Marco Sorensen has lost two spots to Dan Harper and Rob Bell being demoted to 12th for Beechdean AMR. The other car retired, the #97 made it almost to hour two, but it was a fraught and disappointing race for David Pittard, Charlie Fagg, Theo Nouet, and Roman De Angelis. Raffaele Marciello ahead of Richard Lietz ahead of Daniel Serra, Nick Yelloly, James Calado, Maxi Buhk, Luca Stolz, Rob Bell, Dan Harper, and Marco Sorensen in the sole remaining Beechdean Aston Martin. Beechdean is a dairy and they make ice cream. 54 cars now on the track and we have lost a dozen. Leading by 5.7 seconds is Raffaele Marciello over Richard Lietz. Dries Vanthoor in the #32 WRT Audi is 15th overall, listed as 19th, so I think he is a tad higher, sharing with Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde. But they have had their troubles. They could very well work their way back to the top.
However, right now, they are a lap down. The braintrust at WRT like Vincent Vosse, Yves Weerts, Thierry Tassin, and Pierre Dieudonne, will be doing all they can to strategy for their out lap and in lap. His team mate in Silver Cup, Thomas Neubauer lets him go and now, they are trying to move around the Mad Panda Mercedes and if they are passed, well, the panda, he will be grumpy and he won't like it. Raffaele Marciello has pulled five seconds on Richard Lietz who is a whale of a driver in his own right. Marciello is just so consistent because he has clear track and he can push, push, push. He is 8.6 seconds to the good over Richard Lietz. Holy smokes!
Daniel Juncadella, looking on, and he will be taking over from Marciello in a couple more laps. Maximilian Buhk has dropped two spots without hitting the pit lane. He has indeed gone off the road someplace. Valentino Rossi got divebombed by Matt Campbell. Rossi, a car racing rookie in only his fourth or fifth car race I believe. This is his second endurance race. He did do some long distance racing in years past. Marciello dropping Lietz like a stone, to the tune of ten seconds. Luca Stolz, Maxi Buhk, and Dan Harper have all gone by Patric Niederhauser. Wow. He is quicker now than he was but how on earth did lose five seconds? Maybe there is a patch of oil or fluid on the road?
In Pro-Am, Dean MacDonald has pitted and now Nicki Leutwiler is leading in the #24 Porsche over Stefano Constantini's Ferrari #52. Raffaele Marciello is whistling off into the distance in the lead of the motor race in pitch darkness through The Bus Stop and into La Source. Wow. Marciello will be in the lane next time by to hand the car to Daniel Juncadella. Marciello has been cutting laps in the 2:18-2:19 range. Daniel Serra will be pouring on the steam to get to the pit lane. Nick Yelloly, is fine because he stopped out of sync with everybody else. From Blanchimont, the headlights sear into your mind and he is in the lane.
It's squeaky, squeaky time for sure. Maxi Gotz in the #2 GetSpeed Mercedes. Daniel Serra has ended his double stint and Antonio Fuoco takes over. James Calado to the lane so is Maxi Buhk, and Dan Harper. Harper stays out. Niederhauser in the lane. Rowe split their strategy so both cars don't pit and double stack. They are one lap apart as Nick Yelloly has half a stint and the sister car has an extra lap in hand as Dani Juncadella has taken over on a clean pit stop, for the #88 Akkodis ASP Mercedes. Yelloly leads. Laurens Vanthoor now in the #47 KCMG Porsche. Dan Harper and James Calado in now but we have a Full Course Yellow.
Full Course Yellow, now. The Bentley #107 of Antonin Borga is stopped on the road. Game over for the Gold Cup car, coming out of La Source down to Eau Rouge. Sorenesen, Niederhauser, Nicklas Nielsen who has taken over from James Calado, this flips the top ten. All cars running at 80 clicks. Valentino Rossi in the gravel out of Fangnes (Piff Paff). He has spun on the right hand turn in full darkness. He might be burying that car. This is frustrating for a motorcycle rider because you can pick the bike up and continue.
We had a 24 Hours of Spa motorcycle race that was very successful. MotoGP might not come to Spa though. That is a shame. Raffaele Marciello says despite no luck on Full Course Yellow, he was still running well. Is this race special? Well, it feels like every year does to Raffaele Marciello. Daniel Juncadella is running well. "The Doctor" is out of the gravel trap. Thank goodness. But he will be splattering gravel all over the shop. Rossi has to be at 80 clicks and the #16 Porsche of Matthew Payne has crunched the wall at the exit of Blanchimont. We will go to safety car when the leader comes past for the second time.
Michelle Gatting brings the #83 Iron Lynx Ferrari to the lane. Not sure who will be in the car. Doriane Pin it is. "The Doctor" is in the lane. He is undoing the belts and Fred Vervisch is suited and booted ready to go. Red flag. Red flag. The race has been stopped. Cars have returned to the pit lane and we wait as there is work done on the circuit to clean things up a little bit and make repairs. 2:17 A.M. Sunday morning and we have yet to reach halfway. Dani Juncadella is now eighth overall and both Rowe Racing BMW's are at the top of the shop with Nick Yelloly in #98 and Dan Harper in #50. #74, Felipe Nasr, for EMA Motorsport in the Porsche is next in line.
Teams are doing some much needed repairs to the bodywork on their cars. It looks like the cars are moving back onto the track. So, yet another hour is in the bag.
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