Pit stop time for BMW #35, and bish, bash, bosh, they're down and away. The Walkenhorst boys have split their strategy. Renger van der Zande is third on the road, sharing of course with Dane Cameron and with Mario Farnbacher. van der Zande is really fighting that car. The electronic clutch was on the blink on that last pit stop that we saw. The car might just have one more pit stop remaining. Acura #30 is in the pit lane now. A tear off is ripped off the windscreen. Fuel is added. Walkenhorst BMW in as well, as Nicky Catsburg makes is final stop for a full fuel load as well. The Acura has a tough wheel change. The car started cleanly and he is back underway. The #34 Walkenhorst BMW team has a delay! Oh dear. Did they miss something with the tires? That was a critical point. They lost just a small slice of time. One of the mechanics tripped and landed on the tires, keeping control of them.
Nicky Catsburg is a third of a lap up on the sister BMW. Mirko Bortolotti is in for the final stop, actually, a drive through penalty. This is not a pit stop. It is a drive through penalty. Bortolotti moves by James Clay, the GT4 leader in the Bimmerworld BMW. For all the major contenders, the final pit stops have been made as Mirko Bortolotti uses all the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and then some! Bortolotti made a big move on Alesaandro Balzan and Balzan spun off the road. You can drive past a car you recognize, but with a different driver at the controls. Bill Auberlen will take over the Bimmerworld BMW from James Clay and they ran afoul of the regulations earlier on a pit stop but they've come back from it.
Robin Liddell and Nick Wittmer continue their battle in GT4 as well. Bill Auberlen is built like a jockey while James Clay used to be an offensive lineman in college football. The GMG Porsche and the ST BMW have had some history during this race so far, as Renger van der Zande has to sandwich himself between the two GT4 cars and squirt through, the hot dog, flying out of the bun. This is going to be a tight squeeze as Liddell wants by Wittmer but no dice. IUt's the discretion being the better part of valor idea. There might be a fuel flow overflow on the Porsche. Auberlen to Wittmer, 51 some odd seconds, and it will be less now.
45 minutes left on the board before this motor race is done and dusted. Chandler Hull wants his first professional endurance race win. Final pit stop for the #31 Audi R8 as Mirko Bortolotti will finish the race. Fuel and tires for the car. Nick Wittmer is opening a gap over Robin Liddell in GT4. Catsburg, the Dutchman, is understeering just a shade. Ben Keating pits the #04 AWS, Crowdstrike Mercedes Benz AMG GT3. Colin Braun will take the car to the finish and they might just get the Pro Am win. This Mercedes has been through the wars today. They do have a good cushion over Alessandro Balzan. Kurtz and Colin Braun will be headed for the next race of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the 24 Hours of Spa. You will hear more about that race after this one, is finished.
The tire clag continues to build on the road. It'll just spin off the tire and get up into the wheel wells. Watch out for the big chunks. Back in the Audi prototype days, they'd spray the fenders of the Audi R8 LMP1 car with Pam cooking spray. It's a big rubber snowball that weighs two to three pounds at least. The #6 Vital Speed Ferrari has Ryan Briscoe at the wheel and he will take it to the end, running a 1:25.1 compared to a 1:24.3 for Nicky Catsburg.
The #35 BMW just cannot seem to keep up with their sister car. Colin Braun leads Pro Am and in GT4, the Bimmerworld BMW. This could be BMW's first registered win in IGTC, even though they did win the 2018 Spa 24 Hours, to try and win that one again in a few weeks. The Acura NSX should be good for both Spa and the finale at Kyalami in South Africa. Nick Yelloly has daylight between himself and the Honda. He is 30 some odd seconds adrift of Catsburg and has a big margin over Renger van der Zande. #35 missed the setup or tire pressures and there will be a BMW 1-2 finish here in the next half hour if nothing happens.
Walkenhorst is so used to running at the Nurburgring and dealing with the elements there like the weather. Spa Francorchamps, the next race, will be the same way. The BMW M6 is older than some other GT3 cars, but it's still extremely competitive. Yelloly remains second and Renger van der Zande will finish third over the #31 Audi Sport Team Hardpoint WRT car. David Pittard, one of the co-drivers in the #35 BMW has also done extremely well. David Pittard explains that there's been little preparation for this race, but he credits his co-driver Martin Tomczyk as well. David Pittard explains that they wanted to get the optimum setup for their car while the sister car also did likewise.
The black #34 car had a stiffer setup than did the traditional white BMW. But, these two cars have just dominated this motor race with a tad over 20 minutes remaining before the checkered flag. Nicky Catsburg is right on the money at the moment. The race has swung their way. It'll be a massive day for BMW and also they could sweep with a win in GT4 as well. The margins really have not changed. Robin Liddell has trimmed the margin between himself and Nick Wittmer. It might be a BMW 1-2 in both divisions. We shall see. A good duel, look, between Jan Heylen and Trent Hindman. These two will enjoy driving their last few laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jan Heylen is pushing, pushing, pushing.
He is running in the 1:23 bracket. John Wright and Porsche Customer Racing's David Brown, have been engineering this car. The Pirelli tires are screaming, fighting for grip, begging for mercy. 15 minutes left on the board. What an incredible run for the two Walkenhorst BMW's. Nothing short of stupendous. Renger van der Zande remains third. Alessandro Balzan is still second in Pro Am, but Mikael Grenier has been really going for it, reeling in the #1 car. The SunEnergy1 boys have not given up today at all. Ryan Briscoe, also, aboard the Vital Speed Ferrari, is improving. They've rebounded on fresh Pirelli P Zero tires.
Bill Auberlen leads now by about 18 seconds and will bring it home, not doing anything silly. Max Root and Fred Poordad have been running really well along with Jan Heylen. He tips his hat to his team and to his co-driver, Max Root, and to Jan Heylen as well. Max Root has some midterm college exams to take, so he has left and will let Jan Heylen finish out this race. We shall take time to thank the corner workers and volunteers who have been doing a lot of work out in the elements. We appreciate all you do for our sport, the ladies and gentlemen, who wear the white uniforms. We have seen a superb race and a superb performance by Walkenhorst BMW.
Mirko Bortolotti is bringing it home, and will finish in fourth spot. Racers and race teams have to be optimists. That's just how this sport is. The Honda team from JAS did not get a full race at Bathurst, but they are in the game and despite their troubles, the Bentley Boys are also still in this, especially with the next big race coming up. Renger van der Zande is looking for a podium with co-drivers Dane Cameron and Mario Farnbacher. The handling and balance on the second place BMW has gone away compared to the sister car. This will be the final, oh, three laps, before we end this great motor race. Augusto Farfus, Connor De Phillippi, and Nicky Catsburg, all three of them have done exactly what they've needed to do.
Nicky Catsburg has just checked out. Bill Auberlen, Chandler Hull, and James Clay, they are going to be victorious in GT4. It is an all BMW day here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In second, the #438 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 with Nick Wittmer, Samantha Tan, and Jon Miller. Thye second place GT4 car will be the #2 GMG Porsche Cayman GT4 of Jason Bell, Robin Liddell, and Andrew Davis. White flag this time. It's the final lap. Enjoy your moment, Nicky Catsburg. A fantastic run, a 1-2 for BMW, in both GT3 and GT4. Nicky Catsburg is in the catbird, or "Catsburg" seat. The sun shines on BMW at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today.
One more time onto the on ramp, and down the front straight. BMW wins the inaugural Indianapolis 8 Hours, going 1-2! GT4 also sees BMW winning, and Bill Auberlen adds to his phenomenal win record! James Clay, Chandler Hull, and Bill Auberlen, are your winners. Walkenhorst BMW gets a 1-2 sweep! Break out the broom! Nick Wittmer also completes a BMW sweep for ST Racing, Samantha Tan, Nick Wittmer, and Jon Miller. In Pro Am, it is Colin Braun, George Kurtz, and Ben Keating, who also win the finale for the AWS World Challenge America GT3 category.
300 laps completed by the Walkenhorst BMW. 720 miles. What an eventful, dramatic motor race this has been.
Overall/GT3: #34 De Phillipi/Farfus/Catsburg BMW M6 GT3
GT3 Pro Am: #04 Kurtz/Braun/Keating Mercedes AMG GT3
GT4: #82 Auberlen/Hull/Clay BMW M4 GT4
So, the Indianapolis 8 Hours is done and dusted, and now, the third race of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, beckons, the crown jewel, the blue ribbon race of the championship, in the Ardennes forest of Belgium, the 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, coming up in another three weeks, 20 days. Congratulations all around to Connor De Phillipi, Augusto Farfus, and Nicky Catsburg. George Kurtz, Colin Braun, and Ben Keating, for DXDT Racing, are second. Third, the #20 Wright Motorsports Porsche of Max Root, Fred Poordad, and Jan Heylen.
It is party time at Indianapolis. The Bimmerworld car is headed back to the paddock, but Bill Auberlen, Chandler Hull, and James Clay, can celebrate. The winning drivers at Walkenhorst, sign the camera lens. We can hear the whimpering and the "oh no!" from the control room staff at SRO. Uh, we'll clean that camera later. What a fantastic race on a great track here at the greatest race track in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The warrior shows the signs of battle. The grime and the mud obscure the decals, but the car did not miss a beat, not once.
The "secret sauce" must be the sweet taste of victory. Whipped cream, maybe. This is a great setup for the final two races of IGTC, the legendary, classic races, the 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, coming up in less than three weeks, and the Kyalami 9 Hours in December at Kyalami circuit in South Africa. We will be here, to bring those races to you on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog. Martin Fuentes, Mark Issa, and Alessandro Balzan did not win, but they will be champions in GT World Challenge America.
The podium has everything laid out for the drivers, their trophies and the champagne, due to the virus protocols. Caps off, for the German national anthem, in honor, of BMW, the winning manufacturer. Bavarian Motorwerks. Here come the checks. Spend that money wisely, boys, and of course, it will go to the team, the entrant. Here comes the champagne! Celebrate! But dont' run away. Drink it. Dont' spray it. Just kidding! Beautiful trees, flowers, and pumpkins, on the podium, for the spirit of autumn as well.
We have thoroughly enjoyed this race. This podium has seen a lot of Indianapolis 500s, Formula 1 races, MotoGP, NASCAR, and more. This is a special place, that has been improved definitely, with the golf course and the museum, too. Roger Penske has donr so well with improving the place, making it even better than it already was. It is an immaculate property and we hope to come back for another Intercontinental GT Challenge race in the future. Podium celebrations continue for Pro Am. Mark Issa, Alessandro Balzan, and Martin Fuentes, are pumped, and so are Goerge Kurtz, Ben Keating, and Colin Braun.
They win Pro Am in the Indianapolis 8 Hours. The Racing Capitol of the World is bathed in sunshine now. The amateur GT4 drivers did very, very well today, being thrown in at the deep end. Trophies also presented for Pro Am as Fred Poordad and Jan Heylen toast and drink the champagne. Max Root is off studying for his midterm college exams. Teams who did not succeed today, will keep working, and they will go out for the next one. The compressed schedule makes things very busy. There's a lot going on.
Celebrations for GT4 now as well. Samantha Tan, Jon Miller, and Nick Wittmer in second, and your winners, Bimmerworld, James Clay, Chandler Hull, and Bill Auberlen. The celebrations continue. Toast it, everyone who has won. You deserve it. There was lots of potential for some teams and drivers. It was very close all day long. A sweep of the podium for BMW in GT3 and GT4. A remarkable race. We have the crown jewel, the 24 Hours of Spa, in Belgium, in less than three weeks. Take care, everyone. We'll see you at Spa. So long, from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
No comments:
Post a Comment