Sebastien Buemi and Kamui Kobayashi run third and fourth for Toyota. Olivier Pla is last in LM GTE Pro after serving his penalty we talked about at the end of the previous hour. This track changes a lot during the course of a race. The tire compounds also affect the balance of the car. We're now inside the final hour, as we make the run to the checkered flag. G-Drive may retire their LMP2 car and they have had a litany of problems with their engine today. We've had two retirements in this race and could have a third before the checkered flag falls. Pedro Lamy and Marvin Dienst are 1-2 in LM GTE Am right now. Toyota is set for any scenario they may encounter. Sebastien Buemi will wait for a couple laps to see what he'll do.
Marvin Dienst has some smoke coming out of the wheel arch of the car. The left rear tire could be coming loose. Something is askew on that car. The team has to call "box, box, box" because of this. Ford #66's team manager has been called to the stewards office because of something beyond the penalty the team served. Andre Negrao is pitting the Alpine #36. Gustavo Menezes will finish the race. Bruno Senna is pressing hard second in class. Nelson Piquet Jr. and others have already pitted in LMP2. Senna, Menezes, Piquet, the top three. Ooh! One of the Toyota's, the #8, runs wide! The mechanics look on.
Toyota was alnost a second off the pace in qualifying yesterday. Will the race lap distance record be broken? They've run anywhere from 185-187 laps in this race over the last three years. Aston Martin #98 pits. Kazuki Nakajima takes over from Sebastien Buemi in Toyota #8. Just over a half an hour left in this race. Toyota #7 pits for the final time. Toyota could have a shot at the Porsche's. Kamui Kobayashi stays in the car. Porsche #2 is in the lane. Fuel only. Porsche #2 may have an advantage over the Toyota.
Porsche runs 1-2, Toyota runs 3-4. The die is cast for a straight fight within the last half hour of this contest. Nick Tandy is in the lane for his stop. 44 second stop for Bamber. For Tandy, what will it be? Nick Tandy is going to be in the lead of this motor race over Earl Bamber. Porsche will decide among themselves who will win this final WEC race at COTA. Car #37 is making it's final stop and Alex Brundle will bring the car home. There's lots of stone damage to these windshields and the bloke who supplies them couldn't be in Texas this weekend. The #77 Porsche is slowing. He's got smoke and a loose condition. Maybe it is oil smoke. Porsche #92 is in the lane. Ferrari goes back to the GTE Pro lead.
Incident involving the #7 Toyota and the #24 Manor, from 25-35 laps ago. There is a backlog of track limits incidents. Pier Guidi is in the LM GTE Pro lead, but they may have a problem with the car. The Dempsey Proton Porsche 911 RSR is now in the garage. Nico Prost is closing on Nelson Piquet Jr. for Rebellion in LMP2. Again, shades of their fathers racing in Formula 1. The camera shows how steep it is up the hill to turn one and plunging back downhill on exit. Ford #67 passes Matt Griffin in the #61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari. Just 20 minutes remain in this final FIA WEC race at Circuit of the Americas. So, enjoy what is left.
Sam Bird is holding on by the skin of his teeth and here comes Micharel Christensen into second. Bird comes back around the inside. Christensen makes the pass! Wow! It ain't over yet. The GTE Pro points margins will be very close. In LMP2, the battle is stable, but in LM GTE Pro, it's still Bird vs. Christensen. Gustavo Menezes leads Nelson Piquet Jr. by six seconds. Nico Prost is being chased by Thomas Laurent. Just sixteen minutes to go. Can Neel Jani, Andre Lotterer, and Nick Tandy, get their first win of 2017? We are three laps shy of tying the record for most laps run in a race here at COTA.
Signatech has to repair a light. They have to finish with a broken light and take a penalty, which the stewards have not negotiated yet. Maybe they'll be excluded if they fail post race scrutineering. Final pit stop coming for the #51. Oh no! A left front tire puncture for the #51! He's almost been wrecked by the Signatech car! Wow! That was close! The #51 Ferrari will lose the lead. Michael Christensenn will take over the LM GTE Pro lead. Wow! Unreal!. New rear end going on the Signatech Alpine entry. They're good to go. Alessandro Pier Guidi will hold the lead. The Ferrari beats Christensen out, but here comes Christensen!
Alessandro Pier Guidi will be holding on for dear life! This is going to be so close! The Toyota was inside Christensen. Wow. This is going to be a really close finish. There's been very little contact, but maybe there was debris that cut the tire. Right behind Signatech, there's a battle between Thomas Laurent and Nico Prost. Alex Brundle, excuse me, having a lap put on him. Earl Bamber is catching Nick Tandy! Corredction. Bamber is being chased by Tandy!
Is that a change of lead? Yes. It is! Earl Bamber has sailed off into the lead. Could Porsche #2 win it's fourth race of the year? No team orders at Porsche. The lead has stretched to 2.5 seconds in LM GTE Pro. Alessandro Pier Guidi is easing ahead of Michael Christensen. Sam Bird is flying. Porsche's run 1-2, 1.1 seconds apart. Aston Martin will win LM GTE Am. Same car, same team. The same car and the same number as well, that won last year. This has been a humdinger of a race the whole time.
Ooh! Menezes has to go off the road to pass a couple GT cars in corner nine! Toyota made a real race out of this after being on the back foot in qualifying. This is the final lap. Lap 192. 653 miles. It will be a fourth straight win for Earl Bamber,Brendon Hartley, and Timo Bernhard. LMP2 honors go the way of Gustavo Menezes, Nicolas Lapierre, and Andre Negrao. Ferrari wins LM GTE Pro with James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi. Aston Martin and their drivers in car #98, Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy, and Mathias Lauda win LM GTE Am.
Overall/LMP1: #2 Bamber/Hartley/Bernhard Porsche 919 Hybrid
LMP2: #36 Menezes/Lapierre/Negrao Alpine A470 Gibson
LM GTE Pro: #51 Calado/Pier Guidi Ferrari 488 GTE
LM GTE Am: #98 Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Next up, for the FIA WEC, is the 6 Hours of Fuji, at Fuji Speedway in Fuji, Japan, in a month.
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