Mattia Drudi is ten minutes further into his fuel burn so the car is lightening up and with ten laps less fuel lighter weight, it could be a second a lap or something, or half a second a lap. Marco Mapelli too, has just clocked in a 2:17.8. He has fresh tires, so Marco Mapelli has answered the bell too. The track temperature is between 15-16 Celsius and the air temperature is at 13 Celsius as we are on the second day of July. Yesterday was the 1st of July, Canada Day. Maxime Martin crawling all over the back of Christopher Haase. Magnus, Vervisch, and Haase have been keeping their noses clean in the top half dozen or top dozen.
The top 20 are all potential winners as we have had eight safety car periods through this race. Dennis Olsen has dropped Laurens Vanthoor as Jules Gounon is getting with the program as well. Incident between car #87 and #30 under investigation. Akkodis ASP and WRT and I believe the #87 is out of the race but that might not matter and the stewards will still want a word. Gotz retired from overheating of course. His car was a steam locomotive. Gounon to the pit lane for service.
The Vincenzo Sospiri Racing Lamborghini has spun. Marco Mapelli is the top Lamborghini in 19th place. Two Ferrari's are in the fight as Daniel Serra is up to tenth place. Ferrari were praying for rain but it hasn't come. A right front puncture for the #88 Akkodis ASP Mercedes. Jules Gounon is back into the fight now, the defending race winners. Maxime Martin is now seventh. Jules Gounon under pressure from Maxime Martin in the BMW he shares with Augusto Farfus and Valentino Rossi. A driver change happening at the #40 Tresor Orange1 Audi. I think it is Dennis Marschall getting into the car.
Mattia Drudi into the lane for a driver change of course to Dennis Marschall. Marco Wittmann is beginning to push in the BMW taking 7/10ths of a second out of the gap before diving for the pit lane a lap earlier than expected. Maxime Martin racing Christopher Haase. Kelvin van der Linde now leads both Dennis Olsen and Laurens Vanthoor. Maxime Martin to the pit lane in the #46 WRT BMW. The Martin's are Spa royalty. Maxime Martin, his uncle, and his dad. Mattia Drudi handed over to Dennis Marschall and this puts Kelvin van der Linde, the South African, into the race lead.
Dennis Olsen, the Norwegian driver will also be in the pit lane soon and so just maybe the #40 Audi may recycle back into the lead when all this comes out in the wash. Fuoco, Kruetten, Gamble, Engelhart, and others have to pit and they are well aware of that. These pit stops are slightly staggered by about three laps between the top 20. Of course we had that long Full Course Yellow a couple of hours ago. Jules Gounon has dropped way down to 18th place in the overall, so last year's winners aregoing to have a mountain to climnb in the last eight and 3/4 hours.
Laurin Heinrich is now in the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche and Kelvin van der Linde pits from the lead while Marco Wittmann passes by Jules Gounon. I see. Now we return again to the regularly scheduled program right here on The Sarcasm Channel. Pit strategy still in the balance. The #93 McLaren has to hit the lane. I wonder about the #21 Comtoyou Audi of Nicolas Baert, Max Hofer, and Maxime Soulet. They don't have to pit for another 15 minutes yet. Kevin Estre gets tail happy in the Manthey EMA Porsche #92. With the new safety car regulations remiving non Pro class cars from the top of the queue the gaps at the front close up big time.
We still have 17 or more cars on the lead lap after almost 2/3rds distance into this race. The Gold and Bronze drivers are batting above their average, punching above their weight. Marco Mapelli, Kevin Estre, and Jules Gounon hounding each other and Marco Mapelli is all over the curbs and Christopher Haase has pushed his way over the curbs and now Nico Menzel has passed by Chaz Mostert it looks like while Christopher Haase was really going for it.
Eddoe Cheever III. into the pit lane from the race lead! Wow! The #93 Sky Tempesta McLaren as he stays in the car and heads back on track. Nicolas Baert, Tom Gamble, Nicolas Kruetten, and many more. Before the pit stops we had Mattia Drudi pulling clear hand over fist and now Nikki Thiim is into the #17 Audi and Dennis Marschall continues to lead the motor race but is two seconds down on Mattia Drudi's pace. We are seeing some spritzes of rain on the camera lenses at the top of the hill.
Christopher Haase running out of road. Yikes! Sprinkles on the camera lens. We welcome the day crew back to the booth with David Addison and John Watson. We have had quite the night of racing. That is for sure. You might just want to close your eyes and throw a dart at the dartboard. We could see a Bronze or Gold rated team winning this race overall. Wouldn't that be something? We'll see what on earth is going to happen. We saw an upset win at Le Mans a month ago, or three weeks ago.
Eight cars are the most that has ever finished on the lead lap at the 24 Hours of Spa in the GT3 era. Al Manar, K-PAX, and Akkodis ASP all battling for sixth place. Thank you, Bruce Jones, for your insight and thoughts overnight. We welcome David Addison back to the commentary box. The BMW is coming into it's own as we join the daytime commentary team again with David Addison and Jake Sanson. Laurin Heinrich, racing Porsche GT3 cars in DTM as well. Antonio Fuoco has argy bargy with Christopher Haaase. 19 if not more cars are on the lead lap. Lamborghini have been obliterated.
Seven of ten Lamborghini's I think are out. The next big brand to take a hit, five Mercedes AMG GT3's have retired including the just retired #64 Haupt Racing Team entry. Two of the McLaren's are out. We have lost two BMW's due to accident damage and not mechanical woes. WRT were looking for a home win and BMW have been looking for a record 25th victory I think, in this race, dating back to the touring car era. Maxime Martin chasing Tom Gamble and now, Martin tries to level with Gamble. No dice.
Tom Gamble has raced both GT and prototype sports cars. Chaz Mostert up ahead in an IGTC registered GT3 car. Balance of Performance gets cars close to each other but the power balance is just not there, or the power is. Joel Sturm is leading Alfred Renauer in Bronze over Eddie Cheever III. The McLaren has been very consistent and now, Ayhacan Guven is recovering in the #54 Dinamic Motorsports Porsche. Pro vs. Bronze. Eddie Cheever III., the Italian GT Champion and the Sprint Champion in GT World Challenge Europe and has run IMSA and in Euro NASCAR. Alex Aka leads Silver ahead of the #12 Audi of Finlay Hutchison, Sam DeJonghe, Lucas Legeret, and Loris Hezemans.
The #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 of Robert Shwartzman are in the garage and I think they are doing their technical pit stop. Lucas Legeret, Nicklas Kruetten, and Glenn van Berlo all in Silver and van Berlo is being hounded by Christopher Mies for overall position in the low 20s. Audi Sport Team Sainteloc have been on the back foot for this whole race. Chaz Mostert being passed by the AF Corse Ferrari. Alex Fontana is really pressing hard as well. The #4 Crowdstrike Riley Motorsports Mercedes is alslo in the fight with Felipe Fraga now driving.
Luca Stolz has indeed pitted and the #51 Ferrari has a fuel pump problem. Alex Fontana is second in Pro-Am in the #24 Porsche 911 GT3R for Car Collection Motorsport. Felipe Fraga fourth in class. They are 43rd in the overall and the #999 Mercedes is losing time in the hands of Daniel Juncadella. Robert Shwartzman is now in the garage in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 but Antonio Fuoco in the sister #71 is still in it. We have 16 cars on the lead lap now with about eight hours left to go yet. So we are getting close to completing another racing hour.
Poor old K-PAX is the lone Lamborghini left in the field. The fastest car in the field is Julien Andlauer in the #92 Porsche 911 GT3R, the Manthey EMA entry. Jules Gounon making good his escape from Antonio Fuoco. Marco Mapelli is in the #6 K-PAX Lamborghini. Dennis Marschall being chased by Nikki Thiim for the race lead up to Les Combes. Thiim is too far back and now, Dennis Marschall holds the lead. Thiim is pushing hard and he has eaten into Tresor Attempto's advantage. Dennis Marschall has to be circumspect through this traffic.
Thiim is being patient. Don't try to be a hero. Marschall will pit earlier I think. Marco Wittmann too is also right in the fight here. DAiving to the inside, no dice. Thiim crawling all over Marschall! Side by side and now Thiim is the new leader.
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