Endurance... the sports car racing blog: September 2019

Monday, September 30, 2019

Kyalami 9 Hours news

Quite a few stories coming out, from Intercontinental GT Challenge RE: the Kyalami 9 Hours, the final event of the 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge, and the renewal of a classic sports car endurance race.

Sheldon van der Linde Set for Kyalami 9H in Schnitzer BMW
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/sheldon-van-der-linde-set-for-kyalami-9h-in-schnitzer-bmw/

GPX to Field Porsche in Kyalami 9H
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/gpx-ebm-set-to-field-porsches-for-kyalami-9h/

GPX to Run Spa Winners at Kyalami, Porsche Splits Lineups
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/gpx-to-run-spa-winners-at-kyalami-porsche-splits-full-season-trios/

R-Motorsports Reveals Kyalami Lineup; Ahmed to Debut
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/r-motosport-reveals-kyalami-lineup-ahmed-to-debut/

Audi Retains Lineups in WRT, Land Entries for Kyalami 9H
https://sportscar365.com/sro/igtc/audi-retains-lineups-in-wrt-land-entries-for-kyalami-9h/

Sunday, September 29, 2019

more FIA WEC news

More stories from the FIA WEC in preparation for the race in Fuji, Japan, next weekend.

Keating Praises Pro-Am Class Structure of WEC
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/keating-praises-pro-am-class-structure-of-wec/

Claes: Hypercar a “Complex Question” for Dallara
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/claes-hypercar-a-complex-question-for-dallara/

Rebellion Unveils New Livery
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/rebellion-unveils-new-livery/

50th Oreca 07 LMP2 Car Delivered
https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/50th-oreca-07-lmp2-car-delivered/

Saturday, September 28, 2019

GT2 Sports Club debut race

This weekend, at the Blancpain GT Europe season finale in Barcelona, is also the debut of the GT2 Sports Club. Here are some stories being followed for their debut event.

Audi to Make Race Debut as Only GT2 Car at Barcelona
https://sportscar365.com/sro/gt2-sports-club/audi-to-make-race-debut-as-only-gt2-car-at-barcelona/

Sofronas: Both GT2 Cars "Very Capable" for Bronze Drivers
https://sportscar365.com/sro/gt2-sports-club/sofronas-both-gt2-cars-very-capable-for-bronze-drivers/

European GT2 Cars to Run in Standalone Sports Club Series

https://sportscar365.com/sro/gt2-sports-club/european-gt2-cars-to-run-in-standalone-sports-club-series/

Friday, September 27, 2019

Juncos Racing Returns at Motul Petit Le Mans with Strong Driver Lineup In No. 50 Cadillac DPi

Spencer Pigot, will join Will Owen and René Binder in the #50 Juncos Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R.

https://www.imsa.com/news/092019/juncos-racing-returns-motul-petit-le-mans-strong-driver-lineup-no-50-cadillac-dpi

Thursday, September 26, 2019

IMSA stories (continued)

Continuing with news from the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship as we draw nearer and nearer to the season finale, the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

Championship Scenarios Come Into Focus for Petit Le Mans

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/championship-scenarios-come-into-focus-heading-to-petit-le-mans/

Pfaff Set for GTD Return if Robichon Remains Silver
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/pfaff-set-for-2020-return-if-robichon-remains-silver/

AIM Vasser Sullivan Aiming High
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/aim-vasser-sullivan-aiming-high/

Pigot Completes Juncos Lineup for Petit Le Mans
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/pigot-joins-juncos-for-petit-le-mans/

Michelin Looking for “Continued Evolution’ Heading Into 2020
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/michelin-looking-for-continued-evolution-into-2020/

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Less Than Three Weeks Remain Before Season-Ending Motul Petit Le Mans

In less than three weeks, IMSA's dramatic 2019 season will reach it's climax with the finale of the series and the Michelin Endurance Cup, a road racing classic, the 1,000 mile Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, set for October 10th-12th.

https://www.imsa.com/news/092019/less-three-weeks-remain-season-ending-motul-petit-le-mans

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

more IMSA headlines

Continuing to highlight and examine headlines from IMSA in preparation for the 2019 season finale and the finale of the Michelin Endurance Cup, the ten hour Petit Le Mans, which sees permutations of a championship fight between Acura Team Penske and the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac for Action Express Racing, when that event occurs, as it is scheduled for October 10-12.

Nasr’s new IMSA deal doesn’t close IndyCar door
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/nasr-indycar-action-express-2020/4543673/?nrt=207

As has already been highlighted from other sources, current IMSA President Scott Atherton is set to retire after the Petit Le Mans.

IMSA president Atherton to retire at year’s end
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/imsa-president-scott-atherton-retire/4543997/?nrt=207

Atherton: Grand-Am/ALMS merger my biggest achievement

https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/atherton-grandam-alms-merger-achievement/4544352/?nrt=207

Chase to race for AIM Vasser Sullivan at Petit Le Mans
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/chase-aim-vasser-sullivan-lexus/4544928/?nrt=207

Audi to Make Race Debut as Only GT2 Car at Barcelona

James Sofronas’ WRT Audi to be only GT2 car in GT Sports Club at Barcelona…

https://sportscar365.com/sro/gt2-sports-club/audi-to-make-race-debut-as-only-gt2-car-at-barcelona/

Monday, September 23, 2019

Blancpain GT America updates

Yours truly has been very busy as of late, and has not had a chance yet, to write about the more recent Blancpain GT America races from Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and now Road America, this past weekend. Those races will be updated, and reported on. Do look for them, but time needs to be found in order to blog about them, first. So, stay tuned. There will be reports on these races, I assure you.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

FIA WEC news (continued)

Saturday, September 21, 2019

more about IMSA President Scott Atherton’s retirement

More to add to the story, from the official website, about IMSA President Scott Atherton’s retirement after the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

https://www.imsa.com/news/092019/imsa-president-scott-atherton-retire-2019

Friday, September 20, 2019

4 Hours of Silverstone Race Highlights (52 minute report)

The 52 minute highlights program of the opening race of the 2019-2020 FIA WEC season, the 4 Hours of Silverstone. Could not post the video link itself, but it is posted on Sportscar365.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/silverstone-race-replay-2/

more IMSA news

Still more news, including something expected, yet unexpected, as IMSA President Scott Atherton, will retire after the season ends with the Petit Le Mans.

IMSA’s Knotts Keeping Pit Lane Safe
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/imsas-knotts-keeping-pit-lane-safe/

DragonSpeed Planning Rolex 24, Sebring LMP2 Efforts
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/dragonspeed-planning-rolex-24-sebring-lmp2-efforts/

Hyundai N Lineups to Provide “More Opportunities” for Racing

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/growing-hyundai-n-lineup-to-provide-more-opportunities-for-racing/

Chase Joins AVS Autosport for Petit Le Mans
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/chase-joins-avs-autosport-for-petit-le-mans/

Starworks to Forgo Petit Le Mans in Wake of Chase Departure
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/starworks-to-forgo-petit-le-mans-in-wake-of-chase-departure/

IMSA President Scott Atherton Announces Retirement
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/atherton-announces-retirement/

Atherton on Retirement: “It’s Been A Long Time Coming”
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/atherton-on-retirement-its-been-a-long-time-coming/

Thursday, September 19, 2019

recapping IMSA action at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca & The Monterey Sports Car Championship

Recapping the entire race weekend from the penultimate event of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

Pre-Race news:

RLLR BMW Le Mans entry "hasn't been discussed"
https://www.motorsport.com/lemans/news/BMW-RLL-Le-Mans-unlikely/4537391/

Mazda's IMSA streak a result of "relentless effort"
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/mazda-streak-holt-multimatic-jarvis/4518320/

Nasr, Derani remain at AXR IMSA squad for 2020
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/nasr-derani-action-express-2020/4538746/?nrt=207

Aston Martin is not as interested in getting involved with IMSA as they once were.

Aston Martin: IMSA has "moved down the priority list"
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/aston-martin-priority-gaw-hypercar/4538156/?nrt=207

Practice Reports & more news.

Mazda leads but Cadillac's are closer
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/laguna-seca-mazda-leads-FP1/4540965/?nrt=207

Laguna Seca IMSA: Montoya edges Derani in second practice
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/laguna-seca-imsa-montoya-edges-derani/4541002/?nrt=207

Laguna Seca IMSA: Taylor heads Acura 1-2 in FP3
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/laguna-seca-taylor-penske-acura/4541439/?nrt=207

Qualifying Report:

Laguna Seca IMSA: Taylor leads Montoya in Acura 1-2
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/Acuras-dominate-qualifying-laguna-seca/4541582/?nrt=207

Race Report:

Laguna Seca IMSA: Acura's score 1-2, Ford wins GTLM
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/Acuras-dominate-qualifying-laguna-seca/4541582/?nrt=207

Post-Race news:

Acura's still "in a different race", says Wayne Taylor
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/acura-different-race-cadillac-wtr/4542433/?nrt=207

Hand: Ford went from "worst car we've ever had here to the best"
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/hand-muller-ford-win-laguna/4542504/?nrt=207

Montoya, Cameron feel "big relief" at points advantage
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/montoya-cameron-relief-points-lead/4542584/?nrt=207

You've heard about and seen this news from other sources, but, it has been revealed Porsche's GTLM factory team is set to run a throwback Coca Cola livery for the Petit Le Mans.

Porsche to run Coca-Cola livery at Petit Le Mans
https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/porsche-coca-cola-petit-akin/4542997/?nrt=207

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

IMSA Throwback: 2004 New England Grand Prix at Lomé Rock

Another IMSA Throwback to the 2004 American Le Mans Series New England Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. SPEED Channel has the coverage, anchored by Leigh Diffey and Dorsey Schroeder in the broadcast booth, and Calvin Fish and Brian Till in the pit lane.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Porsche, Coca Cola Reunited For Petit Le Mans

This video speaks for itself. Enjoy.

more IMSA headlines

More stories from the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, via Sportscar365.

GTD Teams Support Long Beach Addition
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/gtd-teams-support-long-beach-addition/

The latest Double Stint Podcast.

Double Stint: Laguna Seca Recap; Bryan Sellers Interview (9-17-19)
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/double-stint-hungaroring-recap-bryan-sellers-interview/

Porsche Unveils Coca-Cola Tribute Livery for Petit Le Mans
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/porsche-unveils-coca-cola-retro-liveries-for-petit-le-mans/

Monday, September 16, 2019

IMSA Monterey Sports Car Championship | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | 9/15/19 | Motorsports on NBC

NBC Sports highlights of yesterday's Monterey Sports Car Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Leigh Diffey, Calvin Fish and A.J. Allmendinger call the action from the booth, and in the pit lane, Kevin Lee and Jon Beekhuis.

post-race news after Laguna Seca

All of the post-race headlines after the IMSA race at Laguna Seca Raceway yesterday.

Ford Takes Laguna GTLM Win; Robichon Wins Sprint Cup
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/ford-takes-laguna-gtlm-victory-robichon-wins-sprint-cup/

Acura Team Penske Dominates Laguna Seca
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/acura-team-penske-dominates-laguna-seca/

Laguna Seca Race Highlights
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/laguna-seca-race-highlights-2/

Robichon “Couldn’t Have Dreamed” of Winning Sprint Title

https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/robichon-couldnt-have-dreamed-of-winning-sprint-cup-title/

Montoya: Laguna Win, Extending Points Lead “A Big Relief”
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/montoya-laguna-win-extending-points-lead-a-big-relief/

Corvette “Got the Most” it Could From Alternate Strategy
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/corvette-got-the-most-it-could-from-alternate-strategy/

Hindman: Laguna Struggles Came at “Inopportune Time”
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/hindman-laguna-struggles-came-at-inopportune-time/

Laguna Seca Post-Race Notebook
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/laguna-seca-post-race-notebook-3/

British F3 Racer Hoggard Wins Sunoco Rolex 24 Prize Drive
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/british-f3-racer-hoggard-wins-sunoco-rolex-24-drive/

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Winner & Highlights of the IMSA Monterey Sports Car Championship

We are underway at Laguna Seca and the action is hot and heavy on the first lap. People are making moves already in this 2 hour and 40 minute race. Leading the way, Ricky Taylor in the #7 Penske Acura chased early on by his team mate Juan Pablo Montoya. Acura are followed by the first of the cadillac's, and Jon Bennett gets barged by Simon Trummer, look. In GT Le Mans, we have a battle for position between Porsche and Ford. Ryan Briscoe is chasing one of the Porsche's, and the BMW M8's are in this scrap too. Nick Tandy has been making up places over the cORVETTE. Tandy and team mate Patrick Pilet have to get past their team mates Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor. Corey Lewis leads Trent Hindman in the GT Daytona class at this moment.

Zachary Robichon in the GTD class, is hoping to win the WeatherTech Sprint Cup. Manage your tires. Check your pit strategy, and make decisive moves. Don't tiptoe around. Just go for it. Penske leads at this moment. It's racing sports cars on a Sunday afternoon in Calfiornia. We've still got a major hammer and tongs battle in GTLM. Porsche vs. Corvette vs. Ford. GTD sees Acura leading Audi and Porsche at the moment. They plunge back down through the Corkscrew another time, the most iconic corner on this circuit. This legendary circuit is the perfect venue, and there is one more round to race after this one. You will find out more about that at the end of this race report.

Names like Andretti, Rahal, and Rainey, are recognized here at Laguna Seca. There was a big wreck at the top of the Corkscrew in the Michelin Pilot Challenge event, yesterday. Patrick Lindsey had a huge crash yesterday. Lindsey and company had to withdraw the car and he wanted to be in this one. Cooper MacNeil is all over the #86 Acura like the proverbial el cheapo suits. Taylor and Montoya continue to lead this motor race. MacNeil and Toni Vilander won GTD last time out at Virginia International Raceway.

Zachary Robichon is just a point ahead of Mario Farnbacher for the GTD Sprint Cup title. This is Team Penske's 200th sports car start. MacNeil dives past Hindman on the outside. Can he chase down Corey Lewis? Zacharie Robichon gets the space to make a pass on Trent Hindman. Robby Foley is being harried by Matt Plumb, in a battle in GTD. Matt Plumb has his hands full trying to pass the BMW, Robby Foley at the wheel of it. McLaren ends their 2019 campaign today and won't race the finale at Petit Le Mans.

Jesse Krohn in the black liveried #24 BMW M8 GT he shares with John Edwards. They want this special paint scheme, to win, and the sister car of Tom Blomqvist follows. This is Blomqvist's first time at Laguna, and, look, Krohn hits a switch by mistake and shuts the car off. Meanwhile, Ricky Taylor is feeling the heat from Juan Pablo Montoya. Acura have the advantage, as the track conditions are working in their favor. Juan Pablo Montoya is watching his 14 year old son Sebastian race in Europe and also advising a Formula 1 team, the team formerly known as Force India.
Jonathan Bomarito is in hot pursuit of Filipe Albuquerque. Mazda have won the last three Dpi races in a row.

Tire degradation is beginning to rear its head, half an hour into the race. Sports car legend Scott Pruett is here, as grand marshal. Pit stop time for the #31 Action Express cadillac. Acura #6 in the lane for service as well. No driver change for #31. Dane Cameron in for the #6 Acura. Joao Barbosa also makes a pit stop. Ricky Taylor also does the undercut. Mazda #55 pits. So many different, eclectic power plants between the cars. Turbo and non turbo. 4 cylinder, 6 cylinder, 8 cylinder. Watch out for cold tires. No tire warmers in IMSA like in Formula 1 or FIA WEC. Frankie Montecalvo and Townsend Bell did well in the morning warmup, but they've struggled a bit between the other cars in GTD.

The Ford/Porsche battle in GT Le Mans is heating up and trouble for JDC-Miller, the #84 Cadillac in the hands of Simon Trummer. He's slow downhill between the Corkscrew and Rainey Curve. CORE is in the lane with Nissan #54. This is their next to last Dpi race as they will not be back next year. Jon Bennett, team owner, and driver, is retiring. Dirk Mueller and the Ford GT #66 still lead GTLM as Mazda pit the #77.

Ford #67 is in the pit lane now. The cycle continues. Mazda was a title partner at Laguna Seca for 17 years. They spun out of the lead, last year. They've got work to do. Ryan Briscoe spun off turn 11 right behind Laurens Vanthoor. He hit the curb and looped the car. Cooper MacNeil is having the blowtorch applied by Zacharie Robichon in the #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R. Ferrari vs. Porsche. #912 is in the lane from the GTLM lead. Laurens Vanthoor has handed over the car to Earl Bamber.

Ford #66 in the lane from the GTLM lead. Dirk Mueller out, Joey Hand in. We do not know what will happen for Chip Ganassi Racing in sports car racing next year because of Ford withdrawing their factory team. Their four drivers, Ryan Briscoe, Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller, and Richard Westbrook.
Jack Hawksworth will be back at Lexus next year. Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr will be back at Action Express next year. Toni Vilander is now in the #63 Ferrari as Joey Hand goes past the #4 Corvette. Joey Hand vs. Tommy Milner. Tom Blomqvist hands the #25 BMW M8 GT to Connor De Philippi. Porsche #911 in the lane, and Patrick Pilet is now in the car. The tires beat the fuel which is how you want to do it. Tandy and Pilet have been teammates at Porsche since 2014.

What is the pace on worn tires for BMW #24? Zach Robichon is in the lane, handing the #9 Porsche to Scott Hargrove. The #24 BMW M8 hits the lane for service and a driver change. Jesse Krohn out and John Edwards in. This track, founded in 1957, is just over two miles, with 180 feet of elevation change, just up the road a piece from Pebble Beach and some of the best golf on the planet. Dalton Kellett is the leader in LMP2. Antonio Garcia leads GTLM for Corvette. They have not won for over two years. But, they are leading the GTLM championship with one race to go.

The JDC-Miller Cadillac goes off the road in Rainey Curve, Simon Trummer at the controls. Dane Cameron goes by Ricky Taylor for the race lead. Acura's continue to lead this motor race with Jordan Taylor keeping a watching brief, chasing down his older brother. Pit stop time for the race leader in GT Daytona. Corey Lewis leads by 30 seconds in the Paul Miller Racing #48 Lamborghini. Both Acura's are stuck in traffic behind the second "Banana Boat" Cadillac, #85, with Misha Goikhberg at the wheel of it. Jordan Taylor is staying in touch with the Acura's. Canadian Dalton Kellett is having a good run in the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca.

The abrasive surface and sand here at Laguna Seca is a challenge for Michelin tires. The overcoat for Mario Farnbacher, is not working as we can see the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini catching up. No changes at the sharp end as Acura continues to lead the race, with Dane Cameron in the #6 car. Check that. Ricky Taylor has taken the lead in Acura #7. We have 69 degrees air temp. Joao Barbosa is into the #5 Cadillac. They want to gamble, looking for a yellow. Joey Hand and Antonio Garcia battle in GTLM as Bill Auberlen gets nudged around by the Mercedes of Jeroen Bleekemolen. The stewards will be looking at that kerfuffle. Penske splits the pit stops and both are in the lane. #7 will beat the #6.

Helio Castroneves goes off the road and he got chopped by Cameron Cassels in the #38 car. Jordan Taylor is handing the #10 car to Renger van der Zande. Jeroen Bleekemolen gets dinged by the stewards for the contact with Bill Auberlen. Meantime, Renger van der Zande goes off the road and back on on cold tires and Helio Castroneves says "thank you very much" and goes right by./ This is similar to that argy bargy with Cameron Cassels in the P2 car earlier, the #38 Performance Tech machine. Tristan Nunez leads the motor race but only on pit stop rotation. More battles in GT Daytona as well.

Lamborghini #48 vs. acura #86, and the Lamborghini moves ahead. One of the JDC-Miller Cadillac's is in the pit lane as well. Not sure which one. Performance Tech are also in the lane, and dripping places hand over fist into the lower reaches of the field. Tristan Nunez pits the #77 Mazda. Oliver Jarvis will take over the car, with an hour and 18 minutes to go. The Acura strategy seems to be working in their favor at the moment as we watch Andy Lally in the #44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 he shares with John Potter. Katherine Legge runs wide into The Corkscrew.

Tristan Vautier moves past. Triple 500cc motorcycle Grand Prix champion Wayne Rainey is who Rainey curve is named after as we watch this huge scrum for GTLM and GTD. Bryan Sellers is pressing hard in GTD to stay ahead of Toni Vilander. We are an hour and a half into this race. The Corkscrew was built due to the natural terrain, the topography of the land. That is a five and a half story drop down. Argy bargy in GT Daytona, Mario Farnbacher vs. Townsend Bell, Acura vs. Lexus. Oliver Jarvis sweeps past the GTD battle between Farnbacher in the Acura NSX GT3 and Bell in the Lexus RC F GT3.

The Sprint Cup in IMSA GTD is a lot like the Tour de France in cycling. We have a shade over an hour to go in this race. Dane Cameron leads his team mate Helio Castroneves by 15 seconds. It is a further three seconds back to the two Action Express Racing Cadillac's./ Sports cars on a Sunday on the Monterey Peninsula sounds like a pretty good deal to me. A little damage for the #44 Magnus Lamborghini, pitting. The GTD pit strategy is going to be close with less than an hour to go. Porsche #9 in the lane. Scott Hargrove stays in the car. The #86 Acura NSX GT3 gets caught running over an air hose.

Lamborghini #48 in the lane, Bryan Sellers at the wheel of it. PMR had a horrible crash at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Fuel overflow for the Lamborghini, nothing to worry about. Joey Hand leads GTLM for Ford, at his home track. Ford GT #67 pits and has to give it up to the BMW. Second place battle as Renger van der Zande is applying the blowtorch again to Helio Castroneves. Final stops for BMW and for Ford. Porsche #911 pits for the final time and Nick Tandy gets into the car. Pipo Derani has not been able to manage his tires. No yellows in this motor race so far. Dane Cameron is running to a pace at the moment. Both AXR cars are in the pit lane. AXR, WTR, Penske, all of them have pitted.

Dane Cameron pits as Castroneves has just done so. This is a risky move for the Penske team. The Mazda is having issues with the transmission. They have the car in neutral and Harry Tincknell wants to get it in drive but he can't. Mazda #55 is in real trouble here. The are trying to bump start it uphill but it ain't workin'. So, it's game over. Half an hour left. Compass McLaren have run well this year, but they are not entered for the finale at Petit Le Mans. Corey Lewis is running very well in the lead in GT Daytona while Scott Hargrove is being hounded by Andy Lally. Second place, is the #63 WeatherTech Racing Ferrari, Toni Vilander at the controls.

Just over half an hour to go. Penske have dominated this motor race. Pipo Derani went off the road, shatters the signage, washing out wide, and thankfully stays on the road! Earl Bamber and the factory Porsche team are still running well on balance, but they've never won on this low grip track here at Laguna Seca. Paul Miller Racing is dominant in GT Daytona, and the #86 MSR Acura NSX GT3 has had a pear shaped race today even though they will finish. Matt McMurry leads Kyle Masson in LMP2 by a full lap.

Poor old Scott Hargrove goes off into the dust, trying to pass Jack Hawksworth. He will lose points for the overall championship cup. Just a tad over 20 minutes to go. AVS Lexus are in damage control mode. Joao Barbosa is maintaining a top five place. From the top of the Corkscrew down to turn 11, there is 170 feet of elevation change, as we watch Mario Farnbacher pass the McLaren, Paul Holton at the wheel of it. Connor De Philippi is under siege from Antonio Garcia. Garcia, the Spaniard, he is going for the undercut and can't quite do it. The Corvette is not close enough to the BMW and Paul Holton had to take the line on Garcia, and it wasn't his fault. He had the corner, and Garcia will keep pressing the BMW man.

This is a major GTLM battle between BMW and Corvette, while the Ford GT sails ahead. Dane Cameron and Helio Castroneves are still leading. The Pfaff Porsche runs ahead of this GT Le Mans battle. Scott Hargrove got pushed off a lap or so ago. Porsche have continued to have tire issues which is par for the course for those blokes at Laguna. They can't seem to get a handle on the track surface for that car, and Antonio Garcia is pressurizing Connor De Philippi while Tommy Milner is yet another shark in the water. door to door stuff, look, and Pipo Derani moves past Renger van der Zande. Castroneves flies past the Corvette's, like trying to make a move and finding a space in a bowl of spaghetti.

Pipo Derani has made his move on Renger van der Zande. Into the closing minutes of this race. Renger van der Zande chases Pipo Derani. Dane Cameron continues to lead this race. He leads team mate Helio Castroneves by 12.7 seconds. Penske is running their 200th sports car race. Their Australian Supercars driver Scott McLaughlin has won yet another race in the Aussie Supercars championship. Pipo Derani is still charging. AXR and WTR both have been frustrated. It's a fight for the podium between two Cadillac's. Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller are going to perhaps give the Ford GT a win in it's final appearance as a factory car here at Laguna Seca.

Less than two minutes on the board. Bryan Sellers and Corey Lewis will likely win GT Daytona. They want their first triumph of 2019. Laguna Seca is such a low grip circuit. Dane Cameron has found the sweet spot for grip here at Laguna Seca, and so, this will be a win for Penske Acura. Ford will win GTLM and Lamborghini in GTD as well as Oreca in LMP2. Dane Cameron will be mentally exhausted after this race. He gingerly makes his way past GTD traffic, and Dane Cameron and Juan Montoya bring Penske a win in their 200th sports car start.

121 laps, 271 miles completed. The third victory for Dane Cameron and Juan Montoya this year. Acura are the Dpi manufacturer's champions.

Overall/DPi: #6 Cameron/Montoya Acura ARX-05b DPi

LMP2: #52 Kellett/McMurry Oreca 07 Gibson LMP2

GT Le Mans: #66 Mueller/Hand Ford GT

GT Daytona: #48 Sellers/Lewis Lamborghini Huracan GT3

...And then, there was one. The finale of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship doubles as the finale as well, for the Michelin Endurance Cup, the ten hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in the Atlanta, Georgia, suburb of Braselton in the red clay hills, plays host to the curtain call of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sports car Championship in less than a month's time. We'll see you then, as all the championships are yet to be decided.

quick pre-race stories before Laguna Seca

Just a couple quick pre-race headlines before the action begins for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

A Lap of Laguna Seca with Christina Nielsen
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/a-lap-of-laguna-seca-with-christina-nielsen/

Albuquerque Quickest in Fog-Impacted Warmup
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/albuquerque-quickest-in-fog-impacted-warmup/

The race begins in just a few hours. Tune in to NBC at 3PM Eastern, 2PM Central Time, to watch.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

IMSA Throwback: 2002 Six Hours at the Glen

Yet another IMSA throwback race to the 2002 running of the Grand American Road Racing Association 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, on SPEED. Greg Creamer and Jeremy Dale call the action from the broadcast booth, and Guy Hobbs and Sandy Heng, patrol the pit lane.

IMSA Throwback: 2000 Road America 500

Yet another IMSA Throwback race to enjoy. This is the 2000 Grand Am Road America 500 when, in the inaugural season of the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series, there were three classic races, revived for that championship, which would later merge with the American Le Mans Series to form what we know today as the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. The Road America 500 was the penultimate event of the season, and joined in with two more revived events, the Paul Revere 250 night race at Daytona International Speedway on Independence Day weekend, and the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen at Watkins Glen International Raceway in Watkins Glen, New York.

Speedvision, has all the action in this race, covered, as we join Bob Varsha and David Hobbs in the booth for the race call, and covering the action with much verve and enthusiasm in the pit lane, Calvin Fish and John Bisignano.

Saturday Laguna Seca news

Friday, September 13, 2019

IMSA Throwback: 2002 VIR 500

It's a Throwback double whammy, and Throwback Friday, to the 2002 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, 2002 VIR 500, which was brought back that year, for the first time in 26 years. Sports cars returned to VIR for the first time since 1976. SPEED Channel has the coverage. Gregg Creamer and Jeremy Dale call the racing action topside from the broadcast booth, while Guy Hobbs and Sandy Heng report from the pit lane.

Friday IMSA news from Laguna Seca

Double Stint: Hungaroring Recap; Alec Udell Interview (9-10-19)

This week's Double Stint Podcast, recapping Blancpain GT Europe and their finale from the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary, and previewing this weekend's penultimate IMSA event at Laguna Seca.

https://sportscar365.com/sro/gt4-europe/double-stint-hungaroring-recap-alec-udell-interview/

Thursday, September 12, 2019

more IMSA news headed to Laguna Seca

As we look ahead to the penultimate race of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, more news comes out, bound for the Monterey Peninsula and Laguna Seca Raceway.

Inaugural Sprint Cup Title to be Decided at Laguna Seca
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/inaugural-sprint-cup-title-to-be-decided-at-laguna-seca/

Turner Back in Liqui-Moly Colors for Final Two Races of Season
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/turner-back-in-liqui-moly-colors-for-final-two-races/

New Colors for No. 12 AVS Lexus at Laguna Seca
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/new-colors-for-no-12-avs-lexus-at-laguna-seca/

Tandy & Pilet: Porsche’s Dynamic Duo

The latest Michelin IMSA Insider.

Michelin IMSA Insider: Sand Strategy in Monterey
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/michelin-imsa-insider-sand-strategy-in-monterey/

Laguna Seca Thursday Notebook
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/laguna-seca-thursday-notebook-4/

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Hosts Penultimate Round of 2019 Season

The first IMSA race televised on NBC Network is sure to be a great one. The IMSA WeatherTech SportCar Championship races to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the penultimate round of the 2019 season and the championship-deciding race for the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.

stories from IMSA’s official website heading for Laguna Seca

Some noteworthy stories from the official IMSA website, headed for racing action this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

WeatherTech Championship DPi “Clash of The Titans” Resumes In Penultimate Round of 2019 season

https://www.imsa.com/news/092019/weathertech-championship-dpi-clash-titans-resumes-penultimate-round-2019-season

WeatherTech Sprint Cup to Be Decided This Weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

https://www.imsa.com/news/092019/weathertech-sprint-cup-be-decided-weekend-weathertech-raceway-laguna-seca

Lexus Celebrates 30th Anniversary at Laguna Seca
https://www.imsa.com/news/092019/lexus-celebrates-30th-anniversary-laguna-seca

Members of IMSA Community Go Extra Mile To Assist With Hurricane Dorian Relief Efforts In The Bahamas

https://www.imsa.com/news/092019/members-imsa-community-go-extra-mile-assist-hurricane-dorian-relief-efforts-bahamas

1999 Monterey Visa Sports Car Championships

It's Throwback Thursday as we get ready for this weekend's IMSA action at Laguna Seca Raceway, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as it is now known. Let's go back to the penultimate event of the 1999 American Le Mans Series, 20 years ago, the season that began the rejuvenation of sports car racing's popularity in North America. CNBC has the coverage of this race. Bob Varsha and Bill Adam call the action from the broadcast booth, while the late, great Steve Evans, and Martin Haven, report from the pit lane.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Blancpain GT Sprint Cup at the Hungaroring (the season finale)

Along the Danube river, we move now, to Budapest, Hungary, which is really two towns, Buda and Pest, to the Hungaroring, for another stop on the Blancpain GT Europe Sprint Cup tour. In fact, this weekend's event at the Hungaroring, is the finale of the Sprint Cup in Europe.

Pre-Race News

GPX Planning Expanded Program for 2020
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/gpx-planning-expanded-program-for-2020/

Practice & Qualifying Highlights

Gachet Quickest in Hungaroring FP1 for Sainteloc
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/gachet-quickest-in-hungaroring-fp1-for-sainteloc/

Stolz Leads Free Practice 2 at Hungaroring
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/stolz-leads-free-practice-2-at-hungaroring/

Marciello, Abril Score Double Pole at Hungaroring
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/marciello-abril-score-double-pole-at-hungaroring/

Hungaroring Qualifying Highlights
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/hungaroring-qualifying-highlights/

Race 1 Highlights & News

Marciello, Abril Lead Lights-to-Flag; Title Battle Closes Up
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/marciello-abril-lead-lights-to-flag-title-battle-closes-up/

Hungaroring Race 1 Highlights
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/hungaroring-race-1-highlights/

Hungaroring Weekend Notebook
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/hungaroring-weekend-notebook-4/

Race two at the Hungaroring, decides the title in Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe for 2019. Also, break out the broom! It's a sweep! AKKA ASP has swept both races at the Hungaroring!

Caldarelli, Mapelli Win Title as AKKA ASP Sweeps Weekend
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/akka-asp-sweeps-weekend-as-caldarelli-mapelli-win-title/

Hungaroring Race 2 Highlights
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/hungaroring-race-2-highlights/

Andrea Caldarelli, and Marco Mapelli are your 2019 Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe, Champions, for Orange 1 FFF Racing! Congratulations to everyone who is involved with the championship team! So ends the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe Sprint season, the first of the championship's to conclude it's 2019 campaign as the Asia, America, and Intercontinental GT Challenge championships still have at least one more race left to run in 2019. So long, everyone, from Hungary.

Blancpain GT Europe Sprint Cup at the Nurburgring

All the action from Blancpain GT Europe Sprint Cup, at the Nurburgring in the Eiffel mountains of Germany.

Pre-Race News:

CMR Poised for GT3 Return; Barcelona Debut Possible
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/cmr-poised-for-gt3-return-barcelona-debut-possible/

Sanna: Lamborghini "Working" on Third Factory Team for 2020

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/sanna-lamborghini-working-on-third-factory-team-for-2020/

Button on Starting His Own Blancpain GT Team
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/button-on-starting-his-own-blancpain-gt-team/

Mueller, Roda to Drive Dinamic Porsche at Hungaroring
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/mueller-roda-to-drive-dinamic-porsche-at-hungaroring/

Ide in Induced Coma After Head Injury
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/ide-in-induced-coma-after-head-injury/

Practice & Qualifying Highlights

FFF Racing Lamborghini Quickest in Opening Practice at Nurburgring

https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/fff-lamborghini-quickest-in-opening-practice-at-nurburgring/

Vanthoor Leads Audi 1-2-3 in Second Practice
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/vanthoor-leads-audi-1-2-3-in-second-practice/

Grasser, WRT Share Nurburgring Poles
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/grasser-wrt-share-nurburgring-poles/

Nurburgring Qualifying Highlights
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/nurburgring-qualifying-highlights/

Race 1 Highlights & News

Caldarelli, Mapelli Win Race 1; Take Points Lead
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/caldarelli-mapelli-win-race-1-take-points-lead/

Nuburgring Race 1 Highlights
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/nurburgring-race-1-highlights/

Nurburgring Weekend Notebook
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/nurburgring-weekend-notebook-5/

Race 2 Highlights & News

R-Motorsport Wins Race 2 as WRT Audi's Collide From Lead
https://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/r-motorsport-wins-race-2-as-wrt-audis-collide-from-lead/

Nurburgring Race 2 Highlights
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/nurburgring-race-2-highlights-2/

We'll see you for more action, next week, at the season finale for Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe at the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary. But, actually, you won't have to wait long. Don't go anywhere. Y'all hang loose. Budapest action and highlights, are coming up, next!

an update on Blancpain GT Europe

Yours truly has been quite busy with news from many realms of sports car racing, and still has to update what has been going on in the Blancpain GT Europe championship from their two most recent races that are totally separate from something like Intercontinental GT Challenge. Stay tuned for an update on Blancpain GT Europe, sometime later on today.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

more IMSA news headed for Laguna Seca

Monday, September 9, 2019

Rahal to make Acura IMSA return at Petit Le Mans

IndyCar driver Graham Rahal will rejoin the Acura Team Penske IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship team for next month's Petit Le Mans season finale.

https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/news/rahal-acura-team-penske-return/4530240/?nrt=207

recapping the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Michelin GT Challenge at VIR race broadcast

The race broadcast of the IMSA Michelin GT Challenge at VIR from IMSA Radio. John Hindhaugh, and Jeremy Shaw call the action from the broadcast booth with Shea Adam reporting from the pit lane.

https://imsatv.imsa.com/video/082019/2019-michelin-gt-challenge-vir-race-broadcast

Saturday, September 7, 2019

IMSA post-race news after VIR

Post-race headlines after the all GT classes race action at Virginia International Raceway.

Porsche Claims 1-2 at VIR as Tandy, Pilet Take Victory
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/porsche-claims-1-2-at-vir-as-tandy-pilet-claim-victory/

Garcia Doubts if Corvette "Had Anything" for the Porsche's
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/garcia-doubts-if-third-place-corvette-had-anything-for-porsches/

Keating: Riley Won by Avoiding "Disastrous Luck" of Past Races
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/keating-vir-gave-exact-opposite-of-disastrous-2019-luck/

VIR Post-Race Notebook
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/vir-post-race-notebook/

Ryan Briscoe drove the Ford Mustang Australian Supercar in demo laps at VIR. Check it out.

Michelin VIR Recap
https://sportscar365.com/features/videos/michelin-vir-recap/

Friday, September 6, 2019

IMSA VIR Race Highlights

NBC Sports' highlights of the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR. Rick Allen, Calvin Fish, and A.J. Allmendinger, call the action in the booth. Jon Beekhuis and Brian Till cover the action in the pit lane.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Winner & Highlights of the IMSA Michelin GT Challenge at VIR

It's time, for the second and final all GT production car contest of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship season, at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, another speed palace that has been around for over six decades and has been a part of IMSA's history for a good while now. The track is 3.27 miles with 17 corners. Watch for the Horseshoe, the old Oak Tree corners, Madison Avenue, the Rollercoaster, and also, the Hog Pen. We have a two hour and 40 minute race coming up, for round ten of the general championship, with two races to go. It's the penultimate event of the Sprint Cup championship. It's a Grand Touring festivalfor today's race as the cars are on track behind the safety car.

21 cars, eight GT Le Mans machines, and 13 GT Daytona cars, are set to take the start. Everyone right now, is concerned about fuel consumption before we get going. There's a little shuffling after qualifying. You could only use slick Michelin tires. Five teams went ahead and used wet weather tires, and they were moved based on the declaration to change back to slick tires. The factory GTLM cars are at the front of the field. Any of the makes (Porsche, Ford, Chevrolet, and BMW), they all have a chance. The Ford GT, might get it's last chance to try and win here at VIR. Dirk Mueller and Ryan Briscoe, they will be flying, and we've talked about Briscoe's co-driver in the #67 Ford GT, Richard Westbrook, and the need for him as the blokes on IMSA Radio say, to use a light foot with pink, fluffy, comfortable slippers on it.

Fuel saving is a big deal and Westbrook is a master of that. Westbrook is really able to use the go juice when he can. The field forms up. There are very few safety cars here at VIR, historically. But watch out, so you don't end up going off the road and absolutely mowing the lawn out in the infield because then, the grass will collect in the radiators, and the car will overheat if you're not careful. We could go full green flag the whole time. Take a deep breath, cinch down those belts, and we're ready to rumble in the Michelin GT Challenge, with a Porsche and Corvette front row. Two Ford GT's are on the second row of the grid.

We look atop the flag stand, and there's our old pal, Bib. Bibendum, the Michelin Man, he's ready to wave the green flag. We are underway here at VIR! Already, the Porsche's are trying to sweep past the Corvette, look, and go for the lead of this motor race. Nick Tandy just goes for it straight away and has the preferred line around the horseshoe, streaking past the Corvette as if he were standing still. It's the hare, outrunning the tortoise on this opening lap, but there's still a whole race left to run. Nick Tandy, the night before this race, was watching Late Model stock car racing at the local short track, the legendary South Boston Speedway, and he even had the chance to give the command of "gentlemen, start your engines!"

Well, clearly, all that short track argy bargy that the stock car boys get into, has rubbed off on him. He was a short track stock car racer early in his career, in England. Tandy shot out like a bullet from a gun, or a rocket off the launchpad. Laurens Vanthoor is also in this fight early on, and so is the Corvette, the #3 car of Jan Magnussen sharing with Antonio Garcia. Nick Tandy also blew past Joey Hand in the Ford GT, the #66 car. The Ford's wanted to play fair with each other and Nick Tandy said, "bye bye, boys" and went for it. Trouble in paradise for the #12 AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. Frankie Montecalvo at the wheel of it, he has damage to the bodywork on that automobile already.

Frankie Montecalvo will have new tires. But, he will need the damage repaired as well which is going to set him back just a shade. We've got carbon fiber debris from the Lexus, on the road. The marshals will be looking at that. Don't tell me the two Lexus boys had a contretemps right at the start of this race, please. Spare me the thought! Oh dear! The second Lexus is also in the lane. Not good news for AIM Vasser Sullivan as this race gets underway. Check that. Correction on the other pit visitor. That's the #57 Caterpillar Acura NSX GT3, Katherine Legge, sharing this weekend with British IMSA newcomer, Alice Powell. The AVS crew clears the grille out on the Montecalvo car. There was some aero push, or some argy bargy. Hard to tell.

That was through turn ten, cresting the hill to Oak Tree corner. Grass in the radiator is a big consequence. One of the vertical slats in the diffuser is missing. That car is going to have a handling concern. The Lexus has had tire issues earlier in the season, and in the high speed stuff, they'll feel it. Porsche's absolutely rocketed away and they're still leading Jan Magnussen and then, the two Ford's. Zachary Robichon leads Trent Hindman, Richard Heistand in the #14 Lexus RC F GT3, and Robby Foley in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3, followed by Corey Lewis in the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini, and the #76 Compass Racing McLaren 720S GT3 with Matt Plumb currently at the keyboard.

Laurens Vanthoor runs a 1:41.55. Earl Bamber set fast lap last year, and Giancarlo Fisichella, driving a Ferrari has the outright lap record set in 2015. Alice Powell had a puncture on the #57 Acura after she got biffed by the #96 BMW, the Robby Foley/Bill Auberlen machine. The Lexus had nothing to do with the incident. Start running laps, saving fuel. Get into a rhythm if you aren't in a scrap with another car. Don't burn off fuel if you aren't moving forward. The two Porsche's extend their lead. Laurens Vanthoor is setting sail for the hills. He's on a road trip here. Porsche could seal the manufacturer's cup if things go well today. Mathematically it might be there, but not yet, technically.

Battling your team mate, means that the driver has to be let off the leash. Let's go race. Throw caution to the wind, but don't crash your team mate. Porsche are flying right now. The leader has run a 1:41.2, Laurens Vanthoor. The cool weather is perfect conditions for racing. We watch Zachary Robichon leading GT Daytona in the plaid Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R, car #9. Robichon sharing with Scott Hargrove. Alice Powell is in for Christina Nielsen, who was running in the Suzuka 10 Hours for Intercontinental GT Challenge. You can see a video of the entire race from Suzuka if you scroll through the posts here on the blog, the recent posts.

MSR are fighting hard just as they always do. The #86 car has had better luck than #57 and that was the opposite, last year. Teams have to stick together. One car can have great luck and the other can have awful luck. But teams have to stick together. That's just the way it is. Trent Hindman is steadily reeling in Zachary Robichon, munching away at the gap like Pac Man. Corey Lewis, meanwhile is reeling in Robby Foley who also has in his path, one of the AVS Lexus RC F GT3's. That's the Richard Heistand car, sharing with Jack Hawksworth, and poor old Heistand is the cork in the bottle at this moment, trying not to get eaten up by Mr. Foley.

OK. Foley isn't letting go, and now, he has to release! He's lost it! He's rotating, and so is the #48 Lamborghini of Corey Lewis, right in front of Matt Plumb in the McLaren! Three cars have all gone off the road and resumed, but this whole shenanigans began with Foley getting into some argy bargy with Heistand, and then, one by one, look, the dominoes just start falling. Plumb and Lewis are back on the road, but the lucky chap here, is Ben Keating. He's made out like a bandit, and is rubbing his hands together saying, "suckers... I told you so! I win! You lose!" Patrick Lindsey, too, is moving up in the #73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R.

Robby Foley is going to head for the lane. Fuel and new tires for Robby Foley, but he's got a right rear puncture as well. Robby Foley will have to drive slowly, and right on Madison Avenue, the tire carcass is gone. But, it's going to be a Full Course Yellow because of the tire carcass off that BMW. FCY. FCY. Foley comes into a closed pit lane and changes the tire under emergency service, but he'll need a pit stop again. Porsche was building up a good lead, but now the gap is going to close up again, and somebody is about to put the cat among the pigeons here, really soon, when we go back to green.

Foley got checked up, running into Richard Heistand, and then, he gets rotated by the Lamborghini, and there was also contact with Matt Plumb. One tire only for Turner Motorsports and Foley is back on track, but he'll be dinged with an emergency service penalty by the stewards as well. Turner Motorsports has had four consecutive podiums and they are second overall in the GT Daytona championship as well. Richard Heistand had been moving backwards and so, he was in a spot of bother for sure. Alice Powell and Frankie Montecalvo are still on the lead lap in GT Daytona. Powell, will get to queue up at the back of the crocodile.

All the GTLM cars are coming to the pit lane. Nick Tandy has been saving fuel like crazy. Patrick Pilet will take over the #911 Porsche for the next stint, and here come the Ford's, the BMW's, and the Corvette's. Tires and fuel for Ford, BMW, and Corvette. Even with a driver change, look, #911 has beaten their sister car out of the pit lane, into the lead of this motor race. That's Nick Tandy's right foot and his fuel saving skills. Well done, Nick Tandy. Kudos. Maybe the pit crew short fueled the car for track position as well. Full fuel loads have to be run to a certain number of seconds, depending on which class. Six sets of tires, at least in GTD.

Porsche, Corvette, Ford, and BMW, are all in their numerical order. How refreshing! MSR Acura has both cars, Turner, headed in for full service, and Pfaff Motorsports, their Porsche stays on track. Compass McLaren, PMR Lamborghini, and both Lexus' are in. Fuel only for Lexus #14. Ben Keating gets new tires and goes into place right after his stop. Then comes Lamborghini, McLaren, and the #74 Mercedes AMG GT3 for Lone Star Racing. That's the Gar Robinson/Lawson Aschenbach car. No driver changes in GT Daytona. There is a minimum drive time in GTD but not in GTLM. Pfaff has been able to come out ahead of Turner Motorsports. Robichon is the GTD Sprint Cup points leader, with Robby Foley and Bill Auberlen right behind him in the standings, and sneaking up.

The class split is going on, with GTLM cars ahead of GTD. Patrick Pilet will lead Laurens Vanthoor, and here comes Vanthoor as we go back to green. Vanthoor wants the outside line, and they're racing! Deary me! No team orders, look, as Pilet is pushing, pushing, pushing. But, Jan Magnussen must be a giggling schoolboy, cackling like a madman inside his helmet as he's gaining on the boys from Zuffenhausen, look. Meanwhile, a spot of agricultural racing for the #44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 in turn three. A quick off and on for John Potter, who is now making up time, sharing with usual co-driver Andy Lally.

No team orders at Porsche. Right now, they are going for it, wanting the drivers' championship points, never mind the manufacturers' cup right now. Pilet is loose through the roller coaster. Laurens Vanthoor is flashing the lights at his team mate, wanting to be let by or so it seems. Joey Hand is reeling in the Corvette's, and the BMW M8 GT's are back there, too. We've got just over two hours of this motor race still to go. Zachary Robichon is moving away from Cooper MacNeil, Richard Heistand, and Trent Hindman, and Alice Powell is moving up, in sixth, trying to reel in Ben Keating at the moment.

Robichon is stretching the gap over MacNeil right now. Trent Hindman is pushing to get past Richard Heistand, Heistand is going on the defensive. He will not let the Acura to pass. Hindman is going for it with new Michelin tires on the car. They fly down Madison Avenue headed for the Roller Coaster once again. Heistand still has a couple car lengths in hand over the Acura. The rear tires can go away on the Lexus very quickly, but it has the grunt, the oomph, to stay ahead of the Acura. V8 power for Lexus vs. V6 power for Acura, and two extra cylinders can surely help. A king size battle for GTLM honors between the #912 Porsche and both of the Corvette's. New fast

Stay on the road, look after your tires. Trail braking into turns 11 and 12 for Laurens Vanthoor. Matt Plumb in the McLaren is booking it right now, making up ground on his rivals. Another pit visit for BMW #96. Stop and hold penalty, coming in for it's previous penalty, on the wrong pit sequence, for a ten second penalty. There's a five car breakaway developing in GT Daytona. Zachary Robichon os moving ahead as Trent Hindman is trying to make his way past the Lexus. The Mercedes of Ben Keating is back there, through The Snake. There is a new lap record from Patrick Pilet at 1:41 dead. 1:41.078.

Porsche continues to lead in the overall, Patrick Pilet ahead of Laurens Vanthoor. New fast lap for Vanthoor and Corey Lewis has passed the McLaren as they go two wide into The Snake, and that's a bear. Meanwhile, Frankie Montecalvo is back on the lead lap in the #12 Lexus RC F GT3. Corey Lewis hip checked the McLaren. Zachary Robichon's lead has ballooned to seven seconds over Cooper MacNeil, but poor old Matt Plumb got zonked by Corey Lewis. He's dropped to the back of the queue. Lewis is trying to make a move on Montecalvo but decides discretion is the better part of valor. Robichon leads Cooper in GTD by eight seconds with Richard Heistand third.

In fourth is Trent Hindman, and Corey Lewis nearly makes a pass but can't quite make it. That's a replay of the incident from the overhead helicoptrr camera. The top eight in GTLM are separated by eight seconds. Porsche over Corvette, Ford, and BMW, as McLaren hits the pit lane for service. New tires, but only on the left side, and a full tank of fuel for the car. He's serviced and sent. Things are going from bad to worse for Turner Motorsports. They have to install a new right rear shock on the car. The suspension is damaged. The Porsche's have now pulled the pin, 45 minutes into this race.

Soon, Laurens Vanthoor will have to hand over to Earl Bamber. The Porsche's are very stable and compliant around VIR as the #48 PMR Lamborghini is in the lane for some bear bond, and the orange block of doom, the jack stand, or jack stands, are under the car. Pfaff Motorsports will also head to the pit lane very soon. We have gone past the 45 minute mark in the race. Richard Heistand is the minnow, the Trent Hindman, is the shark. But, he's fast in the wrong areas and can't get a run on the Lexus especially out of Hog Pen. Lexus is now in the pit lane, look. Their pit board has broken. They went to dangle it and it went ke-thunk right onto the pit lane.

Townsend Bell is now into the sister #12 Lexus. We await Pfaff for their first pit stop. The #9 Porsche of Zachary Robichon screams down Madison Avenue. Ford GT #66, slides through Oak Tree corner, and Oliver Gavin also nearly goes off the road, as Hand makes a pass on him. Joey Hand is now fourth in the overall. 1:41.0-1:41.1-1:41.2, those are the lap times we've seen from the leaders as Cooper MacNeil pits the #63 GTD Ferrari, and Toni Vilander now takes over the car from Cooper MacNeil. A great, nicely executed pit stop by Scuderia Corsa. Meantime, Patrick Pilet is pushing and so is Laurens Vanthoor, with no pressure as the Corvette's are moving behind just a tad. The #33 Mercedes has made a pit stop.

Ben Keating has done a very good stint, and it likely is Jeroen Bleekemolen in the car. It is. Pfaff is in the lane from the GT Daytona lead. Zachary Robichon is in, and he will hand the car to Scott Hargrove, as there is some ire rub on the left rear fender of the car. This is Scott Hargrove's first race in a while, with new Michelin tires on the car. Zachary Robichon ran a best lap of 1:44.9, and the next best, Trent Hindman at 1:45.1. Jack Hawksworth runs an identical lap time, and now Trent Hindman leads GT Daytona, after pitting around 15 laps ago. Hindman has six seconds in hand over Patrick Lindsey who has five seconds over Alice Powell.

More pit stops seem to be in the works with less than an hour and 45 minutes to go. Patrick Long will be getting into the #73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche. It's the Patrick and Patrick show, and Long is called "The Ginger Ninja". Acura #86 is in the lane. So is the Park Place Porsche #73, and both are back out on track. #86 is behind one of the Lexus', and the #33 Mercedes. Gar Robinson now moves into the GTD lead in the #74 Lone Star Racing Mercedes AMG GT3, sponsored by 74 Ranch Resort. Corvette is in the pit lane, after getting nerfed by the #67 Ford GT. It looks like the #4 car.

Some argy bargy indeed between Corvette and Ford. Tommy Milner takes over the car. The team put a new motor in the car just before qualifying. Toni Vilander is now chasing Mario Farnbacher in GTD as well. It's the #86 MSR Acura vs. the #63 Scuderia Corsa WeatherTech Ferrari. Scott Hargrove has a slim lead over Jack Hawksworth in the lead battle in GTD. BMW's #24 and #25 had been running in tandem, but John Edwards must have spun, as he is way behind the sister car and the two of them are way behind in the class. We have to hear if Chip Ganassi will be coming back to IMSA next year.

Again, VIR has been around for over six decades. Porsche leads Porsche over both Corvette's and both Ford's as well as both BMW's. Tommy Milner has dropped to last in class in the #4 Corvette after his scheduled pit stop. We're getting close now to an hour and a half to go in this race. It can be advantageous to be the first driver to do your last pit stop of the race. We are looking for pit action in a couple more laps. Will Nick Tandy take over the #911 car until the end of the race? Pilet has moved ahead of Vanthoor and so on and so forth throughout the GTLM field. Strategy is affecting things.

But, it's all going to squish back together before this race is done and dusted. Guaranteed. Lawson Aschenbach has now taken over the #74 Lone Star Racing 74 Ranch Resort Mercedes from Gar Robinson, as the #67 Ford GT has spun. Ryan Briscoe has rotated at the horseshoe. He locked the rear tires at the end of the braking zone into turns one and two. Brake and turn in. It's very similar to turn one at Lime Rock Park, and you have to diamond the corner. We are indeed in the window for GTLM pit stops to go with two more stops before this race ends. Scott Hargrove is still leading GT Daytona, doing a fabulous job. Hawksworth and Bleekemolen are the two blokes still behind him. Jeroen Bleekemolen did very well in the late model stock car races at South Boston Speedway of course.

Mario Farnbacher, Toni Vilander, and yes, Matt Plumb, is behind those two, still hanging on in the #76 Compass Racing McLaren. Patrick Pilet is in the lane for service, and now, Nick Tandy will finish the race out. Pilet and Tandy won this race in 2015, but Patrick Pilet was solo champion that year. 2015 was the last win at VIR for Porsche in GTLM. Patrick Long is probing for seventh spot in GT Daytona behind Townsend Bell in the #12 AVS Lexus RC F GT3. Will he doe the over/under? He's in it. Bell moves over and they are super evenly matched on the straight. Patrick Long is pushing. Some big argy bargy there! That's naughty. Bell comes across two full lanes.

They're even, for the time being, look. Quite the kerfuffle there. The stewards will be watching that one closely. Bell was surely saying, "no way, sunshine." The power is the advantage for Lexus and the handling and traction are advantageous for the Porsche. Through the roller coaster and down Madison Avenue again, and Bell turns into Long! Oh no! These two have a history. The same thing happened last time out at Road America. Laurens Vanthoor still leads, but it is decreasing, being whittled away by the Corvette with Jan Magnussen at the controls. In now, Magnussen, and the Ford #66 with 80 minutes to go.

Antonio Garcia will take over the car. "The King of Spain" won here in 2017. Dirk Mueller is into the #66 Ford GT and the Corvette gets out of the lane first, by a nose. Earl Bamber will get into the #912 Porsche. Tom Blomqvist will also take over the #25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GT from Connor De Philippi. Tandy dives inside Garcia into turn four and makes his move. Porsche #912 is in the lane for service as Laurens Vanthoor hands over to Earl Bamber. It's a drag race between the two Porsche's and Bamber has beat his team mate. #911 gets snookered by a BMW. Ryan Briscoe is the official leader as he has yet to pit.

Meantime in GTD, the two second advantage of Scott Hargrove has evaporated, and Jack Hawksworth has gone around him with Jeroen Bleekemolen also right on his gearbox. The top running Ford GT is in the lane. That's the leading GTLM car, the #67. Jeroen Bleekemolen is now hounding Scott Hargrove. Ford are right on the money on their pit stop as Richard Westbrook is back on track. BMW in the pit lane, too. This is the #24 entry in for it's penultimate stop with an hour and 15 minutes to go. John Edwards finished his stint, handing over to the flying Finn, Jesse Krohn. Lexus leads GT Daytona as we have less than an hour and 15 minutes to go.

Hargrove gets a bit of a nudge from Tom Blomqvist. Nick Tandy resets fastest lap of the race and a new lap record at 1:40.781. Patrick Long and Townsend Bell continue their joust. These two blokes have been going at it hammer and tongs for a while now. Long fakes to the left and back to the right, and he slides right down the middle of the Roller Coaster! That was a brilliant pass! He completely snookered Townsend Bell! That was genius! What a pass! That was through the Roller Coaster and into Hog Pen. Unreal. Just a shade over an hour of this race left. New fast lap. Earl Bamber is the one to set it. Porsche has been class of the field this whole weekend so far.

The Porsche squad have split their strategy. They've differentiated the stops by four or five laps between Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber. Tandy was stuck behind one of the BMW's. You can only run single file through the s curves in The Snake. We still have the Lexus, Porsche, Mercedes battle in GTD as well. That is currently what we are looking at in picture. How much further will Earl Bamber be able to go into the race? Will they do a timed fuel stop and not bother with tires? The Porsche can be frugal, in relative terms, on it's fuel mileage. Poor old Scott Hargrove has been having to play catch up and fortunately, he's hanging right with Jack Hawksworth while Jeroen Bleekemolen can't make inroads.

Mario Farnbacher is next in the Acura. Bamber has to play follow my leader with the Magnus Lamborghini. That's a GTLM car vs. a GT3 car which is what GT Daytona is of course, all of them being GT3 spec cars. Lexus, Porsche, Mercedes, again, is the order in GTD. Mario Farnbacher follows in the Acura, followed by Toni Vilander in the Ferrari, and the McLaren in the hands of Matt Plumb. In the lane, now, the GTD leader. They may have to do one more stop for both fuel and tires before the end of this race. This stop is taking care of those ideas. Something is wrong with the drink bottle! Oh man! That's not good. They had to reach into the passenger compartment, and AVS is going to be on the back foot now.

They may not be hurt too badly, but they'll be playing catch up. He's slow and something might be going on with the Lexus. Something is wrong. The car is not up to snuff. Now we know what the trouble is. They were adding a backup battery, a slave battery to the car, because the original was not charging. So, this can mean just one culprit. The alternator in that Lexus, is on the fritz, somehow. By IMSA rules, you have to start the car under it's own power. You cannot jump start the car. That's how the rules are written in the technical and sporting regulations.

It was a good run for this car and now with an hour to go, they've probably used up alln they've got. They won both at Mid Ohio and Detroit in the Sprint Cup championship. So now, the battle for GT Daytona honors is between Scott Hargrove and Jeroen Bleekemolen, as "Super Mario" Farnbacher is closing, fast. He's inching away from Toni Vilander as well. The gap is growing. The gap has ballooned to five seconds. Mario Farnbacher is gaining pace, Toni Vilander is losing pace, and poor old Jack Hawksworth is back in the pit lane. Time to pack it up for AVS? It could be. They are taking the back window off the car.

They are going to look at a drive belt off the back axle of the car. There's something on top of the diff that they have to attach to. Paul Holton gets into the #76 McLaren. The McLaren will head back out on sticker tires after getting fuel as well. Holton will take the car to the end of the race. But things are going pear shaped for Lexus. Antonio Garcia is six seconds behind the Porsche's but keeping them honest, and then comes Dirk Mueller in the #66 Ford GT. Tommy Milner is next up, running on a different strategy, followed by Richard Westbrook in the #67 Ford GT. In GT Daytona, the Pfaff Porsche continues to lead both the Wynn's Mercedes and the MSR Acura along with the Ferrari and the Park Place Porsche followed by the sole remaining AVS Lexus #12 of Townsend Bell.

Katherine Legge and Andy Lally are next up in the order. Fuel and sticker tires in the pit lane for Jeroen Bleekemolen and the Paul Miller Lamborghini is likewise in the lane. The #12 Lexus also just pitted, as did the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW. Bill Auberlen in the BMW, Bryan Sellers in the Lamborghini. Katherine Legge and Andy Lally are still scrapping, through the Oak Tree turn. A couple mid-engined, svelte coupes. So many different manufacturers and equalized performance in GT Daytona. GTLM has been kind of predictable all day.

But, there's still time left in the race. The GTLM battle may get spicy. We'll see. Toni Vilander pitted for fuel and tires. Patrick Long cannot hear his team. They have signaled Patrick with the day glow yellow pit board, and Scott Hargrove is in the lane for new Michelin tires and fuel, as we see debris on the road that should not cause a yellow. Acura #86 is in the lane, and here comes the Corvette, whop is blocked from his pit lane exitg. It's a clean exit for the #86 Acura and "Super Mario" moves ahead of his Canadian nemesis.

Bleekemolen is going to dust Hargrove here, look. Well, he's trying to dust him. Hargrove may have the last laugh here, maybe. Meantime, more grunt from the AMG allows Bleekemolen to thunder past the higher revving Porsche. That's better traction out of Oak Tree corner, too. Bleekemolen now has Farnbacher's Acura on his shopping list. Toni Vilander is chasing, and right up the tail of the Ferrari of Toni Vilander is Lawson Aschenbach in the #74 Mercedes AMG GT3. Patrick Long will be ruing the issues he had with Townsend Bell earlier. Through Madison Avenue, Bleekemolen clears Farnbacher.

Nick Tandy is steaming right up behind Earl Bamber. The gap has shrunken quite a bit. Tandy's car is lighter on fuel but within the next couple laps he'll head for the pit lane. He should dive in for the lane in a couple laps. Jeroen Bleekemolen is the new leader in GT Daytona. Earl Bamber has cut laps in the mid to high 42 range, and he was doing 1:41 laps earlier. Are the Porsche's losing pace? They are, but it's due to traffic and not necessarily a car issue. We've run 63 laps, 206 miles. It looks like the final pit stop for Corvette #3, Antonio Garcia at the wheel of it, and the Ford is also in for it's final stop as well. Dirk Mueller in the #66 car.

These two blokes came in simultaneously the last time. Corvette is off the air jacks first, and momentum goes to the Corvette, separated by a nose. That was pretty close there, and a mistake for Garcia! He's slid wide on cold tires! Wow. No tire warmers for the sports cars like there are for Formula 1. Porsche are ready to pit, and Nick Tandy is in the lane for fuel and tires. The mechanics will get their snacks, a little later before this race is over. The Porsche screams out of the lane after a 23 second fuel fill for 43 minutes remaining in this race.

Earl Bamber will have to book it, as the undercut is going to favor Nick Tandy, more than likely. Richard Westbrook is coming, but he has one more pit stop. He can stretch the fuel mileage with the Ford GT. He will need a long yellow flag. They need to roll the dice in the next eleven minutes because the pits are closed in the last half hour of the race. At the top of the Rollercoaster it's getting too close for comfort between Tommy Milner and Dirk Mueller, and well, the inevitable has happened. Thump! He's rotated the Ford, has Milner, and both these chaps are off the road, look, at the top of the Rollercoaster.

Excuse me, it was Antonio Garcia barging Dirk Mueller. He went for a gap that was nonexistent and paid the price as he's clogged the front radiator full of grass. That's some serious lawnmower action for poor old Garcia. "The King of Spain" has been reduced to a court jester, at least temporarily, here. Poor old Garcia is going to have to clamp on the brakes to eject and unload all those grass clippings from the rad of the Corvette. The rad, being the radiator. No doubt the stewards will look closely at that dust up. Tommy Milner, stops, and unloads the grass clippings on the apex of one of the corners, before he continues.

Now, Milner is back in front of his old adversary, the Ford, and his team mate, Garcia, is back in the picture as well. Deary me. The plot thickens, and the next chapter of this little novelette is about to be written, maybe in disappearing ink. Novelette? There's nothing romantic about this bitter rivalry. Ah yes. The stewards are reviewing that fracas coming through the Roller Coaster earlier. Where are the Porsche's? Nick Tandy got by Lawson Aschenbach right away. It's so unusual for Antonio Garcia to make a mistake. The #911 is about to pit next time 'round. They might be scrubbed Michelin tires. Check that. It's the #912 of Bamber. Bamber is in the lane. Now, no action from the stewards on the Corvette/Ford incident.

Garcia didn't intentionally slam the door on the Ford. Pit stop time, fuel and tires for Earl Bamber, gunning the motor and he's gone, and here's Tandy! Tandy passes his team mate for the lead of this motor race with just 37 minutes to go. No team orders for Porsche North America. Richard Westbrook now dives into the pit lane for his final stop, from the lead of the motor race, which might just put the Porsche boys in the clear. It wasn't even close between the two Porsche's. The GT only races are very competitive, and we get a lot of green flag racing. Richard Westbrook is in the lane for the final time in this race.

It's a timed stop it appears. Westbrook has jumped his team mate and the two Corvette's. They are third. Westbrook has scrubbed tires on. Now, it's a fair fight between Porsche, Ford, and Corvette, and there goes Antonio Garcia! Here comes the Ford's. Three wide at the bottom of the esses, and the two Corvette's have blown past the two Ford's! Jeepers! Tons of action here, about to give your race commentator, a heart attack! Jeez! Westbrook threw the block on Mueller, and then, the two Corvette drivers saw the opening and squeezed through. We will miss the low rumbling thrum of the V8 Corvette.

Now that the FIA WEC season has begun, Corvette are running out of time to try and get their new mid engine design homologated for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We may see the big bruiser, the C-7-R- with it's thundering V8 at Le Mans, just one more time, in 2020. We shall see. The GT Daytona battle is heating up. Mercedes, Acura, Porsche, and Ferrari are running nose to tail within mere seconds of each other. This is going to be a grandstand finish, ladies and gentlemen. Toni Vilander is coming back into the picture. Meanwhile, Antonio Garcia and Tommy Milner can race each other hard, yet clean.

The Corvette boys have to be very cautious in this last half an hour. Can they all go full power and full rich to the end? You need to bring some more power. If the race finishes this way, they shall wrap up the manufacturer's cup, but still have to race for the driver pairings for the final two events of the season at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans. Earl Bamber is reducing the deficit to his team mate. They are both hitting GT Daytona traffic at the moment. The sun is coming out as the race is closing in on the finish. We've been seeing more GTLM cars lately, or maybe it is only me. BMW in GTLM has not been on pace this weekend. Troubles in the south pit for the #14 Lexus. Jack Hawksworth has continued to have battery trouble. Game over. He's turned everything off, and is crawling out of the car.

"Battery's gone" he says to the safety worker. Brake, ease the car into the apex. Through turns three and four and into The Snake. Full power through the right hand corner, under the bridge, headed for rthe esses, flat out. Use all the curb and all the road. Brake, down a gear through Sunset, and into Oak Tree. Back to the power down Madison Avenue, up through the gears, check the gauages, up over the crest, and then, you are past the 100 board on the brake markers into the Rollercoaster and tap the brakes into Hog Pen, and back onto the front straight. The straight is very long even though it has a bend in it into the horseshoe. It's a long way between Hog Pen and the horseshoe.

The run to the start/finish is uphill. Andy Lally passes Townsend Bell. Bill Riley says the Mercedes team is saving fuel. So much in motor racing is a compromise, and fuel strategy is a big part of that. Stay out front to save fuel. The GT Daytona Balance of Performance is really good at the moment. Mario Farnbacher is indeed the GTD championship leader. But, with less than 20 minutes still on the board, we have a Full Course Yellow out on the circuit. Two safety vehicles on the circuit, and the #57 Acura of Katherine Legge has clouted the tire wall! She's out of the car under her own power. The tires are scattered and the Armco is bent, in the Sunset Bend area right in front of the track villas.

Katherine Legge saved having a big incident in qualifying, and now, the front end, and the front right suspension has been ripped off the car. She got under the tire bundles and the Armco needs repair. This will not be a short yellow, even though there is no allowance for the cars to pit. The rollback is loading the car and so is the backhoe to put the new tire bundles in place. The marshals have found the wheel and tire that have been ripped off the car. She got out of the car under her own power, speaking to the paramedics. The safety crews have been prompt to make repairs.

Good for IMSA finishing races under green flag conditions, and we do not end under yellow. The green/white/checker deal does have a drawback if there is a wreck. Katherine Legge will be taken to the infield medical center for a checkup. We'll get a few more minutes of racing before the finish. The Nissan GT-R safety car leads the field. This will be a dash for cash. Porsche vs. Corvette vs. Ford, and BMW vs. BMW, Noah's Ark style. Nine cars are possible winners in GT Daytona, too. The tires are going to come back to life for the final ten or so minutes of this race. McLaren #76 pitted with a shade over an hour to go, and they catch a break under the yellow. The lights are out on the safety car.

Katherine Legge's crash was caused by a tire failure. Now, we are back to green with just over eight minutes to run. Great restart from the Porsche's and the Corvette's and the Ford's are pressing on well. Side by side action in GTD as Paul Holton and Andy Lally are pushing. Jeroen Bleekemolen leads GTD for Mercedes. The two Corvette's are not done yet. Uphill once again they go. GTRD is heating up and here comes Patrick Long. Antonio Garcia is trying to hang onto the back of the Porsche's but the Porsche's are putting a tremendous amount of daylight between themselves and the Corvette's.

Porsche #912 has recorded fastest lap of this race. Tire failure for Katherine Legge, and Michelin will be looking at that issue. The car stood up very well in a high speed crash. The cockpit safety cell held up. There had to be a mechanical problem on the car. Best wishes to Katherine Legge. You've not missed anything in GT Le Mans. Four seconds between the top seven. Jeroen Bleekemolen is being challenged by the Acura, the Porsche, the Ferrari, and more. Patrick Long is still in the GTD fight. Can Antonio Garcia catch up to the Porsche's? That's the question with just over four minutes to go. The #67 Ford GT of Richard Westbrook is coming as well.

The Porsche's have the legs on everyone else. But the scrapping is still heavy between Ford and Chevy. Nick Tandy is in the clear right now and he just set a fast lap time. 1:41.2 for Nick Tandy. The pole time was a 1:40.6. Half a second from the pole time. Tandy has clear track. Westbrook has a target to aim for in front. But, Nick Tandy, he has the clear air and the downforce. No need to be the rabbit. No excuses. The worst part about chasing is, you can get fixated on a target and follow a bloke off the road should he run wide onto the grass. No such worries here. Richard Westbrook is flying, and with 90 seconds to go, the #76 McLaren spins out of Hog Pen with Paul Holton. Oh dear.

This is it. It's the final lap at Virginia International Raceway. White flag this time around? Yes. Tandy is flying. White flag is out. It's the final lap. 1:40.7 for Tandy, 1:40.8 for Bamber. Just incredible! 1:40.638 is fastest lap of the race, by Earl Bamber. Toni Vilander will reach the podium in GTD and there are problems for the plaid Porsche for Scott Hargrove and Pfaff Motorsports! Hargrove runs wide out of the horseshoe! Oh boy.; Three makes in the top three in GT Daytona. Bleekemolen, Farnbacher, Vilander. Meanwhile, Nick Tandy and Porsche win VIR with Patrick Pilet!

Laurens Vanthoor and Earl Bamber are second, and Porsche are GT Le Mans manufacturer's champions in 2019! Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen are the GT Daytona winners for Bill Riley and Mercedes Benz! This is the last time we'll see Keating's team at VIR since he is going racing now in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Pilet becomes the winningest GTLM driver with 12 wins, since the American Le Mans/Grand Am merger back in 2014.

Overall/GT Le Mans: #911 Tandy/Pilet Porsche 911 RSR
GT Daytona: #33 Keating/Bleekemolen Mercedes AMG GT3

Just two races now remain in the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship season, and all three classes will race at each of them. Next time out, it is the final sprint race of the year, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey, California, which is coming up, next weekend, so, ten days from now. See you then, everyone.