A half and half brake job is quicker in the long run. We have hit the 2/3rds mark of the race. LMP2 leader #18 in the lane. Christian Rasmussen out and a new driver, along with fuel and tires. No brake changes needed on the LMP2 cars or perhaps even on the GTP cars. Oh dear. A car is off the road and into the wall! It's Spike the dragon! Matt Brabham has plowed into the tire wall in the second International Horseshoe, the first horseshoe! Oy yoy yoy! That's not good. The #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG is into the lane for service. Matty Brabham is trapped on the belt of the tire bundle and he locks up the brakes and plows into the tires!
Paul Miller Racing are now in the lane. Full Course Yellow. Full Course Yellow. Ah. I see. Tower Motorsports does a full-service pit stop in LMP2 for the #8 car. A Full Course Yellow automatically closes the pit lane with the IMSA rules. Race Control gave Matty Brabham enough time to get out from the barriers under his own steam but that didn't work. Spike had no steam, no fire, quite literally. A dragon, with no fire. Ferdinand Habsburg says his team is taking tires in the cool of the early morning before it gets too warm this morning and afternoon. We have seen some argy bargy early doors and Habsburg has had a lonely motor race thus far. Spike, the #99 has now rejoined the race. He does have fire in his belly.
The marshals did pull him out of those tires. This is a full wave by and two part pit stop phase as the #4 Corvette Z06 GT3. Just over two and a half hours of green flag racing. No hashtag blame Skip! Thank goodness! So, Spike lives to fight another hour, or another day, really. Poor old Spike could not get himself under control. Matty Brabham would have felt the clonk. The splitter will need to be replaced. This is the same situation we heard about from the #04 CrowdStrike by APR LMP2 team. Tommy Milner in and out of the pit lane for emergency service. We have not seen GTP cars pit yet. That was a short emergency service situation in a closed pit lane from the GTD Pro lead.
Neil Verhagen now in the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 and the Ferrari 296 GT3 from Risi, of Davide Rigon. Action Express in the lane for tires and fuel and a double stint for Pipo Derani I think. The Proton Competition #5 Porsche is having a driver change and Derani does do a double. The #40 Acura was in and we have the #6 Porsche serviced and sent and others. Pipo Derani should keep the lead but the #85 Porsche 963, the JDC-Miller "Banana Boat" Porsche was having a slight bit of trouble but are back and there has been a driver change? I think so.
We remain under yellow and will rejoin Peacock and NBC Sports commentary again after a spell with IMSA Radio. GT Daytona pit stops continuing. So, we rejoin Peacock and USA Network, now. The #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes is in the lane and so is Rexy. Before we go back to NBC Sports, we hear from Neel Jani and they are testing during the race. They were not at the December test in late 2023 before Christmas. It is crucial to be on top of tire pressures, Jani tells us. Don't overshoot or undershoot on the pressures.
That is all we have time for IMSA Radio for Peacock viewers. We rejoin with NBC Sports and NASCAR Productions. Swap over to USA or stay on Peacock, ladies and gentlemen. Dave Burns, Brian Till, and Steve Letarte, we are rejoining them. The sun comes up over the speedway wall and it is a magical feeling. It means a ton. We've made it through the hardest part of the race. The tension thickens building to the final stint. Start pushing the limits and setting up the chessboard. Our weather has no real rain and it is still warm with a northernly wind at nine miles an hour. Dave Burns, Brian Till, and Steve Letarte are our commentators for the morning stint.
No comments:
Post a Comment