Le Mans 24 Hours - Race Report - Hour 1

13:22 Grid is open - cars being rolled to the straight as we type.

13:30 We'll highlight classes by using LMP1, LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am

13:36 The pitlane marshals have started to clear away some of the non-essential spectators from the grid - working their way down from the top end with a thick rope.

13:46 Just a handful of cars yet to take up their positions in the herringbone display. Pescarolo Dome just being wheeled out now. The team is still working on fitting a new engine in the 03 after the intended race unit blew in warm-up.

13:48 National anthems being played out at the moment.

14:08 A new "first" for Le Mans, and the teams have been persuaded to line up across the track opposite their cars, so we have the impressive sight of row after row of colour-coded mechanics in serried lines along the length of the pit straight.

14:10 The Star Spangled Banner. Hand on heart . . .

14:11 God Save the Queen

14:12 LMP1: We have just been told that the #16 Pescarolo Team Pescarolo 03 Judd will not be taking the start. Down to 55 cars to take the start of the 80th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

14:13 The Marseillaise

14:17 With the National Anthems completed, the track is being cleared and the first engines have been fired up.

14:21 Still some 40 minutes before the start of the race - but everyone is ready for it. If you have anything you want the DSC team to find out - just send a tweet to @dscracelive.

14:23 Lead cars are moving off the grid.

14:24 All cars have left the grid.

14:25 GTE Pro Danish TV reporting that Jan Magnussen is feeling unwell and needs to rest. No news yet on who will start the #73 Corvette in his place.

14:29 GTE Pro: Jan is fine and in the car now

14:30 Most cars heading back for a run through the pitlane before returning to the track and heading for the grid.

14:33 Humidity is 76% at the moment - temperature 18ºC

14:37 LMP1: Pescarolo #16 is still being worked on. The team just tried starting it. Our pit reporter asked Madie Pescarolo what is wrong with it, response was: "everything"

14:39 LMP2: No significant news to report on any of the LMP2 runners - all believed going to plan. Starting drivers will have been determined by fastest driver in qualifying - same applies in GTE Am. Other classes can select any of their designated drivers if they wish.

14:41 LMP1: We understand that the engine newly fitted onto the Pescarolo 03 Judd is the spare engine of the Dome. That might have caused some of the problems firing it up. Potentially lots of fitting issues there...

14:41 Pit lane closed

14:44 LMP1: Strakka Racing pushed down pitlane - no driver in the car. Problems for that car or were they still in the pit when the lights went to red?

14:47 LMP1: Strakka Racing HPD ARX-03a reported as having gearbox problems.

14:49 LMP1: Emmanuel Collard strapped into the Pescarolo 03 Judd - looks like the #16 is set to take part.

14:49 Five minute board shown. Tyre technicians are heading off the grid with spare tyre sets, and most appear to be trolleying away slicks or cut-slicks. The implication is that most cars are retaining intermediates.

14:51 LMP1: Oil leak in the gearbox at Strakka - but that car wil be joining the field at the back.

14:51 As the Patrouille de France buzzes the circuit

14:52 Green Flag

14:53 LMP1: Strakka car brought in for checks - will join on the second lap. Says our roving reporter.

14:53 All cars away

14:54 As the media centre is suddenly full of people that don't look like media - but they are all positioning themselves against the windows to see the start.

14:54 Leaders through the first Mulsanne Chicane.

14:55 Pace car through the second Chicane.

14:55 LMP1: Pescarolo 03 Judd #16 rolled out into the pit - and the crowd goes wild.

14:57 Leaders through Arnage Corner.

14:58 First cars are now entering the Porsche Curves.

14:59 Stirring music is blaring out across the public address system as the cars bunch up between the intimidating concrete walls of the Porsche Curves.

15:00 The race is on!

15:01 LMP2: #46 passes #26 as they run up through the alley between the main grandstands.

15:01 LMP1: Opening lap and the leaders are weaving to get heat into their tyres. Allan McNish has taken third.

15:01 The GT pack is closely mingled across the line to start the race. Expect several changes of position on the opening eight and a half miles.

15:02 Umbrellas are up along some sections of the track.

15:02 It has just started raining on the straight here

15:03 Slippery surface flag at Kartin and Ford Chicane.

15:04 GTE Pro Mücke takes the lead in the #97 Aston Martin Vantage during the first sector. Ollie Gavin up to second in the #74 Corvette

15:04 LMP1: Full wets mounted onto the Pescarolo 03 Judd as the French team prepares the car to join the race.

15:05 GTE Am Sean Edwards leads in the #75 ProSpeed Porsche. Pilet drops to second.

15:05 LMP1: Pescarolo #16 has left the pit - and out onto the track.

15:06 LMP2: End of the first lap, and Martin still retains the lead in the #25, with the Oak #24 (Olivier Pla) with Matthias Beche third (#46), having got ahead of Panciatici in the #26

15:06 LMP1: Driveshaft replacement at the Strakka Racing team. Seal where driveshaft connects with gearbox reported broken. Problem.

15:07 LMP2: The #42 Greaves Motorsport Zytek, with Martin Brundle in the cockpit, seems to be subject to a timing glitch. Not showing as having completed a lap, but has set a time.

15:07 Two laps now completed by the leaders.

15:08 LMP1: Fastest lap: André Lotterer (#1 Audi) - 3:32.321 - Lap 2

15:09 LMP2: Ayari has moved through to fourth in the #49, passing Panciatici in the #26 Signatech Oreca.

15:09 LMP1: Collard pits the #16 Pescarolo Team car.

15:10 GTE Pro Gavin pushing Mücke for the lead. A challenge for the lead looks imminent. these two are already six seconds clear of Olivier Beretta's #71 AF Corse 458 in third.

15:10 LMP2: Confirmation that the glitch for the #42 was a technical one, as Brundle completed his second lap without problem.

15:10 LMP1: Brabham, Bourdais and Baguette fighting for position - Brabs into ninth. Bourdais trying to keep the OAK Racing Pescarolo behind him.

15:11 GTE Am Pilet is clearly miffed at having lost the lead to Edwards and is similarly close to the class leader. Allan Simonsen, however, is just a sceond behind in third in the #99 Vantage.

15:11 LMP1: Fastest lap: André Lotterer (#1 Audi) - 3:28.562 - Lap 3

15:12 LMP2: Brundle's transponder catches up with the race and slots the Greaves Zytek into 22nd, 11th in class.

15:12 GTE Am Pilet gets the lead and Simonsen right with Edwards. The GT battle in both classes is immense.

15:14 LMP2: Martin has a full second lead over Pla, with Beche now four seconds behind in the Thiriet TDS Oreca.

15:14 GTE Am Matt Griffin dropping down the order in the #81 Ferrari after a 4:09 on Lap 3. Is the car in trouble? Meanwhile Simonsen gets by Edwards for second.

15:15 GTE Pro Tony Vilander is making up for lost time and is up to fourth in class in the #51 AF Corse 458 already.

15:15 LMP1: Fastest lap: André Lotterer (#1 Audi) - 3:27.158 - Lap 4.

LMP1: Six hybrids within 18 seconds - the two Rebellion cars some 15 seconds further down the road and then the battle for ninth in LMP1 at 55 seconds.

15:15 LMP2: For those following the Irish squad, Warren Hughes dropped one place at the start in the #48 Murphy Prototypes Oreca, losing a position to Maxime Martin in the #35 Oak. The two are nose-to-tail now though in 6th and 7th.

15:17 LMP2: The battle for the P2 lead is tightening up again, after Martin's early-lap advantage, and Pla has closed to within half a second of the ADR-Delta Oreca.

15:17 The GTE Am Flying Lizard Porsche is currently three places ahead of the GTE Pro version.

15:17 LMP1: Bourdais has gotten rid of Baguette for now and is hunting down the JRM HPD ARX-03a of David Brabham again.

15:18 LMP2: With Hughes possibly concentrating on Martin, just ahead of him, his rear-views must be pretty full of Tom Kimber-Smith, who is just seven tenths off his rear wing.

15:19 LMP1: Fastest lap: André Lotterer (#1 Audi) - 3:26.302 - Lap 5

15:20 LMP1: McNish runs wide - kicks off dust and grass - and rejoins. He's pushing hard.

15:21 LMP2:Unscheduled pitstop for the #30 Status GP Lola (Buurman) has dropped the car down to 50th overall, but has now rejoined.

15:21 GTE Pro Jaime Melo leads a string of pro and Am cars in the battle for fourth in GT. Magnussen (#73) and Marc Lieb (#77 Felbermayr Porsche) are pushing the #59 Luxury 458 hard, while Pilet is just half a second off his Porsche colleague's tail and a second clear of Simonsen.

15:22 LMP1: Strakka Racing HPD back in pit lane - wheels being attached - and out onto the track. Joined by the Pescarolo #16. Meanwhile Alexander Wurz has passed Stéphane Sarrazin.

15:22 GTE Pro Gavin is still pushing Mücke, but the Corvette still can't find a way past the Vantage.

15:22 LMP2: Having lost a whole tranche of places at the start, the DeltaWing dropped to the back of the LMP2 field, but has now retaken one slot, and moved into 30th overall, narrowly ahead of Rosier in the #43 Norma.

15:25 LMP2: Martin has now managed to ease out a healthier lead in the ADR Delta Oreca, and heads Pla by a full 2 seconds. Beche holds third, three further seconds adrift.

15:25 GTE Am Simonsen takes advantage of the Pro fight ahead to mount a challenge for the class lead through the Porsche Curves. Pilet sees the threat and closes the door.

15:25 LMP2: Tom Kimber-Smith passes Warren Hughes for 7th place.

15:26 LMP1 Toyota #7 (Wurz) and GTE Am Porsche #67 (Armindo) going straight together up the hill - no contact.

15:28 LMP2: The Norma has now retaken the position lost to the DeltaWing - the latter looking to have a skippy tail-end at the moment, and giving Krumm some challenging moments.

15:28 The DeltaWing heads into the pitlane . . . and departs again fairly swiftly.

15:28 GTE Am Pilet responds to the threat behind by passing Jan Magnussen's GTE Pro Corvette and putting the #73 between himself and Simonsen.

15:30 LMP1 gap between first and second-placed Audi's is five seconds, another five seconds to the third placed Audi. Wurz 20 seconds behind race leader Lotterer. As the #17 Dome is in the pits. Toyota preparing a stop.

15:30 LMP2: Warren Hughes, following tight on Kimber-Smith, passes Panciatici for 7th place. The Signatech Nissan has dropped four places since the start.

15:30 LMP1: Dome pushed back into the box - rear engine cover taken off.

15:32 LMP2: Tom Kimber-Smith is pushing hard in the #44 Starworks HPD, and has just set his quickest lap (3:42.731) and is gunning for Maxime Martin in the #35 Oak Racing Morgan.

15:32 GTE Am As the prototypes start to lap the GT leaders, Simonsen sees his chance and gets the class lead at the Mulsanne kink. Aston Martin Vantages now lead both GT classes.

15:32 LMP1: Both Toyota's into pitlane for their first stop of the race.

15:33 LMP1: #4 Audi and #13 Rebellion Lola also in - the #4 Audi did a 3:48.252 on the last lap - and is wheeled back into its pitbox now.

15:33 GTE Pro Marc Lieb has also passed Jan Magnussen and has the #77 Porsche up to sixth in class.

15:34 LMP1: One of the Toyota's nearly took the fuel hose with him - that could have ended different - got away with it now.

15:35 LMP2: John Martin is pressing on, largely unchallenged, with almost 3 seconds over Pla. The two are 9th and 10th overall, having passed the #12 Rebellion Lola LMP1, which has pitted.

15:35 GTE Pro Vilander has closed the gap to Olivier Beretta in third - in fact he has just taken third from the Monagasque.

15:36 LMP2: New fastest lap for Warren Hughes, posting a 3:43.165, which was the quickest in LMP2 on that last tour.

15:36 LMP1: At the end of their tenth lap Lotterer and McNish pit - Duval into the lead for now.

15:37 LMP2: That quick lap moved Warren back in front of Tom Kimber-Smith, so it's all chop and change in the P2 mid-field.

15:39 LMP1: The only two LMP1 cars in the pit at the moment - are the two Pescarolo's, both in trouble.

15:39 LMP2: The top five in P2 are fairly evenly spaced now - four or five seconds for Martin, leading the class, over Pla, second, and then six seconds back to Beche in third. Ayari fourth, by six seconds.

Nearly the entire group, with the exception of Pla, then head for their first scheduled pitstops.

15:40 GTE Am The main battle is currently for fourth, with Gunnar Jeanette (#58 Luxury Ferrari) and Rui Aguas (#61 AF Corse-Waltrip 458) pushing Nicolas Armindo's Porsche. Aguas is the quickest of the trio at the moment.

15:40 LMP1: Almost contact between the #3 Audi of Loïc Duval and one of the LMP2 Signatech-Nissan cars in the pit lane. Close call, but contact avoided.

15:41 LMP2: Pla presses on for Oak, almost the only car amongst the entire P2 class not to make a pitstop.

15:42 GTE Am Aguas gets fifth from Jeanette.

15:42 LMP2: A very lengthy pitstop for Ludovic Badey in the #28 Gulf Racing Lola. Stopped on schedule, but has since stayed in the pits.

15:43 LMP1: André Lotterer retakes the lead - as Duval returns to the pit. From his outlap!

15:44 LMP2: Very rapid and efficient pitstop for Greaves, getting Martin Brundle out in 7th from 11th, so gaining four places through some slick pitwork.

15:44 GTE Am Griffin appears to have recovered from his earlier issue and is moving back up the timing screens in the #81. He is currently ninth in class and just half a second behind Alain Ferte's #83 JMB Ferrari.

15:44 LMP2: Pla pits from the class lead, one extra lap for the Oak Racing Morgan #35.

15:46 GTE Pro Jörg Bergmeister becomes the first GT car to pit. Appears to be routine for the #80 Lizard. Fuel, but no tyres.

15:46 LMP2: Warren Hughes slight lack of pace in the early part of that sesion was due to a suspected slow puncture, but the team changed the offending tyre during what was otherwise a very fast pitstop. Hughes has returned to the track in 5th.

15:46 GTE Am Pedro Lamy makes his first stop in the #50 Larbre Corvette.

15:48 GTE Am Jean-Philippe Beloc pits the #70 Corvette as Lamy returns to the race.

15:48 LMP2: The ADR-Delta Oreca lost a minute in the pits - reason unknown - and Pla has returned to the track still leading P2.

15:48 LMP1: Vibration felt on track for the #4 Audi - returned to pit, no problem found.

15:49 GTE Pro Mücke finally relinquishes the lead, but only because he is making his first scheduled stop. Ollie Gavin finally gets his first look at a clear stretch of track.

15:49 GTE Am Simonsen also stops, while Pilet stays out and regains the Am lead.

15:50 LMP2: John Martin has resumed in 24th overall (ADR-Delta #25), 14th in LMP2, so a significant drop as a result of that extended pitstop. Hughes (#48) is on a charge again, and set the fastest first sector yet seen in P2.

15:51 GTE Am Griffin takes position from Ferte and is currently sixth in the #81.

15:51 LMP2: First round of pitstops have also not suited Panicatici in the #26 Signatech Oreca, who has slumped to 11th in class, 21st overall.

15:52 LMP2: Hughes has closed to within half a second of Maxime Martin in the #35 Oak Racing Morgan, and is challenging for fourth in class.

15:53 GTE Pro Jan Magnussen confirms to Nick Damon of Radio Le Mans that he was feeling fine during his first stint, but that it wasn't a good stint after handling/set-up problems. Antonio Garcia is now in the #73.

15:54 LMP1: Lotterer now leads McNish by 17 seconds. As Audi leads 1-2-3 in Michelin Green X as well...

15:54 GTE Pro Ollie Gavin pits from the lead. Tony Vilander leads in the #51, but four cars still owe us a stop.

15:55 GTE Am Griffin currently leads, but is the only Am runner yet to pit.

15:56 The DeltaWing had not been expected to make any pitstops this early in the race, but after that unsceduled stop half an hour ago has lost that advantage, and is running 29th overall, just ahead of Rostan in the #29 Gulf Racing Lola and 12 seconds behind Rostan in the Norma.

15:57 LMP1: #3 Audi was a slow puncture - that brought them back in for the second time. Jonny Kane meanwhile puts in lap times that are quicker than any other petrol LMP1.

15:57 GTE Pro Beretta pits from third.

15:58 LMP1: Only Pla between Rockenfeller and the other nine LMP1 cars now.

15:58 LMP2: Pla has extended his advantage over Beche to around 8 seconds. There are three seconds back to Ayari in third, and a further ten to Maxime Martin, fourth for Oak.

15:58 GTE Pro As Jonny Cocker pits the #66 JMW Ferrari, Jaime Melo retakes the lead from Toni Vilander before the two cars make their first stops.

15:59 Debris on track before the first chicane reported by some of the drivers and race control.