Car #22, pits. Leh Keen is piloting the WeatherTech, Alex Job Racing Porsche. Leh Keen, will give way, to co-driver, Andrew Davis. Pit stop time as well, for the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 Italia. Giancarlo Fisichella, sharing with Pierre Kaffer, and Toni Vilander. Risi Competizione just does not have the downforce on their Ferrari. Eric Curran, continues to lead this motor race. We understand that there will be one lap to go, until going back to green, and the track is able to be raced on, with the rain letting up a little bit.
It is getting darker. Visibility, will be very difficult. The water is still streaming across the road in the esses. We've been saying that all day, and it's not any different right now. The danger element will increase tenfold, going into the dusk hours. We are ready, to go back to racing. Nick Tandy will be chomping at the bit, to go for it. He wants to pounce on those leading Corvettes in GT Le Mans. The pace of the Porsche has been blinding in the wet. These blokes have really been in their own zip code all weekend.
Eric Curran will lead the field. He has GTLM cars separating him from his team mate, Joao Barbosa. Tandy has cleared one Corvette, and now, he clears the other! Nick Tandy is on a mission! He's cleared both Corvette's. Remember, he won, with team mates Nico Hulkenberg, and Earl Bamber, at Le Mans, overall, earlier in the year. This is war now, Private. This is no time to curl into a ball, and surrender. Tandy is now slicing past two GT Daytona class Porsche's. Nick Tandy is the blessing, for Porsche. Go as fast as you like.
The #912 Porsche is also flying. Frederic Makowiecki is two laps down. But, he wants to pass. He won't get past his team mate. Makowiecki, the Frenchman, wants to go for it, too, even though he's behind. The BMW's also need to get back to the Porsche's. You are getting paid to win a championship, for the manufacturer, and not for yourself. There's no point in streaming away from the competition, if he makes a mistake. If he makes a mistake, it's over. Augusto Farfus and Jens Klingman are nose to tail for BMW. Oh nuts! Makowiecki noses it into the tires!
Makowiecki has to back up, and does. Oy! Both Corvette C-7-R's are trying to pass Andy Lally. But, the GT Daytona Porsche is just as good as the factory GT Le Mans spec machines. Oliver Gavin and Antonio Garcia, both make a move, going by the Porsche. Eric Curran continues to lead. He increases his lead. Augusto Farfus in the #25 car, is in contention, because of Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner, being in the championship hunt in GTLM. Pratt & Miller have to go for it. They don't have the pace, and don't have any magic bullets. However, they are running nose to tail.
Eric Curran continues to lead in the overall. Tom Kimber-Smith leads Prototype Challenge. Frederic Makowiecki comes to pit lane, for a scheduled stop to clean the car, and there will be a driver change in the sister factory Porsche. There's a boatload of red Georgia clay on the front of that automobile. If that gets in the radiators, the engine, for all intents and purposes, is cooked. Spencer Pumpelly has passed Andy Lally. Joao Barbosa is applying the blowtorch to these two Porsche's up ahead.
Can Eric Curran and Dane Cameron take the race win, and the championship? We'll see. Pit stop time, for Corvette #3 as Jan Magnussen takes the car over, from Antonio Garcia. There is a mechanical problem in the rear of the car. The alternator belt is the culprit, perhaps. The belt has come off, again. They used the spare belt. So, one has to wonder if the car will still drive. Nick Tandy has been dealing with a brake issue. There is conversation about it. No vibration. But, there is a problem with compressing the brake pedal.
At Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans, it is expected that brake pad changes, will be regular maintenance, on the cars. But, not so, in the rain, nor here, at Road Atlanta. Brake issues are bad in the dry. But they are even worse, in the wet. Tandy has just eaten three seconds out of Eric Curran's overall lead. Bragging rights, would be great. But, with mechanical issues, worry about the manufacturer's championship, and the driver's championship, will be earned, in GTLM for Patrick Pilet.
Nick Tandy continues closing the gap. It wasn't long ago he wasn't a Porsche factory driver. But, he's won Le Mans now. Tandy looks to the inside, and hopes to get by Eric Curran. Eric Curran gets held up in traffic, and says, "see ya!" to Eric Curran. Can Tandy hold on? Curran can carry speed on the straight. He puts a couple cars between himself and Curran. Eric Curran knows it's not important to him. It is starting to get very wet again. Curran is doing well. The difficulty is into the braking zone for turn ten.
Tandy passes fellow and former Porsche factory driver, Patrick Long, trying to bring it home for Falken Tire in their final race. Spencer Pumpelly is checking out on Andy Lally in GT Daytona. Bill Auberlen, wants a driver's cup and a manufacturer's cup, for BMW, in GT Le Mans. Tandy is cranking brake bias, to the rear. The front brakes, are cold. Try and go forward. Get it back to where it was. Tandy said it was manageable. However, he's moved so much to the rear brake, the front brakes, are getting cold. Move the bias back, to the front. But, you don't want a ton of rear brake bias.
If you lock the rear brakes, you are in trouble. It's like grabbing the emergency brake. Oh my. The Prototype Challenge cars, are dancing the wet track tango, again. One is the #8 Starworks entry, which was leading in class. Tom Kimber-Smith, also spun. That was a lead battle in class. Big damage, too, for the #11 Prototype Challenge car of Bruno Junquiera, too, as the #31 car, pits. The #25 BMW is in for a driver change, too. Same is true for the #10. This is full service for all these cars. The #90 needs to pit, after the pit lane opens.
Alex Popow spins on his own, and then, Tom Kimber-Smith, spins in avoidance. We watched that huge impact for another Prototype Challenge machine, earlier, driven by John Falb. Could PR1 win the hat trick of the three enduros? Well, that is with the exception of the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The skies have opened up again. We are under another yellow flag. You cannot count your ducks (or chickens), until they hatch. It's not over 'til it's over.
These chaps have nerves of steel. Max Angelelli has become a good driver coach for Jordan and Ricky Taylor. He does not drive any longer. Porsche has one bullet in the gun on the lead lap, and BMW has two. Nick Tandy, appears, to be unstoppable here. Can Joao Barbosa and Scott Dixon, make it on one last pit stop? The fans have not left. This is an event. It's an amazing thing. Wait. What? The checkered flag, waves! The 18th running of the Petit Le Mans, is over!
Nick Tandy in a GT Le Mans Porsche, has won Petit Le Mans! When there are winners, there are losers. We are amazed. The weather won't get any better. More intense weather is coming. Officials are wary of restarting the race in full darkness, with more bad weather coming. The race is done. But, there will be a lot of head scratching in the pit lane right now.
Overall/GTLM: #911 Tandy/Pilet/Lietz Porsche 911 RSR
Prototype: #5 Barbosa/Fittipaldi/Bourdais Chevrolet Corvette Prototype
Prototype
Challenge: #52 Guasch/Kimber-Smith/Palmer Oreca FLM Chevrolet
GT Daytona: #73 Lindsey/Pumpelly/Snow Porsche 911 GT America
We crown our champions, now, that the race is over. Here is the championship winners list.
Prototype: Joao Barbosa & Christian Fittipaldi
Prototype Challenge: Jon Bennett & Colin Braun
GT Le Mans: Patrick Pilet
GT Daytona: Bill Sweedler & Townsend Bell
http://www.imsa.com/series/sportscar-championship/standings
The NAEC winners are:
Prototype: #5 Action Express Racing
Prototype Challenge: #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
GT Le Mans: #3 Corvette Racing
GT Daytona: #93 Riley Motorsports
That's a wrap on the Petit Le Mans. We'll see you, in a little over a month, to start the new season, for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, at the 54th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, at Daytona International Speedway. The twice-around-the-clock classic. So long, for now, everyone. See you, for more sports car racing, in 2016.
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