Yours truly was on a lunch break, and a lot has been going on. A lot of chopping and changing. We've seen the #25 BMW M8 GTE go behind the wall and we've also seen an off course excursion for the #30 Team Hardpoint Audi R8, Rob Ferriol, Spencer Pumpelly, and Markus Winkelhock, are sharing the car. Mazda, Cadillac, Acura, the battle is on at the top of the shop. Mazda #55 will be lapped again, Ryan Hunter-Reay at the wheel of it. That was the battle for fourth and fifth between Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves. Gar Robinson, Jack Hawksworth, and Dillon Machavern were also in their own battle in GT Daytona. These clumps of cars, trying to pick their way through the field. You cannot relax for a moment. Run fast, but expect the unexpected as well.
You think, "ah, the track is as clear as a bell". Nope. Not on your life, sunshine. Now, we've gone past the 100 lap mark. 100 laps, 254 miles. Montoya, Derani, Jarvis, your top three. We have Gerard Neveu, the current FIA WEC President onsite here. We wish Gerard all the best, as he retires from Le Mans Endurance Management and the FIA World Endurance Championship at the end of 2020. Seven hours and 49 minutes left on the board. Less than eight hours to go. Bryan Sellers' lead over Matt McMurry in GT Daytona is shrinking. BMW #24, Jesse Krohn, is bish bash boshing it at the moment over Jordan Taylor and Tommy Milner in the Corvette C8.R's. Matthieu Jaminet and Fred Makowiecki are next up in the Porsche's, "Jam Jam", having taken over the #912 entry it seems.
Fred Makowiecki is off sequence. He ran 37 laps last time and is now going for 39 on this stint. The Porsche blokes may not have the fuel mileage of the other GTLM runners. This race has been really intense thus far. We've been under green now for an hour and 40 minutes or so. Pit stop for the Turner Motorsports BMW of Robby Foley. He takes over the car. No worries. As for Lexus #14, they did make contact with the #57 Acura. It was the right front dive plane from the Lexus causing the car to understeer. Aaron Telitz is confident that the car will come back to them. Losing dive planes is not good for the cooler weather at night. Fuel and tires on a pit stop for Porsche #911.
Scott Huffaker continues to lead LMP2. The gap is closing and Job van Uitert is catching Scott Huffaker but the gap is pretty stable. The two of them are a lap ahead of the #51 car, the Intereuropol machine of Austin McCusker. The Porsche is hunting down the Corvette's. Mazda #77 is in the pit lane. Tristan Nunez did a double, and Oliver Jarvis has done a double stint, and now, Olivier Pla is into the car. Simon Pagenaud is also getting into the #6 Acura. Simon Pagenaud last won Petit Le Mans, a decade ago. Helio Castroneves stays aboard the #7 Acura.
We have seen a number of pit stops. Seven and a half hours left. John Potter has met his minimum drive time. Spencer Pumpelly and Andy Lally will complete the drive time for the rest of the race in the #44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini. We have a pit stop for the #4 Corvette, and Marcel Fassler may have just taken over from Tommy Milner. The gap is closing now, and has stabilized between Acura Team Penske and Action Express. Job van Uitert pits the #8 Tower Motorsports LMP2 car. Any time in the pit lane does not count against drive time.
Some argy bargy, look, between BMW and Porsche. Jesse Krohn hip checks Fred Makowiecki. That's Marcel Fassler. This is for the GTLM lead. It was wheel to wheel between BMW and Corvette. Jesse Krohn now leads GT Le Mans as Porsche #912 had a botched driver change between Matthieu Jaminet and one of the other drivers. A bungee cord on the seatbelt broke when Earl Bamber was being installed into the car. The broken bungee cord is not good. A broken bungee gathers no moss. BMW #25 has just come back on track. Colton Herta is in the car.
Mazda #77 is back into the pit lane. Jarvis/Nnez/Pla on the driver's strength. Penske Acura #6 pits from the lead of the motor race as we have seven and a half hours to go. Olivier Pla is in the Mazda. He will drive with A.J. Allmendinger, for Acura, next year. We watch th GTLM battle, the Porsche's actually, right now. Simon Pagenaud leads this motor race by 6.2 seconds over Filipe Albuquerque. Corvette #4 has passed their team mate. The GT Daytona leaders will pit soon as well. Corvette #3 now in the pit lane for routine service.
Ryan Hardwick is in the #16 Weight Motorsports Porsche. He is running his home race. He is so thrilled to be here. Kyle Kirkwood pits the #12 AVS Lexus. He is an impressive driver, sharing now, with Townsend Bell and Frankie Montecalvo of course. Kirkwood says he has a hard time with ABS and traction control, which is not a part of open wheel racing. Kirkwood is a single seater specialist. Pit stop time as well for the #4 Corvette C8.R. There is a driver change, I think. Yes. Tommy Milner had reinherited the lead of this motor race. Simon Pagenaud still leads. Long way to go yet.
Again, we saw Krohn and Makowiecki scrapping closely for a little while. Simon Pagenaud has opened his lead to 3.5 seconds over Filipe Albuquerque. Problems with a throttlebody and on the #25 BMW M8 GTE. Filipe Albuquerque is gaining on Simon Pagenaud as they work by the #63 WeatherTech Ferrari. Filipe Albuquerque still has traffic to work with, in hot pursuit of Simon Pagenaud. The #48 Lamborghini continues to lead GT Daytona, Corey Lewis at the controls. He is 29 years old, today. It is Alessandro Balzan's birthday as well. Toni Vilander could not be here at Road Atlanta to race, this weekend.
Filipe Albuquerque has hgis hands full with Olivier Pla.
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