We begin the final hour of the 6 Hours of SHanghiai. Ho Pin Tung locks up, comes back, and takes the spot away from Senna. Nicolas Lapierre is third in class. Byruno Senna on the outside, almost makes contact with the Jota Sport entry! That was so close to contact, actually for #38! Ho Pin Tung goes by and nearly gets chopped by Matthieu Vaxiviere. Richard Lietz is putting in a drive, trying to get past the Ford GT. Lietz is pushing Harry Tincknell! Wowzers! Massive pressure on Tincknell! Sebastien Buemi takes over the #8 Toyota and Jose Maria Lopez in the #7 moves to the race lead.
Toyota #7 makes what should be it's final stop. The #8 car could be squeezing their fuel window before we finish this one. It is starting to get dark outside as TV cameras make the skies look much lighter than they really are. Can Porsche do what Audi did on their swansong and go out with a victory in their final race? Can the #8 Toyota make it to the end of this race? The #38 Jota Sport car has to make it to 45-46 minutes to go to make it all the way on fuel. Can Harry Tincknell hold on in LM GTE Pro? The #24 CEFC Manor entry of Ben Hanlkey is in the lane, but stoppeed.
Side-by-side stuff in LM GTE Pro for the class lead! Ford should have a larger fuel load than Porsche. Be on your toes as a strategist here. What are the tires ready for this final stint? Richard Lietz gets a run, and is balked by Bruno Senna's LMP2 machine. Tincknell defends. Watch out through the switchbacks. This is intense race with just one event to go in the season for FIA WEC 2017. Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado may salvage something from this race, but they just have not had the pace all weekend. They can hope for a podium as the light fades here in China. Lietz tries, but can't get to the rear deck of the Ford.
The #7 leading Toyota of Jose Maria Lopez suddenlowed and had contact with the Porsche! Oh my word! That's a huge crash, and, crunch! Toyota #7 is in the garage. Lopez is a three-time FIA World Touring Car champion. Porsche could clinch the manufacturer's championship, if Toyota is having issues. Lopez's mistake here is going to cost them the chance of a 1-2 finish. Porsche now has to keep it clean for 35 minutes. Sebastien Buemi in Toyota #8 is leading with Timo Bernhard in the #2 Porsche second, and Andre Lotterer in the #1 Porsche, third. They now have an insurmountable lead in the manufacturer's championship headed for the finale.
Just over a half hour to go in Shanghai. Stand by for more drama. Harry Tincknell leads in LM GTE Pro by five seconds. What tires do the Ford and Porsche camps haor the run to the checkers. Bruno Senna is your LMP2 leader. Nicolas Lapierre is second in class. Toyota #7 is back into the race, but it is disappointing. Too much argy bar has affected Lopez and the #7 team. In LMP2, the #31 Rebellion car will be ahead of the Jackie Chan DC Racing car by a sioint. A splash anjd dash necessary for the #38. The Alpine team has been running very well, wth the Matmut insurance sponsorship.
The Rebellion has a slight off/on like slipping over a rug. Twenty minutes to go in Shanghai. Time is of the essence here. Less than 17 minutes to go. If titles are not to bee clinched today, we'll see wht happens in the finale in Bahrain in two weeks. Harry Tincknell leads Richard Lietz by about ten seconds. Nelson Piquet Jr. can gain more points if he demotes the #38 car. But, why didn't the team put Oliver Jarvis in the car f finish of the race?
There won't be a championship for Toyota in 2017,, but they will score their fourth race win. Where is the weak spot? Only twelve minutes to go in this race. Nelson Piquet Jr. is pressing hard with only ten minutes to go. Don't move around too much, mate. Tung is driving defensively and could get a warning from the stewards. Less than seven minutes now remain here in Shanghai. Marco Soension is fending off the challenge from Davide Rigon. Aston Martin vs. Ferrari. me drivers are racing for a championship while others are racing for their careers.
It is getting very dark now with the cloud cover. Pedro Lamy, Paul Dalla Lana, and Matthias Lauda have been unchallenged in LM GTE Am. The skies are a lot darker than it looks on camera as we watch this race to the end. Toyota looks set to win their 15th LMP1 race. They still don't have a Le Mans win. Porsche will win the championship. They fi won in in FIA WEC in 2014. Rebellion Racing will score their third win in LMP2 on the year. Ford will win LM GTE Pro. Aston Martin will get their 36th FIA WEC win.
Toyota wins in Shanghai! Sebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson, and Kazuki Nakajima. In LMP2, Bruno Senna, Nicolas Prost, and Julien Canal take the victory for Vaillante Rebellion. Priaulx and Tincknell win for Ford in LM GTE Pro. Aston Martin and the #98 team of Paul Dalla Lana, Matthias Lauda, and Pedro Lamy are your LM GTE Am winners. Also, Ferrari takes the manufacturer's crown in GT (LM GTE Pro).
Overall/LMP1: #8 Buemi/Davidson/Nakajima Toyota TS050 Hybriud
LMP2: #31 Prost/Senna/Canal Oreca 07 Gibson
LM GTE Pro: #67 Priaulx/Tincknell Ford GT
LM GTE Am: #98 Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda Aston Martin V8 Vantage
That's a wrap from Shanghai. Porsche wins the manufacturer's championship. But, the driver's titles in all four classes, will come down to the wire in the season finale in Bahrain in two weeks. Join us, on Saturday morning November 18th, for all the action. The race starts at breakfast time. So, put on a pot of coffee, and check out the exciting conclusion to the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship. Until then, so long, from Shanghai, China.
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