Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi have pole for the 6 Hours of Shanghai at the Shanghai International Circuit. The championship in LMP1 could be clinched today. Aston Martin has pole in LM GTE Am, also, in LM GTE Pro. So, they will be the ones to look out for in the GT ranks. In LMP2, Rebellion Racing is fastest, while Toyota, and the #7 TS050 Hybrid machine of Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi, have pole, at this abrasive circuit that will be a challenge for the drivers. This is the penultimate event of the 2017 FIA WEC. The race, is... next!
26 cars in four classes, are ready for a start. The temperature is cooler than we've seen. Only 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Tire degradation is a big deal here at Shanghai. Manage the tires! The LMP2 cars don't have the acceleration of the hybrid prototypes, but they are faster at 305 kilometers per hour. Nick Tandy, is ready. Green flag in the air, and we're racing! Red lights on. Red lights out! Away we go! A bit messy. Jose Maria Lopez starts the pole sitting car. The tires are not up to temperature just yet. So many championship permutations possible. Oh! We have the G-Drive entry #26 facing the wrong way, and now back into the race.
Nico Mueller makes his WEC debut, along with Leo Roussel. Mueller runs for Audi in DTM touring cars. In LM GTE Pro, the battle is on between Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari, and Ford. The Aston Martin squad runs Dunlop tires. It could be pretty dark before we get to the end of the race. Sebastien Buemi has dropped to fourth in the #8 Toyota. All the #2 Porsche team has to do to clinch world titles for LMP1 drivers, and manufacturers, is finish third or better in the overall. The #66 Ford GT of Olivier Pla and Stefan Mucke, still want a victory.
Marino Franchitti was a designated full-time driver for Ford, but not anymore. Porsche hounds the Aston Martin as Sebastien Buemi wants by Earl Bamber. Get the traction off the corner to not wear down the tires. LMP1 cars can use only 16 tires for qualifying and the race. Four sets, plus two joker tires. Earl Bamber spun and flatspotted tires in practice, and had a puncture in qualifying. Buemi and Bamber have been swapping spots these last few minutes. Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi must win in order to take the championship to the season finale in Bahrain in two weeks.
Kazuki Nakajima is the third driver. Toyota was to have announced if they will be the sole hybrid factory team in WEC. They have not made an announcement. They want to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans which has eluded them. Porsche in GTE Pro still wants their first win. Oh! Nearly three wide for the GTE Pro lead! Egad! Olivier Pla vs. Kevin Estre vs. Marco Sorensen. This is great racing in the production based classes! Egad! No one is protecting their tires as Estre is taking the lead. Pla stuffs it down inside the big Aston Martin V8.
James Calado has a ringside seat for this scrap. The Ferrari 488 GTE is ten kilometers slower than the other three cars. There's banking through turn 13 to launch onto the front straight. The sister Porsche now goes after James Calado. Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell led the series from winning round one in England at Silverstone. Fuji, last time out, had horrendous weather, calling the race early before the clock ran out. Ferrari will use an evolution for 2018. Ford will not change to an entirely new car. BMW joins the championship, in 2018. Porsche and the 911 RSR wants to win.
We have a spin for the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche 911 RSR's tangling with the #13 of Nelson Piquet Jr. Traffic will be a factor with this tight, twisty course here in Shanghai. You must drive defensively. Meanwhile, James Calado is fading a bit. The #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing car is running well. Jackie Chan waved the flag to start this race today. Oh deary me. Thomas Laurent nearly ran into the G-Drive car. Check that. CEFC Manor and Vitaly Petrov. Manor will keep an LMP2 car and move a car up to LMP1. DragonSpeed will also run in LMP1 with the new 2018 Ginetta racer.
Manor does not know yet what car in LMP1 they will use. Darren Turner in the sister #97 Aston Martin is going for. Aston Martin won Le Mans. But they have only had one additional win in LM GTE Pro and Am. The tire marbles are beginning to build on the speedway. Jose Maria Lopez has three World Touring Car championships, and has lots of experience at this particular track. Ferrari just does not have the straightaway speed. James Calado and Davide Rigon are way down the order. Everyone ought to be in their sweet spot.
If you catch traffic in the wrong place, it won't work. There are long straights. But in the twisty corners, it's tougher for the Prototypes. Nick Tandy is going for it. The #98 Gulf Racing Porsche 911 RSR was slower than the old lap record. Sebastien Buemi is trying to get more regeneration of energy through the battery under braking. The cars make their way through a decreasing radius turn called The Snail. Buemi made a really close pass just now. Four classes running together means a huge range in straightaway speed, and there's a washboard effect on one of the hard right hand corners here.
Thomas Laurent almost ran into Vitaly Petrov. He goes outside the Porsche. Lopez was spun out by Nico Mueller. He's lost some spots. Lopez is fourth in the overall at this moment. The speed differential sees the LMP2 cars quicker than the LMP1 hybrid cars. Eek! A nine point separation in LMP2 with this race, and the Bahrain finale left to run. We'll talk about how the Bahrain finale will be covered, after this race is over. Tandy and Lopez are in a ding dong scrap right now. Lopez had that massive crash at Silverstone, England at the beginning. Oh no. Nick Tandy is slowing! He's got a problem.
This is serious for Tandy. Deary me. Porsche wants to go all out and get their third consecutive championships. But then, they are done with prototype racing and will run in GT and in Formula E racing. #1 is picking up speed. Will Porsche be able to bring home the championship without further development? The 919 Hybrid is a proven car. If Porsche wins, the manufacturer's title is theirs. We have Kevin Estre racing Olivier Pla, and Fred Makowieecki vs. Andy Priaulx. If you fall behind in this race, you can't regain lost time. You have to earn it by lap time. Safety cars are very rare in FIA WEC competition.
Andre Lotterer hasn't won a race yet. Earl Bamber began racing for Porsche, in China. Bruno Senna is running extremely well in the #31 Rebellion car. The sister Jackie Chan DC Racing #37 entry is in the pit lane. Test the tires during fueling. But do not change the tires until the fuel is filled into the tank. Priaulx and Makowiecki continue to scrap for LM GTE Pro honors. Ford's race went pear shaped last time out at that rain soaked race at Fuji, Japan. Vitaly Petrov is fourth in class behind Matt Rao. Pit stop time now.
We are 45 minutes into this race. LMP2 contenders have pitted, and no tires were taken. Don't waste time on a tire change just yet. Jose Maria Lopez is second, and Sebastien Buemi leads. Toyota still has an outside chance of taking the championship from Porsche. Lead battle in GTE Am. Matthias Lauda has a loose Aston Martin V8 Vantage. His tires are going away. Ten minutes or so to go in the first stint. Nikki Thiim, Fred Makowiecki, and Andy Priaulx battle in LM GTE Pro. Porsche had a lot of success in IMSA. No championship. But, they want a win in WEC before the end of the year.
The new automated Balance of Performance system has done it's job in GTE. #54 may be warned by the stewards for track limits. Track limits irks a lot of people. But, they are hard to get around with the paved runoff areas on modern speedways. Sebastien Buemi has a gnarly, dirty looking windscreen at the moment. Buemi will double stint. Sebastien Buemi is an excitable driver. You have to have the mental fortitude to keep your emotions in check. Buemi has won championships. Some guys are wound up and passionate. Other drivers are as cool as a cucumber.
We saw Brendon Hartley do a wonderful job in Formula 1 for Toro Rosso. He might go to F1 full time next year with Porsche withdrawing from LMP1. Hartley raced at the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, and also in Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez last time out. Brendon Hartley is a very busy chap at this time. Give drivers seat time and let them race with other manufacturers in other championships. Sebastien Buemi is in pit lane. How do I manage the gap with the tire performance falling away?
Nick Tandy is also in the lane. Change the drink bottle. Inspect the tires. But don't do anything else until refueling is done. It's #2 in pit lane for Porsche with Earl Bamber at the controls. Toyota #7 changes tires. We saw brake lockup with Jose Maria Lopez. So he will lose track position. Brendon Hartley discusses the tire issue with Porsche boss Andreas Seidl. Shanghai is the most populace city in China, and China's financial center. The Gibson Technologies 4.2 liter V8's being used in LMP2, they are amazing. They use 30% less fuel, and maintain competitive lap times. We have a spinner with the #37 Jackie Chan car with Tristan Gommendy at the wheel of it.
Stick the car down the inside, and then, lose traction, and spin. Russia's Vitaly Petrov is not a patient driver and he was the one to get into the dust up with Gommendy. Lots of talent in the class. Tandy pits from fourth in LMP1. Team orders have not come into play, but #1 wants to win. Kamui Kobayashi is now at the wheel of Toyota #7.
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