The race at Lime Rock, has started. We are 30 laps into the race. Yours truly, had the start time, confused. So, we pick up the action, 31 laps in, actually. A couple of the GT Daytona cars, have already hit trouble. The #93 Acura NSX GT3 of Lawson Aschenbach, and Bill Auberlen in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3. Lime Rock is a legendary track. Antonio Garcia, is leading his team mate Tommy Milner, and then, in the third spot is the #66 Ford GT. The lapping has now begun in this race. Sorry, folks. We're a bit late in getting the race report up and running. There's some argy bargy between Patrick Pilet and Connor De Philippi.
The three cars battling for GT Daytona honors are the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3, the #33 Keating Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3, and one of the Lexus cars. Antonio Garcia is stretching his lead over Laurens Vanthoor. The first eight laps of the race were run under the yellow flag. The GTLM cars are having to carve their way through the GT Daytona traffic. Plan ahead, and choose your spot. Ben Keating has Cooper MacNeil running ahead right now. The closing rates are enormous between the GT Le Mans and GT Daytona cars.
Garcia leads Laurens Vanthoor, Tommy Milner, and the two Fords. Jack Hawksworth is leading Bryan Sellers. The Lexus is struggling, and the Lamborghini is starting to come to life. This race has been turned on it's ear because of the early yellow. Sellers tries the Lexus into Big Bend, and the Diving Turn. #15 goes off strategy. New tires and fuel, for Jack Hawksworth. No debris in the radiators, and a top notch tire change for the Lexus boys. Each of Garcia's last five laps have been consistently in the 52 second range. Vanthoor is about three seconds in-arrears of the Corvette. Now, John Potter is really steaming right along in GT Daytona.
Dominik Baumann has had a great stint, and he will pit, and give way to Kyle Marcelli. Three wide out of Big Bend into the left hander! Are they mad? No. They're just racing really hard. 45 minutes is the minimum drive time in this race. Patrick Long now leads GT Daytona, and he has a half a lap on the field. The California road racing expert, is really, really going for it. Ah. Baumann, Cooper MacNeil, and Sellers, in the lane. All cars change tires. Fuel is in the tank. #63 is fastest out of the lane. Madison Snow will take over the #48 Lamborghini, and now, Alvaro Parente takes the wheel of the Acura #86 from Katherine Legge.
50 laps now done and dusted. #86 was having some trouble, but it is minimal. Lots of early driver changes as this is indeed, a true sprint race. The GTD boys have come in spot on on the drive time, which means they will take two stops. GT Le Mans contenders have not pitted as yet. We're only just getting started. An hour and 51 minutes left now. Richard Westbrook hits the lane in Ford #67. Fuel and a driver change to Ryan Briscoe. Patrick Long is in pit lane, and Christina Nielsen will now take over the car. She will go out for her first race at Lime Rock in a year. Jack Hawksworth is now back into the GTD lead. They are splitting the race into three parts.
Look after the tires. That is the key. Hawksworth has had his 45 minutes in the car. Hawksworth leads Nielsen, Snow, and Gunnar Jeanette. Jeanette has taken over the WeatherTech Ferrari. Laps 42 and 47 saw pit action from the GTD contenders. Madison Snow passes Christina Nielsen into Big Bend. Madison Snow's mom and dad are both race winning drivers themselves, Martin and Melanie Snow. Now, Ryan Briscoe has put the fastest lap for Ford GT #67 in the books. We lost a good 15 minutes from a crash between Lawson Aschenbach in the #93 Acura and Bill Auberlen in BMW #96. Briscoe's tactics for the Ford are now, drive it like you stole it.
Connor De Philippi locks up in the downhill chicane and Patrick Pilet gets a freebie. Now, Briscoe is trying to get a lap back from team mate Dirk Mueller in the sister Ford GT #66. Someone has to be on the phone to Mueller, "let him go. He is on a different strategy." John Edwards pits the #24 BMW M8 GTE. Jesse Krohn takes the car over, and gets new tires and fuel. Mueller is in the lane now. Fuel, tires, and a driver change for #66. Joey Hand is in the car. Now, he wants to race. He's going for his sixth win at Lime Rock Park.
Briscoe lowers his lap times to the low 52 second range. Antonio Garcia's lead has ballooned to seven seconds. Ah. He is into the pit lane, and will change over to Jan Magnussen. Sticker Michelin tires on the car, and fuel goes into the tank. No urgency until Magnussen accelerates, ready to go for it on the speedway. Pit stop time now, too for the #912 Porsche. Earl Bamber, the New Zealander, takes over from Laurens Vanthoor. Everything is under control. Tommy Milner, Patrick Pilet, and Connor De Philippi still need to pit, and all three of those chaps have run best lap times of 51 seconds and change.
Milner is now in the lane, from the lead. Patrick Pilet runs wide at the exit of the diving turn! Yikes! Milner in the lane. Two years ago, Milner and Oliver Gavin gave the Corvette program 100 wins here at Lime Rock. Now, they want 100 wins in the U.S. Gavin is a marathon runner in addition to being a racing driver. Now, the Porsche #911 pits. Patrick Pilet, out, and Nick Tandy, in. All the pit stops have been completed save for Connor De Philippi who is leading. 70 laps completed by the BMW, helped by some yellow. Tire wear is why we saw earlier pit callers than expected. This race has been very consistent.
It's slightly overcast at Lime Rock Park in the Berkshire hills of northwestern Connecticut. The tires are feeling the strain because of the abrasive track surface. The rear tires inparticular, are going to be pasted and pummeled today. Mechanical grip is what drivers will want today. The BMW lads are hoping for a caution flag. Now, Jan Magnussen sweeps right around Connor De Philippi. No fight. But, both these blokes are struggling for grip. Corvette retakes the lead. Earl Bamber resets fast lap at 51.129. We're a ways away from the 50.7 lap record set in 2017 by Antonio Garcia. Lexus has been struggling once again, here at LRP. Gunnar Jeanette has made a pass on Christina Nielsen. Andy Lally is coming fast as well. Nick Tandy, eighth overall, has reset fast lap. Recall that last year, Porsche ran away with this race and won, scoring a 1-2 finish.
Oh dear. The front bonnet on the #911 Porsche is about to fall off! The right hand side of what would be the trunk lid, the boot lid, is loose. Jack Hawksworth is headed for pit lane. Mario Farnbacher will pit. Now, the #911 pit crew will bear bond the lid down on the front of the 911 RSR. Under an hour and 25 minutes to go now, and Hawksworth pits for the second time. Hawksworth is in, and they are staggering the tires. Two tires done and dusted. Fuel goes into the car. Car is off the air jacks, and Hawksworth struggles for grip, but goes back on track. No driver change. Mario Farnbacher will get in on the next stop.
Ryan Briscoe, on worn tires, is gaining on his team mate, and his rivals from Corvette. So, the top eight in each class:
GTLM
1. #3 Magnussen Corvette
2. #912 Bamber Porsche
3. #66 Hand Ford GT
4. #4 Gavin Corvette
5. #24 Krohn BMW
6. #911 Tandy Porsche
7. #25 De Philippi BMW
GTD
1. #48 Snow Lamborghini
2. #63 Jeanette Ferrari
3. #58 Nielsen Porsche
4. #44 Lally Audi
5. #33 Bleekemolen Mercedes
6. #86 Parente Acura
7. #15 Hawksworth Lexus
8. #14 Marcelli Lexus
De Philippi in the lane, handing over to Alexander Sims. Tires and fuel. So, now, we have a situation where De Philippi is losing time. We have heard Sergio Marchionne has been demoted as head of Fiat Chrysler, and Mike Manley will head the company. More about that will come, maybe on a news update and in another blog of yours truly. Now, Alexander Sims is pressing hard to stay on the lead lap, trying to stay ahead of Jan Magnussen who leads Earl Bamber. Jeroen Bleekemolen has his hands full with Alvaro Parente.
Gunnar Jeanette is trying to eke out a gap. Fuel will decide the strategy, not tires. Mercedes and Ferrari will use scrubbed tires. Sticker tires for Porsche. Earl Bamber and Joey Hand are beginning to reel in Jan Magnussen. The leaders have now run 100 laps, 153 miles. Alvaro Parente and Jack Hawksworth battle for sixth in GTD. Kyle Marcelli pits for the first time since lap 47. New tires and fuel. Acura #86, and Corvette #4 are set to pit. It's going to be tight on fuel for the GTD cars. Parente into the lane. Four lightly scrubbed Continental tires go onto the Acura.
How far do you go before making your last pit stop? Track position will be an advantage. You don't have to jump as soon as everyone else does, but Madison Snow now pits the #48 Lamborghini. Bryan Sellers has completed his driving duties, and now, Madison Snow, will keep going. A perfect stop for PMR. Gunnar Jeanette leads GT Daytona, and now, Jan Magnussen pits. He does a 40 lap stint. New Michelin tires, four of them, onto the car. Fuel into the car, just enough for the end. Wow. Just an hour or so of racing remains. Oh dear! Gunnar Jeanette is off the road at turn one, from the lead!
Christina Nielsen brings the #58 Porsche into pit lane. Gunnar Jeanette hits the curb! Oh boy! This is very uncharacteristic for him to lose concentration. He's into pit lane for repairs. He spun 'round on the exit of the corner. No grass in the radiator of the Ferrari. Now, Andy Lally has pitted the #44 Magnus Audi. Fuel, tires, and a driver change to Patrick Long, for the #58 Porsche 911 GT3R. BMW M8 #24 pits. Four tires and fuel for Jesse Krohn. Earl Bamber leads the motor race, and is balked by Andy Lally in the downhill. Bamber is nowhere near passing the Audi, which is very slippery and aerodynamic. 53.6 for Bamber. He's half a second off the leaders. Now, Bamber goeds to the right and passes Lally into West Bend.
Ryan Briscoe pits the #67 Ford, staying in the car. Four sticker Michelin tires. Mario Farnbacher is ready to get into the #15 Lexus RC F GT3. Earl Bamber has understeered off the road! This is just before the No Name straight! Four seconds has evaporated for Earl Bamber! He understeers off at Big Bend. Both the Porsche and the Ford have made just one pit stop and are due a second visit to the lane, soon. Ah. Ford jumps, and is in the lane with 54 minutes to go. Left side tires, fuel, then right side tires. All four tires are changed. Hand does a burnout to the end of the lane, and goes back on track.
Earl Bamber is into pit lane now, too. Nick Tandy is just 32 seconds behind. Left side and right side tires, changed. Some trouble with the right front wheel gun! Oh no! Bamber may have lost this race! They've lost loads of time! He will play catch up. Track position. Tire strategy. Get the pit stops right. Well, the pit stop was botched there. Bamber has dropped down the order. Jan Magnussen is still in the lead of this motor race, and Earl Bamber has now lost nearly a full lap. Bamber's Porsche 911 RSR is understeering into Big Bend with 50 minutes left. Earl Bamber has dropped down a full minute on the leader. Joey Hand turns his fastest lap in the #66 Ford GT.
Bamber, after losing time in the lane, will be steaming. 47 minutes now remain. This race should finish around ten minutes to 6PM Eastern Time, 5PM Central Time. Joey Hand passes, and Nick Tandy is losing time hand over fist with 45 minutes remaining. 45 minutes now remain. Commanding leads for the leaders in both classes. Madison Snow leads GTD. The gap has stabilized between Patrick Long and Andy Lally. Mario Farnbacher wants by Alvaro Parente. Now, the #24 BMW M8 GTE has hit something, with Jesse Krohn at the wheel of it, with damage to the bonnet on the lefthand side. Nick Tandy pits for fuel and tires, his final stop.
The hood pops up on #24 down the Sam Posey straight. Jesse Krohn is giving the BMW some welly, but Joey Hand wants to chase down Jan Magnussen here. Madison Snow has a lead still, over Patrick Long, who is leading Andy Lally, who has some damage to the Audi R8 as well. The bonnet is not staying down on the BMW. GTD leaders have run 127 laps. Nick Tandy resets fast lap at 50.83. Meantime, the #66 Ford GT is screaming around the track, and he's gaining on the Porsche. Ford has ten laps fresher tires, than does the Corvette. Jan Magnussen will be struggling on fuel. Speaking of struggling, Patrick Long is beginning to have some grip and handling issues on turn in and on throttle application. Andy Lally will see the Porsche, as a wounded bird.
Madison Snow leads GT Daytona by 26 seconds. #33 is trying to stay ahead of #48. Lally is coming, and fast. Could there be a slow puncture on the #58 Porsche? Long clobbers the curb into West Bend. Tire strategy. Have something left in the locker at the end of the motor race. Patrick Long is fighting for grip. Long is pushed offline, and Lally is trying, but decides discretion is the better part of valor. Madison Snow ekes out a 27 second lead in GTD, look. Nick Tandy is steaming ahead, trying to get back on the lead lap. He's going for it, trying to catch the Corvette. Joey Hand is second in the race.
Andy Lally goes side by side with the Ford and some argy bargy! The two hit! This is the battle for second in GTD. But, now, Hand is in this fight, too. Will Race Control deem that avoidable contact? Hand has made the inside pass on Lally. Lally can't fight back. Patrick Long will have to try Lally and he makes it stick. Onto No Name Straight, the #58 Porsche is going to struggle a bit. Long can't hold on to Andy Lally through Big Bend. That was an amazing move on Lally's part. There's major tire clag offline. Rubber buildup exists at the chicane and in the esses after Big Bend. Jeroen Bleekemolen wants to stay on the lead lap in the #33 Mercedes AMG GT3. Patrick Long's tires may well be knackered by now.
This is bonkers, and there's still 25 minutes of racing time to go. Nick Tandy is now within four car lengths of getting his lap back from Jan Magnussen. Will Magnussen fight him? Tandy is right with the Corvette. Corvette vs. Porsche. Traffic ahead. Tandy is slower. Joey Hand is four seconds away from the leaders. He has them in his sites. Tandy wants his lap back. Jan Magnussen won't want to fight too hard because he has Joey Hand to be worried about. Tandy shows a nose. He says to Magnussen, "let me go and get me lap back here." Three wide into turn one! Magnussen has to go inside Jeroen Bleekemolen! This racing is amazing!
Joey Hand has moved up, and Joey Hand could be in the pound seats to make a move! Into Big Bend, Alvaro Parente is trying to stay ahead of Gunnar Jeanette, but no. Jeanette takes fifth from Alvaro Parente. Now, Patrick Long goes wide, and his tires are toasted. The Porsche cannot manage it's tires. A slight touch, some argy bargy between Patrick Long and Ryan Briscoe. Pit and put a new set of skins on it, but he'll lose gobs of time. Madison Snow has caught Jeroen Bleekemolen, and Bleekemolen, with less grip, is going to be lapped. How hard does Madison Snow want to try, to lap the Mercedes? Joey Hand has closed up by 1.6 seconds to Magnussen, and Nick Tandy has unlapped himself.
Tandy wants by Ryan Briscoe in the #67 Ford GT. Alvaro Parente has his hands full with Gunnar Jeannette. The gap in GTD is coming down by a second a lap. Patrick Long has to pit before he completely bins the car. No plans for the team to pit. Joey Hand is now within striking distance of Jan Magnussen. What does Magnussen have left in the locker? 15 laps to go. The gap is nothing. 4/10ths of a second. Oh no! At the bottom of the downhill, Jan Magnussen understeers off the road! Joey Hand is gifted the lead! Wow! Coming down the hill, traffic ahead at West Bend, under the bridge, and went off the road at the exit on the marbles, the clag on the outside. Magnussen will be kicking himself.
Madison Snow has gone past Jeroen Bleekemolen in GT Daytona. Push the go button. Just ten minutes remain. Jan Magnussen is not giving up. He is back behind Gunnar Jeanette as Joey Hand has pushed the bye bye button. Into West Bend another time, Magnussen is closing on the Ferrari, making the pass inside. Hand has rocketed away. Jan Magnussen is slowing in lap time. Earl Bamber is coming, fast, because of the lower grip and the clag on the tires of the Corvette. Corvette's chances of winning might be fading. 52.6 for Magnussen, 51.9 for Bamber. Ryan Briscoe is the target for #911, as #912 is passing GT Daytona machines. Bamber is speeding along right now. Bamber makes his move and loses some time trying to get past Alvaro Parente. Another day of what if's for Porsche. 11.1 seconds between Madison Snow and Jeroen Bleekemolen.
Five minutes to go. Tandy is right up on Briscoe's gearbox. Nick Tandy is in full attack mode in the scrum for second spot. Third place battle in GTD. The Ferrari tries to cut back on Alvaro Parente, and he slides through the turn with a dab of opposite lock! Yikes! Alvaro Parente got snookered. Nick Tandy is running right with Ryan Briscoe. Tandy gets a great run off turn seven. He's not close enough. Stop flashing your lights in my face! Tandy pressurizing Briscoe! Earl Bamber is coming! We have had two and a half hours of green flag racing, and three wide through the left hander! Tandy is inside! He's on the right spot for the uphill and he's made the pass!
Our championship leader is down to sixth! Magnussen is losing time to Bamber. There was a touch between Tandy and Briscoe. Joey Hand in the #66 Ford leads the Corvette. White flag is out. One to go. Joey Hand is cruising. He should be fine on fuel. Bamber isn't close enough. Nor is Corvette. Ford wins! Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller win! In GTD, it's Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers, win.
Overall/GT Le Mans: #66 Hand/Mueller Ford GT
GT Daytona: #48 Snow/Sellers Lamborghini Huracan GT3
The next event is at the great, 4 mile speed palace at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, for all three classes in the WeatherTech Championship, coming up in two weeks.
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