#77 has only lost time twice through this race while most of the other cars have dealt with issues and we have not seen penalties or extended pit stops for the Mercedes, with just one track limits penalty for Fabian Schiller and company. Fabian Schiller, Al Faisal Al Zubair, and Luca Stolz. Kevin Magnussen is happy to be racing with his father. Both Kevin and his dad have run in Formula 1 and Kevin is happy to race GT cars as well. He wants to go fast and has a challenge to do so, and will race anything. Jan Magnussen has just let his son go for it and Jan and Kevin will race in January at the Rolex 24 at Daytona together as well.
Porsche #92, 18th overall thanks to Alex Fontana, leading the Porsche Cup class and keeping their noses clean for the most part except for being tangled up with Dennis Marschall and they were jolly lucky to get out of that shemozzle unscathed as they are doing a brake change. Put the pins back in and tighten the wheel with the rattle gun. We will see the Bahrain Pro Am 1,000 the same weekend as the Rolex 24. It will be a six-hour event for Pro-Am gentleman drivers. We'll have some kind of article on that race later on after Daytona. Alessandro Pier Guidi still leading, cutting laps in the high 1:52, low 1:53 bracket. The Cup class leading Porsche exits pit lane. Alessandro Pier Guidi leads by 13 seconds with 280 laps completed, 918 miles.
There will be more twists and turns before this race is over. We have lost cars from the race but the track is still busy. Martin Kodric is being harried by Patric Niederhauser, but this is not for position and now they both want by Nicklas Nielsen, and Nielsen has his hands full with Niederhauser. Nielsen catching Niederhauser hand over fist. We shall hear from Dennis Marschall. He says he apologizes to his team and cannot remember when he had such a disappointing moment in a race and he admits he made a mistake, not seeing a Porsche Cup car that was going to let him by, and he does not want to blame the driver of that car. Something new happens in every race.
Mistakes should not happen in races this big, though, a once around the clock enduro. We are getting close to where people need to have completed the ten imposed pit stops the organizers want. Everyone really needs one more stop and we could see splash and dash before this motor race is done and dusted. Porsche #49 is in the lane for service as we check in again on the Gostner family #58 Mercedes, finishing work on the car and Manuela Gostner will get back into the car and go for it and get a finish. That is what they want to do. Fabian Schiller in the #77 Mercedes is being reported to the stewards for a fourth track limits offense. Luca Stolz had a warning flag when he was booking it and uncorking purple sector times.
Daniele Di Amato is now in the #91 Ferrari, the Plus City sponsored car that had the quirky wheel and control, alt, delete moment earlier in the day. That is the car Di Amato shares with Matus Vyboh, Ernst Kirchmayr, and Axel Sartingen. Now, Pier Guidi leads Schiller by 14 and a half seconds and 30 seconds down on them is Nicklas Nielsen in Ferrari #50. #77 has a penalty in it's future. Traffic ahead as Patrick Niederhauser is closing on Nicklas Nielsen and now, Ian Loggie is in the pit lane. We thought we'd see the Pro-Am leader, the last car on the lead lap, Martin Konrad in the SunEnergy1 car. Porsche #44 for Herberth Motorsport in the lane.
Klaus Bachler hands the car to one of his co-drivers and it is off the air jacks, down and away, back into the race. Daniel Allemann might be in the car and it is Allemann now at the controls. He needs more drive time before the race ends. 285 laps completed by Alessandro Pier Guidi, 935 miles. Eddie Cheever III. chases Martin Kodric in a battle for ninth spot. We have not seen any more rain since the heavy shower we saw earlier on in the day. Most of the Middle East is desert, so rain, is a rarity. I did see a Creventic race at Bahrain I believe it was that was drenched and was run in the month of January and had to be closed out after a handful of hours.
The #1 2 Seas Mercedes AMG GT3 is in the lane with Martin Kodric of Croatia still at the wheel. He, Hunter Abbott, and Isa Al Khalifa have not had the best race. Hunter Abbott is still dealing with a sore neck. Martin Kodric will double stint. Ramsey Moutran, one of the Moutran brothers, will hand over to another for the next stint in Porsche Cup. Patrick Kolb should bring the #69 Herberth Motorsports Porsche to the lane and we ought to see Martin Konrad hit the lane as well, possibly. Class leads have not changed too much. Pier Guidi leads overall. Martin Konrad leading Pro-Am. Conrad Grunewald is leading GT3 Am and Ivan Jacoma is leading GT Cup, Porsche Cup.
Martin Konrad pits and will drop off the lead lap in the process in it's ninth of ten pit stops and should pit again in 45 minutes for the new driver going into the car who may do a double stint to the end. Philip Ellis is now driving the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes. Trouble for Gilles Magnus! Game over with steam pouring out the back of the #26 Sainteloc Junior Team Audi R8! Tough, tough break! This is at the exit of turn nine headed for turn ten. Full Course Yellow, now, with steam billowing out the back. No accident damage and she done blown up. Ka-blammo. This tosses the plan to do two pit stops nearly in the trash and you'll have to short pit.
Is this the sting in the tail? Mechanical letdown for Audi #26. It has neutral and they found the letter E and letter N signs to shut the electrical off and get the car in neutral to roll the car away behind the barriers. You steer it, we'll sort it, mate. #55 will cop a ten second penalty. That's the Fox/Stanley/De Meeus/Constantini car. An hour and a half to go. Manuela Gostner was back in the pit lane as Alessandro Pier Guidi remains in the lead. This one is flying by. Will we have a safety car intervention? I don't think so, but let's see. In the final 45 minutes, drivers who have imposed pit stops could get them done if the safety car were deployed before 45 minutes on the board. Full Course Yellow stays out.
Another Audi into retirement. So, Alessandro Pier Guidi shall lead Fabian Schiller who is caught up in traffic. The leading Ferrari has clear road, splendid isolation. James Calado might bring the car home to the end of the motor race. We could see the safety car being deployed to get the race back underway quicker. Pier Guidi working lap 291. 954 miles. Ferrari #71, Alessandro Pier Guidi maintaining the gap over Fabian Schiller, Nicklas Nielsen third, followed by Patric Niederhauser, Philip Ellis, Marvin Kirchhofer, Jan Magnussen, Eddie Cheever III., Martin Kodric, and Alex Aka. Luca Stolz's title hopes seem to be fading away as the sand runs through the hourglass.
Game over for the #26 Sainteloc Audi. They are a retirement in the last oh, 85-86 minutes. Pier Guidi and Calado are now three-time WEC champions. Track limit warning reviewed and removed for the #71 Ferrari. OK. Philip Ellis leads Pro-Am in fifth overall and the leading Am car is Conrad Grunewald in the #61 AF Corse Ferrari. Grunewald and his co-drivers may not be caught on pure pace and could very well make it to the end. Six back markers between the top two cars. We are 22 minutes away from the finale hour of the motor race and this could very well be a firecracker to the end. We'll see.
Safety car in this lap. Lots of cars and drivers still in contention as we head for a restart. Punch it. We are back running again. Pier Guidi is putting a tremendous amount of daylight (darkness), between he and Schiller while poor old Fabian Schiller will have to dart and weave his way through the traffic. Fabian Schiller has his hands full trying to catch Eddie Cheever III. and now, Stefano Constantini and others want a piece of the pie as Marvin Kirchhofer is being delayed by the Ferrari. Bailing for the pit lane, one of the delayed 2 Seas Mercedes cars. Pier Guidi is extending his lead. Ferrari #52 of Gabriele Lancieri is in the lane and so is the #51 2 Seas Mercedes. Sainteloc want a blue flag for #88 and #88 wants to pass #50.
Fabian Schiller biffs Morgan Tillbrook and Schiller had a head of steam, look, but the door was closed. Thud. The Century BMW is being chased by the Sky McLaren as well. Aaron Walker brought the #51 Mercedes into the lane and is staying in the car. Philip Ellis a lap down but leading the Pro-Am class. An hour and 15 minutes now remaining. More pit action as Nicklas Nielsen is in the lane and so is the #69 Herberth Motorsports Porsche. Pier Guidi in the lane for the final time, for their final pit stop of the race to get to the end and James Calado will bang out the final stint and make up his available drive time.
No driver change? Antonio Fuoco to take the final stint? No. It is true. Antonio Fuoco will take the car home. McLarne and Mercedes will be on the back foot with Pro-Am driver lineups. We might see the final hurrah for the 488 GT3 with the new 296 GT3 coming in 2023. There will also be the new Ferrari Hypercar which will be very cool. Jan Magnussen sneaking up on Morgan Tillbrook. Daniel Harper is pushing like crazy in the #42 Century Motorsports BMW M4 GT3. He is a BMW factory driver, with an IGTC commitment perhaps. Fabian Schiller to the pit lane and so is Jan Magnussen. Patric Niederhauser is the erstwhile leader, but he too has a pit stop to make. #55, Stefano Constantini, and #48 Tom Boonen in as well.
Oh dear. Morgan Tillbrook has spun the #8 Mercedes AMG GT3, the D2 liveried machine. Aaron Walker touched Morgan Tillbrook I think. Luca Stolz takes over the #77 Mercedes from Fabian Schiller. It is creeping and now, Tillbrook is safely off the circuit so we stay green. Luca Stolz will be pushing hard in the #77. Fabian Schiller is done and dusted with his driving. Stolz must win the race if he wants the championship cup. Patric Niederhauser in the pits for service and will stay in the car. Now then, the #48 Porsche of Tom Boonen is off the road with mechanical woes. Such a shame for Boonen, for Peter and Stephane Kox, and for Nico Pronk? Morgan Tillbrook has spun again out of the last corner. Good grief!
He stalled the car, and this could very well be a safety car if anything. This is a replay we are seeing and I think it was Aaron Walker who gave him a nudge. Luca Stolz does take over for Fabian Schiller. Tillbrook is back up and running again. No need for a safety car as we talked about. So, rats. I repeat myself. Now then, Patric Niederhauser did not get the break he wanted, and for Luca Stolz, he has to push if he wants the title as we said. A driving standards flag for Stolz. Oh dear. Porsche #48 is off the road with trouble. Such a shame for Tom Boonen who was just in the pit lane. There was contact, massive contact with the #61 Ferrari of Conrad Grunewald plowing right into the Porsche!
Giorgio Sernagiotto will take over the #52 AF Corse Ferrari and take that car to the end. Maybe Grunewald is in good shape as Patric Niederhauser clicks off another lap and the Gostner family Mercedes is still in the pit lane as we are five minutes away from starting the final hour here in Abu Dhabi. Penalty for the #91 Ferrari for Baron Motorsport and Matus Vyboh. Philip Ellis has now made his tenth pit stop. He has been totally in the clear. No worries. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. Kenny Habul scored a couple time penalties but after that, no worries.
The Gostner team in the green Mercedes are in the lane and so is the AF Corse #61 Ferrari of Conrad Grunewald. No obvious damage, strangely. The SunEnergy1 Mercedes also pitted. Turn three is a cambered corner at the brow of a hill. Porsche #95 is taking it's final stop. Louis Prette will take over the #61 car and take it home. Antonio Fuoco has run 301 laps, 987 miles. Nicklas Nielsen will need a splash and a dash. Patric Niederhauser will take the car to the end and now Luca Stolz has dropped to fourth spot. The Boonen and Grunewald fracas is noted. The #92 Cup class leading Porsche has a five second penalty on the next round of pit stops for Ivan Jacoma. The team also had a five second penalty in the first hour. So they have stayed out of trouble.
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