Don't give up. Continue on and keep going. Fred Poordad has the wheel of the #20 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R. Poordad is a veteran of the Porsche GT3 Cup series but also, he can deal with pressure and does not cave in, does not make any mistakes. He knows he has to be realistic with his racing, and shows smarts along with his pace. Team boss John Wright brings much exprience to the table as well. #20 is in the lane for service. Mario Farnbacher has the fastest lap of this motor race at 1:23.5. Wright Motorsports have also been associated with other championships more recently, not just SRO. Car #20 pitted from eighth in the overall. Shelby Blackstock is doing a long stint aboard the #93 Acura. He has an hour or so on the board in his stint. He has been soaking up the knowledge and experience of his team mate Trent Hindman.
We are seeing more pit action as Patrick Gallagher is really executing well in the lone Aston Martin in the field in GT4. Gallagher/Dalton/Taylor are running very well and the #93 Racer's Edge Acura is in for a full service stop for Shelby Blackstock. But, if they are at or over 74 seconds on the pit stop, they will be pinged by the stewards. They are way above a short stop and did refuel the automobile. Ryan Dalziel has the #63 DXDT Mercedes AMG GT3 and Dalziel, the Scotsman is trying to keep his Pirelli P Zero tires clean. The tire clag and the carbon fiber shards are all over the road. Be careful. That carbon fiber is lightweight but it cuts like a knife or a razor blade. Phil Bloom in the lane for Classic BMW #26 in GT4 as well, look. Quick stop. He is in and out. Bloom is really driving well. But the BMW boys don't quite have the pace of the Notlad Aston Martin.
Sector two of this course at Indianapolis is very technical. 10,000 fans have been allowed to come and watch this race and the doubleheader that was seen for the IndyCar's both Friday and yesterday. Mikael Grenier has taken over the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes. Mark Issa has the controls of the #1 Hublot Squadra Corse Ferrari. Patrick Gallagher is out of the #33 Aston Martin and changing the driver. They are refuelling these cars with a dump can, and not a gravity fed fueling rig. The strategist's calculators have been on fire today. This has been quite the motor race. We are four and a quarter hours into this race.
Ben Keating is leading Pro Am in the #04 Crowdstrike/AWS Mercedes AMG GT3. They've won the GTWC America portion of this race but can they win ovwerall? They've overcome their pit penalty and they are right on the money with both Jeff Braun and Peter Baron on strategy. Holy smokes! They've refueled the car and are changing the Pirelli P Zero tires now. Walkenhorst BMW #35 in the lane as well, look. Both of them are in, #34 and #35. They've had a perfectly orchestrated race so far. Good pit work is going to get the jump. The teams and manufacturers are right in this and whoever wins, the manufacturers will get the bragging rights.
Renger van der Zande slices through and he is now back on the lead lap, screaming past the BMW boys. If they can catch a yellow, they don't have to rely on a yellow. van der Zande has lighter fuel loads, but has worn tires, while Connor De Phillippi is on fresh tires and full tanks. This is the first time Walkenhorst Racing has had two cars in one of these Intercontinental enduro races. Renger van der Zande has taken the lead of this motor race from the BMW. The lead battle is getting spicy between thge BMW teams. Elias Sabo pits the #8 GMG Racing Audi. Meantime, Connor De Phillippi is pushing Renger van der Zande. Van der Zande sells him the dummy,. but runs wide, and De Phillippi says, "thanks, mate", and whistles right by.
David Pittard has a lot of experience on the Nurburgring and we have seen him in NLS competition and last weekend at the Nurburgring 24 Hours too I believe. Ryan Dalziel in hot pursuit of Ben Keating for the two Mercedes' DXDT cars. Renger van der Zande is hanging on to the coattails of Connor De Phillippi in the BMW. A pit stop time infringement hold for the #33 Aston Martin as Jonathan Taylor serves the penalty. Renger van der Zande still wants by Connor De Phillippi as Ryan Dalziel is in this fight trying to go by Ben Keating as James Sofronas in the Audi R8 GT4 gives the leading blokes a wide berth.
DXDT goes down another lap. The Bentley is a long way behind but at least they are back out there with Jules Gounon at the controls, running at the pace of the leaders. Bentley must get into the top ten to score points. Bentley has one more position to move up in GT3 if they want to score IGTC points. Three and a half hours left on the clock. M-Sport was set to do the 2020 IGTC season but they have not been able to due to the virus and all that has surrounded it. Bentley has at least kept their trio together. Meantime, Connor De Phillippi has bolted and Renger van der Zande still has his hands full with Ryan Dalziel.
van der Zande slices his way past the Mercedes. When he sees the gap, he goes for it. This is the doldrums of the race, just turning laps. Don't get complacent. It is true of all endurance races. One mistake and your whole race is shattered. It's game over. These blokes are all veteran factory drivers for manufacturers. The BMW's need two full stops and a splash and a dash while the Acura needs three full stops and the #31 Audi needs a full stop as well. Fuel saving works, but sometimes it doesn't. If you short a stop, it's a stop and hold, for the amount of time you were short in the lane. Renger van der Zande is taking chunks out of Connor De Phillippi's lead. van der Zande is caught behind Fred Poordad and Fred Poordad realizes discretion is the better part of valor.
This is that yo yo situation where, on low fuel, things are moving back and forth between the strengths of the two cars, the BMW and the Acura. But they are not on the same pit stop sequence. van der Zande has to just floor it. Even when your tires are knackered, the fuel weighs a lot and as you burn off fuel, the car goes quicker on acceleration, braking, and transitions into corners. You have to go before your rivals get to you and the goody is rubbed out of your tires. The Notlad Aston Martin has dropped to fourth place in GT4.
If you catch traffic at the wrong spot, you are a sitting duck even if you consider vehicle dynamics on the road course, before Hulman Boulevard. It can be very frustrating for a driver to work his way through lapped traffic. De Phillippi is far faster than Renger van der Zande at the moment. Traffic giveth and traffic taketh away. Don't get too aggressive. There's still over three hours left on the board. Be patient, but don't be complacent and let your guard down. Connor De Phillippi has some lapped traffic and James Sofronas goes off the road while everyone else checks up and Connor De Phillippi moves ahead of Renger van der Zande who is now stymied behind the Mercedes. Sofronas wiggles after being tagged by the Mercedes, the #04 car, Ben Keating at the controls.
The dive planes and the splitter look fine. The #31 WRT Hardpoint Audi is in the lane, fuel only. Markus Winkelhock stays in the car. Hardpoint and Markus Winkelhock are a lap or so down at the moment. The two Walkenhorst BMW's came in immediately right as the deluge was starting. The weather turned almost immediately. It came in waves. De Phillippi nearly makes contact with the BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman. That's the #69 car. Tom Collingwood, John Tecce, and Dylan Murry. We also see the #2 Porsche Cayman of Jason Bell, Robin Liddell, and Andrew Davis.
A full service stop for the #63 DXDT Mercedes. Fuel going in, and then, the tires are changed. One rattle gun to change the tires of course and sticker Pirelli P Zero tires going onto this car. It is a ballet that is choreographed. Pit crews have to be light on their feet and synchronized. Wright Motorsports has also pitted, trundling down the lane. Three times during the race you can take a joker second, but you can't use them consecutively. Max Root has taken over the #20 car. Meanwhile, van der Zande is keeping De Phillippi honest. The team at JAS will have to make a decision on fuel and also, their stint lengths. Honda will keep the same driver lineup for Spa. Bertrand Baguette was going to be in this program, but no. With the COVID virus, Baguette stays in Japan to race in Honda's Super GT program. Renger van der Zande out of the car on the pit stops and a driver change to Mario Farnbacher.
An overall position is at stake between Markus Winkelhock and Ben Keating. Mirko Bortolotti will get into the car eventually. Dane Cameron, actually, is at the wheel of Acura #30. Ben Keating is a really fast driver as a Pro Am. Keating is throwing everything and the kitchen sink at Markus Winkelhock at the moment. Ben Keating has run a 1:25.7 and he is even Steven with Markus Winkelhock, but Keating is putting some daylight between himself and Winkelhock. Keating runs a tad wide. Keating threads the needle to block Winkelhock as they pass that Classic BMW GT4 BMW M4. Keating is doing just enough. They are closing in on Jonatahn Taylor in the Notlad Aston Martin. He's done high performance driving experience and Porsche Club of America racing.
He has zero experience in pro racing but he is flying right now, within a second of the fast drivers in GT4. Wow! Watch out for this bloke. He's a good one. Meantime, Ben Keating is going for it, big time. We also watch Robert Megennis in the #93 Acura.
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