We are under a slow zone for an incident with Mark Patterson and the #57 AAI Corvette. Audi is in the garage, still, with an apparent ERS problem. Toyota #5 in the lane, from the lead. They are close to the Porsche. They can do about five stints. Porsche has the #1 car with Brendon Hartley still running, and Marc Lieb can run as well. But, you have to run hard, and save fuel at the same time. That's a hard thing to do. For Porsche, the stints have to be extended. Porsche has a clear view of what they need to do to try to catch Toyota. Paul Dalla Lana has had bad luck for the second year in a row. The GT cars cannot disappear to get the Prototype to pass. When you are on the edge, it only takes a touch, and you could crash.
John Pew will have to serve a drive through penalty for causing the wreck with Tracy Krohn, going over the crown of the road. That was a massive wreck. Laurens Vanthoor is in the MSR Ligier Honda at the moment. MSR had high hopes, but wisely knew how stiffly the competition is in LMP2. They still made it to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They didn't bring their WeatherTech championship car, to Le Mans. Anthony Davidson, meanwhile, searches for his first Le Mans win. Marc Lieb continues to try to hunt down Anthony Davidson. Kamui Kobayashi, spins the #6 Toyota, and thankfully, saved it! It was five laps after the previous pit stop.
A momentary lapse, can send a driver reeling, really quick. Ditto for the pit crews making a mistake. Toyota have been within an hour of winning this race, in the past. 1994, 1999, and 2014 come to mind. There is definite damage to Kamui Kobayahi's #6 Toyota. The aerodynamic loads on these cars, are tremendous, needing downforce. The #44 Manor Racing LMP2 car, has another issue. You just can't make mistakes. Trying to limp the #44 back, to no avail. The #44 car has wrecked again. That's a big hit! Matt Rao, is a young rookie. Don't hurry a damaged car, back to pit lane, here at Le Mans. The nose breaks, slides under the front tire, and the steering goes away.
A slow zone will be needed to pick up this mess, and hopefully, we don't need a safety car, because there will need to be three safety cars. The Ford GT has had a great debut here at Le Mans. Joey Hand is losing time to Toni Vilander. Can he pick it up? Maybe not. We haven't seen the best reliability from the Ford's. Ryan Briscoe is in the #69 Ford GT. Both U.S. based Chip Ganassi Ford's run in the top three in LM GTE Pro. #69 is in the lane. Regular pit stop, now. New tires for #67 and #69. Townsend Bell still leads LM GTE Am, with Townsend Bell at the wheel of the #62 car. Jeff Segal organizes everything and is a quick shoe in the car.
The #63 Corvette C-7-R is also in the pits. An updated, older Corvette, cannot keep up with the Ford or the Ferrari. Will there be a mid-engine Corvette in the future? For Le Mans you throw everything on the table. The Balance of Performance is a huge deal. If they see any sandbagging, they can impose a five minute penalty in the last half hour of the race. Ouch! Can Kamui Kobayashi survive, with the loose undertray on his Toyota? Issues for the #95 Aston Martin. A cut down left rear tire. Audi has also continued to have a difficult race. Oh! Toni Vilander has had a major spin! He's stalled. OK. He's back underway. Is the car OK? Hit the curb, and spins around. This is big news, for Ford.
Vilander made a mistake. They were cruising. But, you cannot make a mistake. Plus,. the Ferrari team now has to pit. It's hard not to push. But, drivers have to push and go on the ragged edge, without making a mistake. Risi Competizione just lost two minutes. It moves Vilander back towards the sister #69 Ford GT of Ryan Briscoe. More challenges for Audi. They have had a horrid race this year. Johnny O'Connell, has had a tough race, on his return to Le Mans. Mark Patterson, his team mate, has had some difficulty. O'Connell hasn't been here in five years. The intensity is the same. O'Connell and Patterson are sharing with young Brit Oliver Bryant.
Kamui Kobayashi is in the lane, and the Toyota mechanics are working on the damage to the car after he flew off the road. Toyota wants their plan to work. Anthony Davidson asks, "what if we try this?" The team say, "no, man. Stick to our plan. We're a team." Fuel only for Anthony Davidson. This sandbagging deal, proves that the FIA is getting the data, but, they act on it, and you have to be consistent. The LMP2 leading Alpine #36, hits pit lane.
No comments:
Post a Comment