page_title: 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
section_title: Start
hierarchical_section_title: 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans / Race / Start
caption_attribution_description: Mulsanne Corner at the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
context_page_description: The 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 75th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France from 16–17 June 2007.
  The LMP1 class saw the first competition between the new diesel engined Peugeot 908 HDi FAP prototype and the diesel Audi R10 TDI, the 2006 Le Mans winner; the Audi once again achieved an overall victory. There was heavy attrition in the LMP2 class, in which only two competitors finished the race. In the GT1 class, Aston Martin achieved its first win over the Corvette since returning to the event in 2005. The GT2 class was a battle between Ferrari and Porsche, won by Porsche. The race was attended by over 250,000 spectators.
context_section_description: The race began at 3:00 pm local time (GMT+2), with the track still damp following a wet morning warm-up.  Sébastien Bourdais's Peugeot 908 HDi FAP led the field into the Dunlop Chicane, which he overshot, handing the lead to the No. 2 Audi R10 TDI.  The three Audis took over the lead during the opening hour, before pit stops began.
  The rebuilt Lamborghini of JLOC Isao Noritake was the first retirement of the race when the gearbox failed on the Mulsanne during its second lap of the race. Shortly after the first hour of the race had been completed, heavy rain resulted in the safety car being brought out again.
  Soon after the field was released, the safety car was once again required after an accident in which Mike Rockenfeller spun his No. 3 Audi R10 TDI on the exit from Tertre Rouge, hitting the safety barriers on the Mulsannes Straight backwards.  While crews fixed the barrier, Rockenfeller attempted to repair his Audi, but he was finally forced to retire.  This caution period also saw an early retirement for the No. 64 Corvette when a part of its drivetrain broke while following the safety car.  Oliver Gavin attempted to return to the pits using battery power but was stopped by the marshals, forcing him to abandon the car.  The race eventually continued after nearly an hour under caution.
caption: A group of Le Mans Prototypes at Mulsanne Corner during the early laps.
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