Martin Konrad, Nicky Catsburg, and Chaz Mostert have moved up to 26th overall and are now leading in their class. They are in the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes AMG GT3. Clemens Schmid is being very cautious as Casper Stevenson is third following Ivan Jacoma in the #24 Porsche 911 GT3R for Car Collection Motorsport. Clemens Schmid is tentative to find a way to pass in the chicane. Eau Rouge, Radillion, and Les Combes are very dangerous for overtaking as Julien Andlauer is sixth but Clemens Schmid is coming. Julien Andlauer has fastest lap in the race on fresh tires in the darkness at 2:17.191. Audi #12 pits from second in class, Loris Hezemans currently driving.
Nick Yelloly coming to the end of his stint where he has eked out a gap on Mattia Drudi of 13 seconds. 19 hours and five minutes have been completed. We have had few interruptions in this race. The leader has gained on Mattia Drudi. Drudi s babying an issue with the car or has tons of traffic to reconcile and work with. Drudi is two seconds down on the race leader it looks like. Lap times at the moment are three seconds slower. Yellloly passes a couple of lapped cars and bang on cue he is in the pit lane. Tires and fuel for the car but no driver change. Lift and coast to aid in fuel usage or fuel saving more specifically.
Ferrari have just not been in the fight this weekend somehow. They've really struggled for pace here at Spa Francorchamps and they don't have the straight-line performance in the dry. BMW #98 has gone down the order and Mattia Drudi reassumes the erstwhile lead. Augusto Farfus in the #46 WRT BMW, the race has come to some of the BMW teams for WRT and for Rowe Racing. Nick Yelloly still leading the motor race. The BMW stops after the end of each hour while other cars are stopping within the hour itself when it and as it is getting light put where I live as well at a quarter to 5AM in the morning on Sunday morning, July 2nd.
The Pirelli P Zero tires are pretty much in their temperature operating window. Full commitment, foot to the floor through Eau Rouge. This is a twin turbo straight 6 3-liter motor in the M4 GT3. Kelvin van der Linde runs 6.8 seconds behind erstwhile leader Mattia Drudi and he has just passed Simon Gachet as well. Drudi's last lap was a 2:20.4. Everyone is really in the 2:20-2:21 range and Yelloly fastest at 2:19.4. Indy Dontje in toruble again in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT3. Robert Shwartzman is blocking in 40th spot over Kelvin van der Linde. That isn't appropriate racing behavior.
Shwartzman dives in on Kelvin van der Linde. He is not happy and is taking out his frustrations. Yelloly's pace is working out and it has stabilized but his times are a wee bit compromised. Jules Gounon will be making a pit stop and Akkodis ASP and Mercedes have to run this on pace and not strategy. Simon Mann in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 is running in Bronze with Ulysse De Pauw, Simon Mann, Nico Varrone, and Julien Piguet. Miguel Ramos and Dean MacDonald are in a battle. #188 has fallen away from where they were early doors yesterday.
The #88 Akkodis ASP Mercedes we have seen Raffaele Marciello and Jules Gounon taking care of the Sunday driving. #88 will come to the pit lane soon. Timur Boguslavskiy took a lot of yesterday's stints. Dean MacDonald has a good racing future. Miguel Ramos has already established himself. 424 laps done, 1,845 miles. Francis Tjia in the #216 Modena Motorsports Porsche 91 GT3R is running very well and we have part of AF Corse in the red and yellow paint scheme. Ferrari red and the yellow of Ecurie National Belge.
Jules Gounon is in the pit lane. Akkodis ASP #88 could be in the pound seats and be a sleeper for the win here today. Mattia Drudi pits from the race lead. Most of the windscreen tearoffs by this thime have all been used up. So, the #40 car of Mattia Drudi is serviced and sent. 427 laps now completed for Mattia Drudi. 1,858 miles. Four and a half hours of racing still to go as Thomas Preining has moved up to second behind Kelvin van der Linde. He has to make 21 and a half seconds up in four and a half hours. The Porsche has a crack at the podium. Can the #96 car, do it?
Audi and Porsche could still be laying their cards on the table. Some of the top contenders get balked by Ruben del Sarte in the #33 Bullitt Racing Aston Martin Vantage. Julien Andlauer has completed his stint at Manthey EMA and now, Thomas Preining is second, but he will be into the pit lane too. The WRT BMW is also in the lane and Davide Rigon. More cars and pit exchanges. Davide Rigon has finished his stint, and he will change over to his teammate as we now see Augusto Farfus doing another stint. I think Kelvin van der Linde can squeeze in another stint.
Davide Rigon has handed the Ferrari #51 to Daniel Serra. Dean MacDonald and Sven Mueller are in the pit lane now too. Kelvin van der Linde has completed a 63-minute stint. Nick Yelloly will take over the lead through Blanchimont and into the braking zone. Alex Aka lost a wheel and had somedamage to it. Can he and the Attempto team get back track? So, the fight is bewing and simmering wutb Jules Gounon, Laurens Vanthoor has the fastest car in traffic. Once again, Gounon is going well. There is a massive battle for eught as well. Augusto Farfus wants a chance to move up.
The BMW is getting the speed! It is a situaton of pass or be passed. If Yelloly gets stucl, these lapped cars are going to be blamed. We won't see another pit stop for about 20 minutes yet. Who will blink first? Farfus goes for it into the final turn and now Gilles Magnus flies by in the Audi sas well! The Rowe BMW will lap all of them if he isn't careful. Does Gilles Magnus give it up or make the overtake? Nick Yelloly leads by 48 seconds.
Nick Yelloly does not want to get caught up with the lapped traffc and meanwhile, Dean MacDonald, the Scotsman, he can put the welly down in a GT3 car. The leading Bronze driver is Albert Renauer in the #91 Herberth Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R. Glenn van Berlo has the #85 Grasser Racing Team Lambo. Bailey Vosin is stopped in the #31 WRT BMW M4 GT3. The car is hestant not to stall. A walhorst car. Bailey Voisin at the wheel of it. Full Course Yellow in 20 seconds. 10 seconds. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Full Course Yellow, now. Full Course Yellow.
Matia Drudi is coming to the pit lane through Blanchimont to get the car back into the game. Can Tresor Orange1 go for it? I think so. Everyone has decided to pit and Rowe Racing BMW were 47 seconds in front and have missed the boat. Jules Gounon comes to Akkodis ASP and their pit box and Raffaele Marciello will take over.
Ricardo Feller will take over the #40 car and Dennis Olsen will be trying to make something work. Yelloly and company have purchased themselves a free good deal. This race is now opening up and opening up wide. It is not over yet until the fat lady sings and she has not even begun warming up yet. Nick Yelloly is in the pit lane and we are going to go to safety car conditions.
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