It has been a great effort by Raffaele Marciello, Jules Gounon, and Daniel Juncadella. Turning down the hill and back up as Marciello builds the gap over Dan Harper. Harper in the #50 BMW Junior Team BMW M4 GT3 up to second. No mistakes. But the deal is, we still have the last hour to get through. It is not over yet. The tires might be a tad ratty before the end. Marciello, Juncadella, and Gounon, they were tagged into a spin and had a fracas into Raidillon too. They've lived a charmed life as the car barely has a scratch on it. So often, Akkodis ASP has been so close to winning and they haven't been able to seal the deal.
Mercedes have won Kyalami and Bathurst for IGTC and they could indeed win Spa too. Jean Marc Gounon, a racer himself, Jules' dad, he is very happy about his son. Jules Gounon is quick and rarely makes any mistakes. Thomas Neubauer pits the Silver leading Audi and Tuomas Tujula is now second in the Silver class as final pit stops are underway. You still have risk of making mistakes in the final hour of the race. If any cars late due pit stops, can they do the short stop? They could still get to the end by doing a short fill. That is what the hope is. Engel, Kirchhofer, and others are in this position.
It is possible depending on when they bring it in for six seconds, a splash and a dash. Roll the dice. Antonio Fuoco third and they need a pit stop at Iron Lynx too. Fuoco wants by Patric Niederhauser. GruppeM are next up with Maro Engel I believe. Engel would have given the #2 entry more pace, or, is the #55 in a good place? Questions, questions. What if''s. Could we see a Mercedes clean sweep? Now, maybe the rain could come? No. Really? Showers? Due at 4PM? Maybe it is too farth north to hit us. Will the microclimate decide to do something? We don't have the humidity, but there is the heat. Spa is a brooding place with it's own aura. This is the calm before the storm with 51 minutes to go.
Maro Engel is real;y pushing in pursuit of Antonio Fuoco. Fuoco will pit earlier. He has to duck to the lane to avoid going over his drive time. Engel has flexibility of a half an hour. Then again, he has ratty tires. Those Pirelli P Zero's are busted up. Chris Froggatt is back to second in Gold Cup. The BMW Juniors performed fabulously here, and also did at the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring untilm they got taken out of the race. Ferrari to the lane from third spot. Final stop. Dan Harper, Carrera Cup GB, Neil Verhagen could have gone open wheel racing with Red Bull. That did not work out. Both Iron Lynx Ferrari's double stacking again! Guys, please split up your pit stops. It will be easier.
AF Corse and Iron Lynx run a bunch of cars in different endurance sports car championships. Oh dear. Another spin for Chris Froggatt in the #93 Sky Tempesta Mercedes! Sheesh! The car is still going. The last time we saw a Mercedes win here was in 2013. Bernd Schneider, Maxi Goetz, and Maxi Buhk in a Mercedes SLS AMG. They were ahead the whole race. They won the championship that year, too. 45 minutes to go. Where is Luca Stolz going to end up. Dennis Olsen will take the #47 Porsche for KCMG to the flag. Rowe BMW in the lane for the final time. 17,000 slick tires for Pirelli across three championships. GT3, GT4, and Lambroghini Super Trofeo. Right now there is an alloy wheel shortage with this wacky world we live in.
Oh dear. Tuomas Tujula's tire has gone flat! The wheel is broekn, left rear tire and the wheel will be ground down losing the tire and the bodywork! Good gravy! The left reat does not necessarily get tortured around here. The Aud's are going to the flag. The delaminated tire happens at Speaker's Corner. Nicholas Scholl is 18 seconds in-arrears of Thomas Neubauer. Neubauer leads the Silver division. Neubauer has run in Ferrari Challenge. He drove for Mercedes and won a Sprint event but is now an Audi driver. We started the race with ten Audi R8's and half of them retired! The favored cars were eliminated and the best Audi is 12, the #66 Audi Sport Team Attempto car.
Emil Frey Racing is down to one and it's the only car left. You have to do more tire changes with the alloy wheel shortage. We haven't had tons of punctures. In the Audi R8 days at Le Mans, Marco Werner had a puncture on the formation lap. Drivers know to keep out of the gravel traps. 40 minutes remaining now. Any puncture comes from asking too much of the tires and the tires cry, enough. Luck is also a massive part of all of this otor racing game. That is why we love endurance racing. The Iron Dames lead the gold cup. She has raced DTM, ADAC GT. prototypes, touring cars and GT cars. Ulyse De Pauw second in Gold.
Ollie Milroy in thrid spot. Millroy's windscreen is a mess. There are bubbles and pebble bashing on the screen, and thankfully, no holes in the glass. BMW #50 makes it's final stop. Dan Harper will take it to the flag as Raffaele Marciello is in the lane for the final time. Where is the #2 car? That is what we are going to look for. This pit stop has to be perfect. Akkodis ASP, led by former driver Jerome Policand. Nicky Catsburg is seven minutes into a stint and gaining places back. #88 in the lane. Windscreen tear off removed. New Pirelli boots. Fuel in the tank. Marciello stays in the car. Don't botch any regs on the stop. Off the air jacks, engine lit up, and back into the race.
36 and a half minutes to go. Where is Marciello in relation to the #2 Benz of Luca Stolz? Working the way through the backmarkers. Earl Bamber is a player/manager, third in Pro-Am sponsored by Singha Beer. Engel needs to pit and so does Marvin Kirchhofer. The gap between first and second is large. Engel leads Marciello on the road. He has a pit stop in his future. Marciello P2. Maro Engel has an advantage of 42 seconds but a pit stop is two minutes. Engel will lose the lead.
#2 is 25 seconds down. Marciello is moving up. Stolz pressing on and will get two places back but might end up second. He will need 25 seconds to catch Raffaele. 523 laps now on the board. The nerves are showing. Jules Gounon knows it is not finished yet. To finish first, first you must finish. Dani Juncadella says that he is not sure. It's not done yet, so I don't know what to say. It will be special whatever the results. That's what Dani has to say. The tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Maro Engel will pit in two or three laps. Marciello has not won Spa yet. He's won a lot of other enduro GT3 races. Ah. Walkenhorst #35 BMW M4 GT3 is smoking and has a puncture. It is fowling agaisnt the fender. Oh my. Dan Harper is tied to Dennis Olsen! Porsche 911 GT3R vs. BMW M4 GT3.
Through Pouhon they go. Harper has the Porsche on borrowed time. No place to go! Oh man, oh man! Olsen, the 2019 IGTC champ, Harper looking for an opening. The BMW to the outside at Blanchimont and Harper does it! That was good stuff! Dan Harper up to fifth. We have been race 23 and a half hours and everyone is still at it. Harper's next target, Antonio Fuoco in the Ferrari. Nine seconds to make up and there, look, Harper uncorks fastest first sector of the race! This guy is the real deal! Wow! Impressive!
Engel still in the lead. Harper, in the BMW, he has new tires and they won't be squiggly at the end. Harper can go into full attack mode. This is getting spicy. This is Marciello's race to lose, though. Harper in the meantime is chasing Antonio Fuoco in the Ferrari. #50 BMW M4 GT3, celebrating half a a century of BMW M. Marciello could very well be the winner but there are a ton of drivers who are going to have stories to tell about this one. Wow. Fuoco, Harper, over the line, 6.4 seconds apart. Harper passing Ollie Milroy in the Gold Cup McLaren. Engel due to make a pit stop. Marciello 34 seconds down but set for a win.
It's turning it on now. Harper chasing down Fuoco into Pouhon. How many people attended this race over four days? 74,000. Perfect weather. Wow. That's great. But there are clouds rolling in. Please hold off rain, until the end of this race. Please! Of the 66 starters, 38 cars still race. Maro Engel to the pit lane, running out of options. It was inevitable. #55 has been stellar, but their strategy dictates a quick stop but with a tire change. Engel will take it to the flag. Marciello will become the race leader now. Will Luca Stolz benefit and move to second? Engel will be within striking distance of Dan Harper. 20 minutes left. The pit lane goes on forever. Maro Engel is trundling down the lane at 50 kilometers per hour. Harper chasing Fuoco and Engel will drop down. Fuoco has made the pass. He is turning it on.
Harper to fourth. Engel to fifth on fresh tires and full fuel tanks. Dan Harper has only 18 minutes on the tires. They have no edge on them but they are still good. Position, position, position. Location, location, location. Marciello leads the motor race across the control line with Luca Stolz xecond. Marciello leads the motor race alongside Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella. Maro Engel pits and Marvin Kirchhofer in eighth will get lapped by the leader down to Brussels corner. This will be a very popular win. Marciello has been so close for so many years after his blinding qualifying performances for this race. Hot but glorious weather, no one would have predicted it.
Dan Harper is not throwing in the towel. He wants to pass the Ferrari of Fuoco. Harper is a man on a mission indeed. He has the Ferrari right where he wants him. Jules Gounon trying to block out this pressure. Jean Marc Gounon, came to remind us that the pronunciation in Gou non, not Goun-on. Dan Harper is turning on the afterburners but has traffic ahead. Light the fuse, Danny! Catsburg at 247 clicks is tied with other for fastest Eau Rouge speed. Thomas Neubauer, Benji Goethe, and Jean Baptiste Simenauer could win their class and a great effort for Gold Cup with the Iron Dames. Pro-Am will be the AF Corse #52 Ferrari I believe. Louis Machiels, Andrea Bertolini, Alessio Rovera, and Stefano Constantini.
531 laps in the book with 11 minutes remaining. We'll get about five or six more laps. Raffaele Marciello's nerves will be jangling towards the end of this one. Stay focused. Maintain rhythm. Maro Engel and Dan Harper are wrestling, touring car style! Harper can't come back as well because his tires are older, more stale. Fuoco will be safe. Harper is not going to quit. Harper wants by the Mercedes but he has dropped back a car length or two. Maro Engel has the experience and fresher tires on the AMG Mercedes. Mercedes AMG want a podium lockout.
Engel quicker than Fuoco through traffic but both will have th handle it. Fuoco clears the slower cars. He clears the Samantha Tan BMW and the Walkenhorst BMW. Samantha Tan is in her first 24 Hours of Spa. She loves it and so do her team mates. Dan Harper puts a lap on her but she will be satisfied to finish. 16 sons, and a grand uncle of Dani Juncadella who won this race. Daniel Juncadella also has an uncle who raced Formula 1. We thank the SRO and their camera folks, their producers, the broadcast team, the caermamen and so forth. Don't forget the folks at Pirelli tire who hauled in 17,000 slick tires! Holy smokes!
Raffaele Marciello will have probably two more laps to the end of this race. But the battle is on for sixth between Dennis Olsen and Nicky Catsburg. Sixth and seventh, Porsche vs. BMW. Through Blanchimont. Nicky Catsburg takes the preferred line. He will have the run out of the final chicane. Dennis Olsen is right in it. Nicky Catsburg just says, hello, I'm still here, pal. Dennis Olsen is trying to get away but the BMW reels him in into Les Combes. Marciello and Jules Gounon will join Laurens Vanthoor and Fabrizio Gollin as two-time winners in the GT era of the race. One lap to go Jules. One lap to go.
Akkodis ASP are a great team and they have evolved and so has Raffaele Marciello. His composure and maturity is amazing. Years ago he thrashed a GT3 car like an open wheel racer. Now, he is an seasone endurance racer. The car has half a lap left. The team mates watch and embrace. He has been on three poles and will win this great race on merit. It will be a second Spa 24 win for Jules Gounon. Mercedes AMG wins for the first time in nine years! Mercedes-AMG, Jules Gounon, Raffaele Marciello, and Daniel Juncadella win the 24 Hours of Spa!
Second place for Luca Stolz. Thomas Neubauer wins Silver. In the battle for third, Engel closes on the Ferrari. No dice. Ferrari third. Maro Engel, Mikael Grenier, and Maxi Buhk. Gold Cup winner, Iron Dames with Rahel Frey. Valentino Rossi 17th on debut at the Spa 24. Wow. Dan Harper takes fifth ahead of Nicky Catsburg. Dennis Olson might have some trouble. But you know what, it is all Akkodis ASP! Yours truly is spent. The team loves it! There's hardly a dry eye in the house! These guys are soaking it in. Everyone, you deserve it. Spa has chosen Akkodis ASP! You've done it!
Marciello takes the victory lap! Yours truly is spent! We'll talk about the race later and have reactions, video and all the rest. I need a power nap now. Another Spa 24 is in the bag! Au revoir from the Ardennes Forest. We'll see you next year in 2023! Stay tuned for more post-race coverage later on. So long, everybody! Take care!
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