The pre-race warm-up got under way at 9am precisely, giving teams the last chance to check the cars over before the 5pm start of the 24 Hours. The big news was that the car which will start the race from pole, the No.7 Audi Sport Team Joest R10, hit problems. While the car, with Allan McNish at the wheel, was on its out lap, the team spotted unusual readings on the telemetry and told McNish to slow down and come straight back to the pits. After he arrived they diagnosed a problem with the left drive-shaft, which they changed in double-quick time – but exactly the same happened on his next lap, and he headed straight back to the pits again.

Meanwhile Frank Biela put in a remarkable lap in the sister No.8 Audi, going round in 3:33.946. If that is representative of the race pace the car is capable of, then the challenge facing the competition is truly daunting.