Solid pit stop for the #31 AXR Cadillac. The #10 team is almost done repairing the busted radiator. Under yellow, the #10 Cadillac, is getting buttoned up to go back on the road. Townsend Bell is staying with it, but of course, the AVS Lexus boys have to claw their way back. The Porsche and Audi are possible GTD winners, and so is the sole remaining Lexus. We have a lot of things that are still going to play out in the second half of this motor race. Cadillac #10 back out on track. Green flag, and the #10 car goes down another lap. Pipo Derani is flying, trying to get his fourth win at the Sebring 12 Hours. However, Dane Cameron is flying as well, and he is still pushing, hard.
We have six hours and 45 minutes left on the board. Pipo Derani is stretching a margin on the Acura. Stretching the rubber band out on the Acura. Felipe Nasr and Gabby Chaves, Pipo Derani's co-driver's. No problems for the #31 car yet. Derani leads by three points. In GT Daytona, meanwhile, Mario Farnbacher moves past the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3, Nick Yelloly at the controls, and around goes Mario Farnbacher doing a full 360! Yikes! That was close! Farnbacher is yelling on the radio, "he hit me! Tell the blokes at Race Control!" This is Mike Shank's final race as a GTD team owner before stepping back up to prototypes and stepping up to DPi.
This is the 25th anniversary of Bill Auberlen's first Sebring win. He is not here, even though he had a negative test for the COVID-19 virus. So much action and we're not even halfway home yet. We're 40 minutes away from halfway. Cadillac #31 leads, still, while Acura #6 is in hot pursuit. The battle rages on here, look, in GT Daytona. Cadillac #10 is back in the race, but playing the catch up game. Pipo Derani leads the motor race. Mike Shank is very upset about the Acura NSX being rotated. They have been hit in four of the last five races. They are in contention for the GT Daytona championship. Pipo Derani blocks the #6 Acura, with lapped GTD cars, but Dane Cameron is closing.
The gap is half a second between Pipo Derani and Dane Cameron. John Potter in the #44 Flex Box Lamborghini has picked up an advertising banner after Misha Goikhberg hits the wall, and it seems he has hit a Little Caesar's sign. Maybe Mr. Potter wants to order a pizza after his driving stint. Har har har. This track was an Army base from 1941-'45 during WW. II. and people ask, "why don't they diamond grind the track?" Well, that would take the character out of it. This place has boatloads of character. It is a whole different challenge compared to other tracks, and there's been so much history over the years. It was an Army airbase for B17 and B24-25 bomber planes during WW. II. There is an active runway behind the track with planes taking off and landing.
Yours truly took a quick break to eat lunch and saw GT Daytona take pit stops. We have 11 minutes to go in this hour. Cooper MacNeil just went up with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. How cool is that?! We go back to green and now, Mattheus Leist leads and here comes Scott Dixon. He has not made the pass, or has he? Leist hangs on. He won't let Dixon get a lap back here. Yikes. Leist is on worn Michelin tires. All the cars behind Dixon have fresh tires. Ricky Taylor is going to fight to get a lap back around both Scott Dixon and Mattheus Leist.
Another spot of bother for the #8 Tower Motorsports by Starworks LMP2 car. John Farano spins, and keeps going. IMSA President John Doonan says that it has been a huge effort to pull off the 2020 IMSA championship with the virus. When, where, how, how do we change? Social distancing, face masks etc, in this virus pandemic era. Some of the championships need to still be decided. IMSA will be back on track, in 67 days, in 2021. We have accomplished a bunch in 2020. IMSA is a NASCAR owned property of course.
We are right at halfway through Sebring. Wow.
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