Reigning IMSA WeatherTech Champion Felipe Nasr is also active in Formula E, and is a Formula 1 veteran as well. He is leading over Renger van der Zande and earlier leader, Brendon Hartley. Jan Magnussen is really running well, and his son Kevin, of course, is racing in Formula 1 for Haas in the Australian Grand Prix. It's got to be nerve racking as his son goes out to race. Jan Magnussen is still pretty tired after racing yesterday and also today. Ryan Briscoe won this race for Corvette a number of years ago with Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia. The #33 Mercedes is going well, however, the brakes are a little concern, because drivers who are left foot brakers, they tend to use the brakes a lot more with that technique, wearing them down, consistently, compared to right foot braking. Juncos Racing is in the pits for a stop. They are racing in IMSA and on a part-time basis in NTT Data IndyCar, as well as in Indy Lights.
The team is making a shock adjustment, with Rene Binder currently in the car. Trent Hindman leads in the GT Daytona class. MSR is running first and sixth in GTD. The difference between Daytona and here at Sebring, is that Daytona is lit up like a Christmas tree, whereas Sebring is really dark. Plus, it is very rough pavement. One small mistake and you'll hit the wall, as we have seen today. We are getting closer to the end of this race, and yet, it's getting more and more difficult with the darkness. There's no question about that. Great action abounds in GT Daytona. Trent Hindman continues to lead as Spencer Pumpelly in the Lamborghini Huracan GT3. John Potter, Andy Lally, and Spencer Pumpelly are sharing the car. The Lamborghini has a good lineup and they are in with a shout. Renger van der Zande hits pit lane for scheduled service. WTR wants to do the Daytona/Sebring double. They've done it before, back in 2017 and they are going for three in a row in endurance races.
In succession, no one has won Petit Le Mans, the Rolex 24, and the 12 Hours of Sebring. That's never happened before. Potter and Lally have won togethet at Sebring before, but that was not with Spencer Pumpelly, it was with Marco Seefried, the German driver. Side by side stuff, look between Pumpelly, and Toni Vilander. Vilander is quite the driver and quite the character. He has won races in a different championship already. Cooper MacNeil won Ferrari Challenge at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, last weekend. Cooper MacNeil is also a hockey player, and so is Kimi Raikkonen, believe it or not. Trent Hindman is working with his team on fuel strategy as they make a pit stop. Felipe Fraga pitted for fuel and to check brake wear.
Pipo Derani is into the #31 Cadillac again, in case they get rain before the end of the motor race. Will we get rain? That remains to be seen. No compromises. Adjust on the fly with drive times. No driver change for the #5 Cadillac. Just a regular, clean pit stop for fuel and tires. Filipe Albuquerque might just finish this race out. Joao Barbosa is also a good closer. We'll see what happens. "Pipo Dynamo", wants his third Sebring crown in four years. The battles are going to be pretty tasty towards the end of the race.
Cooper MacNeil has had three straight podiums at Sebring, hoping to make it four. Pippo Derani leads by 41 seconds, as Richard Westbrook leads GTLM. Sebastien Bourdais is still in the fight in GTLM along with Philipp Eng, Richard Westbrook, and Sebastien Bourdais. The #63 Ferrari is in the pit lane again. They are doing full service and a driver change from the lead in GT Daytona, putting the #44 Magnus Lamborghini in the lead in class, with Rik Breukers in the #11 GRT Grasser car that won GTD at the Rolex 24. The #9 Porsche of Lars Kern has lost a wheel speed sensor as the #84 Cadillac is off the road as he has no damage. On cold tires, Stephen Simpson made a small error, which he isn't prone to at all.
A small touch from someone turned the Cadillac around. Spencer Pumpelly leads Rik Breukers in GTD. Full Course Yellow, now. This has not been seen for a long time, as Parker Chase in the #8 Starworks Auidi is stopped on course, for only the fourth Full Course Yellow in this motor race. Maybe there was a mechanical problem on the car, as the marshals rescue Chase from his predicament. Nearly ten hours into this race as we rescue Parker Chase. Stephen Simpson got a little nudge from Earl Bamber as he was trying to get under the Mercedes of Maximilian Buhk. The #8 has either a gearbox or a diff malady. The diff is the differential. Pit stop time for DPi cars as some drivers are still on half tanks.
Pipo Derani stays in the car, but Jordan Taylor will switch into the #10 Cadillac. In theory, this will be the final driver change for the WTR team. Pipo Derani keeps his existing tires as cars take the wave around so that Colin Braun in the #54 Nissan and Ricky Taylor in the #7 Acura, get back on the lead lap. Richard Westbrook has obviously been told to fuel save as he had to wait two laps to come to the pit lane per the IMSA rules. Richard Westbrook and company have to beat their rivals from Corvette on the remaining fuel stops, especially with a splash and dash at the end of this motor race.
Richard Westbrook has a gap between himself and the Corvette. Ryan Briscoe gets into the car. The tires are changed and fuel is added. Ryan Briscoe has been out for four and a half hours, and he's ready to roll. Mike Rockenfeller is now in the #3 Corvette. John Edwards is now in the #24 Rahal Letterman Lanigan BMW M8 GT. Give the person the ball who wants it at the end of the game. Poor old Pfaff Motorsports! They have a mechanical issue which will pull them out of contention in GTD.
We are in the first Full Course Yellow in three hours and 42 minutes.
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