24 Hours of Le Mans: 9 Hours: Second Audi meets with a serious crash

Four hours into the race, Audi continues to lead the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the team's hopes of getting a 1-2-3 have been turned to debris after the #1 Audi R18 TDI being driven by Mike Rockenfeller met with a horrific crash. Rockenfeller has been reported to be safe, but the crash itself was so massive that the car was reduced to total debris - so much so that neither spectators not TV cameras could not make out which car it was.

At 22:50 hrs, Frech Local TIme, the #1 Audi caught up a slower #71 AF Corse Ferrari 458 which moved fractionally into the path of the Audi. They touched and the Audi snapped left and hit the Armco head on and then veered over to the right hitting the Armco on the right incredibly hard. The two impacts left the second Audi in shambles, after Alan McNish had already crashed the #3 car just 50 minutes into the race - again thanks to a slower Ferrari that was being lapped. Rockenfeller emerged out of the car unhurt.

Meanwhile, Audi still leads the overall race, with the lone #2 car now in the reckoning. The initial parts of the race saw some seriously close racing between the Audis and the Peugeots, making it seem more like a proper track race and not a 24 hour endurance at all. There have been extended periods behind the safety car though - first after McNish's crash, and another 50 minutes now after Rockenfeller's massive incident. After 9 hours of the race, the hot-pursuit trio of Peugeot 908s is chasing the lone Audi R18 TDI, with a gap of over 8 minutes to make up. These are the only four cars that now remain on the same lap - even the fifth place Peugeot 908 HDI-FAP is one lap down.

McNish has officially retired from the race, while Rockenfeller has rejoined 15 laps down from the leaders.