Luhr started sixth on the grid but moved up to second overall before pitting near the 40-minute mark. He was held up in pit-lane by Jon Field's Intersport Lola and lost several seconds before Werner rejoined in ninth place. Werner then worked his way back through the field using the power of the R10 TDI and timely yellow flags to get within range of Dumas, before ultimately taking the lead.
The deciding yellow flag came at the one-hour mark of the shorter-than-usual event, with debris reported at turn eleven. It only took a couple of laps after the restart for Werner to thunder by Dumas at the end of the frontstretch.
"I think I was quite okay in traffic today," the German said, "It was the key for the victory, especially before the yellow came out. I think Romain expected me not to make the pass with the GT car ahead. But I tried - it wasn't too much risk, but you have to try. We knew he'd be better on braking, but I closed the door and had a good first corner but better second - then the torque took over, so I could pull away."
In LMP2, David Brabham and Scott Sharp scored the first victory for Patrón Highcroft Racing as Brabham made a diving pass on Dumas on the penultimate lap to score the first win for the new Acura ARX-01b. Brabham crossed the finish line 1.036secs ahead of the Porsche as Acura won for the first time since its series debut last year at Sebring. Brabham and Sharp also finished third overall for the second consecutive race, as the Australian became the first driver in series history to score victories in all four classes.
"To win this race like we did is something special," Brabham admitted, "The first three or four laps the car was sliding around. Once the tyres came in, I found the car was really hooked up in the turns. The inside move on Dumas felt really sweet. The team was on the radio telling me how much time and how many laps they thought was left. I knew I didn't have long and, if I had a chance, I needed to go for it."
