Team ORECA Matmut hour 12 notes

The ORECA 01 no.11 is ticking over at a good rhythm, while car no.10 is gaining ground after an accident.

The two ORECA 01s continue along with their Le Mans journey and finished running their first 12 hours on the Sarthois race circuit. Now heading into the second half of the race, car no.11, driven by Olivier Panis, Nicolas Lapierre and Soheil Ayari are still running in the Top Ten just behind the Audis R10. The three men are religiously following Hugues de Chaunac's race strategy: keep out of trouble on the track but keep up the rhythm and wait for an opportunity to strike. No.11 is turning out stints flawlessly: just stopping in the pits for tyre changes and refuelling. Car no.10 shared between Bruno Senna, Stephane Ortelli and Tiago Monteiro hold the 17th place, the trio having been victim to two spin offs: the first at the end of the second hour, and the second during the 10th hour as the car was rapidly gaining ground in the team's position.

Coming off the last of his three stints Soheil Ayari entrusted the ORECA 01 no.11 to Olivier Panis just moments ago. At the wheel of the sister car - Tiago Monteiro is in the middle of finishing his triple stint.

Race notes:

Despite having suffered a slight set back involving a problem with the acceleration peddle (torn rubber covering) during the second hour, car no.11 quickly reached the heady heights of the Top Ten. At the close of the afternoon, Olivier, Nicolas and Soheil were rapidly motoring through their triple stints before temporarily dropping down to doubles. For the last few hours the team has been fighting for race position with three cars: two Audis R10 and the Pescarolo no.16. These three cars are constantly changing position in their battle for the 7th place slot in the general standings.

Car no.10 started the second quarter of the race with a strong run through the pack, and as the sun began to set, Tiago Monteiro continued the progression of Bruno Senna, before handing over the drive to Stephane Ortelli in the 8th hour.23rd at the 2th hour, the three men fought back to the 12th place at the toll of midnight. But unfortunately car no.10 spun off 30 minutes later at the new section of the circuit. The technician team had some major reputations at hand, notably having to replace the splitter, flat bottom, and the rear end. After 20 minutes in the pits, no.10 returned to the circuit in the 21st position. Picking up the reins later in the evening Tiago rode off with 4 spots during the night.

-credit: oreca