We are in the final hour at Watkins Glen. Pit stop time for one of the factory Porsche's. We watch the top three cars in GT Daytona. Lawson Aschenbach, Andy Lally, and Alessandro Balzan. There's not much in it as these guys are covered by a second and a half. Audi is 1-2, with Ferrari chasing. They have had some adjustments since the previous races at Laguna Seca and Detroit, two races that yours truly, will cover, when there is time to do so. You will hear a lot about IMSA on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog, coming up. Jonathan Bomarito runs third in Prototype and third overall, as he follows Joao Barbosa. GT cars dive for pit lane. You have to follow the leader on pit stops. Ford vs. Ferrari, just like Le Mans. Richard Westbrook tries to stretch the margin, running fastest lap of the race at 1:41.5.
Many GT Daytona cars are stepping up tire pressures with the new curbing in the Inner Loop. The pace of this track is coming uphe #68 Scuderia Corsa car is in the lane for their final pit stop. Waiting on fuel, and they are back on track. Alessandro Balzan is at the wheel.in the GTD car. Alessandro Pier Guidi in the sister car. Clean stop for Stevenson Motorsport. Westbrook and Werner are pushing. Who will blink first in this battle and dive for pit lane? Risk vs. reward. That's what this is down to. Now, we hear there is a low rev misfire on the #55 Mazda. The Corvette's are making their final pit stops.
#4 ahead of #3. These boys have a hard time ahead of them at the moment. The Corvette's just don't have the pace of the Ford's or the BMW's. Werner hits the lane. Not Westbrook, however. Westbrook will have fresher tires and more fuel to burn. Team manager Mike Hull is calling something. Driver change at BMW as Bill Auberlen takes over the M6 GT. Did the door get securely shut? Richard Westbrook has run 19 laps in this stint, and here he comes, now. Westbrook should stay in the car. Four tires and fuel. No mistakes. No extra fuel. Just tires. That took a while. Will Westbrook make it on fuel? He's got cold tires, too.
Daniel Serra is now right behind Bill Auberlen, as we are 45 minutes from the finish. Mazda has hit pit lane. But, now, it looks like MSR with the Ligier Honda of Olivier Pla is also going to get into it. Get creative. Watch your limits. Jonathan Bomarito is finding a way to work around the low rev miss. Westbrook leads Auberlen by 1.4 seconds in GTLM. Dane Cameron and the Mazda pit. Joao Barbosa, stays out. How cleanly can Barbosa get to the GT Daytona cars? Crews need to execute. Perfect pit stop. Four tires and fuel for Dane Cameron. The out lap is critical. #55 had a fuel issue.
Barbosa has clear track. He needs to break out a quick lap to get a buffer to pit and stay in P1. Barbosa is in the lane now. This has to be perfect. It's go time. Left side tires done, and right side tires ready. Tires done before fuel. Fuel is in. Down and away for #5. Barbosa will nab Dane Cameron who has hot tires. A big pit delta here. Cameron must have hit traffic on his out lap. The #60 Ligier Honda of Olivier Pla only took fuel. Extra grip will help Barbosa. Pla is steaming along. The clock continues to tick. With the late pit call, for left side tires and fuel... but there turned out to be no tires.
The car takes too long to get temperature into the tires. This isn't the lead battle. But, can Pla pass Cameron and chase down Barbosa? 1:35.4 for Pla. 1:37.5 for Cameron. Renger van der Zande leads Prototype Challenge. Pla tries to get a run on Cameron. Through the esses, Joao Barbosa, gains more time, out front. The tires for Pla, might get worn out. Debris on the road. Something has happened to the Mazda. Bill Auberlen makes contact with the Mazda, and the Mazda loses it's rear corner... one of them. Half an hour to go now. The competition is close, and very intense. Mazda is slow. Heartbreak. The engine is dead. Smoke spews out the back end.
This has to be a full course yellow. Can you recyucle this? A few plumes of smoke out the exhaust. Game over, for Mazda. This is a short yellow. The pit lane, is closed. The emotional roller coaster for Mazda, is at no end. The electronics have been playing up on the cars, all day. Mazda will go get 'em in the next race, next weekend, at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. Lights out on the safety car. Daniel Serra passed Tommy Milner. The top nine GT Le Mans cars are all on the lead lap. Go! Pla was left in the dust by the two Action Express Corvette's. van der Zande, Kyle Marcelli, and Stephen Simpson, will push for the Prototype Challenge win. Olivier Pla is going to push Dane Cameron like there's no tomorrow.
Olivier Pla makes his first start at Watkins Glen, and he's learned this course. Everyone is re-learning this great circuit. Pla is very close! Auberlen is going after Richard Westbrook and we've got the Corvette's, BMW's, Ferrari's, and Ford's, all going for it. Renger van der Zande realizes Kyle Marcelli is coming, fast. Some debris in turn nine being reported by the marshals. It looks like bodywork. Car #90 just pitted. Ooh! The #85 Prototype Challenge car went off the road, and Ryan Dalziel has to take evasive action. Alessandro Balzan, got past Andy Lally, as we are headed for the finish. This is going to be a hot one, ladies and gentlemen!
We are, again, under full course yellow. We are ready, and have gone back to green. Barbosa and Cameron are going for it. But we see Westbrook, Hand, Serra, and others, pushing hard for GTLM honors. Olivier Pla is all over #31. Here comes Ricky Taylor. Pla has to defend from Taylor! Get creative in your moves. Olivier Pla's tires are beginning to fade. The P2 car can rocket away from the Daytona Prototype based chassis. The cautions will help some of these guys, who have been in the cars for a good three hours. We have less than 13 minutes remaining in the race.
Will there be enough? Dane Cameron is blocking Pla, according to Mike Shank, team owner at MSR. Dane is not easy to pass. Joey Hand and Bill Auberlen are going for it. Tommy Milner is going for it, too, in the Corvette. Joey Hand has driven with Bill Auberlen at BMW before. But he and Bill Auberlen are still friends even though they drive for different marques. Less than ten minutes now remain. Tommy Milner hasn't matched the fast laps today of the Ford's and BMW's, but he's driving very well. Oh my! Stephen Simpson and Richard Bradley have been banging on each other for a good while, playing dodge 'em cars. Bradley won Le Mans for KCMG last year.
This is only the second race for Bradley in North America. Bradley ran Simpson off the road and Simpson retaliated. Beaux Barfield is going to be looking at that. If you like to race hard, you can. But no sympathy if someone attacks you back. Alessandro Balzan has gapped Andy Lally. Balzan is a hard charger. He'll keep going. Lawson Aschenbach, Mario Farnbacher, and others, are still in this scrum, with six minutes and change to go. This race, is almost over. Westbrook's Ford GT has been hooked up, all weekend.
These cars are starting to climb those curbs in the Inner Loop. Five minutes now remain. Pla is still in touch with Dane Cameron and can't get by. He has to push, now. Joey Hand is attacking Bill Auberlen. This is the battle for second. Up the ouitside, Hand makes the move on Auberlen, and can make a clean pass. That was respect, indeed. The handling has gone away on the BMW M6 GT of Bill Auberlen. He and Dirk Werner have put in a great drive. Ford will close in on Corvette, with three minutes left, insofar as the points. Every position is crucial for the championship. White flag next time by.
If Dane Cameron hangs on to second, he will be tied with the WTR Corvette boys... the Taylor brothers. Pla is pushing, and pushing hard. Pla has nothing to lose. Thisis the final lap. White flag is out. Traffic ahead of the battle for second. Cameron goes outside and so does Pla on the GTD BMW. White flag. Ford, could get three wins in a row. Jpey Hand lays down a 1:41.27. Fastest lap of the race. Barbosa wins overall! Joao Barbosa, Filipe Albuquerque, and Christian Fittipaldi. Starworks wins Prototype Challenge. GT Le Mans, makes it three wins in a row for the Ford GT. Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe do it!
GT Daytona goes to the Ferrari, with Alessandro Balzan, Jeff Segal, and Christina Nielsen!
Overall/Prototype: #5 Barbosa/Fittipaldi/Albuquerque Chevrolet Corvette Prototype
Prototype Challenge: #8 Popow/van der Zande Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet
GT Le Mans: #67 Briscoe/Westbrook Ford GT
GT Daytona: #63 Balzan/Nielsen/Segal Ferrari 488 GTE
The next race on the schedule, is next Sunday, at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. Also, stay tuned, for reports on previous races at Laguna Seca and Detroit, that yours truly hasn't yet had an opportunity to write about. But, those races, are coming up. For now, so long, from the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, and Watkins Glen International Raceway.
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