We have watched the GTD battle between Ferrari #63 and Mercedes #33. Parker Chase just took the #14 AVS Lexus RC F GT3 way off the road and filled the radiator with grass. Now, we have that car in the pit lane. The sister #12 Lexus will likely get back out, but they are hard at work fixing the steering rack and the left rear suspension. We've got a GTLM drag race between Porsche and BMW in GT Le Mans. One of the Corvette's has slid off the road, and he got turned on by Juan Piedrahita in the #85 JDC-Miller Cadillac, "the banana boat". Marcel Fassler in the #4 got the move put on him. Give me room. Phillip Eng leaned on the Porsche. Juan Piedrahita will get a drive through penalty. The #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac is headed for the pit lane, actually, out of the pit lane and back into the motor race.
The whole rear wing assembly will be changed on the Cadillac #85, putting a new part on the car. Joao Barbosa continues to lead Timo Bernhard and Felipe Nasr. The two Penske Acura's are next, Graham Rahal and Dane Cameron. Felipe Nasr is continuing to chase down Timo Bernhard. Joao Barbosa continues to work his way through the traffic. Joao Barbosa may retire as the #5 Action Express Racing team car is going away and the #31 will be the only one next year. They have seven seconds in hand over Timo Bernhard in the Mazda.
The #44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 is in the pit lane. Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly, and Marco Seefried are in that car. This will be a short off-season, a couple of months, before the Michelin Sports Car Encore at Sebring, and then, the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway in early January. The GTLM battle is still hot and heavy, between Dirk Mueller and Scott Dixon. Alessandro Pier Guidi is in the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari at the moment. This race has been clean and green for a good while now as we are coming closer and closer to the halfway mark in the race.
Tire compounds have been a topic of discussion especially in GTD for the AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus boys. Matt McMurry is at the wheel of the PR1/Mathiasen car, sharing with Dalton Kellett, the only one left in LMP2. Now, the #3 Corvette C-7-R- is in the pit lane for service. Scheduled service and four tires, changing to the tire compound for the cooler conditions as well as a damper change on the sway bar, a shock change on the back of the car and a load of fuel. The new Corvette will sound completely different with a mid mounted flat crank V8 in it much like a European car, like the BMW or the Ferrari. The new car will be an interesting prospect. The old C-7-R- has been old reliable for many, many years.
Justin Marks and Katherine Legge, battle Scott Hargrove and Don Yount, so, we see both MSR Acura's, the Pfaff Motorsports Porsche, and the PPM Lamborghini. The overall leading #5 Cadillac gets four tires and fuel. In a lap or two, the #31 will hit the pit lane, trying to get on the same pit sequence. Acura Team Penske brings the #6 car to the lane. AXR with the #31 does not really need fuel or tires, but they need the strategy. No worries for the #6 Acura. Timo Bernhard is going into the #77. Now, some trouble for Chip Ganassi. The #67 Ford GT has pitted, but poor old DIrk Mueller has stuffed it into the fence. Now, the #31 car is back out, with Eric Curran now at the wheel of it. We have gone Full Course Yellow.
Pit stop time for the #911 Porsche 911 RSR. The #66 Ford GT, lost the rear end, locked up, slid through the kitty litter, and kissed the wall. Did he have a rear tire going down? Nothing has changed in the running order behind the safety car. Pit stop time for GTLM and GTD cars. The #66 Ford GT is in the lane, and Joey Hand takes over in the car. Trouble once again for the #24 BMW M8 GT. After Eric Curran, the GTLM cars are in order. We are close to halfway as the track is being cleaned up of all the tire clag. Get rid of the dirt, the debris, and so forth. It is a big gamble to pit early. They pitted early, off sequence, and then, the #31 ended up moving up due to their pit strategy. The battle in DPi will be hot and heavy.
We are nearing the midway point of this motor race. Joao Barbosa drops the hammer right out of the chicane. Graham Rahl is being monstered by his team mate Dane Cameron. Cadillac, Mazda, Cadillac, Acura, Acura, Cadillac, is the top six. The field has been reset. Eric Curran is maintaining position. He hasn't really challenged. But, he cannot afford to make a mistake. He's got to go for it, bringing the race back to AXR. Don't lose a lap. Again, AXR leads, but it isn't the car that is the championship contender. That's the #5 with Joao Barbosa at the wheel of it. But, they are not, I stress, not in championship contention. Robby Foley leads GTD and we see Cooper MacNeil hounding Ben Keating, the car owner of the #33 Mercedes AMG GT3.
Risi Competizione is back for the first time since Daytona. Leader, Joao Barbosa has run 219 laps, 556 miles. Mazda #55 is catching the #5 Action Express Cadillac DPi-V.R. Dane Cameron is all over Eric Curran like a rash. Can Curran use a lapped car as a pick? No. Dane Cameron gets around the #31. Eric Curran is keeping the car in range of the championship. Tire or engine trouble for the #86 MSR Acura NSX GT3 in the hands of Justin Marks, running fourth in GT Daytona right now. This smoke is on the left hand cylinder bank. Smoke billows from the #86 Acura. Something is wrong internally in the motor. There's smoke coming from the tailpipe of the car.
Joao Barbosa stillleads this motor race, and we wonder what he will do in the future. Will he be a reserve driver? Will he go to another team, or another series? Timo Bernhard remains second in the overall, as we rrach the halfway mark in the race. There's been a ton of action and this race is not done yet.
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