The #21 Car Collection Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3R is back on track with Dustin Blatner now driving. He has been proving himself. David Gostner says that something came off the car and caused him to spin, a big chunk of the rear diffuser or the rear floor of the car. It got caught in the rear wheel. Isa Al Khalifa pits the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Ian Loggie getting into the car for his last stint aboard the #3 car, the 2 Seas Motorsports entry. AF Corse Ferrari #61 is penalized by the stewards for a short pit stop and we have a local yellow after Nicola Mariangelli has spun the sole Ferrari 488 GT3 in the race to get going again. There is damage to the rear of the car with debris on the road.
He gets back underway but has damage. The rear end has gone cattywampus after copping a whack on the Armco. Ollie Milroy has moved to fourth place. Nicola Mariangelli is in the pit lane to be refueled and for a damage assessment. They are bringing it in for repairs in the garage, on the dollies. Consider joker pit stops and see if alternate strategies are needed. The team is looking at the extensive rear damage with digital torches, iPhone flashlights. There's a bloke with a lump hammer 'round the back of the automobile and that's not a good sign. The team knows they cannot fix it. I think it is game over.
The Haas RT Audi of Gregory Guillvert is beginning to show pace again. The leading Mercedes is now ahead of the WRT BMW by 11.4 seconds. #46 I think is actually closer. We need some intervals on the screen. Fabian Schiller is only just about on the lead lap. Nicola Mariangelli and company, I believe are out of this motor race and it is not worth fixing with two and 3/4 hours to go. BMW in second spot. They have never won a race here in Abu Dhabi. It was a close call between Mercedes #73 and Ferrari #11 with Ollie Milroy pressing on in the #27 McLaren. That is an all-British lineup with Mark Radcliffe and Rob Bell, the other two drivers.
Dominik Baumann is having to push if they want to be on the podium at the end of this one and they are rising to the occasion, but Frank Bird has just moved to the top five. Porsche #33 for Herberth Motorsports is in the lane getting set for a tire change, to fresh Pirelli tires. There are three cars now retired officially from the motor race. #25 is pinged with a track limits penalty they must serve in the pit lane, soon. Matteo Cairoli has just pitted the #33 Porsche and is back on the circuit, doing a double stint. Nick Yelloly is 11 and 3/4 seconds adrift of the overall race lead. Yelloly is closing on the lead. #46 is one of three cars on the lead lap.
Mercedes has won this race. Ferrari, McLaren, and Audi have won. BMW and Porsche still looking for their first wins here in Abu Dhabi. The gap is now 11.7 seconds between Nick Yelloly and the leading Mercedes #99 of Mikael Grenier. Frank Bird, meanwhile, is too far away to make a pass on Matteo Cairoli. But Cairoli is fighting with full fuel tanks and new boots on the car, new Pirelli P Zero's. 265 laps of racing now completed. Giorgio Sernagiotto in the #25 Pro-Am Ferrari 296 GT3 is next in the order and should make the Pro-Am podium in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Giorgio Sernagiotto is now in the pit lane for a regulation pit stop. A fourth track limits penalty means summoning the team manager of the GruppeM Mercedes of Frank Bird and company as we have now seen the #25 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 making its pit stop and Giorgio Sernagiotto doing what could be his final stint in the car before handing over for the final stint to one of his co-drivers. Don't risk going a lap down. Fabian Schiller is managing to stay on the lead lap as Charles Weerts is regrouping after the repairs that were needed for the exhaust system that we documented. Team boss Vincent Vosse was definitely looking concerned.
They never gained any time bac as Giorgio Sernagiotto is back into the lane, somehow or other. We just saw him having to box. Mikael Grenier, race leader, whistles past both Dominik Baumann and Alexander West, like a hot knife through butter! Ferrari #25 is suddenly back on track. Mikael Grenier, the Canadian, is really going for it. No driver change, no tires, no fuel fill. The #20 AF Corse Ferrari is in the lane with Christian Colombo at the controls. This is the first time for the Ferrari 296 GT3 to be racing in the UAE with their 3-liter, twin turbo, V6 engines. Stephane Lemeret is getting into the car. Fuel has filled the tank, the driver change is going on, the tires are changed. MP Racing are now six laps up on the languishing #51 Ferrari 488 GT3 with no rush to get the car back out.
It is all alone in the garage. It seems to be game over. Two and a half hours to go. Mikael Grenier going as fast as possible, and it is a see saw battle between Mikael Grenier and the yellow #99 GruppeM Mercedes and Nick Yelloly in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. The Ferrari is crumpled at the back to where the exhaust system has been totally squished. Ferrari #51 could indeed be a permanent retirement. 270 laps now completed. The longest distance is 359 laps, the shortest is 300, the average is 319 laps. Because of the extended safety car periods, we will not get near the record mark of 359 laps. The circuit was slightly longer in previous iterations of this race.
Car #77, five second penalty for track limits on the next pit stop. Drive through penalty for pit stop infringement for Ralf Bohn in the #7 Herberth Motorsports Porsche. Mercedes, BMW, Mercedes, McLaren, the top four. The #7 Porsche takes their medicine, and the penalty is done and dusted. Remember earlier we brought the cars down the pit lane during safety car periods and the pit stops during Full Course Yellows don't count. At the sharp end, the gap is 13 seconds between GruppeM Mercedes and WRT BMW. We have to look at 8th-11th place. Alexander West, Ian Loggie, Axcil Jeffries, and Scott Andrews.
Kevin Tse is at the wheel of the eight placed #93 Sky Tempesta Racing McLaren. Kevin Tse and Jonathan Hui, teammates, Hui should be crowned champion in the Independent's Cup for independent, non-factory affiliated drivers. #88 is in the pit lane, Alexander West. Fuel into the car's tank. and tire pressures and temperatures being checked. Dustin Blatner is now sixth and the Garage 59 McLaren team are changing tires. Alexander West has not yet hit the maximum drive time for a Bronze driver, or rather, minimum Bronze time.
The #93 Sky Tempesta McLaren is doing a driver change. Eddie Cheever III is into the car replacing Kevin Tse. Fabian Schiller and many more drivers have reached the hour mark in their current stints. Minimum drive times and meeting them, that is the key, currently. Maximum drive time in the Pro combinations is what is important, there is no minimum drive time for the true professionals. Car #11 team manager summoned to the stewards for track limits penalties, the Scott Andrews driven Kessel Racing Ferrari.
Axcil Jeffries is working on passing Alexander West who is a lapped car. West is unmoved and now, Jeffries is sticking to him like glue, dives to the inside and makes his move. Jeffries is a driving instructor here at Yas Marina circuit, so he knows this track like the back of his hand. Dominik Baumann has done a long stint and the same is true for both Axcil Jeffries and Ollie Milroy. Another track limits warning for the #93 Sky Tempesta Racing McLaren. He has collected a lot of track limits penalties.
Mark Radcliffe is holding his end of the bargain up along with Ollie Milroy and Rob Bell. Meanwhile, driver changes continue apace. The gap is 13 seconds between Mercedes #99 and BMW #46. #99 is in the pit lane and Mikael Grenier has finished his stint. Luca Stolz might get into that car, or maybe, Maro Engel can double stint. Two hours and 15 minutes to go and just an hour and a half of imposed pit stops can be taken. You cannot pit for the final 45 minutes of the race. Team WRT BMW #46 in the lane. Dries Vanthoor is getting into the car.
With the pedal box situation, it is in the shortest leg adjustment/extension mode. Dries Vanthoor will have the pedal box where he wants it but not for Nick Yelloly and Valentino Rossi. Nick Yelloly has leg cramps like crazy. Maro Engel, Nick Yelloly, and now Fabian Schiller is in the 2 Seas Mercedes. The WRT drivers in #46 are in agony with the pedal box issues. Five seconds time penalties for track limits for cars #11 and #93 as Charles Weerts is back into the #32 WRT BMW M4 GT3. Eddie Cheever III is now at the wheel of the Sky Tempesta Racing McLaren. Dollies going under the #25 Ferrari 296 GT3 doing a brake inspection as Giorgio Sernagiotto gets out. It is a full-fledged brake change.
Alessio Rovera I believe is taking over the car. He is indeed. Axcil Jeffries at the wheel of #26 and Matteo Cairoli in one of the Porsche's. So, the McLaren has had the brake change and there are arrangements for strategies being made with just about two hours left in the 2023 IGTC season. Jules Gounon will have his hands full with Maro Engel very soon. Gounon's job is to stay on the lead lap. Miguel Ramos in 19th spot has not had the race he wanted.
Right side damage too for the #58 MP Racing Mercedes as Conrad Grunewald is now into the #61 Ferrari for the final handful fo hours in the race. Penalties are coming thick and fast today as Alexander West is in the lane and Marvin Kirchhofer will get into the #59 McLaren as we say farewell to Chris Millburn and helo agai, to David Addison. Jules Gounon is hoping and praying for clear traffic and a possible late safety car.
No comments:
Post a Comment