The LMP1 driver's champion title could be decided today. We have yet to see Timo Bernhard into the #2 Porsche. Shanghai has been a rough track and it has always been this way over the years. Ben Barker is racing with Khaled al Qubaisi this weekend as there were business commitments for regular co-driver Mike Wainwright. Marvin Dienst is also having a good race for Dempsey Proton Racing as we see a Ferrari in the pit lane. Less than two hours to race now. Nico Mueller could be having an issue. Maybe it is loose. Toy with the traction control and see if that helps.
Mueller's debut hearkens back to the original idea of sports car racing, to have drivers form several different disciplines come and compete. Don't abuse slower traffic, but try to make your way through and make your presence known to the slower competition. The tire debris or "clag" around this track is unreal. There's marbling offline, but many big chunks all over, as big as snowballs. The chunks of rubber can blow the front louvers out of the car, and that would give you more downforce. Now the louvers are gone because they stop the blowover effect that these cars were prone to in the past. Toyota in the lane.
The battle in LMP2 continues as well. Two Oreca 07 Gibson's, going for it, as even matched asthey can be. Mueller is way offline in the trackside trash can. Gently, boys. Wow! This is some wickedly good racing between these two blokes! Toyota #8 in the lane. Mike Conway out, and Jose Maria Lopez (a.k.a. "Pechito") in. Timo Bernhard also gets into the Porsche. Bernhard will have more of an ambassador level with his own team and maybe step over into GT3 racing with his own team. He has been with Porsche since 1999. Wow! That was close in the lane. The crew was trying to hold him before he took off out of the pits.
James Calado brings the #51 Ferrari into the lane for a driver change and regular service. One hour, 42 minutes remain in this race. Paul Dalla Lana gets into the #98 Aston Martin and Richard Lietz is now in the #91 Porsche. Porsche will probbably not get their first LM GTE Pro victory of 2017 with the Ford GT's now having the upper hand. One more stop for the Porsche, and two, for Ford. Again, Paul Dalla Lana has now taken over the Aston Martin from Matthias Lauda. #37 in the lane, and Alex Brundle gets into the car, or has been in it.
Oliver Jarvis brings the sister Jota Sport LMP2 car to pit lane. A driver change happens. The cars today are so cramped. An assistant has to do up the seat belts for the driver. Nico Prost now assumes the class lead in a car that sat on pole for this race. The #38 car will be tight on fuel to do it in one more stop. They have to run 92 minutes, which equals two 46 minute fuel stints! Oh! Two LMP2 cars spin off the road! Tandem spinning for G-Drive and, yikes! G-Drive and DC Racing. Nico Mueller and Thomas Luarent both spin! Ooh! Ho Pin Tung nevewr expect Nico Mueller to turn in like that.
You have to give a driver some respect. Wow. Mueller has a long way to go, but the carcass of the right rear tire is about to depart the automobile. Nico Mueller and Ho Pin Tung are both responsible for this carambolage. Romain Rusinov spins on his outlap! Yikes! One hour and 25 minutes to go in this race. There is more than enough of this race to run. Rebellion #13 is in the lane. Nelson Piquet Jr. gets into the car. Ho Pin Tung passes Oliver Jarvis. Meanwhile, Toyota is looking good. Tung leads Bruno Senna in LMP2 by nine seconds. Kazuki Nakajima continues to lead in Toyota #8.
Toyota have had the upper hand over Porsche all day long. Romain Rusinov will finish the day in car #26 second to last in the LMP2 division. Senna has cut the lead gap in LMP2 down from eight seconds to four and a half seconds. Should #38 win, they will have a 16 point lead. Should they not win, the gap will be just two points. The Ford/Porsche scrap in LM GTE Pro is heating up. Harry Tincknell leads. But Richard Lietz wants by Olivier Pla. Olivier Pla started on fresh tires but has to finish on his qualifying tires.
All drivers have to do that, I think, according to the rules. Kazuki Nakajima locks the brakes and slides a litt wider in the Toyota. He lost track of where he was. Richard Lietz takes a much wider line into the corner than does Olivier Pla. Pla won't give up the [p the place easily. Traffic ahead creates an opportunity, and Lietz passes. Look out, Harry Tincknell! Richard Lietz is motoring right now. The Porsche team is digging that. We approach the one hour remaining mark here in Shanghai, very soon.
There is also a great lead battle in LMP2. Ho-Pin Tung vs. Bruno Senna. Senna has to show pace. Don't throw away the race or the championship. There's a 14 point swing in LMP2. iT COULD BE a 16 point lead, or a two point lead, going inton the finale.
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