Your class leaders, at half distance, for points for the NAEC are #32 in Prototype, #911 in GTLM, and #33 in GTD. Luca Stolz is driving the #33 Keating Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3. He is sharing with Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen. Dumas in the lane, and so is Bruno Senna, leading this motor race in the #32 Ligier. Senna took over for Phil Hanson or Paul Di Resta. Chris Miller has his hands full with Jordan Taylor in the #10 Cadillac. The battle is on for third, chaps. Don't go anyplace. This race is heating up. Cracking stuff. These drivers are at peak levels of physical fitness. Jordan Taylor continues harrying Chris Miller. Bruno Senna has leapfrogged Chris Miller and Jordan Taylor. Taylor managed to close the deficit, but he can't make a move to pass.
Where's the advantage? It's hard to say. The Gibson motor is a very effective engine for fuel mileage. Good pace and good fuel mileage from the English built 4.2 liter V8 spec motor. Katherine Legge stays ahead of Mario Farnbacher, and some close racing with Porsche #912! Yikes! Katherine Legge turns in, and some sure argy bargy! More GTLM cars will go for it. The speeds these drivers run at this track, are unbelievable! Dumas goes through on the uphill, passing Katherine Legge. These drivers are so committed, and yet they know where their competition is as well. Driving a race car, is definitely an art.
Now then, Jordan Taylor and Chris Miller, as well as Colin Braun and Joel Miller, all are pushing very hard. 50 seconds the gap, between Bruno Senna and Juan Pablo Montoya. Sebastian Saavedra is the last car on the lead lap, having taken over the PR1/Mathiasen prototype. We have just under the distance of a normal IMSA event, two hours and 45 minutes to go. There has been no letup at all in this race as it is equivalent in time, to the shorter races in the FIA World Endurance Championship, 6 hours. The pace is relentless, the heat is relentless, and the action, is top notch! 111 laps, 377 miles completed. Before the end of this motor race, the track temperature could be up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
Penske Acura #7 pits, and they are down five laps and well down in the running order at the moment. Dane Cameron will get back into the sister car again shortly. Jordan Taylor is in the Cadillac, and some of the drivers are getting a lunch break at Marion's Restaurant at the moment. The DPi cars can take 75, 69, 62, and 75 liters. These are the different fuel levels between the Acura, Nissan, Cadillac, and the global LMP2 cars. Car #31, the Cadillac of Mike Conway is leading at the moment. Check that. Montoya is in the lead. Now, there's gearbox trouble that has plauged car #6 for the whole of this motor race to this stage.
Two hours and 38 minutes remain. Oh boy. Ryan Eversley has come to the lane, and gone straight behind the wall. It could be game over for the HART team, Honda America Racing Team. Mario Farnbacher and Luca Stolz have pitted, and now, Katherine Legge is back at the front of the field. David Heinemeier Hanson is getting back into the #15 Lexus. Now, Jeroen Bleekemolen replaces Luca Stolz in the #33 Mercedes. Dane Cameron takes over for Juan Pablo Montoya in the #6 Acura. Thomas Jaeger is in the lane with the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes AMG GT3. Jaeger is sharing with Kenny Habul and Mikael Grenier.
Alvaro Parente has probably made his own cool suit, using plastic bags filled with ice. Oh dear! We have the #38 Prototype having it's rear end obliterated on the back end of the track. It was a light touch between Romain Dumas and Joel Miller. Deary me! Katherine Legge, the #67 Ford and the #4 Corvette pitted with the yellow lights on. The Ford is beaten out of the lane by the Corvette. Frantic action in the lane here at Watkins Glen. Debris on the road is the reason for the yellow here after some major argy bargy between the #38 and #54. Miller sawing the wheel, had too much opposite lock, the car spun around, and... wallop! Into the wall. A splash and dash for Harry Tincknell in the #55 Mazda.
So, it is an early bath for Joel Miller and crew at Performance Tech. Just five seconds of fuel for the #55 Mazda under emergency service. Dane Cameron again, has taken over the #6 Acura. Bruno Senna should stay out, to keep track position. The pass around, around the safety car, for the lapped automobiles, is happening now. Do you go for fuel mileage, or track position? Bruno Senna, conceivably has edged ahead of the #10 and #99. Two hours and 25 minutes to go. We are indeed over halfway. Acura will stay on track. Now, Bruno Senna, both Porsche's 1-2 in GTLM, Jordan Taylor, Chris Miller, Antonio Garcia, and more. Acura stays on the road. The #10 Cadillac is in. Nick Tandy takes over the Porsche. Renger van der Zande is in #10. Driver change for the #66 Ford. The #912 Porsche does not do a driver change. Ford goes ahead of Porsche. #7 Penske Acura moves ahead of the lapped car, the "Red Dragon" #99.
United Autosport did fuel only, no tires. The #85 "Banana Boat" is in the lane, with Nelson Panciatici at the wheel of it. A long stop for that car. Panciatici, Simon Trummer, and Robert Alon.
Left side tires only for #32. Fuel as well. No driver change. GTD pit stops, with both Scuderia Corsa Ferrari's, the Turner BMW etc. Oh dear! Fire in the lane for the #63 Ferrari! Egad! That was a quick one thankfully, with the powder from the fire extinguisher obscuring everything. Stay out of the way of that smoke. Cooper MacNeil is still in the car. There's flame pouring out of the motor. Spray the engine. Black and purple smoke everywhere. The green light at the exit of pit lane is still on.
MacNeil is back out, in a plume of smoke. It's Cooper's comet! The hammer is applied, and we are back to green! Dane Cameron scoots away. Speed, tactics, endurance, and reliability. Renger van der Zande sweeps to fourth. Helio Castroneves is five laps down but he is going for it nonetheless. Car #90 had not pitted before this most recent yellow, and is a lap up on #7. #33 is penalized for rotating wheels while on the air jacks. Jonathan Bomarito in the #55 Mazda is dinged for speeding in the lane. Earl Bamber goes side by side, and makes a pass. Up through the esses, Alvaro Parente has his hands full. Bamber passes Joey Hand in the Ford GT. Bruno Senna is up to second. Oliver Gavin leads GTLM by two and a quarter seconds.
Robert Alon had trouble with his seat insert. He's having issues getting comfortable. Nelson Panciatici took over the car. #33 has served their penalty. The incident between Porsche #911 and Mercedes #75 is under review by the stewards. Oliver Gavin is maintaining his advantage over Ryan Briscoe. The Porsche's have swapped position after Tandy had the argy bargy with the #75 racer. Ford #67 gets a tad loose in turn eight. Yikes! Antonio Garcia is all over him like a rash. Dear me. Now, the Porsche's are pushing. Corvette has the draft into the Inner Loop! Wow. Drafting scored that position there.
Joey Hand tries to cut back against the Porsche defending. Ah. The #51 Spirit of Race Ferrari is off the road, put out on the dirt by #31.
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