As had been the case in Barcelona, there were problems for the other two diesel powered LMP1 machines which would eventually finish the race in fifth and sixth positions.
Pole-sitters Marc Gene and Nic Minassian in the #7 Peugeot had led the race through its early stages before losing time with a driveshaft issue that led to a lengthy pitstop while the #1 Audi of Allan McNish and Dindo Capello was lucky to see the finish at all after a huge accident for Capello in the opening stages when he was tagged by the Rollcentre Pescarolo with Vanina Ickx at the wheel and almost flipped on the run to the Parabolica.
Despite the car sustaining hefty damage, the Audi team managed to get the Italian back on track in less than 20 minutes although the time lost would ultimately prove crucial in the overall result. The Rollcentre car would eventually finish one place further back in seventh place.
The Charouz Racing Systems Lola-Aston Martin ran impressively again against the diesel cars in the early stages before eventually finishing down in 17th place following apparent fuel issues, while Frenchman Stephane Ortelli was lucky to escape with only a broken ankle following his horrific high-speed shunt in the Courage Oreca entry. It capped a miserable race for the team with the car of Nicolas Lapierre and Oliver Panis having retired early on.
The remainder of the top ten was completed by the leading LMP2 machines as Team Essex took its first win with the Porsche RS Spyder. The similar car of van Merksteijn Motorsport – the class winner at Barcelona and pacesetter in qualifying – had led the class before contact from the Snoras Spyker C8 led to a pitstop that left its rivals to secure a somewhat comfortable win. The Horag Racing Spyder completed the class podium – and the top ten overall – as the Porsche continued to lead the way in LMP2 in only its second race on European soil.
![Sarrazin/Lamy - Peugeot Sport 908 HDi FAP [Pic credit: Peugeot Sport]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/432077.jpg)
