That was a quicker Full Course Yellow than anyone anticipated and so Phillipp Eng and the #98 Rowe Racing BMW team got caught off guard as did other teams. Meanwhile, Kevin Estre is as close as he can possibly get to Laurin Heinrich. Traffic ahead. Was Kevin Estre lifting and coasting? Nikki Thiim is now just ahead of Ricardo Feller, and I think the #98 BMW has dropped down the order because they were dealt a terrible hand of cards by that extremely quick yellow. Eng passes Kay van Berlo and could go a lap down if he doesn't get a wriggle on and move it.
Ayhacan Guven in the Porsche is being pursued by Eng. Eng goes to the inside of Guven, and they are toe to toe and Eng flies by with fresher tires and grip into Courbe Paul Frere. Nick Yelloly is fairly confident in his team and his ability in the next six hours or so. Fred Makowiecki now at the wheel of the Bronze class #44 CLRT Porsche sharing with Clement Mateu, Hugo Chevalier, and Steven Palette. They are in the same cars, but I don't think Kevin Estre has anything in the locker for Laurin Heinrich right now. EMA are an Australian team that are aligned with Manthey Racing.
Raffaele Marciello will be bringing the #88 Akkodis ASP Mercedes but is 24 seconds down on Kevin Estre somehow or other. The Mercedes just has not had the power this weekend. They were looking at the long game, last year's winners here at Spa. Antonio Fuoco in the first of the Ferrari's is also right there as Nick Catsburg has taken over from Chaz Mostert who has done a double stint and a triple stint. They got Adam Oseika's drive time in earlier on.
Sandy Mitchell has gotten his lap back or in the process of getting it back. Raffaele Marciello running a metronomic pace in keeping up with the Ferrari and the Porsche. If the safety car or the Full Course Yellow appears you have a five-minute grace period before the driver change. Luca Engstler thinks his team has prepared the car well. This is of course his Spa 24 Hours debut. Luca Engstler, head down, stay serious. He is a multiple TCR touring car champion in Australia, the Middle East, and Malaysia.
Audi #17 continues to lead overall. Lucas Legeret brought the #12 Audi into the Silver class lead and they are back in the hunt now with Finlay Hutchison and company. Marciello pitted. Nikki Thiim is nine seconds up in the lead. Antonio Fuoco in the Ferrari is now promoted to fifth place. Yellow in sector three and now back to green. A quick moment over the curb, maybe in Courbe Paul Frere. Sandy Mitchell passes Jonathan Hui for position. The drone shots over the track here at Spa Francorhamps looks great.
There is a public road behind or beside the circuit when you go through those famous corners in the middle of the course here at Spa Francorchamps. The old Spa circuit was eight miles long on public roads with a lap record set in the early 1970s by Henri Pescarolo in a Matra prototype and now, Kevin Estre and Laurin Heinrich put a lap on the #777 Mercedes of Fabian Schiller, the Al Manar Racing machine. Fred Makowiecki is doing all he can to catch Kevin Estre. Manthey Porsche ae pushing and is in the pit lane now with 375 laps completed.
The lead cars are coming into the pit lane in the next laps. Estre and Fuoco in and Thiim and Heinrich are the leaders. Vervisch and Rossi are pitting as well. Will he stay at the wheel? Rossi will do a double stint. Julien Andlauer now driving the #92 Manthey EMA Porsche. Laurin Heinrich is going for it as well and now, Fredric Vervisch comes in and so does one of the sister Dinamic Racing Porsche's as are Valentino Rossi and Davide Rigon. Nikki Thiim is cutting the margin fine for an extra lap. Laurin Heinrich has handed the #96 car to either Dennis Olsen or Thomas Preining. It is Preining in the #96 car.
Julien Andlauer has taken over the #92. Luca Engstler will take over and nw we have a battle between Preining and Andlauer and now the leader is in the pit lane. Andlauer uncorked a great first flying lap. Luca Engstler rejoins the race in the lead over BMW, Porsche, Porsche, and Porsche. The BMW is reeling in Luca Engstler. Phillipp Eng is going to go for it. Don't get out on the out lap and bin it. Thomas Preining wants to keepmit together inf ront of Laurin Heinrich. The real battle is between Preining and Andlauer. This is for fourth and fifth place with six and a half hours to go.
Thomas Preining has actully taken over from Laurin Heinrich. Traffic ahead as things will get spicy between Preining and Andlauer. Preining is indeed the doppelganger on his fellow Porsche. That could be doppelganging. A great word even though it makes no sense. The Gold category is now led by Charlie Fagg, followed by Maxime Soulet, and Jean Baptiste Simmenauer. Nicki Thiim is an incredible driver.
This is the biggest GT race i the world as there is traffic ahead, look, for the leader. Eng has made a pass on Luca Engstler. The Audi and the BMW were in a drag race to the top of the hill in Eau Rouge. BMW had the ticket punched and the pound seats get into contention, Fittje, Andlauer, and Preining continue their own battle. Ricardo Feller has to claw back ten seconds that is a lot of time. Gold Cup leader Charlie Fagg is gaining half a second a lap, Rossi and Vervisch are running quicker than Fagg right now.
From eighth place on down things are getting really competitive. Mercedes #777 will be watching Preining closely in his mirrors. It is four-wheel drive. One side would be long Chevrolet and then, we are seeing the Gold standings. We are doing a reset and now we have six hours to go. This race is only now getting started. BMW vs. Porsche vs. Audi vs. Mercedes vs. one competitive Ferrari, and another BMW, a sea of Porsche's and the K-PAX Lamborghini moving forward and now the battle is on between Klaus Bachler and Kay van Berlo, and Eddie Cheever III. maybe getting an occasional look in.
49 of 70 cars still running. Eng and Schiller are planning on pitting at the same time. Finlay Hutchison reeling in Lorenzo Patrese. There are consequences for track limits of course as we explained earlier on. Don't put yourself in danger by an unwanted penalty in the lane. That is for sure. SunEnergy1 lead Pro Am. Nico Menzel at the controls. Colin Braun and company at Crowdstrike with Riley Motorsports are in the pit lane and now, Casper Stevenson and his co-drivers are getting a bpus out of the Amrrican car having issues.
Colin Braun has the Crowdstrike with Riley Motorsports Mercedes in the pit lane. There was a front end of the car replaced last night. Spa is so intense with a ton of cars. Riley Motorsports and CrowdStrike are going to fight for their positions. Phillipp Eng brings the #98 BMW to the pit lane. Ricardo Feller is chopping into Engstler and Eng. Blanchimont of course is an extremely high commitment corner. Audi #17 is effectively the leader and Fred Makowiecki find the gap and pops right through it. Nick Yelloly returned to a satisfying spot for a while until the #17 Audi took the lead.
Porsche #56 running 36th overall in the pit lane. We are starting to run to the finish.
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