Brendon Hartley has claimed the lead of the Le Mans 24 Hours after a turbo fault stifled the sister #7 Toyota.
Daylight has broken through the Le Mans night as the field begins to stabilise ahead of the six-hour dash to the chequered flag.
The change of the lead came during the night. #7 had led largely all of the first 12 hours of the race, owing to Toyota having to spend ten minutes with the #8 in the pitlane as it resolved a brake cooling issue.
Kamui Kobayashi was leading comfortably by over one lap as the race ticked over halfway before experiencing a turbo drama. The team were forced to sideline the car in the garage for 30 minutes, dropping seven laps on Hartley who was at the helm of the #8 when it took the lead.
Hartley and co-drivers Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima now enjoy a commanding five-lap advantage on the #3 Rebellion who has been elevated into second, with the #1 Swiss car a further lap behind in third.
An intriguing battle is unfolding in LMP2 between the two United Autosport Orecas. Alex Brundle is leading Felipe Albuquerque by a little over five seconds.
Alex Lynn has just reclaimed the lead for Aston Martin in GTE Pro having relinquished the position to the AF Corsa Ferrari. The Ferrari crew had completed a brake change which opened the deficit to the Aston Martin but the battle for the win is set to liven across the final stages.
Matt Campbell has also moved into second in GTE Am but is still over a lap behind the leading Vantage.
The race has largely been clean with a few brief yellow flag zones littering the circuit. The #29 Racing Team Nederland ORECA survived a hairy moment with the #63 Weathertech Racing Ferrari when they drilled each other into the gravel on the run onto the Mulsanne Straight.
