It is time, for a street fight for IMSA, in their first sprint race of the year. Race Control is going to let the boys and girls go for it today. No GT Daytona or LMP2 cars here. Only Dpi and GTLM. Jonathan Bomarito in the #55 Mazda crashed and will have to start from the back of the grid. Mazda Motorsports program manager John Doonan, got food for the crew to have sustenance while they repaired the car. Now, the cars are headed onto the track. Acura Team Penske, wants their first win of the year after Helio Castroneves put the Acura on pole. Sebastien Bourdais, will fill in for the ill Joey Hand in the #66 Ford GT. Jordan Taylor went through an appendectomy earlier in the week. He trained and prepared to be comfortable for the race.
Jordan Taylor will only feel pain getting out of the car. Just incredible. This is an hour and 40 minute sprint event. The driver change today, is the most important one of the season, because of the short race duration. Track position for these ladies and gentlemen, is critical. Nail it from the start. It will be go time. No room for error on this day. Cadillac, and the battle between Action Express racing and Wayne Taylor racing, will be the talking point, because those two teams, have won the opening enduros.
Pipo Derani has the pole. Again, no room for mistakes. Yours truly, can't emphasize that enough. Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani, are so quick. They are going to be contenders. In GT Le Mans, Corvette Racing is going for the hat trick of wins here at Long Beach. They've triumphed, but they've also had nightmares in recent years, dealing with wrecks. Corvette came through, last year. Watch for Porsche, too. Porsche has the traction off the corners. Corvette has the spare parts if they get into some argy bargy.
It's a gorgeous day at Long Beach. It's a party atmosphere here at Long Beach. This race, many years ago, was the home of one of two Formula 1 Grand Prix races in the U.S.A. back in the 1970s. Acura Team Penske, wants a win. They've won in NASCAR, IndyCar, and Australian Supercars already. It is a perfect day for racing. It's time for a 100 meter dash. Go for it. Take chances. Be aggressive. This will be a great race as we get opening ceremonies underway. The Star Spangled Banner, has been sung, and now, we are ready to see cars speeding through the streets of Long Beach, and not getting speeding tickets.
19 cars are set to race. Drivers, start your engines! The engines have fired, and we're ready. Drama is a part of this race. On pole, Helio Castroneves for Acura in Dpi, and Nick Tandy, in a battle between the Porsche factory cars. it's a Porsche front row sweep in GT Le Mans. Porsche has had an incredible start to the season. Acura is the title sponsor of this and the IndyCar race tomorrow. 100 minutes to go. Two pit lane closures within 15 minutes after the start and 30 minutes before the end. Jonathan Bomarito clipped the barrier, and made a mistake. Tom Blomqvist will start the #25 BMW M8 GT, and Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen as well as Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, have the Corvettes.
Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet are ready. Mazda #55 has a new monocoque. also, watch out for Jon Bennett and Colin Braun in the #54 Nissan as well as the Cadillac #10. Are you ready? It's go time! Green flag! Let's go! Two Brazilians lead and here comes juan Pablo Monotya, as it's three wide into the braking zone. Montoya has to give up a spot to Tristan Nunez in the Mazda. Castroneves leads as Felipe Nasr gets loose. Cold tires. Be careful for the first few minutes, and poor old Jon Bennett, he's smashed the tire barrier in turn six! This is the spot where Jonathan Bomarito went in yesterday.
Felipe Nasr is flying, trying to catch and pass Helio Castroneves. Tristan Nunez in the Mazda will be monstering that Cadillac, soon. Bomarito spins in turn eight! Yikes! Nick Tandy very nearly slams into the Mazda! Full Course Yellow! Jeepers creepers! Toe in damage on the Nissan, look. Juan Pablo Montoya's reaction to that shemozzle had to be like the line from the movie "The Hangover". "What's happening?!" We said it would be elbows out, and by gosh, it has been. Bennett clipped both walls. There's a disagreement now between Juan Pablo Montoya, and Jordan Taylor.
This is the 45th running of the Long Beach Grand Prix. It is 20 minutes or so, outside L.A. Now, this is a typical, tight street course. 160-175 miles an hour at the fastest portions. Some of the braking zones do give you a good opportunity for passing. At the hairpin, that's crawling speed, before a burst of acceleration down Shoreline Drive. Lights out on the safety car, ready to resume. This long yellow may open a one stop window for diving to pit lane. Green flag again, and Felipe Nasr can't keep up with Helio. Acura leads Cadillac leads Mazda. Bomarito and Taylor had some real argy bargy before. Jordan Taylor is fighting, post surgery after his emergency appendectomy. His left side hurts most.
Felipe Nasr moves to the lead and Tristan Nunez is flying at the moment. He's all over Nasr like el cheapo suito there. Trouble for Helio Castroneves for some reason as the Cadillac's of Simon Trummer and Misha Goikhberg are battling. Jordan Taylor gets a drive through penalty from the stewards for passing under a local yellow. That was a mistake. Helio Castroneves may have accidentally hit the pit lane speed limiter and that's what slowed him down. In replay, Jon Bennett had spun, and Jordan Taylor ignored the yellow flag.
In GTLM, Porsche runs 1-2 with Nick Tandy leading Laurens Vanthoor. How far on fuel will the GTLM cars go? 55 minutes for Corvette... and the two BMW's might be able to leapfrog their competition. You don't want to go down a lap from a pit stop as Jordan Taylor takes his penalty. IMSA marshals did not explain the penalty to the team, right behind Ryan Briscoe at the tail of GTLM in the #67 Ford GT. Close racing in GTLM as they round the fountain turn another time. Pit action for Mazda as well. #55 is in the lane.
Felipe Nasr, the Brazilian, has rocketed away from everyone else, 2.5 seconds to the good over the Mazda. Jonathan Bomarito now at the wheel, after his scheduled pit stop. The monocoque and the steering rack, were cracked after the accident. Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor are pressing on but Vanthoor is having vibration issues on the car as they have returned to their traditional red, white, and black livery. They have a fast driver change time of 11-12 seconds down. The Ford GT boys have a slower driver change time.
The height of the roof and the amount of space a door can swing open, will affect how the driver changes work. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner are looking for three wins in a row. Sebastien Bourdais is a last minute substitute. Joey Hand and his son, Chase, have both been sick. So, he could not race in his local event. The worst feeling for a driver is seeing someone else, sitting in your seat. Harry Tincknell has taken the Mazda over from Jonathan Bomarito. Mazda has 300 people watching this race, as their U.S. headquarters is in Irvine, California, not too far away. Oliver Jarvis and John Doonan, visited the Gurney family, presenting a painting of their car and the Gurney Toyota Eagle, to Dan Gurney's widow, Evy.
Castroneves is closing in on Nunez, look. He's closing in hand over fist. Nasr has a four second cushion over everyone else in the top five. Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor, still have control in GTLM for Porsche. Ford into the pit lane for service. Time for the all important driver change. It is an efficient, and quick stop. Cadillac has been chasing, and has passed one of the Corvette's. Trouble again for Mazda #55 with Harry Tincknell at the wheel of it, before the yellow flag came out. Sebastien Bourdais got out of the car and handed the car to Dirk Mueller. Mueller will move ahead of his competition. Bourdais just finished IndyCar qualifying, and jumped right into the Ford. The braking is easier on a sports car than it is on an IndyCar.
Pits are open now, for the Prototypes, before the GTLM cars come in. The crews are going to earn their money, now. All kinds of pressure. Everyone in pit lane at the same time. Oliver Jarvis will change into the #77 Mazda. Ricky Taylor changes into the #7, and Pipo Derani in the #31 Cadillac. Trouble for the right front wheel! There was a loose right front tire. They have to come back to the lane, and now, he has three wheels on his wagon. Oh no! You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel. Execution, execution. He will be dragging the splitter on the street, and that's going to be a bear for them. Oliver Jarvis in the #77 Mazda, is now in the pound seats.
Pit stop time now for GTLM teams. Driver changes are set to be executed. Dirk Mueller is now in the #66 Ford. Patrick Pilet, and Earl Bamber are taking over the two Porsche's. #911 beats the #912 and the #3 beats the #4. The BMW M8 pits and Pipo Derani now has a new wheel. They were in control, and there's a rear right tire issue now too, for the #24 BMW M8 GT! Pressure, causing multiple errors in this flat out sprint of a sports car race on the streets of Long Beach! Jesse Krohn was at the wheel of the BMW. Kyle Kaiser, on a different strategy in the #50 Juncos Cadillac leads, but not now.
Oliver Jarvis is all over Kaiser, going for the lead of this motor race. Dane Cameron tries Ricky Taylor through turn nine, and they nearly touch! Filipe Albuquerque sneaks past Stephen Simpson. The GTLM lead battle is hot and heavy. Ford vs. Porsche vs. Corvette. The #31 Cadillac is clawing his way back up, and Pipo Derani backs up the Porsche's as they nearly run into each other, and the Corvette's are bumping and boring, and this allows Dirk Mueller to open a gap, widening his margin. A drive through penalty for #31! Game over! When you come to the lane, you can't do anything but emergency service. They fueled the car, but they came in with the GTLM cars.
Trouble too for Renger van der Azande! He has slammed the wall. Game over! This week has been horrible for WTR! Both the championship leaders are having nightmare races! van der Zande, turn nine... smash! They dominated this race three years in a row, and now, they're out of it. He went super deep into the turn, and... boom! With the clag on the outside of the road, it is like hitting ice. He wheel hopped into the turn and slammed the wall. Game over. Kyle Kaiser, for Juncos, leads, but now, Oliver Jarvis in the Mazda, will assume the lead ahead of the Acura's and the JDC-Miller "banana boat" Cadillac.
Action Express, they will regroup for the next event. This race is a pressure cooker. Pipo Derani, though, has set fastest lap, and he could still be in with a shout, as Kyle Kaiser continues to lead in the #50 Juncos Racing Cadillac. The action continues hot and heavy in GTLM. This race has been fast and frantic the whole time. Ooh! Near miss there for the Ford! Some argy bargy between Dir Mueller and the Porsche! No love lost between Ford and Porsche, and now, Jan Magnussen and Tommy Milner are getting into this scrap, too. Ford is in the pound seats at the moment.
This is a mega street fight in GTLM at the moment. Mueller has moved ahead four places and Bamber is catching Mueller. An acceleration issue for the Ford as there was nearly contact between Patrick Pilet and Jan Magnussen. Yikes! This scrap hasn't quit by any stretch as we have just over 40 minutes to go as the pit window is open for Prototypes. Pipo Derani pitted and now, Filipe Albuquerques will, too. Juncos in the lane now. Kyle Kaiser, 2017 Indy Lights champion, has done extremely well. Will Owen will finish the race. Oliver Jarvis is in the danger zone, as he has two Penske Acura Dpi's bearing down on him. Dane Cameron is side by side with Helio Castroneves.
The cadillac has the grunt with the V8 over the 4 cylinder Mazda and the V6 Acura. Dane Cameron tags the back of his team mate and here comes Stephen Simpson in the #84 JDC-Miller Cadillac, the "banana boat". Stephen Simpson, and his wife had a baby, recently, who is now just a month old. Now, Will Owen is in a rhythm, and the #77 Mazda, they are looking at the clock, and they might just be in the window to make a splash and a dash before this race is over. Into the pit lane, #6 Acura, with Dane Cameron sharing with Juan Pablo Montoya.
Tires on the car. These two are still looking for their first win. Earl Bamber leads Dirk Mueller in GTLM right now. Left side tires only, for Dane Cameron. Two different tire scenarios for Penske as Jan Magnussen is all over Patrick Pilet. dane Cameron has warmer tires than Ricky Taylor. He can't get the power down without sliding the car. Taylor slams the door in his face. Oliver Jarvis pits and is back on track, again, on cold tires. This is going to be a nail biter! Ricky Taylor and Dane Cameron have passed the Mazda!
Just 34 minutes to go. Dane Cameron still has the advantage, but, actually, no. Filipe Albuquerque and Joao Barbosa, who won last year here at Long Beach, they might be in contention for another win as they are now leading this motor race. This is the first time for DPi cars, on the streets of Long Beach with the Michelin tires. Albuquerque's lead is trimmed to only 3.2 seconds. Albuquerque has the two Acura's and this race is not done yet. Porsche and Corvette continue their leading scrum in GTLM. Ah. Check that. That's the battle for third. Patrick Pilet vs. Jan Magnussen. Ricky Taylor is closing on Filipe Albuquerque. Only 2.4 seconds separate the two of them. It is Action Express vs. Team Penske.
It is less than a second separating the leaders as Jan Magnussen squeezes Patrick Pilet before Jan Magnussen gets into the back of the Porsche! No real damage. 4/10ths of a second now between Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor. Bamber and the Porsche have a flat tire! Oh dear! Dirk Mueller hit his pit lane speed limiter at turn eleven and there was some argy bargy as the diffuser is busted on the back of the Porsche! Dear me! Ricky Taylor is right on the Cadillac's gearbox. Albuquerque is going to have to push with 20 minutes to go!
Albuquerque had a deflating tire, and the corvette hits Ricky Taylor! That was a close shave! Wow! There has only ever been one race win for Acura, and that was Mid Ohio last year. Albuquerque and Barbosa have other plans. This is amazing. Tommy Milner is fighting with all he has to hold off Richard Westbrook. Top five for Stephen Simpson in the #85 JDC-Miller Cadillac. Taylor is all over the Mustang Sampling Cadillac. Out of the fountain turn again, and this race is still filled with drama.
Penske Acura are coming in a hurry! Both Acura's clear one of the Team RLL BMW M8's. The 1991 IMSA GTO season, and the Mazda RX7, won the driver's and makes championship in IMSA GTO with Pete Halsmer at the wheel. He won the title that year, with the screaming Mazda rotary engine in that car. Under 14 minutes to go now. Ricky Taylor is still 1 and 1/4 seconds behind the leader. Less than 13 minutes to go. Porsche is leading in GTLM right now, leapfrogging their team mate and Dirk Mueller in the #66 Ford GT.
Mueller will get a road going Ford GT to drive himself on the street. Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia have learned to compromise on the car setup. Again, Magnussen is pushing, pushing, pushing. The lead gap is closing, look. This will be a grandstand finish. Ricky Taylor is really pressing albuquerque now. It is now or never for Ricky Taylor. The tires are fading for Filipe Albuquerque. He is the shark. Albuquerque is the minnow. Stop, turn, and get off the corner. Taylor is closing. We've seen these two blokes race each other before.
Taylor wants it. It's the Acura sponsored race, and the Penske Acura has had a nearly one year drought. They have just one win to their credit. earl Bamber is hanging tough in GTLM. Ricky taylor cannot get close enough to the Cadillac. He tries into the braking zone. Oh no! Will Owen, nose first into the tire barrier! This could be a yellow. This is just like the Nissan shunt earlier with Jon Bennett. The car, is stuffed into the wall with a stalled motor. Derani moves on Owen, and... boom! He's into the tires, hard. But, he's moving again. The race is still on for the win.
Both cars have been told to save fuel. Slower is faster? Maybe. Can Ricky Taylor get the slingshot? The Cadillac is the perfect DPi car. They have won a lot of races here at Long Beach. Albuquerque's rear tires must be begging for mercy. No further action on the Will Owen kerfuffle. Now, taylor is diving inside as Albuquerque defends. We have about two or three laps to run. Will Ricky Taylor go for it? The BMW is blocking the Cadillac, but now, the BMW snookers Taylor just for a second. Connor De Philippi lets both of them go. Two laps to go. Taylor is going to push hard to try to gain ground.
Dane Cameron is also in this fight. Earl Bamber leads GTLM by 2.3 seconds. Ricky Taylor is all over Albuquerque. He has to pounce, now, with GTLM traffic ahead, Porsche and Ford. Taylor is trapped behind the Porsche. Albuquerque can stretch his lead. Final time on the backstretch. We can't give the race to anyone yet. Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque win at Long Beach!
Dirk Mueller is racing to the corvette. Who will win GTLM? Bamber is going, and Jan Magnussen taps Dirk Mueller, crunching the Ford GT! Magnussen's radiator is busted! Porsche wins! Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy! Its a Corvette Racing 2-3, and Dirk Mueller is spun, dazed, and the #67 Ford GT is parked!
Back to back wins for AXR at Long Beach! The Ford just stopped, and then, into the turn... crunch! He didn't accelerate! What a bear for the Ford boys. Barbosa and Albuquerque, are three points within striking distance of the lead in the championship!
Overall/DPi: #5 Barbosa/Albuquerque Cadillac Dpi-V.R
GT Le Mans: #911 Bamber/Tandy Porsche 911 RSR
What a street fight at Long Beach! The next event, is another sprint round, at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, another legendary natural terrain road course, coming up in about three weeks. But, it is back to back wins for Felipe Albuquerque and Joao Barbosa! Cadillac, undefeated in 2019 so far! Wow! We'll see you, next time out, at Mid Ohio.
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