The #88 Marvin Kirchhofer driven McLaren is the erstwhile GT3 Pro-Am leader but owes us a pit stop. Porsche #49 will have to serve a penalty and that is the Race Event Porsche. Ferrari #71 stays in the lead and just has not hit any kind of trouble save for a single track limit pit stop and a rogue, self-induced drive through under Full Course Yellow. That one penalty for #71 is the only thing we need to know about. Ask James Calado about that 21 second drive through penalty a couple hours back. Porsche #92 in the lane as we are searching for James Calado so he can give us the answer to our burning question. Sernagiotto, Lancieri, and company have another track limits penalty whole Antonio Fuoco must stay on the road. Patric Niederhauser is catching up in a hurry and maybe the #50 Ferrari needs a splash and a dash, or a Full Course Yellow or something.
A strange drive through pit stop for 21 seconds for AF Corse was not a penalty. Was it a drive through penalty? No. It definitely happened. James Calado knew nothing of it. The pit time was 21 seconds. OK. Eddie Cheever III. brings the #93 Garage 59 McLaren to the pit lane. Philip Ellis resumes in the Pro-Am lead and Alex Aka too is making what should be his final pit stop before this race ends. It was to allow the other car to go in front when the safety car came out so they would not lose a lap. That clears everything up. Pit speed noted for the #8 Ram Racing Mercedes in the hands of Canadian Mikael Grenier. The leading Am Ferrari #61 I think is marked for a penalty and a driving standards flag for James Cottingham in the 2 Seas Mercedes, one of them.
Both GruppeM Mercedes' retiring from the race so early. That is unreal. Antonio Fuoco is stretching out the rubber band between he and teammate Nicklas Nielsen. 14.4 seconds is the gap and the last time AF Corse won this race was eight years ago in 2014. Tom Boonen may be back on the road. Is it? The #48 Porsche might still be trundling around out there. Both cars with female drivers are going to finish this event. Kudos to the ladies. No damage to Boonen's car and maybe a sensor went awry after going up on two wheels. Daniel Allemann in the plum purple Porsche at Herberth Motorsports. Niederhauser is not able to make inroads on the two Ferrari's with only 48 minutes to go. Tom Boonen or his car gets passed by the race leader.
309 laps now in the bag for the Ferrari. 1,013 and a half miles. Niederhauser is barely gaining on the Ferrari's as Darren Leung will take the #42 Century Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 to the finish. You have to be out of the pits within a minute and nine seconds. Hurry up, boys. There's not enough time. There is a three-lap penalty if you miss the window on the final pit stop. He had 16 seconds to spare to get down the pit lane. Between second and third, it is 4/10ths of a second and Niederhauser is moving in, fast. Fuoco wriggles his way up under the hotel and onto the front straightaway. The leading Am Ferrari #61 gets a five second time penalty.
Niederhauser slightly slower in third but he is catching the second place Ferrari of Nicklas Nielsen hand over fist. Nielsen hanging on by a thread over Patric Niederhauser. This is going to be hot. Oh jeez! Spots of rain falling around the circuit! Oh man! Can you believe it?! I can't. But it must be wet out there. Spots of rain won't do a thing but I shall say that if we get a deluge, look out. Niederhauser gets right up to the tail of the Ferrari and misses his braking point! He has sunk down losing time! Light rain and late braking for Niederhauser and that could have been ugly!
Niederhauser has a head of steam, squirming under braking and now, Niederhauser is well aware he couldn't have made that move and moved offline and Nicklas Nielsen too, was skating all over the shop, but he has a gap. The Robert Renauer, Patrick Kolb, and Ralf Bohn Porsche gets a 15 second time penalty for not adhering to the proper rest period between stints for one of the drivers. That's a weird one but understandable. Since the pit stops have been doubled, those penalties will be added to the time at the end of the race. Niederhauser has to press hard to bring the gap down through traffic.
That #92 Porsche seems to attract Audi's like a magnet but not this time. 313 laps complete with 38 minutes to go. 1,027 miles completed. Patric Niederhauser is trying to claw back time but that is going to be a tall drink of water as the #8 Ram Racing Mercedes is pinged for speeding in the lane. Luca Stolz is still pushing like crazy as well. No points for the #88 Garage 59 McLaren for IGTC points as we see the #58 Mercedes in the lane for tires and a driver change. They were very badly delayed earlier in the motor race. MP Racing have worked their buns off keeping the car in the race. Like Rasputin, whatever happens, these cars will not die, the Am cars. They are here to have fun and enjoy the race and the event, and Thomas Gostner, the father, will bring the car home and they will get a three lap penalty and I don't even know if they will be classified at the end.
No need to worry about rain anymore for the final 34 minutes of the race. Phew! Good to hear! Fuoco now on lap 317. 1,040 miles as Antonio Fuoco out of the hairpin, has been flawless and we have a bing chunk of debris in the hairpin turn towards the hotel corner at turns 12 and 13. Will they leave it there? It is well offline. However, going around the outside could be risky. Nicklas Nielsen is gapping Patric Niederhauser. Corinna Gostner is back in the pit lane trying to accomplish the minimum number of pit stops not changing tires. That's Thomas Gostner I believe. Bring back some data. Is the car OK? Antonio Fuoco is trying to avenge the Indianapolis round where he lost to Raffaele Marciello. The same is true for not winning the Endurance Cup in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.
Manuela Gostner is extremely appreciative of her team. They are going to enjoy the last portion of the race. All of the family drives for half an hour and her brother David will take the car to the end. Fuoco leads by 14 seconds. We are within the final half hour of the race as Eddie Cheever III. is the quickest driver out there in the McLaren #93 for Garage 59. We can see an inter class battle between the #92 Centri Porsche Ticino Porsche vs. one of the Audi's while Hunter Abbott is running ahead of the Attempto Audi in the hands of Pietro Delli Guanti. The Porsche Cup cars are mechanically faultless. Antonio Fuoco is let through by AF Corse teammate Giorgio Sernagiotto. Porsche #44 with more issues. When it rains it pours for Herberth Motorsports and now, Alfred Renauer will be headed for the house, perhaps. #44 has been the problem child and the #69 entry has been only dealing with time penalties.
320 laps completed. 1,050 miles. Daniel Juncadella should be the Intercontinental GT Challenge champion when all is said and done. Juncadella will win the title if Luca Stolz does not win the race and it does not look like Stolz is not going to finish but at the same time poor Dani Juncadella was denied a race when his car retired. Fuoco passes the second place Porsche Cup class car. That is the Moutran brothers driven entry for Duel Racing by Toro Verde who entered two cars in the class. Ferrari have won this race four times having taken the final win for the 458 Italia and should be the final win for the 488 which gives way to the 296 next year.
Of course, Ferrari will also have their new 499P Le Mans Hypercar next year, too. AF Corse have covered their bases today. AF Corse wins everywhere. Le Mans, FIA WEC, SRO GT3, British GT, Ferrari Challenge, you name it. They know too how to stay cool under pressure. A drive through penalty for the AF Corse Am leading #61 Ferrari! Oh dear! The #58 MP Racing Mercedes too is under investigation for refueling procedure. But that won't be too much trouble since they have what, a three- lap cushion? I think so. David Gostner will finish out the race in the final 18 minutes and change.
A ten second penalty too for the AF Corse #55 Ferrari of Stefano Constantini in GT3 Am a lap up on Giorgio Sernagiotto. #61 serves their drive through penalty with just about 16 minutes to go and we could cover another eight or nine laps in that time. After his brake lockup, Patric Niederhauser has just lost speed and he has had to nurse the car driving through the rain sprinkles. 15 minutes to go, 326 laps on the board, 1,069 miles. Put your quick driver in at the end of the race. That is how you handle an endurance race like this. AF Corse's pit box is standing room only. Plenty of people are down there and we are going to see a 1-2 overall and an Am 1-2-3. Five of nine podiums for Ferrari but no Ferrari Pro-Am entries.
James Cottingham in the #51 Mercedes has a ten second penalty for track limits. Through traffic, Patric Niederhauser is quicker than is Nicklas Nielsen. However, Nielsen is responding. Pro drivers putting the perfect lap times in constantly. Tick, tick, tick. Fuoco is 16 seconds up the road, and they have had one black mark on the copybook which was a five second track limits penalty. The drive through penalty was only to give a lap back to the sister car. These Ferrari's at AF Corse run like metronomes. The James Cottingham driven Mercedes for 2 Seas Motorsports is the next lapped car, 50 laps off the lead. Lewis Williamson did give it a good drive in his stint and the other team driver who was impressive was Aaron Walker.
Stefano Constantini, second in Am is giving Ferrari #55 a good run. Patric Niederhauser is still pushing but Nicklas Nielsen is going to maintain his pace. AF Corse, I think had to do a brake change but will finish 1-2. The Audi, when Niederhauser went off the road, he got clag on his tires and it caused a vibration. Through the hairpin down the straight. Niederhauser cannot gain on the Ferrari. The Audi V10 is naturally aspirated while the Ferrari has a turbo motor. The naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 and the turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 for the respective cars. Niederhauser slides wide and now loses more time. Five minutes to go. 331 laps completed. We will go for 334 laps and the record distance was in 2021 at 359 laps. The record is 1,177 and a half miles. Today, we could reach 1,095 and a half miles.
Nicklas Nielsen should take second if the fuel holds out. The Cup class leader pits the #92 Porsche very late and what is the issue? There is a punctured tire on the left rear! Wow! That was the corner that was hit by the Audi. He ran over something and needs a new tire. No worries. Get going and finish the race and they have a couple laps in hand as David Gostner now spins the #58 Mercedes! Oy vey! Please keep going and David Gostner, no. He blocks the track! Oh man oh man oh man! Don't anyone clobber that car with two minutes to go!
He will have to do a three point turn! Oh man! A minute and a half to go with a 15 second lead for Antonio Fuoco. The char has reversed out of harm's way and Bravo David Gostner, and he is back on track to finish the race. Under a minute to go now. I think Fuoco will squeeze one more lap out of this one. So, 335 laps, 1,099 miles. Luca Stolz squeezes out the best sector time on the next to last lap of the 11th running of the Gulf 12 Hours. 1,099 miles completed by the race winner, one away from 1,100 miles! A Ferrari 1-2, followed by Aido. ,ercedes. ,ercedes. Aido. ,ercedes. Ferrari. Audi, and Mercedes.
Your winners, the #51 Ferrari of AF Corse! Four wins for AF Course, eight for Ferrari. Four wins for the Ferrari 488 GT3! Antonio Fuoco, James Calado, and Alessandro Pier Guidi! We will talk about the race winners in another post. Yours truly is mentally drained after this one. We'll go through the winners, the champions, and the post-race, later this afternoon/evening, and tomorrow. Great to see AF Corse going out with a win at the end of 2022! Forza Ferrari! Felicitazioni AF Corse! Bye bye for now. Arriva derci, everyone. Take care.
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