Audi has 39 starts, 16 wins, and 15 poles. 30 something podiums. They have lots of wins at Le Mans, too. They've been a sports car racing benchmark for many years. Matteo Tuscher hits pit lane in the Rebellion. Tuscher has had some issues with his Rebellion and has been on fire. Game over for Matteo Tuscher. 1:48.5 for Brendon Hartley. 1:47.6 for Kamui Kobayashi. This is getting very, very close. The #2 Porsche will struggle on it's tires. Will Kamui Kobayashi be able to get ahead? Porsche is going to struggle for grip here.
55 minutes to go in Shanghai. This race is not done yet. Can Toyota leapfrog Porsche? It's Jani vs. Kobayashi vs. Davidson. Kobayashi is a second behind Neel Jani. If they finish where they are now, Porsche will have 26 points ahead in the championship for Bahrain. If Toyota didn't claim pole in Bahrain, then Porsche would have it. Who will blink first to hit pit lane? It's going to be tight as we get to the finish here. Will Stevens, Pippo Derani, and Tom Blomqvist have all made their final pit stops in LMP2. Oh wow! Sebasiten Buemi tries inside Neel Jani. He goes defensive and puts the Porsche offline. The Toyota gets second! This is massive for the driver's championship. It's impossible for Porsche to swap their cars using team orders.
This is not over, dear viewers and dear readers. This will be a fuel mileage race. Porsche goes off line and the Toyota's are going to pounce. Toyota's have not gone into the lane yet. Neel Jani has trashed his tires. He's got trouble and can't get any front end grip. Anthony Davidson is just two seconds behind now. If positions stand, the LM GTE Am title could be awarded at Bahrain during qualifying. Holy cow! This battle for the podium is gettiung hot. Anthony Davidson is 2.3 seconds in-arrears of Neel Jani. Kamui Kobayashi is coming, and coming fast. We will see Kobayashi vs. Hartley for the final 45 minutes? Yes please. But, not really.
Will Stevens sets fastest lap in LMP2. But it is not a record. The grip is going away from this track as we get to the end. We still have a good 40 minutes left. The chips begin to fall. Neel Jani takes tires after hitting pit lane and Toyota stays on track. Will Toyota roll the dice? Will they follow Porsche's strategy? Apologies about LM GTE Am. AF Corse would win the championship in Bahrain. But Wolf Henzler is also close and Aston Martin would have to finish second in order for AF Corse to be champions. Alpine in the pit lane again. Just over a half hour to go. Toyota is pushing, and I don't have to tell you, hard.
1:46.6 was the LMP1 lap record set in 2015 by Andre Lotterer. Brendon Hartley lowers it to 1:45.9. LM GTE Pro has a new record of 2:02.217 by Andy Priaulx. Major development of the cars, yields quicker times. But, as for the track here in Shanghai, grip has gone away over the last two or three years. The driver's championship will go to Bahrain unless there is drama. Porsche is going to win the manufacturer's championship and they will run #1 and #2 again in 2017. Ford could not catch a break earlier in the year, but they are now on the verge of getting their second straight class win.
When will Toyota hit pit lane? What will they do? Toyota has the advantage and they can get away with rounding out the podium in second and third. The battle for third in LMP2 will go to the wire. Fuel only for LMP2 front runners. Brendon Hartley is in the lane for the final stop for Porsche. Kamui Kobayashi has to back the leader into his tracks. Anthony Davidson cannot afford to be held up by Brendon Hartley. Hartley has new tires. Brendon Hartley has to keep his nose clean through traffic.
Rui Aguas and Wolf Henzler run for second place honors in LM GTE Am, for the championship, and they have to finish well in Bahrain. The CLM makes it's final stop as the #7 Audi continues to recover. Aston Martin has a monster fight on their hands to keep their chances alive against Ferrari for the manufacturer's championship. Ferrari may be campaigning for a change in Balance of Performance for Bahrain. The Toyota makes a pit stop. Brendon Hartley leads with 22 minutes to go. Fuel and tires for Toyota's final stop for Kamui Kobayashi. No tires. Wow! That's a roll of the dice if there ever was one.
From here, there is time to run another eleven laps. Will Anthony Davidson go for tires? The pendulum swings another time. 39 seconds is the gap between Kamui Kobayashi and Neel Jani. Has Toyota won the race? We'll see. #5 is in the lane now. No tires. Fuel only for Anthony Davidson. It's a short stop. No sign of the Porsche. Where is the Porsche? Don't use the curbs. Twenty minutes to go. They could have taken tires, but they have the time. If they finish second and third behind the Porsche, then, the championship goes to the wire in Bahrain.
Less than 15 minutes remain now. There's going to be a points shakeup here. Things have settled down a shade. Will the LMP2 crown be settled this evening? We'll find out shortly. The final podium place in LMP2 is being decided between Filipe Albuquerque and Nicolas Minassian. Will Stevens and G Drive lead. They want their second victory in succession. Pippo Derani is going to test for Toyota, and Gustavo Menezes will test for Porsche. Will these boys come back to WEC? Will Derani be in IMSA?
How much will Nissan be involved with ESM? They will only be an engine supplier. We have five minutes left. Porsche will win with Brendon Hartley for the race win and the manufacturer's championship. 195 laps. 660 miles. Marcel Fassler has fought his way up to seventh. He is taking time out of Simon Trummer. The #98 Aston Martin has had a faultless race today. Three minutes to go now. We are coming to the end of the 6 Hours of Shanghai.
Will Stevens will bring G Drive another win. Porsche will win their sixth (if not seventh), win of the FIA WEC 2016 season. Brendon Hartley runs the fastest sector 3 time of his race, with used tires. One extra pit stop, foiled Toyota's chances of winning this race. For the second race in succession, we've had a fairly clean one. 195 laps is a distance record for this race. There is an incident to investigate in LMP2. Ford wins LM GTE Pro. Aston Martin wins LM GTE Am.
Porsche defends their manufacturer's championship. Audi has done this as well. All three factories have won titles in the five years of the championship.
Overall/LMP1: #1 Bernhard/Webber/Hartley Porsche 919 Hybrid
LMP2: #26 Stevens/Rusinov/Brundle Oreca 05 Nissan
LM GTE Pro: #67 Tincknell/Priaulx Ford GT
LM GTE Am: #98 Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda Aston Martin V8 Vantage
A Ferrari has been off the road briefly. Two Toyota's complete the podium places. But, Porsche wins in Shanghai. We have one more race left. The 6 Hours of Bahrain, in two weeks, on Saturday morning, November 19th. So, instead of coffee to keep us fueled at night, have coffee with breakfast, and join us for all the action at the Sakhir circuit, to close out the 2016 season and crown the FIA WEC champions. So long, for now, everyone.
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