The Audi Team Goh entry took the lead on the 279th lap when Herbert, Davies and Smith in the Audi Sport UK car had to stop because of suspension problems. The seven-minute stop during the 16th hour was enough to drop the team to second, where they would remain until the end. Fittingly, Japan's Seiji Ara drove Sunday's final stint of the race, claiming the first win for a Japanese team since 1995.
Audi Team Goh was not alone at the top. In fact, Audis swept the podium once again this year, giving the German constructor this fourth great honour in just five years. Audis held the top three finishes at the famous eight-and-a-half-mile circuit in 2000, 2001, 2002 and now again in 2004.
The impressive Audi feat wasn't without its troubles however. In an unlikely incident during the first two hours of the race, two of the four near-identical Audi R8s, collided. The pair hit a patch of water and oil, sustaining a substantial amount of damage. Both were repaired, and would return to the track, with one climbing its way back to third overall.
Even the leading two Audi teams didn't finish without their fair share of problems. Along with the suspension problems the Audi Sport UK was faced with, Audi Team Goh also had to fix brake problems early in the race, cure a misfire during the night and even fight a flash fire in the pits during the closing stages.
By the end of the day, Kristensen had moved ahead of five-time winner Derek Bell and joined the great Jacky Ickx in becoming the only two drivers to have won the historic 24 Hour endurance classic six times. He managed this impressive feat in just eight starts - the last five of which were consecutive wins. This in itself was quite the feat. The 36-year-old Dane broke the previous record set at four consecutive wins, which he himself had accomplished after last year's win.
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