We are about to go back to green. Richard Westbrook still leads, and has not made a pit stop just yet. The team is over their fuel window even though the yellow flag extended their fuel mileage. We are green again as Joey Hand wiggles and almost loses it! Tread carefully. Watch out for cold tires. Ricky Taylor presses Joey Hand. Ozz Negri is trhying his best, to go after Jordan Taylor, ready to pounce, and make a pass. The #60 car is beginning to come alive. The Ligier HPD is going for it. Joey Hand runs off the road, another time. Don't throw it away if you are struggling for grip.
There is sunlight coming back to Watkins Glen, in the valley. Pit stop time for the #31 car, changing tires and adding fuel. The drive through stop can be paired with a full pit stop. We are now an hour into this race. So, yours truly cut the first highlights package, a tad short. Race Director Beaux Barfield said that if you clearly pass under yellow, you will be penalized. Patrick Pilet in the Porsche, leads John Edwards in the BMW, and Jan Magnussen in the #3 Corvette. Madison Snow leads GTD ahead of Kuno Wittmer. Porsche vs. Aston Martin.
Wittmer passes Snow, and a hip check by the #62 Ferrari on the #17 Porsche. The #912 factory Porsche is damaged. Le Mans winner Earl Bamber jumps out, and Jorg Bergmeister, steps into the car. Earl Bamber has had a meteoric career as a Porsche factory driver. They climb the hill up through the esses. We see Patrick Pilet and John Edwasrds, scrapping for the GTLM lead. John Edwards takes a look around the outside.
The #90 car is in the lane. Tires and fuel. Westbrook stays in the car. Ricky Taylor has reeled in Christian Fittipaldi. We watch Joey Hand and Ozz Negri, scrap. Riley vs. Ligier. Ford vs. Honda V6 engines. Joey Hand is back into the sweet spot with the handling on his car. The Riley chassis does not have the downforce that the Corvette Prototype's do. The GTLM battle is still simmering. There is water in the heel part of The Boot. It's physically easier to race when it is cooler, but it is still mentally fatiguing.
We watch Prototype and GT LM battles, as the #38 Prototype Challenge machine is back on track. Choose your lane. The GT cars squeeze around a Prototype CHallenge machine! The BMW might pull alway through the twisty bits. Ooh. The #38 is off, again! A fraught race for these chaps, so far. Jerome Mee reports that the suspension has been busted. It looks like game over for the #38 The chief mechanic says, "take it back to the truck." Ooh! More argy bargy with the Corvette Prototype's!
Kuno Wittmer leads Mario Farnbacher in GT Daytona. TRG prepares for wet races. TRG has run Porsche's (the marque the made a legend with), and Pontiac powered Daytona Prototype spec cars, in the past. Tom Long in the #07 Mazda SkyActiv Diesel is having issues. Mazda is committed to a five year program for the Tudor Championship. The car is about to pit to see about the problem. Fox Sport's Andrew Marriott (reporting from pit lane), is back at Watkins Glen for the first time, in 35 years, since covering the United States Formula One Grand Prix.
Mazda is producing more power than even Audi. They are still going for it. Speedsource is building lots of the car, as opposed to the Mazda factory. Scott Pruett is now at the wheel of the #01 Riley Ford EcoBoost with full fuel tanks, and new tires. We are now 90 minutes into this event, right on the button. Pits are open for the Prototypes. The #31 car got it's lap back. Scott Pruett will lead. The #60 Ligier Honda pits. John Pew gets into the car. The car is feeling better than it has all race so far.
The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette pits. MSR had a long driver change, and there was debris cleaned out of the ventilation system. The WTR crew picks up a place while a couple other teams, drop back a bit. The Mazda's power loss may be due to a missing alternator belt. A little contact between a Ferrari and a BMW in GT Daytona, after pit stops. The sun is poking through the clouds. Scott Pruett is indeed the new leader after Ganassi Racing makes a good pit call.
Dane Cameron pits, for new tires,a nd a driver change, over to Max Papis. Car #31 has three drivers instead of only two. Our third full course yellow is done, and we are back to green again. Richard Westbrook is moving up again. Championship leaders, battling for position, on this restart. The track is drying. Max Angelelli and Joao Barbosa have taken over their respective cars, too. Ian James and Christina Nielsen have taken over the lead GT Daytona cars.
The Aston Martin rolls through the corners. Their setup is for rain. Marc Goossens in the SRT Viper got hit in the bumper, somehow. This is the car that won in class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, back in January.
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