ran the Lola dry from over-consumption caused by a storming run through the field after their bad start. At 7.35pm, British hopes took a dive when a slow puncture blew a tyre on Tiff Needell's works Nimrod while he was running ninth and travelling at top speed on the back straight. Fishtailing down the road, he eventually spun and crashed at 320 kp/h (200 mph) backwards into the barriers at Mulsanne corner. Fortunately Needell was not injured. A course car was sent out to the accident. Unfortunately, the pit officials thought it was a pace-car and held up cars, causing Muller (Sauber), Stommelen (Lancia), Hobbs (935) and the Cougar to lose two laps as they waited and waited to be released from the pits. At the four-hour mark, Winkelhock led in the Ford with the Holbert/Haywood/Barth Porsche second (61). A lap back were Bell (Porsche), Spice (Rondeau), Surer in the other Ford, Raulet's WM, Schlesser (Sauber) and the Joest Porsche. The third works Porsche was a further lap behind after having to stop to fix a misfire. Soon after 8pm the Ford pitted for refuelling, handing the lead over to the Porsches with the Rondeau in hot pursuit, and so it stayed going into the night. Night The severe vibrations inherent in the long-stroke Cosworth DFL engine started causing a myriad of problems: Schlesser's clutch needed repair only for the Sauber to then refuse to restart. They would be joined by their teammate before midnight after breaking their third starter motor. The Ultramar Lola dropped back with its starter motor shaken up, and finally retired after 9pm with head gasket failure. The two Fords also broke: Winkelhock lost his clutch, then the engine, and within ten minutes Surer also stopped on the track with his electrics in pieces. Aside from the third-placed Rondeau of Migault/Spice/Lapeyre, the two other team cars had a miserable time with a number of stops to fix fuel and electrical problems and leaving them well back in the field. The best WM had been holding down sixth after its initial surge had to pit at 10.30pm to replace its alternator. The stop cost 20 minutes, dropping them to twelfth and they never recovered – with its gearbox breaking soon after 1am. Soon after midnight, having led for four hours, the Holbert/Haywood/Barth Porsche suddenly came into the pits, after a loosely closed door had blown off. The