Lunchtime, in England. One roast beef and one Yorkshire pudding, please. Would you like a tea? Yes. The rules stipulate that in Pro/Am classes, has to have one amateur driver. Higher rated drivers, don't often get to race. That's something that many fans might not agree with. The wealthy privateer drivers, (gentleman drivers), are still in racing. But, don't force feed it. SMP Racing sat on pole at the Rolex 24 earlier this year. Vitaly Petrov is in the car, now. Discretion is the better part of valor, when you race a speedy, space age hybrid prototype. I've said it before, but, it bears repeating.
Cloud cover cools the track as we watch Stefan Mucke at the wheel of the Ford GT in LM GTE Pro. The #12 Rebellion Prototype, has moved up. Michael Christensen, moves ahead of the Ford. Michael Christensen, could have definitely won the championship last year, but, had to race an IMSA round in the U.S. and that cost him the title. It was one, conflicting with the World Endurance Championship. Teams tell you where to go, and you focus on wherever the race is, whether it's in the states, or, other parts of the world. An off/on with Ricardo Gonzalez in car #43. He goes side by side in the Morand Racing LMP2 car, along with a GT car.
Alex Wurz is now, the reserve driver for Toyota. It was thought he was going to retire. Keep in mind, he also raced with Ganassi at Daytona in one of their Prototype cars. Toyota is focused on Le Mans and they are running their low downforce Le Mans package. Wurz has been a driver coach for the Williams Formula 1 team, too. Wurz is at a high level. He's a real professional, the President of the Grand Prix Driver's Association, and also, a safety activist. He wears a different colored driving shoe on each foot.
In replay, a Rebellion LMP1 car and an LMP2 car battle. Ricardo Gonzalez at the controls. He is a gentleman driver, with a silver rating. He is a talented driver, a promoter of the FIA WEC race in Mexico later this year, and a businessman. Chris Cumming is fifth, passed by Nelson Panciatici. The #4 ByKolles Racing CLM P1 01, is in LMP1. They are not running hybrid power. But, new rules could help the privateeers compete with the factory cars. The CLM has a new nose, on the 2015 car. They have a new chassis coming up. James Rossiter is racing with them, as Pierre Kaffer, is contracted to Audi. Kaffer will be back, for Le Mans.
Nelson Piquet Jr. gets squeezed! It's his debut, or second race in WEC. He is the reigning Formula E champion. He's run Global Rallycross, NASCAR, and Formula 1. He ran Le Mans ten years ago in 2006 and ran the Brazilian GT Series. He will race for three races with this team, before Switerland's Mattias Beche, G Drive makes their second pit stop and Roman Rusinov is at the controls. He stays in the car, to get his drive time in. They tape up the bodywork. Oliver Jarvis is now back up to second. Lena Gade, with Audi, (as you heard), will move on to Bentley, in mid season.
Will Bentley go back into Prototype racing? We'll see. The #12 car moves past the ByKolles Racing. Once again, our thoughts are with Catherine Crawford, recovering from emergency surgery. Our thoughts are with her. Crawford is back on U.S. soil. Alexandre Imperatori brings the Rebellion into the lane, as Hans Stuck, an endurance racing legend, looks on. We approach the 90 minute mark in this race as Audi pits. Andre Lotterer out, and we'll see who the next driver is. Benoit Treluyer takes the controls over in the #7. Lucas di Grassi has the sister car.
Aston Martin in the pits. Richie Stanaway, Fernando Rees, and Johnny Adam, share the car. Two Manor entries are in this race. But, they will not race at Le Mans, because they were not put together by the deadline for invitations for Le Mans. So, Manor won't be at Le Mans. Richard Bradley, Roberto Merhi, and Matt Rao. Oh boy. A problem for Audi. No boost. The new car, has not had the most trouble free run. Brendon Hartley brings the leading Porsche into the pits. No tire change until the fuel is in. Just the driver change.
The sister #2 car also comes in. Porsche has stacked their pit stops. Neel Jani is at the wheel of the sister car. Despite massive horsepower, speed, and downforce, efficiency is the big deal with these cars. You are only allowed three aerodynamic configurations through the season. Neel Jani is back on track and the Toyota is now back in the race, climbingh up out of the pits. Toyota has committed to stay in the World Endurance Championship. They race a twin turbo V6 with the battery hybrid system.
The KCMG Porsche goes off and on. KCMG is now racing in GTE rather than Prototype. The entry is the #78 Porsche 911 RSR shared by Christian Ried and Wolf Henzler from Germany, and Joel Camathias, from Switzerland. Benoit Treluyer spins the Audi. The team is having issues as Lucas di Grassi has had hybrid boost problems. Brake temperatures are at the limit, and the hybrid boost is not regenerating. The driver is worried he's not getting power. Well, the braking regeneration isn't working. It's like downshifting into a lower gear. Everything is on the limit. If the hybrid system goes down, there is no fail safe mode.
Audi and Toyota have totally redesigned cars as the #98 Aston Martin, dirt tracks it on the wet corners. Paul Dalla Lana at the wheel. Dalla Lana shares with Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda. Flat right front tire on the Dempsey Proton Porsche! Actually, it's broken suspension. Maybe it is just a wheel nut. Ooh. It's the suspension that's gone awry. A broken right front, and a little too much camber. Meanwhile, Porsche runs 1-2 at the moment. No one without issues on their cars at the moment.
Audi took a couple races last year, and then, Porsche, went on a tear at Le Mans and the rest of the season. Porsche only has plans to race a GT factory car, at Le Mans this year, but is only involved with Abu Dhabi Proton for the rest of the season and the six hour races. A Manor, spins. That's Richard Bradley. He gets it headed in the right direction, as Danny Watts goes outside Ricardo Gonzalez, and makes the pass. Bradley spun and continued. Strakka Racing want to get back into the LMP1 privateer ranks, next year. But, there is not much glory in the non hybrid cars. Push the boulder up the hill.
Marino Franchitti is next into the factory Ford GT, car #67. Michael Christensen will be sent back on track. Marino Franchitti is gingerly running, coming out of the pits. Neel Jani passes Lucas di Grassi. di Grassi is down by some 400 horsepowr without the hybrid system working, on the Audi. If Andy Priaulx did get tapped in the rar, watch out for the diffuser. Priaulx debuted in Formula 3 here at Silverstone. More pit stops are taking placek for KCMG and others. They will have an entry for Le Mans, having earned it with their old LMP2 car.
Brendon Hartley runs fastest lap at 1:40.3. He has a 42 second lead. It's very close in lap time.
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