Panu used to have a drifting car, but the GT3 car is far more reliable. The #2 Audi is third in Am and has Gregory Servais at the wheel of it. Milka Panu and Gregory Servais are sharing with Xavier Knauf, and Gregory Guillvert. Kenny Habul has now passed Daniel Allemann for second place. Team manager for the Antares Au Porsche to race control. That is the #33 car of Herberth Motorsports, the Porsche, with a transponder problem. Antares Au sharing with Tim Heinemann, and Matteo Cairoli. The Ferrari 296 GT3 is in the lane for a door repair, a driver's door repair. Now, look, an internecine fight between the McLaren's of Mark Radcliffe and Alexander West. This is the racing debut at Yas Marina in the UAE for the Ferrari 296 GT3.
Marco Pulcini in one of them. Constantin Dressler is being chased by Kenny Habul. Dressler given space by Jonathan Hui in the McLaren. That is the Sky Tempesta Racing car. Joel Sturm, one of Dresler's teammates will be one to watch. The Porsche's are definitely one of the more user friendly GT3 cars as Mikael Grenier, the Canadian, has taken over the GruppeM Mercedes-AMG GT3. Ferrari are the winningest brand here at the Gulf 12 Hours. BMW and Porsche, neither of them have won this race yet. Jean Claude Saada, Antoine Dias Perera, and Omar Jackson are pressing each other and the Ferrari's and the McLaren's are all in a battle of their own.
This is a five-way battle and not necessarily for position on the road. Jean Claude Saada is the lead car of this group. We have seen Saada racing in GT World Challenge America in recent years. Antares Au is still running consistent lap times in sixth spot. Alexander West is going for it trying to move past the Ferrari. West pickng up the pace on Mark Ratcliffe. West tries the inside and can't quite make it as Antares Au wants to clear the squabbling Ferrari's. This McLaren fight is getting spicier. GruppeM are serving their 100 second regulation pit stops as quickly as possible, weaving strategy into the deal.
There's contact into turn six between the McLaren and the Ferrari. Minor contact at best. Kenny Habul is also trying to find his way by as Antares Au hands his Porsche off to one of his co-drivers. Antares Aui, Tim Heinemann, and Matteo Cairoli. Valentino Rossi is the leading Pro category driver now sixth. Tim Heinemann, the two-time DTM Trophy GT4 champion, is into the car and now, Constantin Dresler is continuing to chase down Kenny Habul who has his hands full with the McLaren. That is Jonathan Hui I believe.
Another rogue bollard has fallen but it is to the inside not on the racing surface. Marco Pulcini has made contact with Jonathan Hui. That was the earlier incident we saw. Kenny Habul losing bucketloads of time. However, he is still leading in the IGTC group of cars entered in this race. We still have the Optimum Motorsports and Garage 59 McLaren's and Fabian Schiller is the lead Mercedes-AMG Team 2 Seas car. A five second penalty for the #25 Ferrari 296 GT3 of Marco Pulcini, for track limits. Mark Radcliffe is in the pit lane, and he should hand over to either Ollie Milroy or Rob Bell.
Bas Leinders is the team boss at Optimum Motorsports, a former race car driver himself. Mikael Grenier in 18th place overall is still running well. Alexander West in the meantime, has copped a ten second penalty. Sean Balfe has a sore leg after copping that huge whack into the barriers earlier. The #26 Ferrari 296 GT3 is in the pit lane, the sole entry from the United Arab Emirates. Mikael Grenier goes wide and gets mugged by both Sheldon van der Linde and Frank Bird. Kenny Habul is now in the pit lane and has completed his stint. Martin Konrad has also driven. Dominik Baumann and Philip Ellis are the other drivers.
Kenny Habul had that massive accident at the 24 Hours of Spa and could not even compete in the race due to broken leg, I think. Iron Man Habul will do a triple stint it appears. They were under the pit stop time minimum, by three seconds. Fabian Schiller is now monstering Valentino Rossi as we have been racing for just over two and a half hours. Rossi leads Schiller as Anton Dias Perera has pitted the #11 Ferrari 296 GT3. Rossi hanging on the outside of Schiller, but Schiller now makes the pass. Can Rossi be the king of the late brakers? The answer is, no.
Fabian Schiller has come of age as a factory Mercedes-AMG driver in the last few years. 64 laps now completed. A pit stop infringement for the #33 Porsche 911 GT3R of Tim Heinemann in 13th in the overall. Maybe too many people were working on the car. Valentino Rossi is hanging right in there with Fabian Schiller as the #51 Ferrari 488 GT3 is in the lane, Alex Fox getting out of the car and it will be either Christoph Ulrich, Kriton Lendoudis, and Nicolas Marinangelli. Nick Yelloly is happy to be racing with Valentino Rossi and they have known each other since Rossi's championship days in MotoGP motorcycle racing.
More pit stops and a five second penalty for Kenny Habul for track limits infringements. He may have a penalty too for too short of a pit stop. Luca Stolz has taken over the GruppeM Mercedes. Frank Bird is in the 2 Seas Mercedes, and he will only do one stint with Ian Loggie and Lucas Auer. We have two retirements from the race thus far and 22 cars still running as we are almost done with the third hour of this race. So, we'll be at 1/4 distance. The SunEnergy1 Mercedes is in the pit lane and there will be a driver change.
Kenny Habul must be knackered after his big injury at Spa. They are serving a five second penalty and then comes the driver change. He did almost two hours behind the wheel. Dominik Baumann is into the car as Marco Pulcini is now into the pit lane, but he is under investigation for the earlier incidents we saw. We have run 60 laps with Constantin Dresler continuing to lead. Dresler brings the leading Porsche for Car Collection into the race, the #21 car. Joel Sturm should be getting into the car. On the rotation, Sturm is next. Jonathan Hui may stay in the #93 Sky Tempesta McLaren although, Chris Froggatt may get in.
Dresler will hand over to Joel Sturm. Alessio Rovera has taken over the #25 Ferrari 296 GT3. Valentino Rossi is also into the lane in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. Nick Yelloly should do the next stint in car #46. Eddie Cheever III. is now into the #93 Sky Tempesta McLaren as well. A slow pit stop for the #25 Ferrari and Dustin Blattner is now at the wheel of the #21 Porsche, not Joel Sturm. Fabian Schiller in the 2Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 should take the lead of the motor race. Fabian Schiller has now come into the pit lane as well. Dominik Baumann has now passed the #79 Porsche 911 GT3R of Marco Cassara of Italy.
Charles Weerts is now leading the motor race in the #32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. Haas RT will be in second place. Team manager of car #11 summoned to the stewards' office for track limits infringements. Jules Gounon has taken over the 2 Seas Mercedes from Fabian Schiller. That is the leading car in Intercontinental GT Challenge, but Charles Weerts is the erstwhile leader while the #2 Audi of Gregory Servais is the new overall leader. Charles Weerts has gotten out of the car, and maybe Philipp Eng is back into the cat but I can't be too sure.
Frank Bird has brought the #77 Mercedes to the lane while Tim Heinemann could be slow on track and stopping on the road. Tim Heinemann does have trouble and it is a left rear punctured tire. We are about to hear from Kenny Habul. His back froze up after his double stint. Porsche #33 has made it to the pit lane with the cut down left rear tire. There's carbon fiber and oil all over, oil on half of the track. Car #33 managed to clamber it's way back without destroying the tire and causing further damage. They are back on track as the Gostner team, the MP Motorsports #73 Mercedes-AMG GT3 is in the lane.
Matteo Cairoli I believe is now in the #33 Porsche. Corinna Gostner is in the #73 Mercedes-AMG.
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