Maro Engel in the #4 HRT Mercedes is currently your race leader. We have just over six and 3/4 hours to go. The safety car is on track. The restart will be safer on cold tires. We have had a long Full Course Yellow to clean up the track and retrieve loads damaged GT3 cars. Chris Goodwin spun over Raidillon and all hell broke loose behind that, which set off further carnage. It is imperative to get the track cleaned up. The number of potential winners dwindles. We have some Porsche's, Audi's, Ferrari's, the sole Honda, and a few more./ Chris Goodwin spins, and then, Daniel Allemann clobbered the barrier and Alex MacDowall catches Alleman's Porsche. The track at the exit of Raidillon looks like a war zone. There is no rush to get these cars off the road and also, get the debris cleaned up.
Bentley is very vulnerable to damage as well and we have seen that this weekend a few times. Clement Mathieu and his team mates lead the Am Cup. Romano Ricci, is the heir to a perfume company. No investigation necessary. It was a racing incident that we've just seen. Hubert Haupt is the new leader of the Silver Cup, followed by the HTP #84 Mercedes of Russell Ward, Indy Dontje, and Philip Ellis. 388 laps completed, almost 1,700 miles. Push, push, push, and gain back places. We have seen 12 hours of darkness, and we have damp placs offline while the track surface is dry. Martin Tomczyk and Dennis Lind, two factory drivers, have crashed. We've also seen Chris Goodwin spin. The top pros and the amateurs can both be caught out.
We are back to racing. Maro Engel leads and Laurens Vanthoor runs second. Vanthoor hasto push and Engel is going to build a gap. None of these cars ahead of Laurens Vanthoor are just going to give him the line. Don't take any risks. We are going to go into the final quarter of this race, very soon. Everyone who got through the 12 hours of darkness, is a hero. Maro Engel, shari9ng with Luca Stolz, and Vincent Abril, pressing on. Haupt Racing Team has grown out of Black Falcon, and they are in contention. The Bentley has good pace as well, but Laurens Vanthoor has to fight the Bentley. He is doing so through the Bus Stop, down the straightaway and into La Source.
Another Full Course Yellow. Jeez! What is this mess about? We don't know. Oh, now we do. At Paul Frere curve, (Stavelot), there is a huge crash! The front of this car is destroyed, again. This is a junkyard. Louis Machiels has crashed the red #52 AF Corse Ferrari that has wrecked. The car is destroyed, through Campus in the Stavelot corner, the Paul Frere corner. We are under Full Course Yellow once more. Louis Machiels is an amateur driver but he is quick and experienced. We can't really glean anything from the replay the SRO cameras have given to us, but the car snapped violently to the left of the road. That distance to the tire bales is very small. He maybe had assistance or he hit a slick curb with cold tires.
Maro Engel heads for pit lane for fuel assuming he stays on the road. Laurens Vanthoor goes to the race lead. Matt Campbell and Mattia Drudi both stay out on the track. Maro Engel out of the HRT Mercedes and another driver into the car. We don't know who will get into the car. Maro Engel might still be in that car. Nope. Luca Stolz takes over. 392 laps, 1,705 miles. Three Porsche's leading as the BMW art car pits. Dennis Lind and company are officially out. Game over. Bentley #11 has had a litany of problems but Euan McKay and his co-drivers are still in it. So, Mattia Drudi in Audi #66 will assume the lead while Rowe and AF Corse are in the lane, and so is GPX. Sergey Sirotkin in the SMP Ferrari pits as well.
Even the pit lane is still wet. That's how cold it is at Spa in Belgium right now. It is fall, and close to winter. The list of retirements is growing with walking wounded also out there. Attrition has taken it's toll through the night. We are under safety car. Porsche #98 is going to be dusted here and in the pound seats, Audi #66. This is manna from heaven for the #66 car. Rowe Racing have been befuddled. However, now, we are going Full Course Yellow to get the leader and other cars situated. The safety car has to wait for Drudi to catch the crocodile. Mattia Drudi is at Bruxelles and the safety car is pointing everyone by, or maybe he will. We don't know. This is Full Course Yellow, not a safety car scenario.
The safety car is flying 'round the circuit. Drudi and Haase are in the lane! What the... Where's the #51 Ferrari? Whatnis going on? Now, Ferrari #51 is in the lead? Only in 2020 ladies and gentlemen. Haase has gone ahead of Drudi on the pit stops. It's a splash and a dash. Who is the race leader? We need to know. Come on, chaps. Where's the safety car? It's half a lap behind, but it might stop and need to refuel. Good grief. We shouldn't be poking fun at this. But, wow, this is a wild deal. The SRO is trying to ensure the leader is behind the safety car. Other races, the safety car is scrambled and picks up anyone. Get the leader behind the safety car, that is what they want to do.
Safety Car procedure. The Ferrari is ahead on the road. Christopher Haase had a great pit stop, but he is not the official leader, I don't think. James Calado has gotten stuck in traffic behind the Bentley. Christopher Haase IS the race leader. Oy! Okie dokie then, lads. Haase leads over Mattia Drudi and James Calado. Two more laps behind the safety car before we go green. Laurens Vanthoor has Porsche #98 in sixth place. The splash and dash has actually worked to Audi's advantage for both Sainteloc and Attempto. Offline, it is still damp. Safety car in at the end of this lap. The race is still wide open. Audi, Ferrari, Porsche, and Mercedes, are still in it.
We are finally going to go motor racing in these final six hours. Christopher Haase, a former Spa 24 winner, leads this motor race. Green flag. Haase won with Markus Winkelhock in 2017. They accelerate away. Go after the leaders as Matty Campbell is absolutely flying. The Bentley is in the middle of the road. TRhat's not a good idea. Euan McKay is trying to keep out of the way. Mad Panda Mercedes #90 has a penalty for a refueling infringement. Haase has clear track. Mattia Drudi has to go defensive because James Calado is flying! He is absolutely cooking right now. The Ferrari is effective in semi damp/semi dry conditions. Intermediate/mixed conditions.
The leading quartet is unaffected by traffic. Cars work better at different parts of different circuits. Horses for courses. Audi does not need for these two blokes to trip over each other. Two different teams but for the same brand, and here comes the Ferrari. Wow. Calado could be the fly in the ointment for Audi. Sergey Sirotkin running in the #72 Ferrari has set a personal best lap. Ferrari is going to get a good result out of this. Sergey Sirotkin is flying at the moment. Former F1 driver, who is now in GT3 racing, fully, and also a former LMP endurance sports car racer, I think.
You don't want an internecine battle between the two Audi's. Track is wet, keep the lights on, and we are into the daylight marshaling and signaling period. Drudi is stuck. Calado is coming in a hurry. All Audi's are part of a family. But Drudi and Haase are scrapping and here comes Calado. Haase was frightened by the lapped Bentley as they hit Stavelot again. Haase is trying to movr away.
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