By the morning, the Audi's advantage in the wet had left Kristensen, Capello and McNish with a three-minute lead, which Villeneuve, Gene and Minassian tried to chip away for the rest of the race.
Capello took the lead at the start of the fourth hour while Minassian's Peugeot No.7 was refuelling, but Minassian overtook the Audi No.2 on the inside in the fifth hour on lap 71 to recapture the top spot.