:55
Rob Bell pits the JMW Aston for a splash of fuel, and he loses class second as a result.

16:56
Ben comes in for a splash of fuel, just enough to get him to the end, plus a bit extra just in case. It's a swift pitstop. "Nice and steady, Ben, no heroics, OK? Eight laps to the chequered flag," were parting instructions from Phil Barker. The RML Lola had four laps in hand over the louvre-troubled #30, so no need for Ben to take risks.

Warren Hughes is thirteen seconds to the good in Formula Le Mans. There's a title at stake here too for co-driver Jody Firth, as well as the podium for this race.

Hour 6 - Finish (21:00-22:00)

17:02
Danny Watts maintains his Relentless progress, pulling even further clear of the #40, and running a strong 8th overall. No repeat of Hungaroring here, with such a strong LMP1 entry, and also, fewer of the P1 failures to aid Strakka's progress. He's eased off the pace in recent minutes, but has 53 seconds in hand.

Moreau is looking secure in third as well, giving Oak the potential of yet another podium this season. Had they kept their eggs in one basket they'd be looking at an easy title, but splitting results between two cars has weakened their chances. The gap to Pla is 26 seconds.

Ben has just set a 1:52, so isn't easing up, and currently he's quickest in the class.

Melo has held on to the GT2 lead, from Prospeed second and JMW third. In LMP1,. the transponder glitch has been fixed, and the Oreca Peugeot is now rightly showing as second overall, 47 seconds behind the works 908. The #8 Audi holds third, with the #009 Aston fourth, and the best placed petrol-engined car.

Two laps to go.

Finish

Davidson takes the win for Peugeot, making it a one-two for the French diesels. Audi third, and no finish at all for the favoured #7. An honorable fourth for the #009 Aston Martin Lola.

Another emphatic win for Strakka in LMP2, beating Quifel ASM into second place by almost exactly a minute. Third to Oak's #35, with a great fourth place at the line for RML, with Ben "The Stig" Collins taking the chequered flag and with it, the LMP2 title for RML's Mike Newton and Tommy Erdos.

GT1 win for Larbre, of course. Win in GT2 for AF Corse #96, with #75 Prospeed Porsche second and the JMW Aston third.

"Awesome performance, well done Ben," came Phil Barker's commendation over the radio, with a reply of "Congratulations on the championship guys," from Collins as he eased down along the pit straight. The title comes three years after the team last took the Le Mans Series crown, and has followed on straight after a hugely difficult season in 2009. This couldn't be a better response to those bitterly disappointing months, and a just reward for the enormous effort and unstinting hard work put into the sportscar programme by all the guys at RML in Wellingborough. It also comes just a few months after a return to form in the Le Mans 24 Hours, when Mike, Tommy and Andy Wallace took third. What better way to round off the Le Mans Series season.

Post Race Comments and Topics

"It’s been a very tense day for everyone, with so much at stake," admitted a relieved Thomas Erdos. "Last year, and the year before, we suffered so many failures, but none of them could be attributed to RML’s contribution to the overall package. Even so, the lack of results didn’t reflect well on the team, and there was a gloomy atmosphere at times. The team worked so hard and simply didn’t get the results they deserved. The only difference this season has been the fantastic engine that HPD has provided, with its power, driveability and incredible reliability. All the other factors have remained the same, and that illustrates just how excellent RML is at putting the whole package together. We’ve had no reliability issues at all, the other drivers have done a superb job, and we’ve won a title as a result. It’s what all the engineers, mechanics and technicians deserve." Their reward is the LMP2 team title.

Mike and Tommy may have taken the drivers' title, but they didn't do it all on their own. Andy Wallace, described on Dailysportscar recently as "the evergreen", co-drove the RML Lola HPD at Paul Ricard and Spa, sharing in two podiums as a result. He also raced with the squad at Le Mans for the 24 Hours, adding yet another podium to his staggering collection. "Andy did a superb job. We had podium results in every race he shared with us," said Tommy. "It has been a tremendous privilege to work, and race, with Andy." Having completed three races with the squad, Andy left half way through the season, and in stepped Ben Collins.

When RML AD Group announced the appointment of their new "third" driver, and bearing in mind the status of the man he took over from, there were quite a few eyebrows raised, certainly from those not in the "know". The name of Ben Collins was relatively unknown. Variously billed as "former F3 driver " and occasionally, erroneously, a NASCAR ace, few actually knew the name, and fewer still were aware of his tremendous talent. RML knew him well, having steered him towards the 2003 European ASCAR title, and they also knew (as did many in the motorsport fraternity) that Ben Collins was also much better known, hugely better known, as The Stig. That was back in early July, and nobody then (except perhaps Ben himself) knew what was going to unfold in the coming months.

Ben had completed two races with RML, in the Algarve (first in class, fourth overall) and then the Hungaroring (fourth in class and also overall) before the news broke. On 1st September the High Court rejected the BBC's application for an injunction preventing Ben's publishers, HarperCollins, from releasing his autobiography. Suddenly the wisdom of RML's appointment became clear, and just about the entire population of the UK had heard of Ben Collins.

Some say he's a very talented racing driver. He's also tremendously affable and a committed team player. "It has been great having Ben with us," said Mike, "He’s fitted in so well, but when he joined, we had no expectation that he’d bring quite so much publicity with him. It's been a remarkable few weeks." Tommy readily agreed. "Ben has done an outstanding job, and it's been great working with him." Ray Mallock knew what to expect, of course. "Ben’s contribution has been tremendous, and it has been good to have his energy and enthusiasm," said the RML founder and Chief Executive. "Having worked with him in ASCAR we never had any doubt that he‘d be able to deliver."

Extracts from Ben's book, entitled The Man in the White Suit, were published in the Sunday Times "In Gear" section (Sunday 12th) ahead of publication on Wednesday 15th September.

If Ben's contribution came at the end of the season, Mike's was a stable constant throughout the year. "Mike deserves a huge pat on the back," said co-driver Tommy Erdos. "He's played a pivotal role in all our best results. As a “gentleman driver”, he was always under tremendous pressure to perform, yet he delivered time and again, and without making any mistakes. That is an incredible achievement, and played a significant part in securing the title."

Tommy also appreciated the efforts from the team's tyre supplier. "Dunlop provided tyres that we could always double-stint, when others sometimes struggled to keep a set together for just one. Some of the credit for that must also go to Lola. They created a chassis that offered terrific handling characteristics, yet was also kind on the tyres. The time that saved us in the pits enabled us to keep in contention, time and again, even if the outright pace of the car was sometimes less than the others." The 2010 season could not have been more of a change from the team's experiences in 2009, when the turbo-powered Lola only finished one race. "We realised from the time of the Paul Ricard test, that we didn‘t have this year’s fastest car," conceded Phil Barker. "We knew that we needed the least errors, accidents and failures if we were going to win the title. Only the reliability of the engine, combined with the quality of our preparation and the skills of our drivers could deliver that for us."

For more comments on the team's title-winning achievement, please see the weekend's post-race press release.

In his post-race statement, covered by the piece in that link, Mike Newton confirmed the team's commitment to competing in the Le Mans Series again next season. However, there was no comment on speculation arising out of the presence in the RML garage after the race of Hungarian-born businessman Samson Grüber.

Although well known in his homeland, eccentric philanthropist Grüber is a rare visitor to the UK, but has a long association with the team. He was also seen in the RML AD Group garage at Le Mans. Despite his sartorial wardrobe, which might suggest otherwise, Samson Grüber's wealth is reputed to be vast, although the source if his fortune is shrouded in mystery. Some say he's the son of a Buda taxi driver, others that he's descended from Hungarian aristocracy.

The purpose behind Grüber's visit wasn't immediately clear, but he had brought with him a first edition copy of what he believed to be Ben Collins' first book; Stig of the Dump. Without the aid of an interpreter it was difficult to explain the error, but Ben was happy to sign the book anyway. Samson Grüber was last seen in deep conversation with Ray Mallock, Thomas Erdos and other RML top brass in the back of the team truck, before disappearing as mysteriously as he'd arrived.

High-resolution images from the weekend are available on the Silverstone Gallery

Radio & On-line: Radio Le Mans provided generous live and podcast coverage from the Silverstone 1000 Kilometres weekend. John Hindhaugh and Graham Tyler, with Paul Truswell, Nick Daman, Joe Bradley and Eve Hewitt, gave a detailed account of the track action, plus insights into all the pitlane gossip. Click the link to access the podcasts.