Rain is upon us and now, it is time for Barwell to make their technical pit stop, for the #78 Barwell Lamborghini, the Schandorff/Macdowall/Kujala car. Pit stop time as well for GPX and the Porsche, I believe. Alessandro Pier Guidi leads and he is now into the pit lane as it is starting to pour. It's tipping down with rain. 12 hours and 15 minutes on the board. Eleven and 3/4 to go. Porsche #99 in the lane./ Dirk Werner and his team may be fooling us, but this is with a car down the order. You go safe on the better placed car and you gamble on the car that is down the order. #98 is in as well, look. So the tire strategy is really coming into play. Wet Pirelli tires, and everyone is coming in for wet weather Pirelli tires. The Lamborghini, one of them, has a very squished exhaust.
Alessandro Pier Guidi is going to stay out front, and his lead will grow. Richard Lietz, Earl Bamber, Euan McKay, Dirk Werner, Tom Blomqvist, and Alessandro Pier Guidi have all stopped. Patrick Pilet is second overall now. We saw a lot of rain but not everywhere, not all over the road. How wet is the track for the wet Pirelli tires to last without chunking? Such mud and clag all over the road. Good grief. We still have just below 11 hours and 40 minutes to go. Rob and Ricky Collard, a father/son duo at Spa. Bentley #3 is struggling on those tires, on slicks. Maxime Soulet, in third, is being very patient on the throttle with that big turbo V8 in the front of the Bentley.
It is very wet out there. It's fall, and we have just had a proper downpour as Maxime Soulet is in the pit lane now. Soulet is staying in the car. It's not really raining, but it is a misty drizzle. Renger van der Zande is on slicks, sliding the Honda NSX, car #29. Rain will cool the track. The water brings the temperature of a slick tire down and it drops out of it's operating window, and it's like driving on wood. I can't imagine driving on a log. How quickly is the track drying compared to whether Renger van der Zande's tires just get so cold that they're busted? Giacomo Altoe is on wet tires taking over the #163 Lamborghini for Emil Frey Racing.
Renger van der Zande is into the lane now. The Bentley has dropped to 13th for coming in later than everyone else for wet weather Pirelli tires. Earl Bamber in a spot of bother at the Bus Stop, squeezing by the HTP Mercedes, that spun. He had to have a squizz to make a squeeze there. Renger van der Zande stays in for another stint. He has freelanced in British GT as well as running here in SRO and in IMSA. Patrick Pilet bounds over the curbs at the Bus Stop, moving to fifth place. There is no wind for the rain to be dried out. Visibility is worse than it's been during the entire race to this point. Jonathan Hui, has his windscreen wiper on, taking over from Giancarlo Fisichella.
The water is hanging in the trees. The winshield is covered in rain even with the windshield wiper. It is 100% wet now. Ferrari #51 leads the motor race at this stage even in the rain. We watch a three car battle, Patrick Niederhauser in the #66 Audi, ahead of both Sven Mueller and Thomas Preining, who are Porsche veterans even though they are very young and know exactly how to drive a race car. Ferrari #52 is recovering from a spin, the Pro Am class AF Corse car. Louis Machiels spins, and has some damage, having to give it a spot of welly to get out of the grass.
Some argy bargy between Matthieu Vaxiviere and one of the Porsche's, the #22 car of Dennis Olsen. Thomas Preining is battling with James Calado. He could be lapping cars that are scrapping for sixth spot! Blimey! The rain has really changed things up. The Walkenhorst BMW has dropped like a stone to 17th overall. How in the world did that happen? The Honda NSX, Farnbacher/van der Zande/Cameron has also dropped down the order. Alessandro Pier Guidi leads Andrea Caldarelli by 40 seconds. He is coming up to lap sixth spot. It is raining in low visibility, and the chaps in sixth are running the same darn speed.
The lap times are identical between a couple of these leaders. The Audi tries to pass and slides around. He was off the road. That was some ugly business there, look. Let me pass. That's what the driver of #66 was saying to #22. Thomas Preining in #40 was pestering the #66 Audi. Alessandro Pier Guidi hitting the sausage curbs! Not comfortable, bad for the car, and wet! Pier Guidi, the daredevil! Audi #66 has been told by the stewards, "if you gain an advantage, give it up, or slow down." He gained an advantage. Team Manager of car #88 being summoned to the stewards room, for the AKKA ASP Mercedes that retired half an hour ago or so.
Bentley #107 has Alexandre Pierre Jean at the controls, sharing of course with Sebastian Morris and Nelson Panciatici. Pierre Alexandre Jean, excuse me. Now, the Ferrari tries to get by lapped traffic. He makes his move. But the Porsche's are stuck behind the Ferrari? I think so. Wait a second. #66 has gone past the Bentley. Thomas Preining loses ground to Patrick Neiderhauser. The Frikadelli Porsche goes down another lap and the race leader has lapped everyone up to seventh spot. Thomas Preining is ahead of Alesandro Pier Guidi, and so Sven Mueller has been lapped. Earl Bamber is pressing the Honda. He has the run down the Kemmel strasight to get clear vision over the Honda, and he can't pass. Thi si really tough to get past Dane Cameron or whoever the bloke is in the Honda.
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