We're into the last two hours of this race, everyone. Time flies when you're having fun. The #95 Danish Aston Martin is in the pits. Nicky Thiim is running very well. Andre Lotterer still leads. These blokes at Audi are running in the 1:42 range. Toyota is in the lane with car #1. Kazuki Nakajima stays in the car. Tires are out. But, they won't be needed. Fuel only. Here comes the #7 Audi. A one minute stop for Toyota. Tires are ready for car #7. But, will they triple stint the tires? No tire warming blankets are allowed in endurance racing, like they are in F1. You can have an oven, that warms up the tires, behind your garage for the team.
Andre Lotterer is back on track now. The Nakajima Toyota is off strategy as far as the tires, in comparison, with the Porsche's. Strategy, fuel mileage, and tire usage, begin to converge now. Marc Lieb is 30 seconds ahead of Nakajima. Where is Andre Lotterer? Porsche's GT squad, pits. Michael Christensen brings the #91 in, and out. Oh boy. Oliver Jarvis hits Kristian Poulsen's Corvette C-7-R- and Poulsen, crashes. Can fuel be stretched through two more pit stops? We'll find out.
Nick Leventis also runs off the road in the Strakka Racing Dome. This car (the Dome S103), is making it's race debut. Leventis spun, on his own accord. Maybe, there was a punctured tire. One more lap until Marc Lieb pits the Porsche. Fuel tactics come into play, and Porsche was masterful at it back in the old Group C days, 30 years ago. Porsche, in the lane, now. Nakajima takes the Toyota back to second. Oh boy. Oliver Jarvis takes the Audi off the road. He spun off, and maybe, Ed Brown in the #31 ESM car, made a move. Nope. He hit the big curb on the inside of The Loop.
Jarvis says to the team, "I spun because the car jumped". Nakajima remains second, lapping in the 1:43.2 range. Neel Jani is also in contention, in the Porsche. Now, we look at tire strategy. If you used a new set in qualifying, you have to go back, and use that set, during the race. Problems persist for Larbre Competition and their Corvette. Oliver Jarvis is in the pits, having service done on the Audi R18 eTron Quattro. #8 might have a suspension problem.
Andre Lotterer is 34 seconds ahead of Kazuki Nakajima. Richard Lietz is chasing the Ferrari's in LM GTE Pro. Gianmaria Bruni is now ahead of James Calado. We will soon have an hour and a half left in this race. Patrick Dempsey gets passed by Francesco Castellaci, but not for position. Porsche vs. Aston Martin. This is his first time at Silverstone. Andre Lotterer is still racing well, with a 1:41.4 lap time, despite the suspension troubles.
It is darker towards Stowe corner, named after Stowe school. Lotterer is consistently the fastest driver on track at 1:42.4. Audi, G Drive, AF Corse, and Aston Martin, lead their classes. Neel Jani is pushing, and is at 1:44. But, Andre Lotterer is going for it at a 1:43 flat. We still have a good hour and 20 minutes of this race left to run. It will come down to pit stops in the end of this race. Neel Jani is pushing very hard. KCMG has moved up to sixth overall, with Richard Bradley at the controls.
Toyota is taking over Dome. But, they are also changing the name on the cars. High level motorsport will be used as part of the global R&D for the company. The calculators are smoking inm pit lane, looking at fuel mileage before the end of this one. Audi has a 36 second lead. An hour and ten minutes now remain. Andre Lotterer has been amazing. Stephane Sarrazin is running in the 1:43's while other Toyota drivers are in the 1:44 bracket.
Pit stop time for G Drive. Sam Bird will take the car to the finish. Ryan Dalziel has a loose seat in the lead ESM car. Andre Lotterer has run a hero triple stint as Kazuki Nakajima is about to come in. Nakajima pits. Now, Porsche has a fuel advantage, within this last hour. Neel Jani might get second. Can he go another 15 minutes? No. That's going to be a bugaboo for Porsche. Audi is in with Lotterer. 164 laps, 600 miles, complete. Lotterer gets new tires.
We're going to be less than an hour from the finish.
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