We are still on the lead battle. The Audi is ahead of the Porsche. Watch the #18 Porsche. Use the traffic as a pick, and blast down the inside. Porsche re-takes the lead. Audi has not been officially scored as the leader yet. Two hours of tooth and nail, wheel to wheel racing, only in the FIA WEC, folks. Get your money's worth! Romain Rusinov leads LMP2 ahead of Ricardo Gonzalez. Porsche tries again, on the dirty side. Audi tries into Brooklands for the over under. No chance? He tries., He tries. The Posche comes back again! Audi cannot lead a lap!
Into Maggots/becketts, the Pporsche still has the advantage. This is bonkers! The Porsche gets held up by the Astron Martin FGT car. Watch out so you don't run out of power. This is amazing, and clean racing. Absolutely unreal! Eight mega joules is good for the Porsche, and four, is good for the Audi. Andre Lotterer watches this, just as intently as we do, as fans. In replay, we see the Audi try, but can't do it. Porsche lead, but only just. Audi is coming. Toyota is close behind. The G Drive Ligier's lead LMP2. Porsche, Ferrari, Aston, race for LM GTE Pro. Christian Ried, leads LM GTE Am.
Fassler chases Jani. One of the Aston Martin's is losing fluid. Audi is trying for the lead, still. On the outside, and Audi, takes the lead. The four rings, lead the Stuttgart Shield. The gap is closing. Nissan says their GT-R LM will need to be rocket ship fast. They run a 3.0 liter V6 with twin turbos driving the front wheels. Nissan will debut at Le Mans. Can't wait. Loic Duval is coming back into the picture. He's five laps down. But, if he gains one back, could he start going for it? Neel, it's a different Audi. Say what? Anthony Davidson is now third, and he's closing, too.
This is going to be incredible, folks. LMP3 is another category that is coming to the fore, and will begin racing, next year. I want more. There's not enough of this race left. Enjoy it. Savor it. Eat it up! Duval is blocked by the #72 Ferrari. Oops. The HPD spins. Neel Jani still leads, but Lopic Duval races around the outside to get a position. This is not a lead battle, though. Duval tries getting a lap back.
ESM is third in LMP2, while Patrick Dempsey and Patrick Long, are seventh, in LM GTE Am. Lena Gade tells her driver, that the telemetry is dropping in and out on Marcel Fassler's car. Anthony Davidson pits. New tires, or no new tires? Toyota, in. No tires out. Will they take two tires? No tires at all. This stop, could make a difference. He's double stinting the Michelins with just over three and a half hours to go.
Audi, is in the lane. Fassler pits from second. Green flag stops well underway. This is the #7. Oh boy. The #2 Toyota of Mike Conway brushes with the #50 Corvette C-7-R- of Gianluca Roda. Working lap 81. Neel Jani leads over Mike Conway. 81 laps. 296 miles. Leader in the pits, now working 82 laps. Romain Dumas is going to take over the lead Porsche 919. The #47 KCMG car goes to the garage. Nick Tandy, Richard Bradley, and Matthew Howson, continue to have problems. Andre Lotterer races the fastest first sector time, pursuing, the Porsche.
The race has a really good rhythm right now. But, as mentioned earlier, the #17 Porsche is out. So, they have two bullets in the gun, at the moment. Toyota's are back at the front. Mike Conway is being told to push. Dig into the faster drawer, and see what's there. Andre Lotterer runs a 1:42.8. Holy cow! Lotterer passes, or tries to. Conway defends, and Audi passes. Mike Conway likely doesn't have all of his 1,000+ horsepower.
The #2 Toyota is not running as well as it could be. He's losing pace. Can the Audi do anything with Anthony Davidson? Mike Conway went off the road in Abbey. Problems for Larbre Corvette. Gianluca Roda will serve a one minute pit penalty. It's a stop, and a one minute hold. The #4 ByKolles prototype comes from the garage, back on the track. That's the CLM. It's had a problem of some sort. Not sure what.
Second and third in LM GTE Pro are two AF Corse Ferrari's. Gianmaria Bruni ahead of James Calado. Calado is of Italian heritage, but is a Brit. Patrick Pilet leads the LM GTE Pro class in the factory #92 Porsche. Roald Goethe leads LM GTE Am in the #96 Aston Martin. Goethe sharing with Stuart Hall and Francesco Castellaci. Ooh! Davidson pits, but h has a piece of debris under the nose.
Toyota, in the lane. No new nose for the car. Down and away. The car has 400+ horsepower from the super capacitor. It is more efficient, and allows the team to bump start the car, without having to stress the starter motor on exit from the pits. Who will lift the RAC trophy at the end of this race? We'll find out afterwards. We've got half of this race left to go. Davidson still leads over Andre Lotterer. Four major automakers in one series, with four different ways of racing with hybrid power.
Andre Lotterer is closing up on his competition. Anthony Davidson still leads. Two former FIA WEC world champions, battle. In the LMS race, LMP3 cars made their worldwide debut. Loic Duval, meanwhile, is trying the Toyota. He can';t get there, and now, he's let his team mate by. Game on again, between two Audi's and a Toyota. Toyota, Audi, Audi. Audi has not led a lap in this race yet. The power between these cars, are similar.
Leader has to go around the long way. Andre Lotterer wants by. He can't get there. 96 laps in. Davidson gets swamped by one Audi. Will he get swamped by another into Brooklands and Luffield? Davidson has to defend over Duval. This is not a pass for position. Davidson doesn't want this, though. Loic Duval needs to get by Andre Lotterer and unlap himself, in case we get a safety car. Audi leads this race, for the first time.
Pit stops coming up in 12 laps, or 24 minutes. Romain Dumas is closing on Anthony Davidson. Porsche is still in the fight. These boys have some Ferrari GT cars to pass. Where is Romain Dumas? Dumas is coming.
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