It is time for the final race of the 2018 Intercontinental GT Challenge, the California 8 Hours at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. For the second straight year, the Intercontinental GT Challenge will determine champions on the Monterey Peninsula. We have multiple classes, and a huge field. Five classes are running, believe it or not. The grip is not very available in the cool weather here at Laguna Seca. Tire performance will be key. 33 cars will start. At the wheel, will I divebomb a slower car into The Corkscrew?
We have the top drivers here. The talent in the field is stacked. On the pole position, is the #29 Land Motorsport Audi R8 of Christopher Mies, Kelvin van der Linde, and Christopher Haase. Raffaele Marciello is tied for the championship lead in this, the finale of the season. Strakka Racing is going for the manufacturers title for Mercedes. Kenny Habul is going for the Rookie of the Yesr title. Some teams are running their first endurance races, with endurance drivers. The track is low grip and very dusty. Team Panoz is racing for a trophy but also for the memory of Dr. Don Panoz. The IGTC is now on its fourth continent.
The grid is clear. We are set to race. The command is given, drivers, start your engines! Two formation laps before Old Glory waves to send the drivers and cars on their journey. We are set for a start. Points protagonists in the drivers and manufacturers cups are ready. We will find out who is thinking the big picture, and who is going for it when the red mist comes down. Here we go. The flag drops, and we are racing. Van der Linde is leading and everyone is clean so far into the third turn.
Some slight argy bargh in the midfield, The #54 black Swan Porsche of Tim Pappas is passed by Tristan Vautier, plunging through the Corkscrew for the first time. Tim Pappas is the Bronze driver. Any driver needs to drive for 90 minutes. Here comes the GT4 battle. Drew Stavely in the Ginetta leads. Kelvin van der Linde leads by 1.3 seconds, as Robin Finns is pressing Raffaele Marciello. Low grip in the infield, and watch for the sand. Turn the wheel a long way to get the car to bite as you drop ten stories from The Corkscrew to Rainey Curve.
Stuart Leonard is battling Tristan Vautier. Tim Pappas in the Black Swan Porsche is going for it S the PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4 has a driveline issue with Jade Buford at the wheel of it. Vautier is still going for it. The rules allow ten minutes for repairs, and then they have to go the garage. Kelvin van der Linde sets fast lap at 1:24.023. The cool weather makes engine power and grip of the Pirelli P Zero tires peak, at this time.
Drew Staveley continues leading GT4, aboard the #12 Ginetta G55 he shares with Frank Gannett, and Ian Lacey. We watch the sole Ferrari in the field. It has taken eight laps for the leader to catch up to the TCR and GT4 machines. Robin Frijns is now three seconds behind Van der Linde. He’s losing the gap to the leaders, but needs to be patient. Frijns is trying to put Raffaele Marciello under pressure. Raffaele Marciello is indeed passed by Frijns, as we get into the rhythm of this race. Three totally different drivers will all behave differently. With the hillside, have any teams used spotters to watch? That would be a good idea.
Adrien Tambay is pressurizing Stuart Leonard and he also got parked by Luca Stolz. The AKKA ASP drivers have been separated for this race. Anxious crew members looking on. Be prepared, if you are a slower car, to be passed by a GT3 car. Luca Stolz Leads Pro Am over David Fumanelli, Brandon Gdovic, and ofhers. Fumanelli in the #42 Strakka Racing Mercedes AMG GT3, the lead car on their three car squad, is sharing with Nick Leventis and Felipe Fraga, the Frenchman, and the Brazilian, sharing with the Italian.
The lead scrap is heating up as Kelvin van der Linde is being hounded by Raffaele Marciello. Marciello can run a wider line. The Audi is good on tires, and the Mercedes is even better. The car has very good compliance on the road. Christopher Mies, Haase’s co-driver humorously said he is too old and too slow to qualify. Raffaele Marciello moves past the Audi another time. Check that, it is the Lamborghini with Brandon Gdovic at the wheel of it. Marciello got caught behind a GT4 Audi. The blokes in GT4 get shocked by the GT3 boys. The Pro rated drivers are responsible to avoid argy bargy with slower cars.
Mark Wilkins leads the sister Hyundai I30N of Colton Herta, who is racing with his dad, Bryan Herta, the first pro race for Bryan Herta in a decade. There is a large gap between Robin Frijns and Tristan Vautier, who has made a pass on Stuart Leonard. Drew Staveley continues to lead GT4 with the Ginetta. Incidentally, the third driver for BHA with Bryan and Colton Herta, is George Kurtz. The sister #99 Hyundai is being shared by Mason Filippi, Michael Lewis, and Mark Wilkins.
The lead scrum is still red hot. Marciello is 3/10ths behind van der Linde and he runs wide! It’s cut and thrust on the road here. Things are pretty spicy, at the moment. No opportunity for an overtake as they lap by the GT4 Audi of James Sofronas. Luca Stolz is following the sister SunEnergy1 Mercedes of Tristan Vautier. He is falling behind Robin Frijns, scrapping through traffic. Hopes are for an even ebb and flow through traffic, but be careful and be patient. The factory Bentley is running very well. Three Bentley’s are running eighth, tenth, and eleventh. Two factory cars and the K-PAX year old Bentley Continental GT3. The Panoz Avezzano lets the leaders through.
Alvaro Parente in the dark green Bentley is outpacing the factory car of Jordan Pepper right now. Dirk Werner in the #911 Porsche 911 GT3R for Wright Motorsports. The scenery in the Monterey Peninsula and around Big Sur is just gorgeous. Dirk Werner moves past Alvaro Parente, look. Is Alvaro conserving the tires? Yes. Bentley is being really cautious. The Porsche 911 has extra bite because of the rear engine design. The #91 Reardon Racing Audi R8 GT4. Drew Staveley is being chased by the Aston Martin of Charles Espenlaub, the Aston Martin GT4 V8, has the legs on the Ginetta. The Ginetta is a Ford V6 powered boutique car. The Panoz is special, honoring Dr. Don Panoz’s legacy. “For The Fans” was his mantra. The Panoz Avezzano was introduced last year, and they have been really good in Pirelli World Challenge. Preston Calvert sharing with Matt Keegan, and Ian James.
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