Le Mans 24 Hours, interim report at 23.00 hours Porsche within striking distance of leaders Porsche customer teams can look back on a positive first third of the 24 hour race: The 450 hp Porsche 911 GT3 RSR are running reliably without any technical problems. Just one of the six Porsche contesting the race had to drop out of contention due to an accident. All five remaining 911 demonstrate the reliability of the GT racer from Weissach. Lying in third position, works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Richard Lietz (Austria) and Wolf Henzler (Germany) are within striking distance of the GT2 class front-runners in the 911 GT3 RSR fielded by the Felbermayr squad. The French IMSA Performance Matmut outfit also experienced a trouble-free opening phase. At dusk, the two factory pilots Patrick Pilet (France) and Patrick Long (USA) as well as Raymond Narac (France) were running a promising fifth. The trio manning the BMS Scuderia Italia 911 also kept up the pace during the first third of the race. After eight hours, the three Le Mans debutants Marco Holzer (Germany), Richard Westbrook (Great Britain) and Timo Scheider (Germany) ranked eighth. “Our car is running without the slightest problem,” stated Marc Lieb. “And all three drivers have completed their first stints perfectly. But that’s easier said than done. You have to be so careful not to get caught up in an accident with the faster prototypes. We had a minor hiccup at one pit stop with a nut-gun that wasn’t working properly.” Patrick Pilet was also pleased with progress. “We’ve found a very good rhythm,” said the Frenchman. “Patrick Long took up the race with a single stint to check if we could drive another 14 laps with the tyres. Afterwards, we put in double stints which worked well. The car is handling beautifully. The duels with the other GT3 rivals are great fun and we’re all feeling optimistic.” The race for the American Flying Lizard Motorsport team, however, was over after just five hours. Joerg Bergmeister (Germany) and Americans Darren Law and Seth Neiman had to pack up after Law irreparably damaged the 911 when he took a journey into the gravel.