Endurance... the sports car racing blog: May 2017

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Pre-Le Mans Testing Notes

Some notes headed into the test day this Sunday for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Stay tuned for more coverage.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/05/31/pre-le-mans-testing-notes.html

The IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship is headed for a street fight in Detroit, Michigan, the motor city, this weekend, which will feature three of the four classes. Prototype, Prototype Challenge, and GT Daytona are those classes. GT Le Mans teams will be at Le Mans in France this weekend for the test day leading up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans coming up in the middle of June. Stay tuned for news from Detroit, plus a race report, and a full report on the Le Mans test day as well.

Pillar: Preparation, Chemistry Key To WTR's Dream Start to DPi Era

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/pillar-technical-partnerships-chemistry-key-to-wtrs-early-season-success/

28 Entries for Detroit
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/28-entries-for-detroit/

Cadillac DPi Slowed Even Further in Latest BoP Adjustments
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/cadillac-slowed-further-in-latest-bop/

VIDEO: Detroit Preview
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-detroit-preview-3/

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Double Stint: N24 Roundup; Connor De Philippi Interview 5-30-17

The latest Double Stint podcast on Sportscar365 focuses entirely on last weekend's Nurburgring 24 Hours. There is a full analysis of the race, and an interview with Connor De Philippi, one of the winning drivers, in the Land Motorsports Audi R8 that took the race victory. Plus, there is coverage of the Pirelli World Challenge SprintX races at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, a race that has been analyzed in full on the blog already. Additionally, there is more news from the FIA WEC.

http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/double-stint-nurburgring-24-pwc-lime-rock-recap-5-30-17/

Monday, May 29, 2017

De Phillippi: "I Really Thought Our Race Was Over"

Connor De Phillippi, one of the driver's on the Nurburgring 24 Hour winning Land Motorsports Audi squad, admittedly thought that after their unscheduled hour 22 pit stop, their chance to win had slipped through their fingers.

http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/de-phillippi-i-really-thought-our-race-was-over/

6 Hours of Spa Race Broadcast (full)

Before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, here is the full broadcast of the 6 Hours of Spa that was run three weeks ago.

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Winner & highlights of the Nurburgring 24 Hours

Here are the full highlights, and your winners from the Nurburgring 24 Hours via Sportscar365.

Glickenhaus Leads N24 After Hour 1
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/glickenhaus-leads-n24-after-hour-1/

Glickenhaus' lead would not last and they would be delayed, giving the lead in hour four to the Land Motorsports Audi R8.

Land Audi Leads N24 Hour 4 Amid Glickenhaus Delays
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/land-audi-leads-n24-hour-4-amid-glickenhaus-delays/

1/4 into the race. But, as the event is only six hours old, this is when attrition begins to take it's toll.

Audi Leads Hour 6 As Attrition Hits N24
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/audi-leads-hour-6-as-attrition-hits-n24/

Halfway home. Hour 12, and Audi leads with Land Motorsports taking the lead from WRT.

Audi Controlling N24 at Half Distance
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/audi-controlling-n24-at-half-distance/

Fast forward to 3/4 distance. 1/4 of the Nurburgring 24 Hours remains. The Land Motorsports Audi is still out in front.

Land Audi Leads Into Final Six Hours at N24
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/land-audi-leads-into-final-six-hours-at-n24/

Press fast forward again, and it's drama for the Land Motorsport Audi crew with just two hours now remaining in the 24 hour odyssey of "The Green Hell".

Land Audi Loses Lead in Hour 22
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/land-audi-loses-n24-lead-in-hour-22/

For those who thought Land Audi was toast in hour 22, think again. The skies opened at the finish, but the Land Audi team prevailed and will win the Nurburgring 24 Hours in the 47th renewal of this great race.

Land Audi Wins N24 After Dramatic Wet Finish
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/land-audi-wins-n24-after-dramatic-wet-finish/

Watch the drama unfold in the final half hour of the Nurburgring 24 HERE.

VIDEO: Dramatic Final 30 Minutes of Nurburgring 24
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-dramatic-final-30-minutes-of-nurburgring-24/

PHOTOS: Nurburgring Weekend Gallery
http://sportscar365.com/features/photography/photos-nurburgring-weekend-gallery-2/

Congratulations to the driving squad of American Connor De Philippi, South African Kelvin van der Linde, and German aces Christopher Mies and Markus Winkelhock!\

#29 De Philippii/van der Linde/Mies/Winkelhock Audi R8 LMS

158 laps (2,528 miles) were completed in this year's race. For Christopher Mies, it is his second Nurburgring 24 Hours triumph. It is the third for Markus Winkelhock. Connor De Philippi and Kelvin van der Linde are first-time winners at The Nurburgring! We'll see you next year, for another running of the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Auf wiedersehen, for now.

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Pirelli World Challenge action from Lime Rock Park

A full recap of both Friday and Saturday Pirelli World Challenge action from Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Parente Quickest in Incident-Filled Practice at Lime Rock
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/parente-quickest-in-incident-filled-practice-at-lime-rock/

Long Snatches Pole for SprintX Race 1 at Lime Rock
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/long-snatches-pole-for-sprintx-race-1-at-lime-rock/

Barkey Takes GTS Pole at Lime Rock
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/barkey-takes-gts-pole-at-lime-rock/

Patrick Long and Marc Lieb win SprintX race one at Lime Rock, from pole!

Long, Lieb Take SprintX Race 1 Win at Lime Rock
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/long-lieb-take-sprintx-race-1-win-at-lime-rock/

Baptista Gives Flying Lizard First GTS Win in Photo Finish
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/baptista-gives-flying-lizard-first-gts-win/

Lime Rock Friday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/lime-rock-friday-notebook/

Lieb Enjoying "Different Lifestyle" in New Porsche Customer Racing Role
http://sportscar365.com/industry/lieb-enjoying-different-lifestyle-in-new-porsche-motorsport-role/

Lime Rock Saturday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/lime-rock-saturday-notebook/

VIDEO: Lime Rock SprintX Race 1 Highlights
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-lime-rock-sprintx-race-1-highlights/

Magnus Racing is victorious in race two for SprintX at Lime Rock Park!

Pumpelly, Cameron Give Magnus Racing First PWC Win in SprintX Race 2
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/pumpelly-cameron-take-sprintx-race-2-win/

Baptista Sweeps GTS Weekend After Panoz Blows Up
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/baptista-sweeps-gts-weekend-after-panoz-blows-up/

PHOTOS: Lime Rock Weekend Gallery
http://sportscar365.com/features/photography/photos-lime-rock-weekend-gallery-2/

Next up for Pirelli World Challenge for the GT cars will be at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, in a month. But, SprintX, will have a break now for the bulk of the summer, and will resume their season, headlining at Utah Motorsports Campus in August.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Friday news from the Nurburgring, before the race

Friday news from the Nurburgring. A very different name that you've probably not heard, has pole. Go, go Glickenhaus! Here's the latest.

Keilwitz Puts Ferrari on Top in Qualifying 2
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/keilwitz-puts-ferrari-top-in-n24-qualifying-2/

Luhr: Porsche Return "Like Coming Home"
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/luhr-porsche-return-like-coming-home/

Inside Falken's Innovative Approach to N24
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/inside-falken-motorsports-innovative-approach-to-n24/

Glickenhaus Claims Shock Pole For Nurburgring 24
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/glickenhaus-on-pole-for-nurburgring-24-hours/

Nurburgring Weekend Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/nurburgring-friday-notebook-5/

Reinke: N24 Idal for Audi R8 GT4 Debut
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/reinke-audi-n24-ideal-for-r8-gt4-debut/

Even though Mercedes-AMG won the 2016 Nurburgring 24 Hours, there are still raw emotions within the different teams of how the outcomes should have turned out.

Mercedes-AMG's N24 Fallout One Year Later
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/mercedes-amgs-n24-fallout-one-year-on/

Stay tuned for full coverage of the Nurburgring 24, in a full race recap after the checkered flag flies at the end of 24 hours, on Sunday.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Thursday Nurburgring news

The latest news from the Nurburgring as preparations continue for the 24 hour race.

Westbrook: BMW "Better Prepared"to Fight Mercedes in N24
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/westbrook-bmw-better-prepared-to-fight-mercedes-in-n24/

Land Audi Fastest in N24 Free Practice
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/audi-fastest-in-n24-free-practice/

Blancpain GT Points Leader Engelhart Joins Konrad for N24
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/blancpain-points-leader-engelhart-joins-konrad-for-n24/

Farfus BMW Fastest in Qualifying 1
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/farfus-bmw-fastest-in-n24-qualifying-1/

More news to come as the race draws nearer. Stay tuned.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Nurburgring 24 Hours stories

This weekend marks the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Here is some of the news being followed going into the annual endurance race on the Nordschleife.

Nissan to Skip N24; New GT-R Poised for End-of-Year VLN Debut

http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/nissan-to-skip-n24-new-gt-r-poised-for-end-of-year-vln-debut/

A story from last month about Schnitzer BMW running retro livery.

Schnitzer to Run Retro BMW Livery at N24
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/schnitzer-bmw-to-run-retro-livery-at-n24/

Porsche Confirms Factory Driver Lineup For N24
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/porsche-confirms-factory-driver-lineup-for-n24/

Phoenix Audi Wins N24 Qualifying Race
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/phoenix-audi-wins-n24-qualifying-race/

Bentley Adds Third Car for N24 with Factory Lineup
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/bentley-adds-third-car-for-n24-with-factory-lineup/

Audi Sets Lineup for R8 LMS GT4 Debut at N24
http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/audi-sets-lineup-for-r8-lms-gt4-debut-at-n24/

Turner: Top 20 Overall Finish "Certainly A Target" For Vantage GT8

http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/turner-top-20-overall-finish-certainly-a-target-for-vantage-gt8-in-n24/

Stay tuned for more news over the next few days as the race itself approaches quickly.

Makowiecki, Lietz Win VLN 2 in Last-Lap Thriller

Forgot to highlight this race. But the second round of the VLN championship at the Nurburgring was run on April 8th, and here's the story.

http://sportscar365.com/other-series/n24/makowiecki-lietz-win-vln-2-in-last-lap-thriller/

Ford Hit with Weight, Power Adjustments in Le Mans-Specific BoP

Ford has been hit with a weight increase and power reduction for next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, following the release of the Balance of Performance tables that’s effective for the Le Mans Test Day on June 4.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/ford-hit-with-weight-increase-power-reduction-in-le-mans-specific-bop/

Cameron, Davis Join Magnus For PWC at Lime Rock

Dane Cameron and Andrew Davis will join Magnus Racing for this weekend's fifth and sixth rounds of the Pirelli World Challenge SprintX championship at Lime Rock Park.

http://www.racer.com/pwc/item/140771-cameron-davis-join-magnus-for-pwc-at-lime-rock

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Ford to Confirm Bourdais Sub for 24H Le Mans "In The Days Ahead"

Ford Performance Global Director Dave Pericak says they will determine their revised lineup for next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans “in the days ahead” following Sebastien Bourdais’ serious accident at Indianapolis, which has ruled out the Frenchman for the race and likely the remainder of the season.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/ford-to-determine-bourdais-replacement-for-24h-le-mans-in-the-days-ahead/

Monday, May 22, 2017

46th Car For Road To Le Mans - RLR MSport Enter Second Ligier

Bonus article for Monday.

46th Car For Road To Le Mans - RLR MSport Enter Second Ligier

Alex Kapadia & Martin Rich plus Morten Dons and John Farano.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/05/22/46th-car-for-road-to-le-mans-rlr-msport-enter-second-ligier.html

Pirelli World Challenge Sunday action from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (race two, washed out)

Sunday action from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for Pirelli World Challenge. Unfortunately, race two for the GT cars, was cancelled due to heavy rain that made the track, a lake.

VIDEO: CTMP GTS Race 1 Highlights
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-ctmp-gts-race-1-highlights/

VIDEO: CTMP SprintX Race 1 Highlights
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-ctmp-gts-race-1-highlights/

Vanthoor: Running in PWC "will be a big help" For IMSA races
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/vanthoor-running-in-pwc-will-be-a-big-help-for-imsa/

PWC to Review Yellow Flag Rules With Teams After Race 1 Confusion

http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/pwc-to-review-caution-procedures-with-teams-after-sprintx-race-1-confusion/

TR3 Ferrari Penalized Following Race 1
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/tr3-ferrari-penalized-following-sprintx-race-1/

Buford Sweeps PWC GTS Races at CTMP
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/buford-sweeps-pwc-gts-races-at-ctmp/

PWC Updates SprintX Yellow Flag Protocol
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/pwc-updates-sprintx-yellow-flag-protocol/

Weather Forces PWC to Scrap SprintX Race 2 at CTMP
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/weather-forces-pwc-to-scrap-sprintx-race-2-at-ctmp/

PHOTOS: CTMP Weekend Gallery
http://sportscar365.com/features/photography/photos-ctmp-weekend-gallery-3/

The next race is next weekend on Memorial Day weekend with SprintX and GTS as the headlining classes. Will the second race at CTMP be made up after Sunday's dreadful weather conditions? It's hard to say at this point.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Bourdais Suffers Multiple Fractures In Indy Qualifying Crash

Out for the remainder of the season, will miss Le Mans 24 Hours.

Yours truly saw the footage of the wreck Sebastien Bourdais had in Indianapolis 500 qualifying yesterday. It was a bad one. One of the worst wrecks I've seen. He survived, thankfully. But, he will be out of racing for the rest of the season, missing the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the rest of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Who will Ford put in to replace him at Le Mans? We'll see. Get well soon, Sebastien.

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/05/21/bourdais-suffers-multiple-fractures-in-indy-qualifying-crash.html

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Saturday Pirelli World Challenge action from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

What happened on Saturday for Pirelli World Challenge SprintX at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park? Find out, right here, right now. Race one action took place today. Race two action will be on Sunday. So, stay tuned for that as well.

Buford Wins GTS Race 1 at CTMP
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/buford-wins-gts-race-1-at-ctmp/

Lieb to Sub for Bergmeister at Lime Rock
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/lieb-to-sub-for-bergmeister-at-lime-rock/

*Jorg Bergmeister will be racing next weekend at the Nurburing 24 Hours. Stay tuned for news about that race both before and after it happens.

Riberas, Marcelli Done for Weekend After Qualifying Crash
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/riberas-marcelli-done-for-weekend-after-qualifying-crash/

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Cadillac takes PWC SprintX Race 1 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Cadillac Plays Strategy to Perfection, Wins SprintX Race 1 at CTMP

http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/cadillac-racing-plays-strategy-to-perfection-wins-race-1-at-ctmp/

CTMP Saturday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/ctmp-saturday-notebook-3/

Stay tuned. More action to come in the Sunday races.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Pirelli World Challenge from Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (latest headlines)

The Pirelli World Challenge GT Championship (SprintX), races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly, and to fans always, known as Mosport Park). Here is the latest news.

32 Cars on Provisional SprintX Entry List for CTMP
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/32-cars-on-provisional-entry-list-for-ctmp/

DIME to Skip CTMP, Plans to Debut Second Lamborghini at Lime Rock

http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/dime-racing-to-skip-ctmp-debut-second-lamborghini-at-lime-rock/

Mustang GT4 Set for PWC Debut at CTMP
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/mustang-gt4-set-for-pwc-debut-at-ctmp/

JCR Expands into Two-Car Maserati GT4 Effort for CTMP
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/jcr-expands-into-two-car-maserati-gt4-effort/

Kane: "GT Switch is a "Really Good Challenge"
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/jonny-kane-gt-switch-is-a-really-good-challenge/

Henzler Joins GAINSCO/BSR for Utah, COTA SprintX Rounds
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/henzler-joins-gainscobsr-for-utah-cota-sprintx-events/

CTMP Thursday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/world-challenge/ctmp-thursday-notebook-3/

More Pirelli World Challenge action from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park to come, throughout the weekend. Stay tuned.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Another Strong IMSA Contingent Set For 24 Hours of Le Mans

A bonus post this Thursday, as once again, IMSA regulars should do very well on their trip overseas to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, judging from what has happened in recent years.

http://www.imsa.com/news/052017/another-strong-imsa-contingent-set-24-hours-le-mans

more FIA WEC news

More headlines from the FIA World Endurance Championship, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans looming less than a month from now.

Walliser: New Le Mans BoP Should Be "Tremendously Better"
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/walliser-24h-le-mans-bop-should-be-tremendously-better/

Sarrazin, Lopez Swap Cars for 24H Le Mans
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/sarrazin-lopez-swap-cars-for-24h-le-mans/

Final Seats Confirmed for Le Mans
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/remaining-seats-confirmed-for-24h-le-mans/

Porsche Completes Final Pre-Le Mans Endurance Test
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/porsche-completes-final-pre-le-mans-endurance-test/

Neveu: "Impossible to Imagine" LMP1 Without Hybrid Technology
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/neveu-impossible-to-imagine-lmp1-without-hybrid-technology/

Perrinn LMP1 Project Returns, Two Cars Sold For 2018
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/perrinn-lmp1-project-reappears-two-cars-sold-for-2018/

Di Grassi Pushing for Full-Time Return to Sports Car Racing
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/di-grassi-pushing-for-full-time-return-to-sports-car-racing/

6 Hours of Spa Race Broadcast

The race replay from the 6 Hours of Spa a couple of weekends ago, as we look ahead to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in less than a month. Enjoy.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Full 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours entry list

It is finally here! The full entry list for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, to be run, in a month's time.

https://www.motorsport.com/lemans/news/full-2017-le-mans-24-hours-entry-list-870556/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=RSS-SPORTSCAR&utm_term=News&utm_content=www

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Blancpain GT Sprint: Brands Hatch

Reviewing the second round of the Blancpain GT Sprint championship that was held at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, England.

Blancpain GT Sprint Cup Returns to Brands Hatch
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/blancpain-gt-sprint-cup-returns-to-brands-hatch/

Webb Joins Strakka as Part of Revised No. 42 McLaren Lineup
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/webb-joins-strakka-for-silverstone-spa-leventis-still-injured/

Vanthoor Fastest In Brands Hatch Opening Practice
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/vanthoor-fastest-in-brands-hatch-opening-practice/

ROWE BMW Quickest in Free Practice
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/rowe-bmw-quickest-in-free-practice-at-brands-hatch/

A new lap record for Mirko Bortolotti on his way to pole at Brands Hatch.

Bortolotti Secures Brands Hatch Pole with Lap Record
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/bortolotti-takes-brands-hatch-pole-with-impressive-pace/

Brands Hatch Saturday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/brands-hatch-saturday-notebook-2/

Grasser Takes Lights-to-Flag Qualifying Race Win at Brands Hatch

http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/grasser-takes-lights-to-flag-qualifying-race-win-at-brands-hatch/

Brands Hatch Sunday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/brands-hatch-sunday-notebook-2/

Break out the broom! Grasser Racing and the driving team of Mirko Bortolotti and Christian Engelhart, sweep the race weekend for Blancpain GT Sprint at Brands Hatch.

Bortolotti, Engelhart Sweep Brands Hatch Weekend
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/bortolotti-engelhart-sweep-brands-hatch-weekend/

Krohn: BMW Heading in "Right Direction" with Improved Pace
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/krohn-bmw-heading-in-right-direction-with-improved-pace/

The next race for the Blancpain GT Sprint series is at Zolder in Belgium (on the side of the country that borders Holland), in about three weeks.

Monday, May 15, 2017

24H Le Mans Scrutineering Schedule Released

The scrutineering schedule for next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans has been revealed, featuring the day and times that each of the 60 entries and 180 drivers will go through the pre-race technical checks at the Place de Republique in downtown Le Mans.

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/24h-le-mans-scrutineering-schedule-released/

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Blancpain Endurance Series Round 2: Silverstone

Jolly Old England, and the legendary Silverstone Circuit, an airfield that became a racetrack, are the setting for round two of the Blancpain Endurance Series for 2017. For round two, nothing has changed in terms of the cars and drivers entered, since the season opening race at Monza, last month. Silverstone is the home of British motor racing. Let's hope that unlike at Monza, we don't have a big crash on the first turn of the first lap. Bentley is hopeful for a win at home and Andy Soucek hopes both of their cars can fight for a podium and a win, here at Silverstone. Jaguar, two cars for Emil Frey Racing also have their home race. Alberto Costa of Spain, is their lead driver, and wants to have a good result.

DTM racer Jamie Green is here, to race for the first time in a GT3 car. He admits he has a lot to learn. He's teamed with Jake Dennis and Robin Frijns. Fellow Brit, Alex Buncombe, for Nissan, also has high hopes after a race to forget in Monza last time out. Lamborghini has started very well in the Sprint and Endurance Blancpain GT races. Stay tuned for coverage of the Sprint race at Brands Hatch. Yours truly will have an update on that race, soon. Daniel Juncadella of Spain is now racing in Mercedes' GT squad after racing in DTM for a number of years. Johnny Adam put in a great final stint at Monza and won Pro Am with Aston Martin. Could he be in contention for a win at Aston Martin's home track?

In Am Cup, there will be a McLaren 650S that will race at the Spa 24 Hours later in the summer. Automotive journalist Chris Harris is one of the drivers in Am Cup and he will be a part of the driver's strength. Harris is actually getting his start to prep for Spa, here at Silverstone. He is in the #188 Garage 59 entered McLaren 650S alongside fellow Brit Chris Goodwin and Sweden's Alexander West.

Ferrari will also be one to watch for. Brit James Calado for Kaspersky Racing, will be one of the top teams and drivers to look out for, teamed with Ferrari sports car, and Formula 1 veteran, Giancarlo Fisichella, and Marco Cioci also of Italy. We will have the heritage pit lane and heritage pit straight used here at Silverstone, in the full Grand Prix course at Silverstone. The sports cars use that pit lane, as opposed to the one reserved for Formula 1. Bentley has won here before. They hope to do well. McLaren and Aston Martin are the other British brands.

Mirko Bortolotti for Lamborghini wanted pole, but he will start the race in the Grasser Lamborghini. The final formation lap is underway, as we are ready to race next time by. Felix Seralles is on the outside pole. Seralles, from Puerto Rico is at the wheel of the #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes AMG GT3 sharing with Daniel Juncadella of Spain, and Frenchman Tristan Vautier, a man who has experience in sports cars and in open wheel racing.    One car has problems. That's the McLaren of Alexander Wesr, in car #188. He will have to start in pit lane in an aforementioned Garage 59 entry.

Now, we are getting set to race. Through Woodcote they come, and we're ready to race. Green light, on! Go! Blastoff as Mirko Bortollotti gets a great start with Felix Seralles second. Steven Kane in the Bentley is pushing into Maggots. Alessandro Pier Guidi is next. A clean start as someone went off the road in Becketts. One of the Lamborghini's, and it's Adrian Amstutz. This is the #77 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3. Amstutz, the Swiss racer, sharing with Finlander Patrick Kujala and Martin Kodric of Croatia.

They race through Stowe for the first time, and Mirko Bortolotti leads. The #23 Nissan makes a pass with Alex Buncombe at the wheel. Here comes Mercedes #84. This is a car with a strong lineup featuring Maximilian Buhk of Germany, Jimmy Eriksson of Sweden, and Franck Perera of France. It is the first of the three HTP Motorsport Mercedes AMG GT3's with sponsorship from MANN Filter. The team has other cars entered in the race with equally potent driver lineups.

Alessandro Pier Guidi is up there at the sharp end, too, in Ferrari #50 for AF Corse, that the Italian shares with countryman Michele Rugolo, and Pasin Lathouras of Thailand. Two driver penalties as the #36 and #16 get pinged, and these are the third Black Falcon Mercedes, and the second Walkenhorst Racing BMW M6. Not sure who is driving either car, but they are second tier entries for each team. The Black Falcon racer #16 has Manuel Metzger of Germany, Briton Oliver Morley, and Spaniard Miguel Toril at the wheel of it. The #36 Walkenhorst entered M6 is shared by team owner Henry Walkenhorst of Germany, fellow German David Schiwietz, and Belgian Stef van Campenhout.

Viktor Shaytar slams the door in Alessandro Pier Guidi's face, as two Ferrari's scrap. Lucas Ordonez is 18th right behind Andrea Piccini. Into Stowe, David Perel is also battling. The South African is driving in the #888 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GT3, alongside Belgian Jacques Duyver, and Italian Marco Zannutini. Ordonez in one of the Nissan GT-R's and Piccini in a Ferrari 488 GT3, race to the end of Vale. We have a good Pro Am battle.

Out of Club, and Perelle is 29th of 55 cars entered. Off the road is Michael Bronizewski at Stowe. Tandem spinning with Stephane Richelmi and almost collecting a Lamborghini! Bronizewski is in the #11 Kessel Racing Ferrari. The Polish driver shares with Italians Matteo Cressoni and Andrea Rizzoli.    Wow! Richelmi at the controls of the first of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8s. The Monagasque is teamed with Nathanael Berthon of France, and Berthon's countryman, Benoit Treluyer, a former driver for Audi in their factory FIA World Endurance Championship LMP1 program that was discontinued after the final race last year.

Franck Perera and Felix Seralles battle as Mirko Bortolotti is pulling away. Michal Bronizewski has damage and a puncture. Alexander West was tapped into a spin at Luffield and he can't restart the motor. He got whacked and spun out. Full course yellow. The gaps won't be brought down at this stage. It is still too early, and the marshals have some cleanup to do out on the road. OK. We are racing again now with a half hour gone. 32 minutes. Robert Renauer is 27th trying to go through the field. Renauer at the wheel of the Pro Am class #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R he shares with his brother Alfred Renauer, and with Jurgen Haring.

The #188 Garage 59 McLaren, that has been through the wars in their home race, will not be able to get competitive again, even though the damage is minimal according to driver Chris Goodwin. Stephane Ortelli and Edoardo Mortara, are battling with Struan Moore, Marco Cioci, and Fabio Schiller. Franck Perera and Viktgor Shaytar are going for it into Abbey corner. Blocks of cars got separated during the safety car. Into Farm corner, and we see a major traffic jam into Aintree as well. Four wide! Yikes! Lapped cars all over the road.

This is a symptom of bunching up all these GT3 cars after a restart. There's traffic everywhere. Believe it, chaps, this is no traffic jam on the motorway when you have errands to run like mailing letters and driving down to the store to get groceries. These guys are full on in race mode, and it's tricky on the track here at Silverstone. There is a one minute stop and go to Felix Seralles due to a false start and contact as we reach the 45 minute mark. The stop/go will allow him to stay on the lead lap.

Ahmad al Harthy has dropped back from Struan Moore and a couple of the other cars. The Balance of Performance, sees the Aston Martin having a higher hosepower advantage and more aero for the Mercedes, the Lamborghini,and the Audi. Frank Stippler goes inside lapping a BMW. Mercedes in the lane for it's penalty. The McLaren's are pushing with Jasmin Jafar and others. Rob Bell passes. Al Harthy gets squeezed! Wow. Close racing! McLaren vs. Aston Martin. Ahamd Al Harthy is driving the same Aston Martin, (the #97 Oman Racing/TF Sport entry), as the co-driver for Johnny Adam, who we've mentioned has become quite the GT racer, not only in Blancpain but also in FIA World Endurance Championship racing, for the Aston Martin marque.

No damage to the McLaren? Wait there is. Rob Bell will get around Jasmin Jafar. This is a battle between the team cars #58 and #59 for Strakka Racing, and they are two of four entered by Strakka in Blancpain Endurance, this season. #58 has Rob Bell sharing with fellow Brit Ben Barnicoat and Frenchman Come Ledogar. #59 is Jazeman Jafaar, and the Malaysian is sharing with two more Brits, Dean Stoneman and Andrew Watson.

45 minutes in, and we have more scrapping on the road at the end of the top 20. Christian Klien gets mugged by Rob Bell. Push, push, push. Klien is the former Formula 1 driver who ran for Jaguar and then, for Red Bull when it came under that name. Klien is in the second of the two Emil Frey Jaguar GT3s, sharing with endurance racing veterans Jonathan Hirschi of Switzerland, and Marco Seefried of Germany. Klien, is from Austria. Emil Frey has been running the Jaguar's for quite a few years now, and hopes to eventually upgrade to one of the new Lexus RC F GT3's similar to the ones run by 3GT Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in the GT Daytona category.

Vincent Abril goes inside. Ahmad Al Harthy is still in this scrum. They are three, four wide. Marco Cioci jumped the start and Fabian Schiller also has a jump start penalty. Cioci in one of the AF Corse cars, and Schiller driving the third of the four HTP entered Mercedes AMG GT3's. Schiller of Germany, shares the #85 car with Austrian Dominik Baumann, and Sweden's Edward Sandstrom, who, has raced for at least three German makes in his Blancpain GT career... BMW, Audi, and now, Mercedes Benz.

Ooh!. Jonny Kane has crashed. This is a full course yellow. Not sure what corner Kane wrecked in. Actually, it's a sizable smash, at Becketts. The lead will; change. It looks like Jonny Kane had contact. But, no. Actually, a wheel came off and... ker-runch! There was sure confusion on the release from pit lane, and if that wheel wasn't tightened down, well, the marshals should call that an unsafe release.

Michael Meadows in car #90 is in the lead. Meadows at the wheel of the #90 AKKA ASP Mercedes AMG GT3 he shares with DTM and sports car racer Edoardo Mortara of Italy (another who has switched from Audi to Mercedes), and with another Italian driver, Raffaele Marciello. We are now two hours and five minutes in and Gilles Vannelet has spun off. Don't hit other cars! Not sure where Vannelet is on the road, but he's in a precarious spot to say the least. Maybe it's out of the final corner at Club.

We are now back to green flag action. Michael Meadows leads Andrea Caldarelli, Pasin Lathouras, and Jimmy Erikson. Andy Soucek completes the top five as they fly through Woodcote. Out of Copse, we see Andrea Caldarelli chasing Meadows. Maxime Martin, Luca Stolz, and Gustavo Yacaman are having good races, farther down the top ten. Martin is at the wheel of one of the two Rowe Racing BMW M6 GT3's that did not race in round one at Monza. The Belgian ace, and son of touring car racer and former Spa 24 Hours winner Jean Michel Martin, shares with Austrian Phillip Eng, and a familiar name to IMSA fans, Jens Klingman, who also races for BMW in the states.

The sister Rowe Racing M6 GT3 #98 has Jesse Krohn and Markus Palttala of Finland, and also GT and DTM BMW racer, Canadian, Bruno Spengler at the controls. Watch out for "The Yac Attack". He's on the move. Gustavo Yacaman, the Colombian, is in the #27 Orange 1 Team Lazarus Lamborghini Huracan GT3 sharing with Italian Fabrizio Crestani, and German Nicolas Pohler. Having also mentioned Luca Stolz, he is in one of the Black Falcon Mercedes AMG GT3's sharing with Adam Christodoulou of England, and with Dutchman, and vastly experienced GT driver and Blancpain competitor, Yelmer Buurman.

Less than an hour and 45 minutes to go now. At Copse, two Mercedes' spin. Luca Stolz is one. Jimmy Erikson passes Pasin Lathouras nearly under a local yellow as Andy Soucek and Miguel Molina pass Lathouras into Chapel. Ooh! Jimmy Erikson is inside Lathouras into Woodcote. He was slightly ahead at the yellow flag. Martin Kodricz is now at the wheel of car #89. Raffaele Giammaria, Rino Mastronardi, and the Jaguar of Lorenz Frey are in a battle. We have less than an hour and a half to go in this contest. Wow! A major move for second in The Loop, and going for it in Brooklands! Jimmy Eriksson and Andrea Caldarelli it looks like. If there's no gap, make a gap.

Michael Meadows is going to get passed by Jimmy Eriksson. No dice. Andrea Calaraelli si there and a spin for Bentley #7. Giancarlo Fisichella gets pinged with a penalty. Into Farm, more battles for the Mercedes boys. Erikson and Meadows are in a fair fight with Medaows having problems with backmarkrs. Meadows is all over the place. All three leaders peel off with an hour to go for final pit stops. Driver change time. Lamborghini is delayed. Wow. The Lamborghini gets the lead on pit stops. Christian Engelhart is ahead of Raffaele Marciello and \Maximilian Buhk is third.

The Pro Am leader is Patrick Kujala, the Finn, and then, Marco Mapelli, and Johnny Adam. So, the Pro Am battle is fast and furious too. Lamborghini, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, with the Barwell Motorsports entry leading in class. Kujala has taken over from one of the other drivers in that #77 Barwell Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3, either Adrian Amstutz or Martin Kodric. The Barwell squad has a sister Lambo in this race, (#78), in the hands of Richard Abra from England, Leo Machitski of Russia, and Portuguese sports car veteran, Miguel Ramos.

Jaguar covered by Lamborghini. That's Stephane Ortelli? Not sure. It's the #14 entry Ortelli shares with car owner Lorenz Frey from Switzerland, and Albert Costa, the Spaniard. Christian Engelhart's lead is evaporating. An error for the #63 Lamborghini. We are into the last half hour as Raffaele Marciello battles Christian Engelhart, and here's Maximilian Buhlk, too. Down Wellington striaght., Marciello is ahead. Bhuhk goes to second. He's right on the tail of a lapped car and out front is Engelhart in the Lamborghbini.

Through to Copse corner. Engelhart will get away from Maximilaina Buhk . Richard Abra is blocking the leaders. That's the #77 Barwell Lambo we spoke of earlier. Sorry. Abra is entered in #78. Davide Rigon is in this battle. Abra won't move. Now, Marciello and Rigon go through. Alexander Matschull is disqualified in Ferrari #333. Not sure why, but the Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 has stopped being scored, or has been black flagged or something. Matschull of Germany shares with countryman Daniel Keilwitz, and Rinat Salikhov of Russia.

Jobnathan Hirschi in the sister Jaguar battles with Albert Costa in the team car. Christian Engelhart is known as a Porsche man but is running well with a Lambo. Patrick Cueilla and Norbert Seidler battle. Barwell is going to win Pro Am as we get to the end of this race. There are a couple laps left. The last lap starts now. Maximilian Buhk is the pursuer behind Christian Engelhart who has withstood loads of pressure. Into Stowe. A half a lap left. Who is going to win? Come Ledogar in one of the Strakka McLaren's is ahead of Engelhart right now and needs to move.

Can Engelhart hang on? Maximilian Buhk is right on the decklid of the Lamborghini! He's flashing the lights. He wants by. Buhk tries outside! No! It's side by side stuff at Silverstone for the win in the Blancpain Endurance Series! Engelhart, and the Wellington straight are the obstacles for Buhk. It's now or never. Luffield, Brooklands, Woodcote. Engelhart covers the inside. Through the final corners at Vale and Club. It's going to be a second or so, for the margin of victory. But, GRT Grasser Lamborghini hang on, and win Silverstone!

What a finish! That's two in a row in Blancpain Endurance Series 2017 for GRT Grasser Racing and the #63 Lambroghini Huracan GT3! The green Lambo is back in victory lane again! Christian Engelhart, Mirko Bortolotti, and Andrea Caldarelli are your overall winners!

Overall/Pro: #63 Bortolotti/Caldarelli/Engelhart     Lamborghini Huracan GT3

             Pro Am: #77 Amstutz/Kujala/Kodric          Lamborghini Huracan GT3

             Am: #488 Ehret/Mastronardi                       Ferrari 488 GT3

So, Lamborghini win overall, and in two of the three classes, with Adiran Amstutz and company for Barwell, holding on for the Pro Am win despite issues for their sister car at Barwell Motorsports. Am honors go the way of Pierre Ehret of Germany and Rino Mastronardi of Italy in the Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3. Next up, it is the first of two longer enduros for the championship, the 1,000 Kilometers of Paul Ricard at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track at Le Castellet, in the south of France, coming up in about a month's time towards the end of June. We'll see what happens in that race.

We'll see you, in France. For now, bye bye.

pre-race news from Silverstone

Some of the pre-race headlines headed into the second race of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Silverstone.

Juncadella Puts AKKA ASP on Silverstone pole
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/juncadella-puts-akka-asp-on-silverstone-pole/

Silverstone Pre-Race Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/silverstone-pre-race-notebook-7/

Enjoy the race.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Blancpain Endurance Series news from Silverstone

Friday, May 12, 2017

More FIA WEC news

More news from the FIA World Endurance Championship after the race at Spa Francorchamps last weekend. We now look forward to the greatest endurance sports car race of all, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, happening in just a little over a month's time.

Corvette Confirms Jordan Taylor, Fassler for Le Mans
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/corvette-confirms-jordan-taylor-fassler-for-24h-le-mans/

VIDEO: Andre Lotterer on Photography
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/video-andre-lotterer-on-photography/

Mixed Views on GTE Qualifying Races for 2018
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/mixed-views-on-gte-qualifying-races-for-2018/

Beechdean Confirms 24H Le Mans Lineup
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/beechdean-confirms-24h-le-mans-lineup/

JMW Switches to Ferrari 488 GTE for 24H Le Mans
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/jmw-switches-to-ferrari-488-gte-for-24h-le-mans/

Sirotkin to Make 24H Le Mans Debut in SMP Dallara
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/sirotkin-to-make-24h-le-mans-debut-in-smp-dallara/

Keating Chooses Michelin for 24H Le Mans LMP2 Attack
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/keating-opts-for-michelins-for-24h-le-mans-lmp2-attack/

Keating: Riley LMP2 is "Like Driving a Space Ship"
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/keating-riley-lmp2-is-like-driving-a-space-ship/

Thursday, May 11, 2017

12 Hours of the Red Bull Ring Part 2

Part 2 of the Creventic 12 Hours of Red Bull Ring, from the Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, Austria.

12 Hours of the Red Bull Ring Part 1

Part one of the 12 Hours of the Red Bull Ring for Creventic. Part two, coming up.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

IMSA COTA synopsis

In case you missed it (and yours truly has posted a full race report you can read on this blog), here are the short versions of practice, qualifying, and the race via motorsport.com.

Austin IMSA: Action Express scores 1-2 in final practice

https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/austin-imsa-action-express-scores-1-2-in-final-practice-902263/?s=1

Austin IMSA: Taylor takes pole by over 1.5s in WTR Cadillac

https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/austin-imsa-taylor-takes-pole-by-over-1-5s-in-wtr-cadillac-902384/?s=1

Austin IMSA: Taylors dominate, Corvette wins decimated GTLM class

https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/austin-imsa-taylors-dominate-corvette-wins-decimated-gtlm-class-902798/?s=1

IMSA news after Circuit of the Americas

With the race at Circuit of the Americas done and dusted, let us take a look at the latest post-race headlines.

Corvette Racing Overcomes Practice Fire for GTLM Win
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/no-3-corvette-overcomes-practice-fire-to-win-at-cota/

WTR Scores Fourth Straight Win of Year at COTA
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/wtr-scores-fourth-straight-win-of-year-at-cota/

PHOTOS: COTA Weeekend Gallery
http://sportscar365.com/features/photography/photos-cota-weekend-gallery-2/

The latest Double Stint podcast, wrapping up both action at Circuit of the Americas, and the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa.

Double Stint: Weekend Recaps, Ben Keating Interview (5-9-17)

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/double-stint-wec-imsa-blancpain-recap-ben-keating-interview-5-9-17/

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps By The Numbers

Records, trends, and all points in between!

http://www.dailysportscar.com/2017/05/09/6-hours-of-spa-francorchamps-by-the-numbers.html

post-race news after the 6 Hours of Spa

Monday, May 8, 2017

Advance Auto Parts Sports Car Showdown Race Broadcast

The full race broadcast of the Advance Auto Parts Sports Car Showdown at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

http://imsatv.imsa.com/video/052017/2017-advance-auto-parts-sportscar-showdown-broadcast

6 Hours of Spa race highlights

Race highlights from the Spa 6 Hours on Saturday. Check out the video and enjoy.

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Winner & highlights of the IMSA Advance Auto Parts Sports Car Challenge at Circuit of the Americas

It is hot, once again, in Texas, even though the Adavance Auto Parts Sports Car Championship has been moved to spring, from fall, here at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R has pole as we look at the starting lineup. GT Le Mans has been very exciting. BMW is on the class pole with John Edwards. Could BMW win GT Le Mans for the first time? In GT Daytona, it is also very intense. Eight different makes compete and Mercedes has won the last two rounds of the series. Porsche won the Rolex 24. Porsche, Lamborghini, and Audi fill out the first three rows of the starting grid here in Texas. Ben Keating wants points, and wants his first IMSA driver's title.

We're ready to race. Performance Tech, has really turned it on in Prototype Challenge. OK. We're ready to race, in Texas! Green! They climb into turn one, and Ricky Taylor is in the lead while Johannes van Overbeek is second, and Corvette gets turned around in turn one, through the esses for the first time. One of the Porsche's is pushing and the #4 Corvette and the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari, as well as the #67 Ford GT of Ryan Briscoe, they are all damaged, limping of the road. Risi Competizione just can't buy any luck! Giancarlo Fisichella has problems. Wow. This will be a short yellow.

Pit for emergency service. Giancarlo Fisichella qualified second, and Ryan Briscoe qualified fourth. Martin Tomczyk in the BMW goes inside. The #912 Porsche 911 RSR of Wolf Henzler barely gets by. Henzler is a sub for Kevin Estre who ran the FIA World Endurance Championship race at Spa we covered yesterday. The #2 Nissan DPi spins with Scott Sharp at the wheel of it, making contact with Marc Goossens. The radiator is gone on the #62 Ferrari. They're out of it. Corvette #4 is now in the garage. So, we might go back to green. But, five GTLM cars are out of this thing and only four are probably going to compte. Dirk Mueller has major suspension damage.

Porsche #912 is ready to race again as Ricky Taylor opens the margin over the Nissan in second. The Mazda battles the #90 Riley Multimatic. BMW leads GT Le Mans. Patrick Pilet is at the wheel of the #911 Porsche 911 RSR. The Risi team is surely done for the day. Giancarlo Fisichella cannot be happy. The #66 Ford GT has right rear suspension damage. It is toed out. The alignment is askew and the toe link on the right rear suspension needs to be replaced. Misha Goikhberg is going for it trying to pass Marc Goossens. BMW runs 1-2 in GT Le Mans. Patrick Pilet passes the #3 Corvette of Jan Magnussen.

Porsche has beeen knocking on the door for a win on many occasions this season so far. Leading GT Daytona, the #28 Alegra Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 is being driven by Daniel Morad and Porsche Carrera Cup driver Matthieu Jaminet of France, subbing for Michael Christensen. Christensen also ran at Spa in the FIA WEC race you read about yesterday. Ten minute base drive time for Prototype/GTLM. 45 minutes for Prototype Challenge at GT Daytona. Scott Pruett is fast in the Lexus. He's won here at Circuit of the Americas, in Prototype competition before.

Four classes, four championships, one race, here in IMSA. Ricky Taylor is pressing the bye bye button and going for it on this 3.4 mile track with 20 corners. Johannes van Overbeek is second with Eric Curran and Christian Fittipaldi coming next in two of the Cadillac's. The #912 car is back in pit lane after replacing the front bodywork. Wolf Henzler has gotten out of the car. Laurens Vanthoor has taken over. The #66 Ford is now fine, but the #67 car had an electrical issue and will be back on the speedway soon. Mazda #55 has a loss of power. The #55 RT24P has Jonathan Bomarito at the controls presently.

Ford is back on track. Jack Hawksworth is pushing with Robert Alon at the wheel of it. He started at the back of the grid but is coming quickly. Patrick Pilet applies the blowtorch to Alex Sims! Wow. This track is very wide and the curbing is something a driver can use to their advantage within track limits. John Edwards still leads, and Alex Sims has to defend from the attack by the Porsche. Turner Motorsport BMW vs. Lexus. Robert Alon is pressing the yellow BMW shared by Brett Curtis and Jens Klingman. Eric Curran is hounding Johannes van Overbeek right now. Ricky Taylor has a 12 second cushion, and is driving into the sunset at the moment. Taylor is in the zone.

Mercedes #75 has been quick, and just exited the pit lane. Tristan Vautier at the wheel of it. Temperatures are in the high 80s here in Austin, Texas. Patrick Pilet wants to undercut Alex Sims. Wow. Into the braking zone at turn 12, Pilet has it. Kenny Habul qualified and started the Mercedes #75. There was some contact nbetween Habul and the #22 Nissan DPi! Ker-runch! Wow! That was close. The #70 Mazda is in the lane with electrical issues. A fraught race for both Mazda's. The #22 Nissan had the front nose replaced after that contact. The Lexus program is showing good pace for a first year program.

Rohert Alon tries to get by Bret Curtis. No dice. Ke-thunk. A spin for BAR1 in the Prototype Challenge class. Robert Alon gets on the curb. Alon is a very good young driver, having also run in Prototype Challenge before. Ricky Taylor is 23 secconds to the good over the rest of the field. A battle is brewing in GT Daytona, as Katherine Legge gets chopped by Christina Nielsen. Cooper MacNeil is right there with a birds eye view. You can run two wheels off the red and white curbing and can't get four off onto the red curbing. Ben Keating and Corey Lewis scrap with each other here in GT Daytona.

The Mercedes AMG GT3 is very stout and is compliant over bumps, whether it's been here in IMSA, or in GT3 racing in Europe (the Blancpain series). Lamborghini and Audi are running well, as they have a common platform. Andrew Davis will pit the #57 Stevenson Motorsports Audi and Lawson Aschenbach will take over. Patrick Pilet is all over John Edwards like a rash Edwards will hand the car over to Martin Tomczyk. Action in the lane as Mercedes pits. Jeroen Bleekemolen replaces Ben Keating for this next stint.

Can Bleekemolen makeit for another 56 minutes on fuel? The #5 Cadillac pits as Joao Barbosa takes over from Christian Fittipaldi. These boys want to get back on terms with the #31 and the #10. This race could be run without a yellow. The #28 GTD Alegra Motorsports Porsche. Daniel Morad takes over the car from Matthieu Jaminet. The #10 Cadillac is in the lane for routine service, hoping to keep the lad which they should do. They are looking for their fourth straight win of the 2017 season. The ambient and track temperatures are beginning to warm up as ric Curran hits the lane in the #31 Cadillac.

Out lap for the #5 is quicker than the in lap for #31. Interesting. Meanwhile, the #48 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 is in the lane. Bryan Sellers takes over from Madison Snow. Paul Miller Racing is chasing Algra Motorsports. The #38 Performance Tech Racing car pits and James French stays at the controls. The #16 Change Racing Lamborghini is stopped at turn five and could cause a full course yellow. Antonio Garcia takes over the #3 Corvette C-7-R- from Jan Magnussen. Austin, Texas has food, is the live music capital of the world, and has a race track. Pits are open for the Prototype class. We have an hour and 40 minutes to go in this race.

Go for track position and pit now to make it to the end. John Edwards dropped away from Patrick Pilet. Did he slow down? Wow. He's still second in class. But the car might be in a spot of trouble. This team had electrical issues at Long Beach and couldn't find the culprit. The front runners in GTLM did not pit. Maybe this was a mistake. Corvette #3 goes tothe class lead in GT Le Mans. BMW's both in the lane. #24 and #25. Martin Timczyk is now at the wheel of #24. But there are proiblems for the second BMW.. Dirk Werner takes over the #911 Porsche. A costly stop for BMW #25 with Bill Auberlen at the keyboard.

We are preparing to go back to green. We prepare for a restart. In the restart zone, and now, we are back to green. Taylor whistles off into the distance over Joao Barbosa and Dane Cameron. Ricky Taylor is going for it, and did so in qualifying on Friday. Marc Goossens is also going for it, after rebuilding their Riley Mk. 30 Gibson after the practice wreck at Long Beach with Renger van der Zande, who lost the brakes and didn't start the race. The #31 Cadillac team also changed tubs after his wreck at Long Beach.

Jorg Bergmeister has been fighting the flu this weekend. He's pushing though and so is Jeroen Bleekemolen in the #33 Mercedes. Porsche has a very balanced car this season. Alessandro Balzan meanwhile, has to give up a spot for violating track limits. Jorg Bergmeister is also fighting back. Side by side scrapping between the two Action Express Cadillac's! Wow! Ricky Taylor has whistled off into the distance... again. Barbosa is hugging the corners. Tire pressure adjustments might be helping. The #31 car needs a result and so does #5. These blokes need to keep the #10 car at bay if they can.

The downforce on these Prototype cars is astonishing. Dirk Werner gets walloped by Jack Hawksworth into one of the slow corners. That turn is like the hairpin at Long Beach and can cause some real argy bargy. We have a stop and hold penalty for running a closed pit light for the #24 BMW and a penalty too for the #911 Porsche. The #93 Acura NSX in GTD has also been pinged for a red light violation. Daniel Morad, Jeroen Bleekemolen, and the #48 Lamborghini all battle. Ooh! Gunnar Jeanette makes a move and Ozz Negri is in this mess as well.

A Ford GT is also there as Gunnar Jeanette is making a move in the #50 WeatherTech Mercedes. Jens Klingman runs into Ozz Negri. Tristan Vautier was fastest in both Thursday practices. Vautier wanted to go IndyCar racing but is now a sports car driver. There were three cars that left pit lane when the exit was closed. Dane Cameron is fighting the #31 Cadillac as Stephen Simpson is hounding Scott Sharp. Jeroen Bleekemolen makes an move on Lamborghini #48 and also on the Porsche with Daniel Morad at the controls. The Porsche has really good straightaway speed. Matthieu Jamine put a spectacular stint earlier and he will get suited and booted to get back into the car for the finish.

We now have just over an hour left in the race. Daniel Morad has done very well and Bryan Sellers is pushing. The #57 Audi R8 has been on the button the whole race, running with Gunnar Jeanette, chasing Jorg Bergmeister and also, Tristan Vautier. Lawson Aschenbach says he is losing brakes. That's not good. He runs wide into the corner. Corvette is running well and they might be able to pull off a victory here in Texas. The #52 PR1/Mathiasen Prototype is in the lane. Tom Kimber-Smith is not racing here, but Marco Bonanomi is, with Jose Guttierez. Kimber-Smith's mom is still not doing well.

Pit lane is busy. BMW #25 in the lane and so is the #28 car. The temperatures are really scorching for the tires, and we are now less than an hour away from the end of this event. Back time the race from here. The #10 Cadillac has Ricky Taylor still at the wheel of it. The #48 Lamborghini and the #63 Ferrari pitted as the #3 Corvette hits the lane. Antonio Garcia is still at the wheel of it. Porsche #911 in the lane, and is the last lead GTLM car into the pits. Dirk Werner brings it in. John Edwards is now at the controls of BMW #24 with new Michelin tires. Patrick Pilet takes over Porsche #911, chasing down the Corvette. Dane Cameron is in the lane with Cadillac #31, and they should double stint tires.

The tires are still hot that came off car #31. SunEnergyOne is in the lane. Ricky Taylor will hand rhe #10 machine to his brother Jordan Taylor. #10 is in the lane, and we anticipate a stop. OK. This is pivotal. Jordan Taylor is able to go fast and save fuel at the same time. The #5 Cadillac is being pushed to it's pit stall. #31 might assume second place here pretty quick. If WTR wins, they will break a streak of three consecutive race wins by Chip Ganassi Racing in 2011, which was donje in the old Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, which merged with the old American Le Mans Series, to create the IMSA WeatherTech championship. WTR is also going for two straight wins at Circuit of the Americas.

45 minutes now remain in this race. If you catch traffic in a Prototype into the S curves, you can lose 3-4 seconds. Alessandro Balzan has closed in on Bryan Sellers. Lamborghini vs. Ferrari for second in GTD as Mercedes leads with Jeroen Bleekemolen driving the #33 entry. Five brands fill the top five places in GT Daytona. Mathieu Jaminet is back at the controls of the #28 Alegra Motorsports Porsche. BMW and Porsche battle for fourth and fifth in GTD. Jaminet was forced wide in the battle with Jens Klingman. Once again, we remember, Holly Job, wife of Alex Job, who founded Alex Job Racing. She will be missed.

Stephen Simpson has his hands full with Ryan Dalziel for fourth place. Into the long, triplr apex right hander, Dalziel is surely having a go. He slides inside inton the braking zone as Stephenh Simpson protects the line. Simpson is stuck in the esses. He forces through. If he wouldn't have done that, he would have been toast, and fallen back down the order. Renger van der Zande was supposed to take tires in the #90 car, but didn't on his most recent pit stop. Those strategy mistakes can bite you, hard. Jose Guttierez makes a move and this shuffles some of the GTD cars as the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Ligier goes by. Balzan reads the situation to perfection. Dalziel gets by Simpson as Sage Karam goes by Jeff Segal. Michael Shank Racing will race the Indianapolis 500 and Sage Karam will also race at the 500. Jack Harvey will be the driver for MSR at Indy.

Stephen Simpson is doing very well in the #85 car. Their Gibson engine had the highest top speed in practice. The engine is fine. But the Oreca chassis seems to work better than the Ligier or the Riley Multimatic. Jordan Taylor pits and gets eight seconds of fuel. He could not save enough fuel as we run to the finish here in Texas. Mazda #70 is in the lane, too. WTR is still doing very well with the strategy game. Jordan Taylor leads by 30 seconds. The hill from pit out to turn one is about 13 stories. Wow! That's incredible! Alexander Sims is cutting into Antonio Garcia, but only slightly.

There is a bonus point for fastest lap. Joey Hand ran a 2:05.29 and now reduces it to 2:04.7. He beats Bill Auberlen, his old team mate, to fastest lap. Even on a bad day, you've still got to finish for maximum points in the championship. We have a fourth Mercedes in the form of the #87 ACS car with Mike Skeen and Dan Knox sharing the driving chores. The #991 Porsche for TRG with Harry Gottsacker and Parker Chase, running very well. Both of them are teenagers. Parker Chase is from nearby New Braunfels, Texas.

Smoke and a little flame off of one of the cars. It might be the #2 ESM car. They celebrated Cinco De Mayo on Friday. But, not sure about celebrations in this race. We are getting down to the nitty gritty. It's nearly time for the finish of this race. Tbe #2 Nissan DPi is on fire. They ignored the meatball flag for a mechanical issue. Let's hope the marshals can clean this up. Nothing showed up on the ESM telemetry. So, now they'll have to investigate. They are really disappointed, being denied their second straight podium. When it lit... boom! A four wheeled volcano. The clock is ticking down. Seven minutes to go. This will be a short yellow.

Jordan Taylor, Alexander Sims, and Alessandro Balzan, will all see their leads evaporate. ESM team boss Scott Sharp says that something maybe got on the headers. Now, Jordan Taylor might get away safe as he has GT traffic between himself and Dane Cameron. Green! Go! Five minutes left. Make that four minutes and change. Bryan Sellers gets passed by Tristan Vautier for GT Daytona honors. Alexander Sims gets balked and this opens the door for Jan Magnussen. Sims dives inside. Ooh! Smoke from the #4 Corvette.

It has been all Konica Minolta Cadillac today at Circuit of the Americas. They will have the white flag next time around and get their fourth straight victory of 2017. Also, they will have their second straight win at COTA. WTR has their car dialed in and got a lot more testing with the Cadillac than the Action Express duo did. Action Express chief mechanic Ian Watt is trying his best to unlock the speed for the Cadillac's run by that team. White flag flies. Last lap in Texas. Antonio Garcia and Corvette will win GT Le Mans. Joao Barbosa will catch Dane Cameron on this final lap, more than likely.

But, don't count your chickens just yet. Tough day for both Mazda DPi cars. Through the triple apex at turns 16, 17, and 18. Garcia heads for turns 13, 14, and 15. But, Jordan Taylor and Cadillac have four straight wins and Wayne Taylor's squad repeats at COTA! GTLM honors go to Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen! They win for the second time at Circuit of the Americas. Jeroen Bleekemolen and Ben Keating win GT Daytona. Patricio O'Ward and James French! Happy Birthday, Patricio O'Ward! Your gift, a win in Prototype Challenge in Austin, Texas!

Corvette Racing wins GT Le Mans with Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia. In GT Daytona, it is Riley Motorsports and Mercedes, and the #33 entry of Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen.

Overall/Prototype:     #10 Taylor/Taylor     Cadillac DPi-V.R

             Prototype
             Challenge:     #38 French/O'Ward   Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet

             GT Le Mans: #3 Magnussen/Garcia Chevrolet Corvette C-7-R-

            GT Daytona: #33 Keating/Bleekemolen   Mercedes AMG GT3

Next up on the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, it is the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on the streets of Detroit, Michigan... "Motor City", at Belle Isle, and that race will be in a shade less than a month's time with three of the four classes. No GT Le Mans, as they get ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We'll see you, in the Motor City. So long, everyone.

Saturday, May 6, 2017

2016 Lone Star Le Mans

Before this year's IMSA race from Circuit of the Americas, have a look back at last year's IMSA round at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.... a race that yours truly was never able to find time to blog about after it happened. This one, was run, last September, as a precursor to the FIA World Endurance Championship round at Austin, that is now a separate race from the IMSA event.

pre-race news from Circuit of the Americas

A couple of pre-race news items before the Advance Auto Parts Sports Car Challenge at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Cameron, AXR Fastest in COTA Practice 3
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/cameron-axr-fastest-in-cota-practice-3/

Edwards, BMW Snag GTLM Pole at COTA
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/edwards-bmw-snag-gtlm-pole-at-cota/

Ricky Taylor Crushes Field for COTA Pole
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/ricky-taylor-crushes-field-for-cota-pole/

VIDEO: COTA Qualifying Replay
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-cota-qualifying-replay/

COTA Pre-Race Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/cota-pre-race-notebook-2/

Stay tuned, for the race report, from Circuit of the Americas.

6 Hours of Spa: Part 2

The race continues. Welcome to the second half of the 6 Hours of Spa. A good chance of rain still exists. Toyota runs 1-2 in LMP1 with Kamui Kobayashi at the wheel. Pierre Thiriet leads LMP2. James Calado leads LM GTE Pro. Aston Martin leads LM GTE Am with Mathias Lauda at the controls. We have had at least four leaders in LMP2 so far. It has been quite the battle. Ferrari leads LM GTE Pro. In three hours, we have gray skies. This is a common occurrence at Spa. Mother nature will be thrown into the cards. If it rains, the high downforce configuration on the Toyota's might be an advantage. Let' see what happens.

Posche was in the thick of it when they went on intermediate tires when we saw rain at Silverstone. We've got debris at turn 18, right after Blanchimont. We've had one local yellow and no safety car. All 30 cars still race. Full points are on offer. But, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is coming soon in six weeks on June 17th and 18th. Marshals have been out there brushing tire clag off the road. Be careful, ladies and gentlemen, as you try to keep the track clean. We are now working hour four of six. Edorardo Freitas, Race Director, is speaking to the #86 Team Gulf Racing, and their Porsche. Nick Foster touches one of the Ford GT's and spins off the road. Toyota pits the lead car. Mike Conway takes over from Kamui Kobayashi. We are now under full course yellow. Porsche is now in the lane under Full Course Yellow.

Nicolas Lapierre gets in the #9 Toyota. Marshals have not been able to move the #86 Porsche. Perhaps the car has been coming apart. Their race has come apart. Game over for Nick Foster, Ben Barker, and Mike Wainwright. How you spin when you are under a virtual safety car? I don't know. Gustavo Menezes in the Signatech entry has spun. 15 seconds to green. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 2, 1. We're green. Punch in the 400 horsepower electric boost from your hybrid system, and go. 500 horsepower from your petrol motor. Toal = 900 horsepower! Wow! Pippo Derani is now at the wheel of the #67 Ford GT.

Kazuki Nakajima in Toyota #8 now leads after pitting under full course yellow. We are not approaching sunset, but, rain clouds are gathering. Kazuki Nakajima leads Mike Conway in the Toyota 1-2. Derani, is a petite guy with lots of courage, the ideal package for a race car driver. There's tire debris everywhere. For fifth in GTE Pro, it's a battle between Michael Christensen and Pippo Derani. Mike Conway has set fastest lap at 1:57.875. Stephane Sarrazin has gone fastest in the third sector, with the low downforce Le Mans package, in Toyota #9. Racing drivers never blink. Hans Stuck is here, with Porsche, looking on.

The Porsche vs. Ford battle continue. Michael Christensen is now chasing the Ford. But it was the opposite for a good while. Davide Rigon and Alessandro Pier Guidi are 1-2 in LM GTE Pro. Kazuki Nakajima leads this race as Mike Conway is closing in, flying. We've run 100 laps. 435 miles. Mike Conway has done very well. But, the #9 car with low downforce, has not performed as hoped. There's not a huge difference. Porsche have compromised a couple races, to work with their low downforce package in the first two races, to be on top of it for Le Mans. Toyota has been maximizing points instead of worrying about their data book.

Double world championship points are on offer at Le Mans, and there are six more six hour races after that. Porsche will debut their high downforce package at the Nurburgring in Germany after Le Mans as Francois Perrodo spins his LMP2 car. You are on the brakes, hitting the curb, and like a vacuum cleaner, it sucks you off the road. Christian Ried is second in LM GTE Am for Dempsey Proton Racing. One of the LMP2 cars is in pit lane. Pierre Thiriet leads LMP2 for G-Drive. G stands for Gasprom, a petrol giant in Russia. 60 kilometers an hour (37.5 miles an hour) is the pit lane speed limitg or you will be pinged by the stewards.

Billy Johnson runs wide locking the brakes and now continues on the downhill side of the course. Stefan Mucke will finish the race. Mucke had a massive wreck here at Spa at the top of Eau Rouge last year. Kazuki Nakajima should change his energy regeneration mode to protect his tires, according to radio conversation with his crew. The #31 Rebellion car will get a ten second pit stop time penalty. Nicolas Prost is driving the #31 and will get that hold for ten seconds on his next stop. There have been many great battles in this race. The top four cars in qualifying were separated by only 31 thousandths of a second. Wow. It is the average of the best lap from each of the two drivers, to get the spot on the grid and you can go out and catch another lap.

Nicolas Prost is aware of the penalty. He needs to get the lead and build up a cushion. Run these cars as low as possible within reason of the regulations. But, compression in Eau Rouge causes the car the slam down on the deck and the sparks fly from the underbody legality panel. Mike Conway is eating time out of it's sister car. Up the Kemmel straightsaway and side by side, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Mathias Beche are going for it. Nico Prost meanwhile is trying to go after the G-Drive entry. Pierre Thiriet is still driving the G-Drive car right now. G-Drive is 45 seconds quicker on the pit stops compared to Rebellion. Thiriet gets a run and here comes Porst! Wow! Into the braking zone, and Thiriet is rigfht in the middle of the road, to keep the door closed for Nico Prost.

Prost is on the wrong side for La Source, going the long way around and they are side by side into Eau Rouge. We are coming to the end of the fourth hour as Toyota runs 1-2. But, Mike Conway is now less than three seconds behind Kazuki Nakajima. Conway is just 2.3 seconds behind Nakajima. Romain Dumas said that the traction control on the Alpine was not working, and maybe that caused a spin earlier. Menezes is passed by team mate Andre Negrao. Kazuki Nakajima has traffic ahad in the form of the ByKolles car, and now the second Toyota is pushing. The ByKolles machine has Nissan power.

Neel Jani and Timo Bernhard are battling less than 2.5 seconds apart. Toyota is trying to stretch their lead in the constructor's cup. Conway was committed to the outside and a Ferrari washes out wide and blocks Conway. Alessandro Pier Guidi ran wide. Lockup for Conway! Yikes! One of the DC Racing Jackie Chan cars was headed for the lane and caught Conway out. Thomas Laurent out and into the car, it looks like it's Ho Pin Tung, as opposed to Oliver Jarvis, who may drive the last stint. We switch commentary now, from Bob Varsha and Calvin Fish, to world feed commentators, Martin Haven and Allan McNish.

Toyota still leads Porsche. Skies are starting to clear up. Don't go down onto the dirty line of the speedway. Andy Priaulx is suited and booted, ready to take over from Pippo Derani. Neel Jani is now in the lane for tires. No rain yet. It's forecasting. No rain has come just yet. It isn't dark yet. Andre Lotterer takes over car #1, Mike Conway is now into the lane, cleaning the windisheild, and ooh! A Prototype is in the wall. Francois Perrodo is actually off the road another time. We have a full course yellow at the Piff Paff, right before Stavelot. Kevin Estre, Francesco Castellaci, and others have pitted. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Full Course Yellow gentlemen. Stay at 80 kilometers per hour.

Francois Perrodo locks up and slams the tires in the gravel trap. Stefan Mucke is also on an outlap in Ford #66. We are still under Full Course Yellow, at 80 kilometers an hour, 50 miles an hour. Pit stop time. Brendon Hartley will finish for Porsche #2. Now, Kazuki Nakajima will have just pitted. Toyota #9 in the lane, and we will go green. Martin Haven and Allan McNish, pick up the race call. Francois Perrodo is back in the pit lane with loads of damage. Perrodo out, and Ben Hanley, into the car. They will change the nose in the lane.

Three cars have been caught speeding under Full Course Yellow. These six hour races, you just can't slow down, even if it is an endurance race. We have Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen in the commentary box as well. The weather changes and condition changes, are part of the magic of sports car racing. The same is true, between the different classes of Prototype and GT classes. 1:57.6 is the fastest lap of Brendon Hartley. We are now under a local yellow. Tristan Gommendy has spun the #37 Jackie Chan DC Racing car, spinning, leaping over the rise into Radillion, sideways. He's limping the car back to the lane. He came across the apex, bouncing over the curbs, and smashed the rear wing and the fenders.

We are so thankful for the marshals who keep everyone safe/ Tristan Gommendy has made his way back to the garage, sharing that car with Alex Brundle and David Cheng. Alex Lynn leads Nico Prost in LMP2. Rebellion's fraught race continues. Yes, the hybrid Prototypes make everything else look slow. Brendon Hartley is waiting, biding his time before he makes a move. It's about 20 meters between Eau Rouge and Radillion. Conway was held up through Pouhon, and Hartley makes a move. Tbe #8 Toyota turns out of Rivage, and is a half a lap ahead of everyone else. The gap in LMP2 is some ten seconds. The total elevation here at Spa in 300 feet, or about 100 meters if you go metric.

The light grows dimmer here at Spa. Toyota and everyone else are concerned about tire wear. There was a major maove in LM GTE Pro, as Andy Priaulx made a move around Fred Makowiecki in the Porsche. Ford, Ford, Ferrari, Ferrari, Porsche, Porsche, Aston Martin, Aston Martin. Brendon Hartley is charging after Kazuki Nakajima. Porsche will give it a go for the win. They looked like they were out of it earlier. But, maybe not. Toyota has pitted five times. Porsche has pitted six times. A tire stop is 16-17 seconds. Andre Lotterer is still running in fourth. Mike Conway is also coming fast.

Kazuki Nakajima continues to be in discussion with his pit crew. The wind has dropped down at Les Combes. They have points for energy recovery, and a fuel cutoff point. With the wind dropping, there is a fuel cut. The computer that runs the engine manages all this. The driver has to be aware of when he steps on the brakes. Toyota #9 with the low drag setup is still running well. The Porsche boosts its energy at the top of the hill while the Toyota does so at the bottom. Stephane Sarrazin is trying his best, but the performance of that third Toyota is not necessarily running up at the top. The team needs to bring the data. But, Sarrazin is a quick shoe.

The hybrid cars are allowed only a certain amount of energy per lap from petrol or electrical energy from the battery. Just under an hour and 20 minutes remaining here at Spa. Ferrari is dominating the LM GTE Pro class. Sam Bird and Alessandro Pier Guidi are dominating. Will this result in a Balance of Performance change before Le Mans? Andre Lotterer makes a pass on the GT cars. Fuel only for the #38 car. Something is wrong with a telemetry beacon on top of the Rebellion car. Mathias Beche is up to second. But car #31 us gavung the roof taped up. Kazuki Nakajima is picking up steam, closing on Brendon Hartley.

The race for LM GTE Pro continues, with an hour and 15 minutes to go. Davide Rigon and James Calado will take the cars home. #13 is still in the lane. Ferrari lets their drivers race, but does not want them to do anything silly. #26 is in the lane from the class lead in LMP2. Alex Lynn stays in the car. Romain Dumas is coming back up in the Alpine entry but sans traction control. Ferrari's lead as Andy Priaulx has passed Fred Mackowiecki. Will the two drivers be allowed to race one another? Good question.

We remember Alex Job's wife Holly Job, and also, Preston Henn, winner of the Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring, and also finishing second at Le Mans. Both will be missed. Sebastien Buemi climbs into the Toyota. A four tire stop for Toyota. Brand new Michelins on the Toyota. Hartley and Conway run 1-2. Brendon Hartley is a half a lap ahead. We watch Hughes de Chaunac and Rob Leupen watching in the pit lane. ACO bosses Pierre Fillon and Gerard Neveu also look on. The LM GTE Pro class battle is still going on. Buemi's best middle sector time is a 54.264. We have just over an hour left in this race.

Car #8 has put fresh tires on and will go to the end. No new tires for the Porsche and for the sister Toyota, they may need tires just before we get done. Everyone will need fuel, too. When the #2 Porsche had it's tire puncture, then, the #7 gained an advantage. We've got some microphone troubles in the booth as poor Martin Haven is the only good microphone in the booth with Allan McNish and Louise Beckett have some mike issues. #1 is in the lane for fuel only. No tires. Oh no! We have the #36 car spun again! That's what having n0o traction control dows to you. Porsche #2 drills the #36. That's Hartley in the Porsche.

At the end of the braking zone, the Porsche recovers it's energy. Dumas has a traction control issue as Mike Conway hits the lane for a full service pit stop and Kamui Kobayashi is going to finish this race. The Brendon Hartley fracas was unhnecessary. So, the marshals will want to have a word with him. Plus, his nose is bisted. It'll damage the brake ducts and also, shed carbon fiber. Porsche needs to do a nose change ASAP. They also need fuel. Hartley is sitrahgt into the lane. Romain Dumas who won the championship for Porsche, gets hammered by his former team mate. Irony? Yes. We are now into the final hour of this race.

Sebastien Buemi leads a Toyota 1-2. Alex Lynn leads LMP2. Sam Bird leads LM GTE Pro. Matthias Lauda leads LM GTE Am. Lauda will take the Aston Martin to the end of the race. We have our commentary team back to full strength, as we see more action in LMP. We are five hours in with Toyota and Porsche running in the top five. Sebastien Buemi still leads with less than 50 minutes now remaining. The #98 Aston Martin pits. Toyota will not mess around with their setup within the last hour, even though the driver has a right to question what is going on. Rain won't last too long. That's what Sebastien Buemi was told. Hold on, Sebastien. Stay in control of the race.

It's easy to lock the brakes through Brussels corner. Sam Bird and Alessandro Pier Guidi pit. James Calado and Davide Rigon take over to take the Ferrari's from AF Corse to the finish. Stefan Mucke is behind in Ford #66. You could split your pit stop instead of stacking them as Ferrari did. Aston Martin #97 is in the lane. Follow what you are told. Darren Turner will take the #97 car to the finish. Sam Bird didn't take four tires. He just took two of them. 45 minutes now remain. We could get another 20 laps done in this race.

41 minutes now remain. Romain Dumas and Brendon Hartley, have both been summoned to the stewards office after the race. New tires have more rubber on them and it retains more heat. On a cooler track, the tires start to fall off. Pedro Lamy will drive the final stint in the #98 Aston Martin. There is drizzle around the circuit right now. The Toyota's windscreen is smeared with oil. What are the conditions down here at Stavelot? No sign of water on the windscreen. Not even a drop. It's dry at the bottom. A little drizzle at Les Combes. It's wetter at the Bus Stop and the front straight. #9 goes for the wiper, but that smears the screen and not clean it.

Trouble for the DC Racing #37. Alex Brundle stops the car on the grass. He is at the exit of Stavelot. A car wrecked into the barrier at that point at nthe circuit in Friday practice. Brundle is back on the road. Ho Pin Tung now pits. G Drive might just win in LMP2. So, it's DC Racing vs. Rebellion for second best in class. Bruno Senna is now in the lane, and a few other drivers are too. No tires for Rebellion. Fuel only. G-Drive is also in the lane. G-Drive can't take tires, because they are ahead just by a mere 40 seconds. Ah. Left side tires for #26 have been taken. But, not a full tire change.

We are 34 minutes away from finishing this race as Ho Pin Tung locks the brakes. New rear end for the Alpine nof Romain Dumas. The stewards told the team to get new bodywork because no lights were working. No time for a Birmingham screwdriver. That's a hammer, by the way, folks. The team needed a legality box for the rear lights mandated by the FIA as well. Sam Bird leads James Calado, Stefan Mucke, and Andy Priaulx in LM GTE Pro. Sam Bird is still chasing James Calado. With a half hour to go, which will arrive first? Will we see the checkered flag? Will we see a downpour?

From Brussels, to the no name turn, to Pouhon, we see Andre Lotterer running well, but still chasing the two Toyota's. We are racing into the evening here at Soa, but not into the darkness. Bruno Senna and Ho Pin Tung battle for LMP2 honors. Senna zooms past Tung, and slams the door in his face. Pedro Lamy continues to lead LM GTE Am. Matteo Cairolli is second in LM GTE Am. James Rossiter will finish the race for ByKolles. They've been reliable today and their speed is coming. No real rain to worry about with about 20 minutes left in this race. Toyota still leads. Will Toyota change tires within the final 20 minutes?

He's got to have a splash and dash? Toyota #7 also needs fuel and so does the Porsche. Fuel only for Toyota #7. The #2 Porsche may still need fuel. How far off the strategy were they? Wow. The cards are still in the air here. Wow. This will be a wild finish. Don't take tires unless you are having massive grip issues. Twenty minutes to go, is ten laps, 43 miles. Track position is the most important factor here. Will Andre Lotterer in Porsche #1 be a factor? Kamui Kobayashi pits for a splash and a dash. #2, Brendon Hartley now leads. Toyota #7 will be third behind the #8. Brendon Hartley has yet to hit the pit lane.

Three weeks ago in Silverstone, England, we had a grandstand finish. Ladies and gentlemen, strap yourselves in, for a wild ride, as we reach the climax of the 6 Hours of Spa! The question has been answered as Brendon Hartley hits the lane. We're headed for the finish. The team cleans the screen and adds a splash of fuel. Forget the jockey club rules and whip the steed. It's time. Go, now. Sebastien Buemi leads. Kamui Kobayashi is still going for it and we'll see the #9 Toyota in the lane. LM GTE Pro, it seems to be sealed. Sam Bird might just take the win. In LM GTE Am, Pedro Lamy is going to do it, with Matteo Cairolli and Matt Griffin, getting the other podium steps.

Kobayashi is 4.5 seconds behind, but he's still pushing. Alex Lynn leads Bruno Senna in LMP2. The G-Drive car is leading in LMP2. No sign of the second Ferrari. Pedro Lamy is going to take the car to the checkers for Aston Martin, as he makes his 60th start as an Aston Martin pilot. How much will the team back time the race, so they don't have to do an extra lap? Go as fast as possible, and then, hold back both cars. Will there be a last lap pass? Buemi is still a tad slower than Kobayashi. It's going to be a near photo finish. More drizzle is falling.

Brendon Hartley and Andre Lotterer will bring the Porsche's home in third and fourth. Nicolas Lapierre will finish fifth in the #9 Toyota. The ByKolles car has actually had a trouble free run for this race which isn't the norm for those boys. Nelson Piquet Jr. unlaps himself as Bruno Senna is a minute or so behind. Ho Pin Tung, Oliver Jarvis, and Thomas Laurent will finish on the LMP2 podium. It's the witching hour. We're closer and closer to the end. Buemi is just 2.5 seconds ahead. He has a shade more pace than Kamui Kobayashi, except for the final sector. Four minutes to go.

Tockwith Motorsport takes their 13th pit stop. They've had a fraught race today. Sam Bird is going to win LM GTE Pro. Ferrari has wiped the floor with everyone here at Spa. The consequence is, they could indeed get slowed down for the next race, the greatest of all, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Kamui Kobayashi is chasing. Can he get around his team mate? He sweeps by the lapped Ferrari. The gap is down to a second. One lap to go! Oh my goodness! This is going to go to the wire! Buemi clears the G-Drtive car. Kobayashi won't have enough. Or, will he? Kobayashi is still in it. The Rebellion and one of the Ferrari's are lapped traffic through Pouhon.

The Rebellion will be the fly in the ointment. Oh! Kobayashi closes up but no. He's blocked. Sebastien Buemi and company will win at Spa! Yes! It's true. Sebastien Buemi and Toyota #8 win Spa! G-Drive brings home the win in LMP2 with Romain Rusinov, Pierre Thiriet, and Alex Lynn. LM GTE Pro honors go to the Sam Bird and Davide Rigon driven AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE and in LM GTE Am, it's the factory Aston Martin V8 Vantage in the hands of Pedro Lamy, Paul Dalla Lana, and Mathias Lauda, winning.

So, to wrap it up, here are your overall and class winners as Toyota takes two straight in FIA WEC. 2017.

Overall/LMP1: #8 Davidson/Buemi/Nakajima Toyota TS050 Hybrid

   LMP2: #26 Rusinov/Thiriet/Lynn Oreca 07 Gibson

   LM GTE Pro: #71 Bird/Rigon    Ferrari 488 GTE

LM GTE Am: #98 Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Next up, is the granddaddy of all endurance races, and the biggest. The 24 Hours of Le Mans at Circuit de La Sarthe in Le Mans, France. Yours truly, will cover it all. Stay tuned, as the race will happen on June 17th and 18th, so, in six weeks.