As we go into the final hour of this race, there's no change in the top positions. It could be game over for the #1 Toyota, according to timing and scoring. #18 is a lap up, on #17. It's Romain Dumas vs. Brendon Hartley. G Drive Racing leads LMP2 with Sam Bird taking the car to the checkers. We have Lucas di Grassi taking the #8 Audi to the flag, and in #7 it is Andre Lotterer who is the closer. Kazuki Nakajima will take the #1 Toyota to the flag. We're back to racing, now.
We have just under 40 minutes left in this race. ESM runs fifth in LMP2 with Ryan Dalziel. Can Patrick Dempsey, Patrick Long, and Marco Seefried run down the Ferrari's? The #92 Porsche is the pits in LM GTE Pro. Viktor Shaitar is leading LM GTE Am in SMP Racing Ferrari. 37 minutes to go. Marco Seefried is catching Andrea Bertolini, and Earl Bamber, is catching both of them hand over fist in LM GTE Am. Flashing lights on these cars, is not allowed.
James Calado in one of the Ferrari's is closing on Patrick Pilet. It is a battle between the second Manthey Porsche and the second AF Corse Ferrari. Porsche #18 is in the lane. Fuel? No. Sorry. It is fuel. Oh no! Drama for Porsche! #18 is in the garage! There's no reason they are going to tactically put the Porsche in the garage. The nose of the car is removed. What has happened to Porsche? Now, Audi #7 with Andre Lotterer, has taken the lead. The nose is being replaced on the Porsche.
Correction. Andre Lotterer is through to second place. This is #18 in the garage. Also, the final pit stop for KCMG car #47 is under investigation. Marco Seefried and Earl Bamber are within a few seconds of Rui Aguas. Major dramas for one Porsche. Brendon Hartley is still leading. That's why these boys have two bullets in the gun. The top five (reviewing timing and scoring) shows as it was before. Porsche, Audi, Porsche, Audi, Toyota.
Romain Dumas gets out of car #18. They will not win in Texas. Game over. Brendon Hartley still leads. He needs a splash and dash to get to the finish. Audi, is within striking distance. Andre Lotterer had a quick stop and took only left side tires. No action on the #47 car. Ah. Hartley is in the lane. Fuel only. Pit stop, done and dusted. 1:47.5 from Andre Lotterer, the fastest lap of the race for car #7. The Audi is now leading. Neither of these teams can make errors. Did Lucas di Grassi get out ahead of Brendon Hartley?
Lucas di Grassi is in third. Lucas di Grassi can block the leader. Andre Lotterer is now back on the lead lap. Where is Lucas di Grassi? The Porsche is two cars back, with Kazuki Nakajima in the Toyota between them. Brendon Hartley is on old tires. Now, can Marco Seefried pass Rui Aguas in LM GTE Pro? Over the next 22 minutes, Hartley has to pace himself. The Porsche is stuck behind the Toyota. Nakajima has to move over.
Marc Lieb says that there is an electrical problem with car #18. The car had to come in, or it would have run out of electrical power. The problem will not affect the #17 car. It could have been either an alternator issue, or, a failure of the hybrid system. Can car #17 help Porsche's team of Brendon Hartley, Mark Webber, and Timo Bernhard, win their second straight FIA World Endurance Championship race? We have 20 minutes to go.
Brendon Hartley ups the fast lap over Andre Lotterer by a tenth of a second. Sam Bird will hold on in LMP2. Porsche has dominated LM GTE Pro. In LM GTE Am, it looks like the #72 Ferrari could win it. We will see, shortly. Brendon Hartley runs fast lap on old tires (1:47.412), on stint and a half old Michelin tires. Andre Lotterer is still chasing him down. KCMG has a stop and go penalty. Will the stewards dimly view a wheel spinning start by #47? Less than fifteen minutes to go.
Brendon Hartley leads. Could this be redemption? Hartley led a Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series event at COTA and lost it in 2013, with eight laps left. We watch a fantastic battle in LM GTE Am for the final podium place. We have ten minutes left now. Richie Stanaway in the Aston Martin has a penalty. Romain Dumas is now back at the wheel of the #18 car. He cannot get any more points. But, he will get back on the track. No risks for Brendon Hartley. It looks like Hartley might be able to cruise. He does not need to push.
Why is Dumas back in the #18? He will have to cross the finish line. This closes things up in the LMP1 driver's championship points. Brendon Hartley is running in the 1:51 bracket now. Audi is now on terms with Porsche. They actually have to be perfect, in order to make gains on the cars from Stuttgart. It's Stuttgart vs.Ingolstadt. Less than five minutes to go in the Six Hours of Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Sam Bird moves to fifth in the overall. You cannot jump start the car in the pits. It has to be on the pit apron and start under it's own power. A battle heats up between the Aston Martin's of Stuart Hall and Paul Dalla Lana. #18 is back on track. Dalla Lana takes the spot from Hall. Meanwhile, there's no fire in the Porsche #18. The batteries are discharged. It should start on electric power. No dice. This will put the cat among the pigeons. It's on electric power, and now, the internal combustion engine, turns over. It was coughing and sputtering.
It's the final lap now. Fifth place points for car =18. But, car #17 looks to have it's second win in succession. Lucas di Grassi tries to unlap himself. But, it's checkers! #17 gets back-to-back wins! Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber, and Brendon Hartley, (a German, an Aussie, and a Kiwi), win, in Texas! 185 laps. 629 miles. Here are the class winners.
Overall/LMP1: #17 Webber/Hartley/Bernhard Porsche 919 Hybrid
LMP2: #26 Rusinov/Canal/Bird Ligier JS P2 Nissan
LM GTE Pro: #91 Christensen/Lietz Porsche 911 RSR
LM GTE Am: #72 Shaytar/Bertolini/Basov Ferrari 458 Italia
That's a wrap, from COTA. The next event for the FIA World Endurance Championship (in addition to the report from the May Spa race), will be the 6 Hours of Fuji, at Fuji Speedway in Fuji, Japan, in three weeks. So long for now, everyone.
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