Full Course Yellow is coming. Right rear quarter panel damage on the #56 AO Racing/Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR-19. If Pier Guidi hit the rim of the tire that would have ripped the gearbox out of the car completely! Ferrari had to cut the brake ducting away and lost a chunk of it in one of the turns and they had to cut away the damaged bodywork with a hacksaw. Pit stop for the #25 ORT Aston Martin under investgation with Charlie Eastwood, the Irishman at the wheel of it. It helps the prototype drivers in the GTE boys use their turn signals. You are asking a lot for a driver to do that though. The newest Ferrari 499P is the replacement chassis for one written off last weekend at the Prologue. AF Corse and Ferrari have had a torrid couple weekends and will have a torrid end to this motor race. We are seeing once again, the battle for victory between Toyota's #7 and #8.
Sebastien Buemi is ready to go into the Toyota. We have two eight hour races bookending the season with a bunch of six hour events and of course the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the middle. Will we see a driver change for the #7 Toyota? The #2 Cadillac is now on the tail end of the lead lap as we are back to green. The Cadillac in third is about to go a lap down. Jose Maria Lopez is going ahead and Ryo Hirakawa is stymied behind the Cadillac. On cold tires, Lopez locks the brakes! So, "Pechito" now has to play catch up, look. He has a slight flat spot on those tires. That was a massive lockup for Jose Maria Lopez on cold tires! A lucky, lucky luck boy he was! Meanwhile, in LMP2, we have a battle on between Albert Costa and Pietro Fittipaldi, two ferrets in the sack.
Ryo Hirakawa now into the lane for fuel, tires, and a driver change. So, I think this is now Sebastien Buemi I want to say/. Oh no! The Vanwall is in trouble! Jacques Villeneuve has spun? He spins at Sunset Bend on stone cold tires! Welcome Harry Tincknell to the booth. I think it has lost a suspension arm on the rear. A control arm. Driver change at Toyota in #7. Jose Maria Lopez handing off to Kamui Kobayashi and here comes Sebastien Buemi. Car on the air jacks as the rattle guns are at work for a tire change. Down off the jacks and just two tires and fuel. Here comes #8. Track position and fue. Track position and fuel and #8 will be slow!
The left rear suspension is busted on the #4 Vanwall. James Calado is definitely unhappy. He is not sure exactly what happened but he was blindsided by the #54 Ferrari 488 GTE. Ferrari have had tons of trouble getting up to speed since their woe during the prologue last weekend. #7 leads #8 as the #2 Chip Ganassi Cadillac V Series R has pitted. Of course, Proton Competition could not start this race with the #88 Porsche 911 RSR-19 because of contact with the #2 Cadillac. If a driver can drive both GT's and prototypes, the better off they are in terms of understanding.
Ferrari #51 back to the pit lane. Having Ferrari in the field really gives the fan excitement a massive boost. We know the Ford vs. Ferrari story in the 1960s that the movie was made about. The last time Ferrari was in top-flight racing, was Porsche vs. Ferrari in 1970 and '71 if you think back to the "Le Mans" movie with Steve McQueen. Toyota #7 was said to be saving more petrol than the #8. Have they found two extra laps on fuel? That's bonkers. With the Vanwall, it was broken on the left rear and Esteban Guerreri is back in the pit lane now. Harry Tincknell drove the Ford GT against Ferrari from 2016-2019.
The level of the championship is going up, up, up. Harry Tincknell has run with Ford, Mazda, Nissan, and more. Tincknell is very much involved with Multimatic. He is doing the full season of WEC for the next races. So, we'll see him around I am sure. Proton Competition has been around ever since the end of the Group C era. Of course, Group C, hit their stride 40 years ago just like the Hypercars are now. Villeneuve says there is a suspension issue needing repair on the Vanwall. It cannot be blamed on the bumps. The team has not gotten all the mileage but he is up to speed and understanding things. A ten second stop and go penalty for the #51 Ferrari 499P. That will rub salt in the wounds.
Harry Tincknell has driven in GTE and in prototypes. All classes of WEC. He is able to read the traffic. Ferrari #51 back to the pits. In and out. Proton Competition are now linked up with Iron Lynx. Harry Tincknell wants to get back into the top class after running DPi in IMSA with Mazda and winning those races. More manufacturers coming along for next year for Daytona, for Sebring, and beyond. The prototype class is different than being super light and fast. They accelerate well but they have less overall speed. A really hot left rear caliper because of that busted brake duct from the earlier damage.
Ferrari has an hour and a half to get through this. Phil Hanson running third in LMP2. Harry Tincknell, Ryan Hardwick, and Zacharie Robichon will be back for the rest of the WEC season from Portimao onwards. We have half a dozen more races after this one. Thanks Harry, for joining us. Porsche #6 to the lane. Kevin Estre now into the car. The #6 Porsche is back on track. Jota Sport #28 to the pit lane. Daniil Kvyat is now leading LMP2 in the car with Doriane Pin and Mirko Bortolotti in the #63 Prema Oreca. The Joest team was a privateer and had a Porsche 962 with other teams, Richard Lloyd, John Fitzpatrick, Walter Brun, and more. Privateers could buy the same car that Rothman's Porsche, the factory team, were running. Konrad, Fitzpatrick, Richard Lloyd with aluminum monocoque chassis etc., all won. Porsche is doing the same deal this time with the 963.
Lancia battled Porsche like crazy. The IMSA Camel GTP was the same thing, which is why IMSA has the GTP name back. The more teams that can get a privateer car, it is going to be interesting. Customer cars for Porsche, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Acura, and still more. We have Acura, BMW, Porsche, and Cadillac in IMSA of course. LMP2 has also been great. Top teams have the preparation, the strategy, and the will to win. Antonio Fuoco now third in the #50 Ferrari. Sebastien Buemi says something is wrong with the #8 Toyota.
Phil Hanson hands over the #22 United Autpsport car to Filipe Albuquerque in LMP2. Jota, Prema, WRT, and United could all become Hypercar teams. Signatech, too. Of those, the only one that does not have a confirmed program are United Autosport. But of course, Zak Brown owns that team and could get McLaren in there as he owns the McLaren Formula 1 team. Vector Sport too, will have a Hypercar program with Isotta Fraschini coming up. A rising tide lifts all boats. This is going to boost the LMP2 teams to step up and for new LMP2 teams to come in from GT or LMP3. Once again, a rising tide lifts all boats. Could we see TF Sport and WRT move up? I think so. TF Sport has Racing Team Turkey in the European Le Mans Series of course.
Earl Bamber is closing in hand over fist to Antonio Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari but Fuoco too, is turning up the wick. Cadillac are able to preserve their tires. Paul Di Resta is now eighth in the #93 Peugeot 9X8 as Mirko Bortolotti is closing in on the #48 Jota Sport car. Peugeot #93 has moved ahead of the #4 Vanwall which is now back in the garage. Carlos Tavares, a racing driver, and head cheese at Stellantis Group. They own Peugeot and other brands. Toyota does not have air conditioning while Peugeot does.
Argy bargy there between Porsche and Cadillac, #2, and #5! Yikes! They bounced the #86 GR Porsche nearly off the road! Yikes! Kobayashi leads Buemi by ten seconds. Buemi is told he is losing time to his co-driver Brendon Hartley. He is losing speed all over, hand over fist. Toyota, Toyota, Ferrari, Cadillac, Porsche, Porsche. Will Stevens responds to Mirko Bortolotti and uncorks a fastest lap. 202 laps now on the board, 755 miles. Porsche #5 in the pit lane for service. Rahel Frey has the wheel of the #85 Iron Dames Porsche. After the clatter with the #51 the #54 Ferrari 488 GTE has lost it's right hand door mirror. Rahel Frey taking chunks of time out of Francesco Castellaci.
Daniel Serra and Ulysse de Pauw are up there and so is Mikkel Pedersen, the Dane, in the #77 Proton Competition Porsche. Brendon Hartley is suiting up for the final stint of the race. The Vanwall too is back on track. OK. So, Sebastien Buemi will not take the #8 Toyota to the end of the motor race. Heading towards the final hour of the race as I realize I have put two hours in one post here without really knowing it. Tight gaps in LMP2. Filipe Albuquerque closing in on his rivals. Kevin Estre in the lane in the #6 Porsche 963. Will Stevens leads LMP2 as the sun is setting. The temperatures are dropping and the speed is picking up on track. Porsche #6 back in the lane.
Kevin Estre will take the car to the finish and Fred Makowiecki takes over the #5 car from Michael Christensen.
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