So, #8 has now cleared both the #7 and #6 and we have now seen Lopez go off the road! Kevin Estre said he was holding on to the very last lap of his stint. That was intense racing. Andre Lotterer should do well although Toyota has the rhythm at this stage. Porsche looking for a podium spot but could still be in winning position. Pace and execution have been the key today for Porsche Penske Motorsports and the #7 Toyota has lapped the #6 as the #93 Peugeot has spun off with Paul di Resta and he was hit from behind by the #60 Iron Lynx Porsche 911 RSR-19. Earl Bamber taking over the #2 Cadillac at Ganassi Racing. Toyota #7 in the lane. Jose Maria Lopez out and Kamui Kobayashi will get in, and Ryo Hirakawa will be in the lane in another five laps or so.
Kamui Kobayashi vs. Andre Lotterer and now the #8 is in the lane the next time by and they have enough in hand in terms of their fuel. With the overcut, it is complex because when the tires heat up properly, the overcut stops working. 155 laps now completed, 439 miles. Andre Lotterer has one more lap of heat in his tires and now, Kamui Kobayashi is scrapping but in the lead is the sister #8 Toyota with Brendon Hartley now at the wheel of it, in a Toyota 1-2. Brendon Hartley, Kamui Kobayashi, and Andre Lotterer. Porsche #5 in the garage, having led with the #6 for four hours while the #5 car has been the problem child this afternoon.
Earl Bamber in trouble. Three wheels on me wagon. Left front wheel, gone. It has machined it's way off the stub axle and it whent off at speed! Dark clouds have appeared in the foothills of Mount Fuji as the Cadillac is in the lane to repair the wheel. Try putting the wheel on but the nut is busted so they will have to change the whole left front upright, putting the car on the dolly jacks and back into the garage. Ferrari are now up to fourth and fifth and have not had the speed. 159 laps completed for the leading Toyota, 451 miles. The lead GTE Am battle is Rahel Frey, Nico Varrone, and Julien Andlauer covered by mere tenths of a second.
Corvette the meat in a Porsche sandwich while Corvette needs only one stop while the Porsche's, Ferrari's, and Aston Martin's, need two. Varrone taking the opportunity squeezing past the Porsche's. Julien Andlauer looking to make his move on Rahel Frey. No dice. With the #5 Porsche 963, We'll see. The weather seems to be OK. No rain expected until after the end of the race. A power steering issue for the #5 Penske Porsche 963. Frey slams the door in Andlauer's face and right behind is the #54 AF Corse Ferrari with the Italian Davide Rigon at the wheel of it.
Frey continuing to reel in the Corvette and the two Ferrari 499P's go by and so do the two Toyota's. Kobayashi now piling the pressure on Brendon Hartley. 163 laps completed. 462 miles. Andre Lotterer in the Porsche is lurking still behind the two Toyota's. Cadillac #2 back in the lane. They, and the #5 Porsche have been the two problem children today. The Cadillac boys are suffering right now. There was a mechanic kicking the wheel to get it off the stub axle. They need a five pound Birmingham screwdriver. What is that? A lump hammer.
The two Ferrari 499P's are flying in formation in fourth and fifth and Julien Andlauer will incur a drive through penalty for abuse of track limits. Julien Andlauer will have to take his medicine. Alessandro Pier Guidi now pressuring teammate Antonio Fuoco. The Ferrari's are free to race. Team orders totally unnecessary as Davide Rigon is behind Rahel Frey and will inherit another spot. An incident under review for the #86 GR Racing Porsche and the leading GTE Am entry. Pier Guidi claims he is looking after his tires. Louis Deletraz in the #41 WRT car is the new leader in LMP2.
Kobayashi now leads overall by 1.7 seconds and Andre Lotterer is in third place. Lotterer is catching Hartley. Something is wrong with the handling of the #8 Toyota. Hirakawa was flying earlier in his battle with Kevin Estre in the Porsche. Maybe the car is not responding or has pick up on the tires, colloquially called "clag" of course. #7 is all over the #51 Ferrari, the car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and they would dearly love the #6 Porsche to pass one of the Toyota's. Team WRT #41 is leading LMP2 and now Phil Hanson, and Ferdinand Habsburg, have pitted.
Corvette #33 with Nico Varrone leading #54 AF Corse with the Ferrari of Davide Rigon and the #77 Dempsey Proton Porsche. Brendon Hartley still having helmet issues. Toyota #7 has put a lap on the #51 Ferrari. Earl Bamber has been much delayed and is back on track with the #2 Cadillac as the #36 Alpine LMP2 Oreca in the lane so Ben Hanley takes the lead and Robert Kubica as well is down to third in class. Topsy turvy stuff in LMP2. The #23 sister United Autosport car is in the lead. Ritomo Miyata, is all over Rahel Frey. This was a late call for the young Japanese driver who is a full-time GT500 driver in Super GT here in Japan.
Kessel Racing vs. Iron Dames down the straightaway and Rahel Frey will be slightly quicker although Miyata has the move, and the Toyota bails out and then slots between the two GTE cars before making a safe move. Excuse me. That is Michelle Gatting in the Iron Dames Porsche as the #8 car is not handling well, and Brendon Hartley is suggested to stiffen and then soften the rear anti rollbar. Drive through penalty for the #60 Iron Lynx Porsche for turning Paul di Resta in the #93 Peugeot 9X8. Smart call by the stewards. Gunnar Jeanette and Earl Bamber both called for track limits, with "Rexy" the Project 1 - AO "dinosaur" Porsche 911 RSR-19 and the #2 Ganassi Racing Cadillac V Series R.
It is much cooler than it was earlier, and I don't think we are going to see rain before the end of this race. There is cloud everywhere but none of it is leaden rain clouds. Gunnar Jeanette under a warning for track limits abuse as Julien Andlauer runs ahead of Alex Riberas. Stewards examining the pit stop for the #2 Cadillac, before the wheel fell off. Battle for the LMP2 lead between Ben Hanley for United Autosport and Robert Kubica for WRT. Team manager of Cadillac Racing summoned to the Race Director for a discussion on what happened to their errant wheel.
Gunnar Jeannette defending and passing Julien Andlauer, or rather, it is Andlauer. In the year 2000, at age 18, Gunnar Jeannette was the youngest finisher (at that time) of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Louis Deletraz at WRT leading LMP2 says that they have been strong, and overtaking is a tough thing to do here at Fuji. Deletraz was on major fuel save as well and has lost time to some of the other contenders. They are leading the LMP2 championship, currently. Ben Hanley and Filipe Albuquerque have the second and third places in LMP2.
In terms of Nico Varrone leading in GTE Am, Corvette #33 has been handed a second penalty. They will have to make a final fuel stop and serve another penalty but still saved a bucketload of fuel. That was a full send by Filipe Albuquerque over Ben Hanley. Meanwhile, Kamui Kobayashi still leads Brendon Hartley. Andre Lotterer is catching Brendon Hartley, and fast. Vanwall #4 runs ninth in Hypercar but is six laps down. At high-speed circuits like Le Mans and Monza, the Porsche has struggled for straight line speed. But they have not done so here at Fuji. Corvette Racing #33 and Nico Varrone, will hand off the car to Nicky Catsburg.
Fred Makowiecki getting suited and booted and will do a final stint for barely an hour. Porsche Penske Motorsports buttoning up repairs on the #5 Porsche 963. Ritomo Miyata has brought the #57 CarGuy Ferrari to the lane for service. Raindrops in turn one. Jota Sport could be wheeling out the wet tires. There are black clouds, but they aren't close yet. It will have to bucket down with rain to use wet weather tires. Iron Dames have made a scheduled pit stop with an hour to go. Gunnar Jeannette has also brought the #56 dinosaur Porsche in. He comes out with Alex Riberas just behind.
Matteo Cairoli will take "Rexy" to the end as Ben Barker gets squeezed by Davide Rigon. Four years ago, Davide Rigon and Sam Bird had a great run. There were clashes for the both of them for different races and Rigon had a horrible accident years ago at the Spa 24 Hours.
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