Dirk Mueller in the #32 Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 is running really well right now and Cole Scrogham, the strategist, he was a driver and is an engineer on this team. There is a Motorsports Automotive Program he started at James Madison University looking at fabrication, and building race cars. Cole Scrogham is trying to get people to be on a pit crew. You have to fill the pipeline. Motor racing needs so many different people. Not just drivers. The trades and skills beyond the university are critical and desired. iPads can be applied to design and to auto racing with the hybrid and electric car technology. I believe with the electric cars we need to have a reliable battery system and something that is recyclable. Anyway, when you hear, feel, and smell the motor racing atmosphere, you are hooked.
We are now waching the GTD lead battle between Robby Foley and Sebastian Priaulx. BMW M4 GT3 vs. McLaren 720S GT3. Turner Motorsports vs. Inception Racing. Sebastian Priaulx's father Andy Priaulx is a well known driver not only in Europe but here in the states too. Oliver Jarvis meanwhile, has been warned about blocoking Renger van der Zande and van der Zande uses up Jarvis! Wow! There is damage to the dive planes as the #31 Whelen Action Express Cadillac has pitted and the #01 has just been penalized for tire requirements. There is a penalty for the #57 and #62 cars. Wow. Unbelievable! Ganassi Racing will be livid.
In replay, van der Zande chucks the #01 up the inside of the #60 with the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin in the way. Well, it is either the #23 or #27. I do not know. Pipo Derani has now taken over at the wheel of the #31 Whelen Action Express Cadillac as the #18 Era Motorsports LMP2 car is being rolled back down the pit lane with Ryan Dalziel at the wheel of it. The drivetrain is locked up or a broken suspension piece and that is why the car is up on the dollies. This is bad news for Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel, and Christian Rasmussen. Third is the #8 Tower Motorsports car with Rui Pinto Andrade at the wheel of it, the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca shared with John Farano and Louis Deletraz.
Turner Motorsports are not used to racing the McLaren in this championship, in IMSA since the Inception Racing car has done only the endurance races. But it is amazing how Sebastian Priaulx is staying right with Robby Foley but is not forcing the issue. We are barely past halfway home. #18 is going behind the wall. The trouble is a massive suspension failure and they are retiring the car. Game over. It was a massive suspension failure, pulling something out of the tub or off of the oil tank. DPi cars in the lane, with the damaged dive plane on the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura and a spin for the #20 car. The dive plane has now been broken off the car completely.
Fabio Scherer spun again in the lane and Filipe Albuquerque had to brake so he would not run right into Scherer's automobile. Fabio Scherer is telling the team there is trouble at High Class Racing with the throttle linkage. Now then, finishing service on the #10 Acura and Filipe Albuquerque has a slow pit stop under green flag conditions. Well, well, well. Ganassi Racing #01 is in the lane too, with Renger van der Zande at the wheel of it. Scherer spun coming to the lane and Albuquerque almost gets tagged. That was a ragged and ugly moment indeed!
The hot rubber on the tires picks up anything and especially grass. They did not make a driver change at the #10 team. Pipo Derani now leads the motor race by 3.2 seconds. The GT Daytona leaders have to pit and soon. Foley leads Priaulx presently. Now then, Pipo Derani is eking out a margin on Filipe Albuquerque as Felipe Fraga from the LMP3 lead, #74 is off the road and into the fence! He skitters across the grass after being blindsided by the #54 CORE Autosport car of Jon Bennett. Wow. That is wild. Felipe Fraga is still running and looks to be getting it back out of the tire wall.
The car is nt turning which tells me the left front suspension is cattywampus or totally busted. It has been dry as a bone. No rain and so the grass is not swamped. The tire is down and there could be likely suspnesion troubles and in GTRD Pro it is a scrap between Corvette, BMW, and Ferrari while we see Jack Hawksworth leading in the Lexus RC F GT3. The incident between #54 and #74 is under review and the tire is totally trashed. The left front nose cone is busted. They will replace the whole nose on the car. Fraga says the car feels OK.
Kay van Berlo will take over the car again and try to evaluate the handling of the thing. Their points lead might be tumbling. They are in second place now. Robinson is now 64 points down. Is the steering straight? The wheel, the pickup points? These LMP3 cars are designed more for sprint racing than endurance events. So they are not as modular as a DPi or an LMP2. Priaulx is now catching Foley in GTD hand over fist. The lead gap now in DPi has closed up between Derani and Albuquerque, to 1.9 seconds. It is closing even more as Albuquerque is gaining. We also watch the GTD battle between Foley and Priaulx.
Priaulx is pushing, pushing, pushing. The prototypes are quicker but the GT3 cars have traction control and ABS. Most drivers do not use the simplified traction control in the dry on an LMP3 car. A GTD car with antilock brakes can go much deeper into the turn. Priaulx has a head of steam on Foley as we speak. The BMW may have more speed compared to the McLaren and here comes Priaulx. Derani goes by in the race lead. Pit stop time for the #25 BMW M4 GT3 and Connor De Philippi has finished his stint. Earl Bamber catching Filipe Albuquerque for second place.
#31 off strategy by a couple laps and the defending series champions are looking for a win. They need one, do my pals at AXR. The lead is growing to 7.2 seconds as the GTD cats hit the lane. Foley out and Auberlen into the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3. They are focusing on the midday runs and they seem to be right on the money in that respect. New Michelin tires and VP Racing fuel. The #36 Andretti Autosport LMP3 car is in from the class lead. Josh Burdon, the Australian, at the wheel of it. Sebastian Priaulx should pit very soon as well in the GT Daytona division. Derani's lead is now almost nine seconds over Albuquerque.
Sunset around 7:20 P.M. Eastern Time. The #79 Mercedes AMG GT3 is in the lane now. Buhk, Grenier, and Goetz. The #70 McLaren is in the lane. With Brendon Iribe headed for the Barcelona GT3 race tomorrow it will be down to Seb Priaulx and Jordan Pepper. Bryan Sellers in the lane for adjustments and no driver change in the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3. Simon Mann in the Ferrari, the estwhile GTD leader. Now then, the McLaren is on the out lap on cold tires and Bill Auberlen on hot tires.
This is going to be wild. Cold tires for Pepper and Auberlen right on. Auberlen the only driver in the field who raced the first Petit Le Mans 25 years ago. Auberlen closing on the McLaren down through turn 12 and then into turn one with big cornering loads. Earl Bamber monstering Filipe Albuqerque for second place in DPi as the lead gap has grown to over eight seconds. Earl Bamber is really pushing it. Cadillac has nothing to lose. They know the two Acura's have everything to lose. Wow. Look at the run from Bamber and Kamui Kobayashi also wants it.
Kobayashi is a lap down in the #48 Ally Action Express Cadillac with Hendrick Motorsports but still wants a bite of the cherry. Albuquerque gets chopped by Mario Farnbacher in the $66. Four wide! Earl Bamber inside down to turn six and passes by Albuquerque. Pit stops in GTD Pro with Corvette and Lexus. Nicky Catsburg just came in and no changes along with fuel and tires as the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus has Kyle Kirkwood at the wheel of it. Kirkwood is the sole remaining Lexus in the field. After a wreck with one of the Cadillac's, the #12 car of Frankie Montecalvo, Aaron Telitz, and Richard Heistand, is out.
Bamber reeling in Derani slightly but the #31 still has an 8.9 second lead. Just over four hours to go. This part of the race with the sunset is mad because you as a driver just cannot see. It is like Sunset Bend at Sebring or Indianapolis and Arnage corners at Le Mans. The #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports LMP2 car has officially been retired. Remember, the corner workers. These guys and gals are the reason why we can race, those who wear the white uniforms. Huge respect for the safety workers a lot of them who are volunteers.
The #31 Whelen Cadillac is in with Pipo Derani and there will be a tire change and fuel. A tire almost rolled out of the pit lane, the pit box. Earl Bamber is now in the lead. The BMW M4 GT3, teams who run it are figuring it out. The Turner Motorsports team only wants to win since they are not going for a title. The lap times are incredibly close. Albuquerque passes Bamber. Derani in fourth and now he will have to work his way back. Sebastian Priaulx is now three and a half seconds ahead of Bill Auberlen in the GT Daytona scrap between McLaren and BMW. Will Turner won a Michelin Pilot Challenge race here at Road Atlanta back in 2006.
Half the track in shadows and half in sunshine currently. Jordan Pepper says that Sebastian Priaulx is doing well and Brendon Iribe did a marathon stint before jetting off to Barcelona for the GT3 race tomorrow. Priaulx is holding his own against the professional drivers. It is a long race and they want the endurance championship in GTD. Albuquerque, Blomqvist, van der Zande, Derani, the top four in DPi. The #8 Tower Motorsports entry in LMP2 with Louis Deletraz second in LMP2. Tristan Nunez is at the top of the shop in LMP2 for the #11 car for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports.
#8 is now in the pit lane. Louis Deletraz staying in the car for a double stint. John Farano can win the champinship leading by 116 points over Steven Thomas. Pit stop time for the #10 Acura. Filipe Albuquerque handing over to Ricky Taylor for his final scheduled stint. We also have the #01 Ganassi Racing Cadillac in the lane and Renger van der Zande steps out with Scott Dixon getting into the car and a problem with the rattle gun on the left front tire. Tom Blomqvist now in the lane from the lead. Pipo Derani now back up to second and the #60 will make a nose change.
Pipo Derani is now 29 secojnds ahead of Earl Bamber again. Oh wow! The #81 DragonSpeed LMP2 car spun off the road with Sebastian Montoya and trouble too for the #32 Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3. He is slow. Dirk Mueller could not see and had to recycle the car. Control, Alt, Delete. These modern cars will stop bu then get recycled again. The marshals always have to check and see if the car can restart to avoid a Full Course Yellow. Man, this race has been absolutely frantic today with no yellows for a while.
Filipe Albuquerque has had a good race but has had trouble trying to get by the Cadillac's who can push because they can throw caution to the wind.
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