Seth Lucas is scrapping with Aussie Tom Sargent. The Mercedes and the Porsche are pushing and now, Alfred Renauer back at the wheel of the pole winning car, the Huber Motorsports Porsche. Laurin Heinrich should be in the car for the end of the race tonight. Alfred Renauer does make the pass on Seth Lucas and he is surviving, quietly executing, even with differential trouble. if the diff was acting up, maybe that issue is no longer a worry. Pit stop under review for the #20. That's one we will have to keep an eye on. Callum Ilott has just turned the fastest lap of the race for the #120 car pursuing Nolan Siegel. These two could be having the first of many duels of their careers as Siegel is stymied behind Jake Pedersen in the #85 Rearden Racing Porsche.
Siegel is losing time to Illott by the double handful. Sand sliding through ye olde hourglass. Most of the year, the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche team has run the previous generation 991.II Porsche 911 GT3R. Pedersen runs wide and now Ilott passes. This is third and fourth in class. Ilott makes quick work of the Porsche, and bish, bash, bosh. He's right through there. The #30 BMW is cutting into the gap of the #999 Mercedes in P3 with Daniel Juncadella. Philipp Eng, the Austrian, motoring, followed by Juncadella, and Gounon, the Frenchman, who is now a naturalized Andorran, issued the first ever Andorran racing license after he was snubbed for an award from his previous nationality.
Philip Ellis has had a number of flags next to his name, a multiple citizen in Europe, maybe. Living in different places at different times. The BMW #30 is now fourth. The BMW's look like they have more body roll in the tight corners than the other cars. WRT has the M4 GT3's flying at the moment. The cars have looked good here. Callum Ilott right on the tail of Nolan Siegel going for the pass and he takes it. Nolan Siegel cannot protect the line. With that position change is the change of the lead in class and in the season long Pro-Am points battle.
Nolan Siegel needs to not panic and just stay cool, hit your marks, don't overdrive the car. Don't throw the car off the road trying to catch your rival. Elliott Skeer is a Silver graded driver. Phillipp Eng is gaining on Daniel Juncadella hand over fist. Juncadella can see him in the rearview camera. An update on the #20 pit stop investigation, they were slightly short on their stop and within only half a second. Not terribly costly in the grand scheme of the motor race. Laurin Heinrich is sure to fly later on this evening as we watch Seth Lucas being harried by the race leader, Augusto Farfus, being stymied and losing some time.
He is on a different strategy with a healthy lead. Do not take undue risks. Phillipp Eng remaining in chase mode and now, he is reeling in Daniel Juncadella. The Mercedes-AMG teams know how fast the BMWs are. Mercedes and BMW, so many battles over the years, fighting for IGTC manufacturer honors as well. Kurt Mollekens, the GT3 manager for WRT alongside Vincent Vosse, two ex-drivers. The fight is on for third overall and in IGTC Pro. The BMW has the edge and Eng blows by Juncadella. Don't fight it. Just stay with the program.
Farfus in traffic, not having a good run as the lapped cars are stymying the Brazilian. Frustration can be cumulative. Ben Tuck in the #007 TRG Aston Martin shown 19th on the road. Tuck sharing with Derek DeBoer and Valentin Hasse-Clot. Augusto Farfus is next going to lap the overall pole sitter, the Huber Motorsports Porsche. They've not put Laurin Heinrich in the car yet. They are sacrificing the front half of the race preparing for the sharp end at night. Alfred Renauer at the controls, currently, fourth in class for the Huber Motorsports team.
Nolan Siegel after giving up the place to Callum Illott, he has only lost a second. He is still going for it, keeping the car in contention. Get into a rhythm and hit your marks. What do I need to do? Keep reeling off the laps and keep the car in good shape. As they run, it would be enough for the #120 to claim the title. Ten points to Skeer and Adelson compared to George Kurtz and Colin Braun, 215-205 points. Ilott might have the fastest lap of the race for the #120 car. Ilott has acquitted himself well in a Porsche after only racing a Ferrari the last time he was here. A different deal altogether between the mid-engine Ferrari and the rear-engien Porsche. Gounon and Eng are four seconds apart between the lead and second spot.
Eng right on the limit pushing hard to get back in the fight for a win. Farfus expanding, extending his lead. Eng's gap to the Mercedes in second is down to 3.6 seconds. These are sizable chunks of the pie being eaten. Oh look, pie! Not! Ryan Dalziel now at the wheel of the #33 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari. He has driven fast in prototypes and in GT cars. He has won Le Mans, Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Indianapolis, and Daytona. The #45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R has Jan Heylen, the Beligan, currently at the controls with a huge chunk of racetrack to themselves.
Outside of the lead battle, it is a very good day for Porsche in Fanatec GT World Challenge America Pro and the lead in the Pro-Am class of the American championship, screaming down Hulman Boulevard. Porsche, Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW. It will be great when we see the championships come to the wire in the darkness with glowing brake discs and flames from the exhaust. Race cars might just sound better and different at night. I've seen it, having attended the Rolex 24 at Daytona in person years ago. You can stand trackside with a blindfold on, and you can hear the different cars go by.
For many years we always heard the thunder of the Corvette. There are throatier V8s with the Cadillac prototypes, like my friends at Action Express, and the NASCAR Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro. We have a battle breaking out on a boil between Phillip Eng and Jules Gounon. Will Gounon fight Farfus? Gounon is fighting Farfus, currently. Eng is chasing Gounon who can run faster through the corners, Craft Bamboo out of Hong Kong. When Audi won here at the Indianapolis 8 Hours it was Sainteloc. BMW, Audi, and Mercedes have all won races here. Gounon, feeling the pressure and late on the brakes, Eng has to tuck back in line.
Eng sends it on the grippier part of the road. Gounon is going for it, compromising the line, Eng cutting it back and twitching through the final turn. The BMW is pointier and he went out into the clag on the outside of the circuit. Gounon has to try and defend, but no. That is a power play with BMW M Power! Holy smokes! The Mercedes teams are at a straight-line speed disadvantage to the BMW's, again. This was for the second spot overall. BMW's run 1-2. Jan Heylen leading the North American Pro ranks in SRO Ameerica currently. #45 is the only American team staying competitive with the international drivers.
The Porsche likes the cold air according to Madison Snow and the BMW's are strong out there. Snow, Heylen, and Hindman, if they have a good car, they can just go for it with under three and a half hours to go. They do execute and their sister car for Pro-Am is in the lane for fuel. We may have had a driver change but maybe Callum Illott is still in it and he needed a splash of gas I believe, which moves them to the minimum stop time. if the #04 can stretch it for five minutes they will have to make one less stop. Ilott out and Elliott Skeer into the car.
Farfus mired in traffic with Kyle Marcelli ahead who is 17th overall. Eng has cleared Gounon and Juncadella in the two Mercedes'. 21 of 22 cars still in the race. The race is still hot and heavy with traffic here at Indianapolis. Some cars can act as spoilers in the championship. The only exception is in Pro-Am with the Intercontinental Challenge, which are invisible for North American points. The #38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 is in the pit lane. #120 on the wrong side and #04 staying out with Nolan Siegel as the #38 ST Racing BMW is in the lane.
#120 might just have to do an additional stop. The #30 BMW of Philipp Eng spent time of 63 seconds in the lane for the pit delta on a drive through penalty. Farfus has been super impressive, threading the needle in traffic. Farfus is 1.8 seconds down compared to Eng and this is the difference between facing traffic or having a clear road. The gap was 33.5 seconds, and of course Augusto Farfus and Philipp Eng are teammates for BMW in another championship with their finale next weekend. Klaus Bachler is next followed by Matteo Cairoli in the #53 MDK car.
Eng gets chopped by Klaus Bachler who must give it up, the #28 RS1 Porsche which will be locked into a point scoring position today as long as they don't finish last in class, they can get the Fanatec GT Pro class win. Philipp Eng won his third 24 Hours of Spa and came up just short in GT World Challenge Europe Endurance driving with Nick Yelloly and Marco Wittmann. The #31 WRT BMW is in the pit lane for scheduled service. Three and a quarter hours to go. Cairoli and Skeer battling for a top ten placing. Drivers getting a chance to show what they can do.
Keeping a driver in the car during and after sundown helps so their eyes are fully adjusted to driving in the darkness. BimmerWorld have had a good day by and large but have been off sequence. Bill Auberlen points out that their fueling rig is not working. It is hard to see a way back into it with the minimum pit stop times. Will the #120 Porsche have to do an additional stop compared to the #04 Mercedes? 65 minutes is the maximum time of any stint, and any fuel stop is to a minimum time no matter how much fuel you put in the tank. You also must reset the car for minimum drive time by stopping and restarting the engine.
It used to be you could drive through the lane to reset your time. Peter Baron and Grasser Racing Team made that call in 2017 at Grasser Racing Team. Peter Baron is now a team member with my pals in IMSA at Action Express. Oh dear! A third coming together between Kyle Marcelli and Vesko Kozarov! Have you ever? No, I've never. Marcelli trundling to the pit lane. He is serving a penalty. I think. ST Racing will have ten seconds added to their next pit stop for pit lane violation. Rather non-descript.
Notes coming from the IGTC side of this. Jan Heylen at the controls of the #45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R, leading in Fanatec GT World Challenge America Pro, going for three wins on the bounce, heading for the pit lae. A solid driver lineup with Jan Heylen, Madison Snow, and Trent Hindman. Get well soon, Charlie Luck, who elected to step aside as Madison Snow has joined the team. This is an exceptional lineup looking at Jan Heylen, Madison Snow, and Trent Hindman as we said. Coming up on three hours to go. Manufacturers' points are awarded not for class position but for overall position.
Eng wants to know his gap to teammate Augusto Farfus at WRT BMW. If we see a late race safety car that will put the cat among the pigeons. Nolan Siegel running a solid, smart race at CrowdStrike with Riley Motorsports and now Philipp Eng heads for the lane, from the lead, and Eng could be within five points of Jules Gounon headed for the IGTC finale at the Gulf 12 Hours, possibly. The Austrian, from Salzburg, Austria, home of Mozart, he will be going for it. One rattle gun, and two mechanics with a 44 second fuel load.
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