An hour to go. 421 laps done and dusted for the AXR Cadillac's, 1,069 miles. Pit stop time for the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3 from the lead in GT Daytona, checking the car as the windscreen is cleaned, the tires are changed, and the car is fueled. There was a small brake fire but it goes out and is extinguished. Give the wipe screen a wind, wait... the windscreen a wipe. That was an intentional mistake for humor, chaps. Cadillac have done their best work in the darkness. They are running better than anyone else right now. The two AXR machines are still 1-2. Meantime, Pipo Derani is catching his team mate as the Mazda is fading. The #29 Audi is in the lane, with Ricardo Feller at the wheel, and Scott Hargrove will cycle back to the front of this motor race in GTD.
Fuel and tires for Pipo Derani in the next five laps. Five or six minutes away. But, they won't be able to get to the end of this race before that. They might end up losing places. Pipo is in the lane now, 426 laps done. New drinks bottle for Derani. New tires, and a clean windscreen and he's back on track with a great burnout. James Calado makes a scheduled, clean pit stop. That's the #62 Risi Ferrari. 49 minutes to go yet. Tires and fuel for the #6. #7 got scrubbed tires for the cooler weather. #5 pits from the lead. Fuel and tires and they've dropped the car off the air jack too soon, but they didn't lose time. Porsche #912 in the lane, scheduled service, and well, the #67 Ford GT and the #25 BMW both get out ahead of Bamber in the Coca Cola Porsche.
Romain Dumas out of the #54 CORE Autosport Nissan, and Jon Bennett will take the car to the finish. Nick Tandy in the lane in #911. Christmas for the Coca Cola #911 Porsche. It screams away from the lane. Oliver Jarvis will be in the lane in about six laps or so. He is slower than Filipe Albuquerque. Everyone needs one more stop. Jordan Taylor will likely be the next car into the lane. The #96 Turner Motorsport Liqui Moly BMW M6 GT3 lost the GT Daytona lead going uphill on the grass. Christopher Mies and Scott Hargrove are closing, and fast. Toni Vilander has spun, and we are going Full Course Yellow, blokes. Pipo didn't get to the lane before the yellow came out.
This'll be a pit stop race. Katherine Legge has spun, and there is an investigation by the IMSA stewards into this. Vilander spun as well as Legge. He was stationary. Now, Vilander may be dinged by the stewards. Acura may have a lifeline in GTD. Pits open for Prototypes. Let's see what happens. Stand by, everyone. We will go back to green in seven or eight minutes or so it seems. Pipo Derani needs less fuel. Tires or no tires for the #31, or for any of the others. Here they come. Final DPi pit stops of 2019. Oliver Jarvis will be the first car in the lane. Hard to tell what the service is. For the #5, fuel only. For the #31, fuel and tires. For the #6 Acura, the car stays out. The #5 is back on track. Pipo Derani is out of the lane, and here come the Mazda and the #10 WTR Cadillac. Four tires as well and a nose cleaning for the #7 Acura.
Did the #5 Cadillac take two or for tires? No tires. Fuel only. Corvette #3 pits, and there was one tire for the #31, the right front tire. AXR now back to 1-2. We will go green at the end of this particular lap. Juan Montoya and Dane Cameron drop down to the lowest possible place where they could still be champs. Now, Montoya is back on track, and Stephen Simpson will also leave the lane. We are ready to go back to green. We will have a 25 minute dash to the end of the race and the season. Albuquerque, Derani, Jarvis, they go for it, but Jarvis snoozes and Jordan Taylor passes. Ricky Taylor is right on Jarvis' tail. Juan Montoya and Stephen Simpson are the blokes we have to watch.
18 seconds between Montoya and Simpson. Jon Bennett in the Nissan is way, way back. Montoya may still win the championship here. Ricky Taylor is now fourth. Problems for Oliver Jarvis. He's lost time. Could the Mazda be coughing and sputtering? Jordan Taylor is back into the motor race. Porsche is gaining on BMW in GTLM with Ferrari still leading. Felipe Fraga is being monstered by Bill Auberlen and Christopher Mies. Katherine Legge is being pressed by Toni Vilander. No action after review of the pass between Vilander, Legge, and the Lamborghini of Bryan Sellers. Somehow Nick Tandy is off the lead lap of the race.
Oliver Jarvis is limping home on the road. The Mazda is sick, clearly. An off course excursion at the top of the hill for Ricky Taylor in Acura #7. It's game over for Oliver Jarvis. He's in the wrong gear in the transmission. He's stuck in high gear, as the car was not revving at all whatsoever. Filipe Albuquerque has dropped out. Broken wheel. So, only one bullet left for AXR. Pipo Derani leads Jordan Taylor. Jordan Taylor has caught Pipo Derani. Derani is just two seconds ahead. 15 minutes to go in the season. Battles and fastest laps everywhere. James Calado and Ryan Briscoe flying in GTLM.
Ford vs. Ferrari, just like the new movie. BMW, Porsche, and Chevrolet are next in GTLM. This race is extraordinary. Jordan Taylor continues to apply the blowtorch to Pipo Derani. Katherine Legge is now behind Toni Vilander and Bryan Sellers. Advantage Lamborghini in GTD. New brake discs going on the #5. He is seventh behind Stephen Simpson. He will finish. The Acura could still win the title. They just need to find whether AXR wins or not. Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr, and Eric Curran are continuing to lead, but they may only be able to go for the win. James Calado's lead in GTLM balloons to 2.1 seconds. Earl Bamber and Antonio Garcia close on Earl Bamber in GTLM. Oh my goodness! This is nuts!
Bill Auberlen is right wigth the leader in GTD. Auberlen trying hard to catch Felipe Fraga and Chris Mies is pressing hard in the #29 Land Audi. 2.5 seconds separate Derani and Taylor. We've beaten the distance record, on 457 laps, 1,161 miles. The Mazda has clearly had a motor or transmission issue. Pipo Derani is leading this motor race by nearly 4 seconds. James Calado is 3.1 seconds ahead in GTLM. Tom Blomqvist is pulling out time over Earl Bamber. He's got a second. Bill Auberlen half a second behind Felipe Fraga. It's all happening at Road Atlanta. The manufacturer's cup in GTD might go to Lamborghini. Pipo Derani is showing how well he's done all weekend.
Vilander leads Sellers and Legge. Katherine Legge won't have Bryan Sellers on her Christmas card list. Bill Auberlen is right with Felipe Fraga in GTD. He wants that 60th win, to equal Scott Pruett. Chris Mies is right in it in GTD as well. Jordan Taylor is 2.4 seconds behind Pipo Derani. Ben Keating has gone to race in the FIA WEC. So, the Wynn's Mercedes is on it's last ride in IMSA. Three minutes to go. Auberlen too far back on the downhill in turn ten and he gets back to the deck of the Mercedes. Pipo Derani might make it one more lap, maybe two. No white flag this time. Next time around.
This is IMSA at it's best. 45 seconds to go. Derani gets the white flag as Earl Bamber goes off the road. Was that the #10 Cadillac? One lap to go. 1.8 seconds between the two leaders. Pipo Derani on the final lap. Risi Competizione will win GTLM. Pipo Derani is under review for contact with the Porsche. Will he make it? #33 is off the road. Bill Auberlen will win GTD. Scott Atherton waves the checkered flag. Who wins? Under investigation, Bill Auberlen ties Scott Pruett, and Turner Motorsports takes GTD. Derani, Taylor and Taylor 1-2-3. #33 has not finished the motor race. Was he on fumes?
Felipe Nasr has won with Eric Curran and Pipo Derani!
So, Action Express won’t take the overall championship. But, they do take the Michelin Endurance Cup.
Overall/DPi: #31 Derani/Nasr/Curran Cadillac DPi-V.R
GT Le Mans: #62 Calado/Pier Guidi/Serra. Ferrari 488 GTE
GT Daytona: #96 Auberlen/Foley/Machavern. BMW M6 GT3
What a race! Tomorrow, a final word on the 2019 IMSA season. Stay tuned for post-race, post-season thoughts in a special report.
No comments:
Post a Comment