A battle has ensued between the Corvette team mates, and Scott Dixon in the Ganassi Ford Prototype, will be caught up in this argy bargy, without a doubt. Yikes! Now, to thicken the plot, these blokes are being impeded by a slower Prototype Challenge car. Dixon says, "forget this!" and heads for pit lane. The Falken Tire Porsche with Wolf Henzler aboard also pits. Both run third in their respective classes. A routine stop, and a driver change, for Team Falken Tire. More pit lane action, as both Jordan Taylor, and Sebastien Bourdais, make scheduled stops. The driver gets the credit. But, kudos as well, to the pit crews who are in the trenches, servicing these cars, for the whole race.
Oh boy. Problem for the #10 Corvette Prototype. The car will not restart. Now it does, and #10 is back in the fight. If a GT Le Mans car, comes to the lead of this motor race, it will be very hard, to unseat the GT Le Mans automobile, from the top of the running order. At the moment, starting this fifth hour, we have the best conditions we've seen for the whole race. Jan Magnussen is now the overall leader in Petit Le Mans. Magnussen and his team mate, Tommy Milner, both just ran their fastest laps of this race. Magnussen is at 1:30.9 while Milner is at 1:31 flat.
The Porsche's are very strong. They are settled into the deep water, puddling on the road. The Corvette's are trying to cool their tires, should it begin to dry out. Hot rain tires, don't work so well. Just like last year, Action Express Racing, wins the Prototype championship in the North American Endurance Cup. But, they still have to get the overall championship, unlike last year. The #48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS heads to pit lane. Meanwhile, the #97 Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 GT is off the road on the uphill out of turn one. The right rear tire is flat. Billy Johnson is at the controls.
Johnson was tagged, from behind, by the #85 Prototype Challenge car, Mikhail Goikhberg at the controls. Four tires and fuel, + a driver change, for Turner Motorsports. If a line emerges that is too dry, the pace will pick up, and that could cause trouble. Memo Rojas is currently at the wheel of the Deltawing, which has a loose piece of bodywork at the right front. Patrick Pilet is now third in GTLM and third overall. The #4 Corvette pits, and so does the #93 SRT Viper. Oliver Gavin will take over #4 from Tommy Milner.
Will Jan Magnussen pit next? Yes. #3 hits pit lane. Antonio Garcia will take over the car. Dan Binks, who works with Corvette Racing, retires, after this race. Binks started out, on a crew with John Morton and Bob Lobenberg. Binks was Tommy Kendall's crew chief in Trans Am, and crew chief, at Roush Fenway Racing, when they ran Greg Biffle in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, believe it or not. These cars are third and fourth in the overall.
The GTLM machines have dominated the top five, as a Mazda spins. Ooh. It's on the uphill and Sebastien Bourdais takes evasive action. This is the #07 car, with Joel Miller at the wheel. Oh no! More drama, in the uphill, as the Deltawing spins! Memo Rojas is currently at the wheel of car #0. It spun on it's own axis and has a lot of damage. Another full course yellow. Our seventh one. Eric Curran pits the #31 car. Rainfall is heavier. We don't expect a green flag, for a few more minutes. Pit stop time for the Falken Tire #17 Porsche, and also for the sister factory Porsche 911 RSR, (#912).
We are getting close, to the halfway mark in this race. GTLM cars occupy four of the top six places. Tommy Milner has been running well, for Corvette Racing, and will be back for this coming season in 2016. His father, Tom Milner, ran a team called Prototype Technology Group, and fielded BMW's for drivers like Bill Auberlen, and Boris Said. This is our seventh full course yellow flag. It is a short one. Green flag, is back out. We are ready, to resume racing. Lots of standing water through the final turn.
Remember, the GT Le Mans cars, are quicker and more compliant, in the corners, while Prototype's are quicker, down the straightaways. Jordan Taylor tries to pass Antonio Garcia. He makes a pass through turn ten, that used to be known as "the gulch". Taylor and Garcia know each other well, and drive together, for Corvette Racing, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A big cloud of spray, goes into the air, and that is a sure bet the weather has gone even more pear shaped. Giancarlo Fisichella in the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia, races through turn ten, followed by the second factory Porsche.
Fisichella will go a lap down to the #912. Frederic Makowiecki is at the controls of the sister factory Porsche. Check that. It is battle for position, between Makowiecki and Fisichella. Water has been pooling in turn one, and in the esses. Car #912 is two laps down. Fisichella will pit, and he has no visibility due to condensation on the windshield. Halfway is three minutes away. Will the race continue? Will it be called, due to weather? For the first time this year, a GT car has been the halfway leader in any Tudor Championship race. An overall win, by a GT car, would be something special.
Sebastien Bourdais, has now taken the overall leader. Car #90 is still recovering from their earlier troubles.
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