Toyota 1-2 followed by the #5 Penske Porsche 963. WRT and Richard Mille Racing are the other class leaders with less than two hours remaining here at Spa Francorchamps. Ferrari #50 of Miguel Molina up to third with Alex Lynn still in the fight. Ferdinand Habsburg vs. Mirko Bortolotti, Oliver Jarvis, Phil Hanson, and Bent Viscaal. Toyota #8 loses three seconds to #7. Mirko Bortolotti of course will be a Lamborghini Hypercar driver next year. Oliver Jarvis is catching these other two LMP2's and wants to tow Phil Hanson with him. Habsburg is going to have trouble and speaking of trouble, the Ferrari has passed the Porsche and now the Ferrari is right on top of Alex Lynn and is right on his six. Molina is now back on the lead lap having passed the #7 Toyota to unlap himself!
We need to see if the #5 Porsche, #2 Cadillac, and #51 Ferrari can also push and get back on the lead lap. This whole gaggle is faster than the #7 Toyota and Kamui Kobayashi still has to drive the #7 and Jose Maria Lopez has done a double stint. The LMP2 fight remains red hot. Lopez wonders why the other cars are so much faster, like the Ferrari's. Fresh tires. Lopez is saving fuel because he is out of kilter on fuel compared to the Ferrari's and now, Dane Cameron gets crossed up and Alex Lynn tucks him up like a kipper in the Cadillac and here comes the Ferrari to the outside dusting the Porsche as well! That Ferrari is incredibly fast through Eau Rouge! It is a momentum car! Lopez has only had three stops on the cycle for the #7 while the sister car has done four. Pit stop time at Iron Dames.
Meanwhile, Ferrari #51 well off course through Eau Rouge to avoid the Cadillac. Ryo Hirakawa is three seconds down on the other chasing Hypercars. Get onto the lead lap. Alex Lynn has to go with the Ferrari to combat the speed of the Toyota's. The LMP2 squabble continues for ninth in the overall as the #7 Toyota unlaps itself. If they get a safety car they will be in the pound seats. The Heart of Racing #98 Aston Martin is in the lane and we have LMP2 pit action as well. Ahmad Al Harthy is the leader in class. Toyota #7 in pit lane as is WRT car #31. Corvette Racing #33 has Nicky Catsburg at the wheel of it, fourth in GTE Am. The Corvette C8.R could get a podium. Four tires for the #7 Toyota and now, Kamui Kobayashi is behind the wheel.
Alessandro Pier Guidi tells engineer Justin Taylor, "let me drive!"Diego Alessi goes by Michelle Gatting in the #85 Iron Dames Porsche. Harry Tincknell now at the wheel of the #88 Proton Comeptition Porsche 911 RSR-19 and the #5 Porsche 963 for Porsche Penske Motorsports is now in the lane and back out again. Right side tires only at Porsche? I wonder. No technical issues for the #8 Toyota. Ryo Hirakawa is managing a problem with energy harvesting as the #7 has a monumental brake lockup! #7 has a huge lockup! He has Fred Flintstoned his tires through La Source!
The #25 ORT by TF Sport Aston Martin has pitted from the GTE Am lead. Ahmad Al Harthy brought the car in and it is time for the Pro driver, as the #57 CarGuy Ferrari pits with Scott Huffaker handing off to Daniel Serra and now, Charlie Eastwood is in the #25. At Porsche, it looks likem they pitted for a two tire change. Fred Makowiecki is now in the #5 Porsche and now the #8 Toyota is in the lane. Brendon Hartley now in the #8 Toyota for the final stint on stone cold tires. He will be be wary at first for dead sure.
Four tires on the #8 and now the #7 Toyota is right there. Oliver Rasmussen in the #28 LMP2 for Jota comes through. Kamui Kobayashi will be on a flyer and yes, he dusts Brendon Hartley through Eau Rouge! #8 was 4.1 seconds ahead coming in. Ferrari in formation and a battle between Corvette #33 and Ferrari 488 GTE for CarGuy #57. Harry Tincknell also makes a pass. Nicky Catsburg passes Charlie Eastwood as well. Prema has both cars in the pit lane along with the Glickenhaus. Bent Viscaal has leapfrogged both United Autosports cars. Tincknell and Catsburg make passes while Alessio Rovera leads GTE Am in the #83 Richard Mille Racing Ferrari 488 GTE. Fred Makowiecki has the fastest sector two time of the race.
United Autosport closing on Prema. Bent Viscaal, Mirko Bortolotti, Phil Hanson. Harry Tincknell is monstering Nicky Catsburg in GTE Am. Porsche 911 RSR-19 on Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Miguel Molina pitting for the penultimate time. Actually the third to last pit stop it appears. Ferdinand Habsburg now leads Mirko Bortolotti by 3.3 seconds in LMP2. Matthieu Vaxiviere is trying to close up in LMP2 on Oliver Jarvis who is behind Robert Kubica. Antonio Fuoco has taken over the #50 Ferrari 499P. Brendon Hartley has just cut a 2:08.4. Oh no! The Ferrari is gone again! Just like what we saw at Portimao last time!
Cold tires and a massive spin for the Ferrari removing the rear wing from the car completely and while all that was going on we saw one of the Aston Martin's going off the road! Safety car. Accelerating blind downhill into Eau Rouge. Game over for Antonio Fuoco. Wheelspin in third gear. Saety car scramble. Ouch! That hurts! The sister Ferrari #51 has just pitted. So, they have one bullet left in the gun. Is Antonio Fuoco OK? The impact has moved the barrier. Alessandro Pier Guidi driving the #51. A double whammy for Ferrari as #51 is losing energy. That was only a splash! They need more fuel! James Calado was supposed to get into the car! This has also put Toyota #8 between a rock and a hard place. Pit in closed.
Toyota are now backj in the game though, honestly. They keep catching these breaks at the expense of Ferrari. That is the second crackup with a top line Hypercar at Spa this weekend along with yesterday's Brendon Hartley shunt on power downhill in a straight line on the downhill run to Eau Rouge. There is so little grip on cold tires and you have to push the car to bring the tires up to temperature. Antonio Fuoco utters the primal scream of frustration. Understandable indeed. Alessandro Pier Guidi will get full service coming up. Cadillac #2 will box and Alex Lynn will hand off to Richard Westbrook. Miguel Molina says Ferrari are improving, closing the gap, but are still in a learning process.
Porsche and Cadillac as well as Ferrari have had a baptism by fire. The Ferrari being lifted onto the low loader, the flatbed, and the barriers need repairs. Just under an hour and a half to go. If the barriers are not repaired, the circuit is not homologated as Bruno Correa is the safety car driver. Kamui Kobayashi leads Brendon Hartley by 1.9 seconds. Alex Lynn and Alessandro Pier Gudi both need another splash and dash as we are gojng for the wave by. Corvette Racing should benefit from the wave around. Miguel Molina just gutted, understandably.
Over 72,000 people have attended this race. Wow! That's a total number over the three days. Ferrari and Cadillac both need petrol. As soon as the lane is open, we will box, according to Cadillac and Richard Westbrook is set to take over the car from Alex Lynn. Inter Europol had a slow puncture on the right rear tire. Cadillac #2 and Ferrari #51 will take pit stops and maybe they will have a long safety car for barrier repair but that will not be enough for anyone including Toyota. Toyota I think will need to box more imminently. Cadillac, Ferrari, and Porsche will have better fuel mileage the longer the safety car persists. We have to check and see the condition of the barriers if they need repairs.
Safety car lights remain on. Safety car lights off. Alessandro Pier Guidi will have to be very careful but we will have an extra lap behind the safety car. My mistake. An hour and 20 minutes to go. Pit lane now open and so we will have #2 and #51 pitting to fuel up. Ferrari, Cadillac, and the two Peugeot's need fuel. #51 will swap drivers from Alessandro Pier Guidi to James Calado. Safety car lights off. The two Peugeot's, the Ferrari, and the Cadillac might all need fuel. For Cadillac, take your medicine and then go for it. Green flag. The genuine fight is on now at Toyota between Kobayashi and Hartley.
Richard Westbrook will get into the #2. James Calado into #51. Porsche are staying out. Three wide, four wide battle for LMP2! Mirko Bortolotti passing for position over Bent Viscaal. Tough pit stop for the Cadillac and the Ferrari is held behind an Alpine. Peugeot leapfrogs the Cadillac and the Ferrari, both Peugeot's, and I think the Glickenhaus also got out ahead. Bent Viscaal, Phil Hanson, Ferdinand Habsburg, Phil Hanson, Robert Kubica, the top four in LMP2. Peugeot #94 off and on with Nico Muller at the wheel of it. Richard Westbrook, Cadillac goes off the road and back on. Alessio Rovera in the Ferrari leading Nicky Catsburg in the Corvette and Harry Tincknell in the Proton Porsche.
Hartley on soft Michelin tires and mediums for Kobayashi. Brendon Hartley uncorks the fastest lap for the #8 Toyota of the race so far. 114 laps, 496 miles now completed. Westbrook has passed the Peugeot's but the Ferrari is still behind. Westbrook and the Ferrari have their tires up to temperature and Brendon Hartley is balked by Pietro Fittipaldi in the #28 Jota LMP2 car! Toyota #7 pushing hard and the top three in Hypercar are on different strategies compared to the others as Nicky Catsburg runs off the road, trhing to chase down Alessio Rovera and fend off the challenge of Harry Tincknell, Charlie Eastwood, Michelle Gatting, Alex Riberas, and Diego Alessi.
Mirko Bortolotti gets by his rival and Phil Hanson pushes his way to third in LMP2! The #7 Toyota is now chasing down the #51 Ferrari as Fred Makowiecki uncorks fastest lap at 2:06.9 in the #5 Porsche 963 chasing down the Cadillac and the Ferrari. Alessio Rovera is really pushing. We could see a female driver take a win in a World Championship race. Alessio Picariello now in the #60 Iron Lynx Porsche and he could help his teammate in GTE Am. James Calado in the #51 Ferrari 499P is turning up the wick. Fred Makowiecki is 16 seconds down on the leader. Toyota have gambled but it is not working. Filipe Albuquerque is now in the #22 United Autosports Oreca and they will need a splash and dash in LMP2.
Toyota #7 due into the lane in 11 laps. Harry Tincknell being monstered by Charlie Eastwood in GTE Am still. Tincknell under pressure from Charlie Eastwood in the car that Ahmad Al Harthy put on pole and now, Michelle Gatting is also closing up. 2:03.868 as James Calado is flying and Richard Westbrook in the Cadillac is moving up. Brendon Hartley on softs in the #8 and Kamui Kobayshi in the lead on medium compound tires that are flat spotted. Prema #9 in the pit lane for a driver change. Charles Milesi is not running to the pace he wants. Harry Tincknell is trying his hardest to close up and make a run to get to and get by Nicky Catsburg.
Kobayashi leads Hartley by 2.7 seconds. If Hartley is within ten seconds of Kobayashi he will take the lead. James Calado has passed Richard Westbrook. Picariello and Eastwood both pass Tincknell. Picariello ducks out of the way. Michelle Gatting, his teammate, she let him by. Bortolotti, Habsburg, Jarvis, the top three in LMP2. Charlie Eastwood now released to go for it. Through Rivage they go. Prema going longer than WRT and WRT #31 are in the lane in LMP2. Prema have yet to hit the lane but we have more than an hour to go. We are getting there. Two tires for Toyota #8 and four for the #7.
Robin Frijns is going to fly in this final stint in the #31 WRT Oreca.
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