There is no definitive answer for whether or not GruppeM needs to do a brake change. We'll have to see. The Bathurst 12 Hours, you don't need a brake change for that one. Team manager of the #61 Ferrari summoned to race control. That is the Laurent De Meeus driven automobile. Valentino Rossi has traffic but not slow traffic. It is Dominik Baumann in the SunEnergy1 Mercedes, car #75. Maximilian Gotz is focusing on getting the #14 2 Seas Mercedes back onto the lead lap. Valentino Rossi leads, seven seconds to the good over Luca Stolz. The BMW will pit sooner than the chasing Mercedes.
Car Collection Motorsports are a lap or so down but are still ahead of the Pro-Am cars and they still have Joel Sturm ready to go. The Gostner family MP Motorsports Mercedes team are being summoned to Race Control. Ollie Milroy is chasing the other two McLaren's of Louis Prette and Eddie Cheever III. Axcil Jeffries, he is being hounded as well, by David Fumanelli in the #11 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. Luca Stolz is not too far away from another pit stop after almost doing two hours. A stint is two and a half hours and there is no automatic reset like there is in the 24 Hours of Spa.
Luca Stolz is stymied behind Constantin Dresler. Louis Prette and Eddie Cheever III are ninth and tenth respectively. We have completed 227 laps. Valentino Rossi's car was 11th at the end of the first hour of the race earlier today. Finally, Luca Stolz has cleared the back marker. Five second penalty for the #73 MP Motorsports Gostner family Mercedes. Valentino Rossi, Konstantin Dresler, and Ollie Milroy are the class leaders for Pro, Am, and Pro-Am. Luca Stolz has now run an hour and 58 minutes and should come in for a driver change in the next couple minutes. We continue watching the battle as Eddie Cheever III is crawling all over Louis Prette.
An unsafe pit release for Ollie Milroy is noted by Race Control. The Gostner team still have not reported for their meeting. I told you. No tea and biscuits for you and now, you are making it worse. Cheever is right on Prette's six, and they almost had some argy bargy last time by. Cheever has the better handling car compared to Prette. Cheever is close enough to pull the pin and have a lunge. Audi #2 in the lane. Xavier Knauf brought it in. The lead gap is down to eight seconds. Eddie Cheever III. closing fast and trying to force Prette into a mistake.
No activity in the garage whatsoever. Just checking the gas pressures in the fuel rigs and maybe the airlines for the air jacks and the rattle guns. Cheever finally passes Prette and makes good his escape. Luca Stolz is reeling in the BMW at the top of the shop. Axcil Jeffries has also passed by Eddie Cheever III as both Alessio Rovera and for one of the other Ferrari's. Valentino Rossi puts 232 laps on the board. The sun is setting quickly. Rossi holding his own over Luca Stolz, in his second full season of GT3 racing. #20 remains in the pit lane.
Thomas Gostner, the father, is now at the controls of the #58 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for MP Racing. Relative pace is why these drivers cannot pass each other. Rossi is about to put another lap on the board. Valentino Rossi is still leading. Manuela Gostner is getting set for another driving stint. She is wearing a colorful toucan jacket, but it is not team issue as far as a uniform, however. Luca Stolz is reeling in Valentino Rossi. Stolz in traffic, giving time back to Rossi. But Maxi Gotz is now looming large.
We are going to see Manuela's toucan jacket. It is a heavy sweater actually. Very cool. There is no real pressure for the team in this race. They are a small team, a family team, with one GT3 car. They are improving and gaining experience. The team are wearing Ferrari Challenge outfits will driving a Mercedes. That's confusing. Manuela Gostner loves the Mercedes-AMG GT3. The GT3 Mercedes is a step up compared to spec cars they use in Ferrari Challenge. Manuela Gostner was exhausted after a triple stint, and she has one more stint to drive before the race is done and dusted.
#73 is in the lane now for a pit stop. Luca Stolz is likely close to making another pit stop. Nothing to see here. We have a wee bit over three and a half hours to go. Next year, the Gulf 12 Hours will be a Pro-Am event for a two-part event of six-hour races each. The Winter Masters race at Portimao in Portugal, on February 3rd, they will be allocated spots for the 2024 race. We'll have to see how the Portimao race will work out for GT3 and GT4 cars. Maximilian Gotz has passed Valentino Rossi to get back onto the lead lap. Luca Stolz is 6.4 seconds behind Valentino Rossi.
Stolz has to be cream crackered by now, absolutely spent. The #88 Garage 59 McLaren is in the lane for service. Louis Prette hands over to one of his teammates, and so I believe it shall be Marvin Kirchhofer back into the car. Check that. It is Alexander West, the Swedish driver. Sean Balfe was taken to the hospital for X Rays. Balfe has been back to the circuit. He is using wheelchair wearing a boot on his foot. His ribs are sore, and he has hurt his leg and has a boot on it. The #33 Porsche is back in the pit lane with Antares Au driving. Get well soon, Sean Balfe, as the #33 is on the air jacks for a tire change and Matteo Cairoli is getting into the car.
Luca Stolz has less than eight minutes to come into the pits to do the driver change. He is running out of time, but the crew is emerging from the garage, so Stolz should be persuaded to hit the lane. Eddie Cheever III is in as well. Chris Froggatt should be getting into the car, and indeed he is. Mikael Grenier is suited and booted and ready for a stint. Stolz is into the pits after his iron man stint. The fuel is going into the car and Mikael Grenier is getting into the car, with a massive amount of brake dust flying out of the front wheels. Valentino Rossi pits from the overall lead after a massive stint.
Something is wrong with the car. It has not moved. It fires up and exits the lane. What was the delay? Valentino Rossi shrugs. I wonder what the problem was. Dries Vanthoor looking on. Nick Yelloly now going out for a stint. Mercedes #14 has just pitted as well and has two more to do. Mikael Grenier is the leader. The pedal box was stuck on the BMW and Dries Vanthoor says they don't know why that happened. A meatball flag issued to Kriton Lendoudis in the #51 Ferrari missing the left side taillight. No rear lights. Kriton Lendoudis, the Greek driver, is in.
He will get out of the car and hand over to one of his teammates as Fabian Schiller passes one of the Ferrari's with Lucas Auer hounding him. 2 Seas vs. GruppeM Mercedes. 145 laps completed for both of them. Identical cars, two Mercedes-AMG GT3's. Dominik Baumann is going for it chasing Lucas Auer, and the #51 Ferrari is now in the garage for the lighting problem. Three hours and 15 minutes to go. Again, Nick Yelloly is now at the wheel of the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. The pedal box issue has dropped BMW behind Mercedes in the manufacturers' championship. We're not done yet. But the WRT BMW's have had some tough times today.
Mikael Grenier leads, 248 laps completed, with three hours and 12 minutes to go. Porsche #7 of Daniel Allemann is in the pit lane, but the team pulls him back a foot after overshooting his pit box. There is a driver change and that is an ice cream headache for Herberth Motorsports. Axcil Jeffries brings the #26 Ferrari to the pit lane, the Carrera and Revell models liveried Ferrari 296 GT3 for Racing One. Jeffries may be doing a double stint. Nick Yelloly is indeed driving the #46 WRT BMW M4 GT3 completing 250 laps. The finale of the 2023 Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli. The sole Audi has dropped down the order to 15th place, Gregory Serviet driving.
Lucas Auer is now in pit lane as well for a scheduled pit stop. Thomas Gostner spins and continues but he is running slowly or is in limp home mode. The family is father, two daughters, and a son. David Fumanelli finishes his stint in the #11 Kessel Racing Ferrari. Thomas Gostner has the harzard lights on and has made it back to the pit lane as Dominik Baumann and Ollie Milroy both pit. Manuela Gostner is getting back into the #58 Mercedes. They are changing tires on the car and have added fuel as well. There is some slight damage to the undertray and just forward of the right rear wheel and in front of the exhaust pipe.
Sheldon van der Linde and Constantin Dresler are both pitting as we are getting to the final quarter of this motor race as we join Chris Milborn in the commentary box now giving David Addison a short break.
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