Alexander West of Sweden leads Pro-Am in the #188 McLAREN for Garage 59. Farfus might have short term pain but long-term gain. The safety car stays on track on this Sunday morning. Davide Rigon leads for Ferrari but he and the second-place car are only on half a tank of fuel compared to third spot. Safety car in this lap before we go back to green. We are back to green and now, Davide Rigon is leading but has Nick Tandy and Augusto Farfus pushing hard. Tandy, started 66th, stone last on the road. He won here in 2020 and wants another one. Tandy is pushing like mad and ful; of vigor. He makes the lunge on Rigon and gets the lead! Holy smokes! Rigon on top of his game as well! But Augusto Farfus has to pass the lapped cars to get on terms with these two blokes at the front!
Nick Tandy and Davide Rigon both had short stops during the pit stop cycle. They only added half a tank of petrol and will have to stop again. Tandy had none of that, licked the stamp, sealed the envelope and gave that one air mail, full send. Nick Tandy has the fastest second sector time of this particular lap despite divebombing Rigon for the lead of the motor race. It is a long, long way to 4:45 P.M. this afrernoon. Nick Tandy leading Davide Rigon and Augusto Farfus.
Felipe Nasr in fourth and Jules Gounon completing the top five. Farfus passes the Lamborghini and Nick Tandy, the man is in a different zip code! He has not had clear air until now, rocketing away from everyone else. Farfus is closer to Tandy's pace but guess what? Rigon has the speed for sure. Augusto Farfus is caboose on this train. Where is he going to be able to go? He has to have that lapped Audi R8 move out of the way, now. Rigon in second spot and now, Tandy is 2.9 seconds quicker than Rigon who is hanging on by his fingernails. Alex Aka, the #99 Audi is a lapped car, flashing the lights to say, move it! Jules Gounon is catchin Felipe Nasr and in turn he is catching Augusto Farfus.
Nick Tandy, 5.4 seconds to the good over Davide Rigon. With the gravel trap at La Source, if you are on the outside, you are liable of getting tipped into the gravel trap. There is no place run wide. Step on the brakes, that is all you can do. Felipe Nasr being hunted down by Jules Gounon. Felipe Nasr moves alongside Mattia Michelotto in the #163 VSR Lamborghini. Marcus Paverud, Michael Dornbecker, and Baptiste Moulin are the other drivers as now, Gounon is chasing down Nasr. Augusto Farfus has lit the afterburners going after both Davide Rigon and Nick Tandy. KCMG lead after starting stone last at 66th spot on the grid.
Felipe Nasr rattling over the curbs and Jules Gounon right on his six, flashing the lights. Miguel Molina is home and hosed in sixth place for now. Nasr though, he has Jules Gounon all over him. Jules Gounon really, he has more life in his Pirelli tires as Augusto Farfus uncorks the fastest first sector time of all! Oh man! Augusto Farfus has the Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 in the sweet spot. Top speed for Augusto Farfus, 271 kilometers an hour or so, so that is 168 miles an hour! That is smokin'! 2:18 dead for the fastest time of the race I believe, in sector one. Alessio Rovera is fastest in sectors two and three. Farfus is pushing, pushing, pushing.
Nick Tandy pushed his tires at the beginning of the stint. Holy smokes. Nick Tandy has won overall at both Le Mans and here at Spa and he has a virtual Le Mans in his pocket. Gounon passes Nasr. Gounon will be pulling the pin, pushing the bye bye button. Nick Tandy truly going for it as Davide Rigon is investigated for his speed under Full Course Yellow. The lead is coming down but Rigon is under investigation for speeding under Full Course Yellow and the #51 Iron Lynx Ferrari spun under safety car conditions. They have three cars, and two cars in the top half dozen as well as getting one of the three cars on the podium.
Jules Gounon next followed by Felipe Nasr and then Miguel Molina, Ollie Wilkinson, Nikki Thiim, Luca Stolz, and Neil Verhagen. Jules Gounon has turned his headlamps off. Team manager for #71 Iron Lynx to the stewards immediately regarding the Full Course Yellow. Giacomo Altoe tucked into the spot behind in the #19 Lamborghini for Emil Frey Racing sharing with Arthur Rougier and Leo Roussel. Tandy leads Rigon by five seconds. Nick Tandy continues leading the motor race looking good with a five second cushion. Davide Rigon second. Farfus and Gounon need to come in on drive time and Tandy and Rigon don't just yet.
Tandy and Rigon have less fuel in the tank. Gounon needs to stop in the next two laps. We need to know how much fuel Rigon and Tandy have. The #71 is going to be handed a note about infractions on the Full Course Yellow. No cup of tea for you, mate. Davide Rigon now leads by 2.7 seconds over Farfus in third place. The gap has ballooned between Tandy and Rigon and then Rigon and Farfus who is being balked by the Audi. It is a lap down. Not sure which one that is. I believe it is Dennis Marschall in the #66 Attempto Racing Audi. Rowe Racing need to tell the #66 team to stop being a pain. Monsieur Marschall, move it! 315 laps now completed by Nick Tandy. Luca Stolz in the #2 GetSoeed Nercedes s fasted at 274 clicks while three other cars of Maini, Bell and Vanthoor are at 273 clicks and Max Hesse at 272 clicks.
Luca Stolz is chasing Nicki Thiim. Mercedes AMG vs. Aston Martin as Miguel Molina has passed Felipe Nasr dropping like a stone and into the clutches of Oliver Wilkinson. Felipe Nasr has really dropped down and now Jules Gounon is in the pit lane trundling down from the Formula 1 pit lane to the old endurance/heritage pit lane. A number of drivers have nearly run out of their drive time before they have to make driver changes. Rahel Frey leading the Gold Cup ahead of Valentino Rossi. For Valentino Rossi, finishing the Spa 24 on his first attempt is indeed what he wants.
Davide Rigon has been handed a drive through penalty which will unravel all of his hard work and Augusto Farfus will move to second followed by Jules Gounon and Miguel Molina. A few raindrops at the Bus Stop. Drive through penalty to car #71 for disrespecting Full Course Yellow speed. All other incidents have been time added penalties on pit stops instead of drive through penalties which will drop him to the tail of the top ten. Ollie Wilkinson to the lane. Jean Babtiste Simmenauer in the lane in the #30 ROFGO Audi as well. The #4 Haupt Racing Team Audi runs ahead. Tires and fuel done, air jack out, and back on track. Rob Bell in the lane in the #38 McLaren and so is Nico Menzel. Rahel Frey in and out and she is doing a triple stint.
Rowe Racing BMW #98 to the lane as well. This car scored points after six houra and at the halfway mark. The pit lane at Spa Francorchamps is extrmely long. Davide Rigon to the lane now. Will he serve the drive through or take fuel? Rigon is serving his drive through penalty I believe. He is indeed. 1:12.2, half a lap as Harry Gottsacker has a puncutre on the #28 Samantha Tan Racing BMW M4 GT3 with a puncture through Fangnes. Nick Tandy has another dozen minutes in hand and does not have the fuel as we may go to Full Course Yellow. In comes Tandy in the #47 KCMG Porsche from the lead. Davide Rigon, half a lap down, and out of contention. Miguel Molina now third.
KCMG has a golden opportunity with over nine hours to go. KCMG is down right at the bottom of the hill. Timo Bernhard, when he had his GT3 team always chose the very end of the pit lane for his team. Rigon in the pit lane for fuel and a driver change. Now then, Miguel Molina leads ahead of Maro Engel, so the #55 Mercedes has gone to second. Laurens Vanthoor now in the #47 KCMG Porsche. This is the first time he has driven a stint since last night in the darkness. Augusto Farfus is putting the hammer down.
Neil Verhagen in the sister Rowe BMW needs to pit. Down towards the end of the top ten it is Jules Gounon, Rob Bell, Marco Sorensen, Luca Stolz, and then Matthieu Jaminet and Jordan Pepper who is in the lane. That is the top dozen. K-PAX Racing were overcachieving for a wee while and now, Jordan Pepper has finished his stint and it is either Andrea Caldarelli or Marco Mapelli. Jules Gounon trying to do all he can to catch Augusto Farfus. Wow. This motor race has over 1/3rd left but it is starting to really get serious. Mercedes #88 made up ground hand over fist and then lost it again. Jules Gounon is still pushing, but the car made the ground up in the cool of the night. Their setup could be going away.
Maro Engel in the #55 GruppeM Mercedes is now moving back into the picture. Back to square one as everyone has done their technical pit stops. Maro Engel up to second in a car that has already led this race in the hands of Mikael Grenier. Miguel Molina to the lane and now Maro Engel will assume the erstwhile lead. Neil Verhagen in the #50 BMW M4 GT3. Laurens Vanthoor is pushing as the #51 Ferrari pits at Iron Lynx and now, James Calado is in that car I believe. Davide Rigon calls his penalty unfair. He is a safe driver and his marshaling system was locked up as he was getting the radio cue from his crew chief.
He believes the drive through penalty after a hard stint was not justified and the Ferrari does not have the pace of the German cars, the Porsche, the Mercedes, or the BMW. He wants to check in with the Race Director with Alain Adam about the marshaling system.
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