Norman Nato is now at the wheel of the #12 Porsche 963 after Will Stevens completes his stint. Stevens says that the traffic is very tricky. The GT3 closing speeds are a hairy thing to deal with. Stay paitent but do everything to move forward. Overtaking is hard but there is not as much tire degradation. Cutting corners can improve lap time but you risk damaging the car. The closing speeds seem much quicker than last year. Paul di Resta is chasing Mike Conway. di Resta has fresher tires as Conway will be double stinting on his tires in the Toyota. Ian James stayed in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, doing a double stint.
Under investigation for technical infringement, the #93 race leading Peugeot, and now, the #50 Ferrari has been penalized for crossing the white line at pit entry. McLaren #59 does pit. Treat the white line like hitting a concrete wall. Josh Caygill continues chasing Ryan Hardwick. Ford Mustang GT3 vs. McLaren GT3. Nico Muller leading in the Peugeot is potentially under investigation for a tech issue. The Ferrari's did different strategies, all three of them. BMW too are hedging their bets on tires as well at WRT. Peugeot has more knowledge of the car and the tire.
Miguel Molina has just served his drive through penalty, all the way down in 15th place. Tom van Rompuy flashes the headlights and wants by one of the two Mustang's. Laurens Vanthoor is now closing fast on Nico Muller. Peugeot 9X8 vs. factory Porsche 963. Peugeot leads over the two Penske Porsche's, the two Jota Porsche's, the #51 AF Corse Ferrari and the #83 AF Corse private Ferrari. Hello to FIA World Rally champion co-driver Robert Reid, who is a steward now for the FIA WEC. It is a great spectacle to see all these cars. Laurens Vanthoor discussing strategy with the Penske Porsche team.
Robert Reid is seeing many faces he knows from other forms of motorsport. Peugeot have been racing from day one. They have had a long and rich history. The Peugeot 205 T16 Group B rally car was an icon of the sport. Peugeot's Christian Deltonne has been with Peugeot for years with their World Rally Championship program and now with their sports car program. The new 9X8 will be coming for the next race. 16 world champions across 41 world championships and four disciplines in the FIA WEC. Peugeot leads the two factory Porsche's, 43 laps now completed. Make that 44 laps. A challenge from the Porsche for the lead, and now, with more dust on the road, the fight is on. Nico Muller being told to keep pushing. His pace is good. Look after the tires.
We could see hydrogen power in motorsports in the very near future and we'll see how that goes. There is no one future technology that suits all types of racing. We'll need to see what happens as Peugeot are being harried by a sea of Porsche 963's. There was contact between the Porsche and the Peugeot. Laurens Vanthoor is upset. He needs to stay cool. This is indeed a golden era for endurance racing as we have talked about. This track at Losail is a world class facility indeed. The track is very flat, and it is hard to pick out in some of the corners where the track is going.
There are no trees in the middle of the desert. One of the BMW M Hybrid V8's gets chopped by the GT3 cars. When we get to Imola in Italy next month, it will be traffic central. It is much narrower. We are an hour and 22 minutes into the race and all 19 Hypercars remain on the lead lap. Alex Malykhin has built up a 28 second lead on Ian James in LMGT3. Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, BMW, Corvette, Lamborghini. Aerodynamics, power, and weight are what Hypercar are all about and we can see different visual and aural variety with the Hypercars and the GT3 cars as well.
Equalizing the playing field as much as possible while allowing for innovation is the future. 37 cars, 19 Hypercars, 18 GT3 cars. Michael Christensen is feeling a vibration on the left rear tire. He is the fourth fastest car on track, but he can't see. He is shaking around in the car with the rear tires going away driving on a 50 pence piece. No investigation for the shemozzle between the #6 Porsche and the #93 Peugeot, that is a racing deal. These plans for the race cars must be long term. We are looking hydrogen power, liquid vs. gaseous form. We'll have to see what is going to happen with that. I wrote an editorial about it eons ago.
Peugeot #94 in the lane for service and he will jump out, but the passenger door is open. So, he will do a triple stint. He is very out of sync compared to the other front running Hypercars. They need a Full Course Yellow or a safety car scramble. That vibration for Michael Christensen is harming him as the sister car of Laurens Vanthoor goes by. Peugeot vs. Porsche. Iron Lynx team boss Claudio Schiavoni looking on. A battle for eight in LMGT3. Darren Leung in the BMW M4 GT3 vs. Clement Mateu in the Aston Martin. Leung is the British GT champion. He is doing a double stint.
All the GT3 cars have the same fuel allocation no matter what you are running, it could be hydrogen, nitrogen, gasoline, diesel, chip fat, whatever. Michael Christensen has to survive 11 laps but he says, "I hope the car doesn't explode." Christensen is worried about something. He is normally as cool as a frozen cucumber. Yikes! Nico Muller runs wide in turn one with the traffic and onto the dust as Laurens Vanthoor makes a move for the lead. Peugeot #93 and Ford Mustang GT3 #88 only had reprimands. Christensen should be asking his engineers what is going on with the car.
His engineer said, "keep us updated". He is more worried about the car. Giorgio Roda serves a penalty for excessive track limits. Norman Nato takes a spot away from Michael Christensen. Laurens Vanthoor leads the motor race over Norman Nato, a real veteran of the FIA WEC. Paul di Resta, too, moves past Michael Christensen. He is bacing off and the car is vibrating all over the place. Something is wrong with the car. Has the tire let go? He is lifting off in a straight line. He is coming to the pit lane. Has something broken? Is there a broken shock absorber?
Later this year the Porsche will get a new crankshaft. Their current crankshaft causes vibration. A piece of bodywork is off and that is the #51 Ferrari 499P of James Calado, the rear end of the car is missing! Oh my heavens! That car just loses the rear tail! Oh wow! Man, oh man! Full Course Yellow, I think. The tire off Christensen's Porsche 963 is very, very blistered. There is a big hole in the Michelin tire. Drama at Ferrari as they are changing the engine cover I believe and they were not ready. Full Course Yellow in less than 15 seconds. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Full Course Yellow.
A right rear puncture after contact for the Ferrari, and it almost clattered into one of the GT3 cars! That car is out of the race. They will have to look at the suspension mountings, pickup points on the chassis, blimey! Full Course Yellow is normally for a lap or two. Now, Ferrari are changing the tail on the car. What else is going to happen? This is a short intervention for debris. They are doing up the tail of the Ferrari with a new piece and dropping the car off the air jacks and Alessandro Pier Guidi is now driving. Matt Campbell is now in the #5 Porsche 963 and is way down in 17th place. Nico Pino in the #59 McLaren GT3 has come in but has no damage.
That is very strange. The Chilean driver is in and out as Ferdinand Habsburg in the Alpine is in line behind one of the Toyota's. We are removing Full Course Yellow, soon. 45 seconds from now. That is a recorded AI version of the assistant race director. Yipes! Fuel stops starting for the LMGT3 leader, Alex Malykhin in the Pure Racing Manthey #92 Porsche. Isotta Fraschini in the lane as well. This is the battle we are looking at for seventh between Sebastien Buemi in Toyota #8 and Ferdinand Habsburg in Alpine #35. The Balance of Performance exploits maximum performance of the cars.
The Balance of Performance can be the same, but the driver levels also dictate how well these cars do. Driver change for the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. Ahmad Al Harthy out and Valentino Rossi in. Five seconds added to the next pit stop for the #35 Alpine for pit stop infringement. Cold tires out of the pit lane for the #5 Porsche 963! The #35 Alpine is the better placed car, the one being penalized. Lamborghini are 11th ahead of the two BMW's and a long road to recovery after the first lap shemozzle for the #2 Ganassi Racing Cadillac. Ferrari #50 in the lane.
Mike Conway has set his personal best first sector time and so has Laurens Vanthoor, has gone purple, best of the race. Neel Jani has not made his second stop in the #99 Proton Competition FAT Turbo Porsche 963. Nicklas Nielsen takes over the #50 Ferrari 499P from Miguel Molina. Thomas Flohr finishes his stint for the #54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. Francesco Castellaci should be getting in now. We are cycling through Silver drivers in LMGT3 as Ian James pits, Joel Sturm will regian the lead in the #92 Pure Racing Porsche. Francesco Castellaci in the Ferrari, Rui Andrade in the TF Sport Corvette, Ahmad Al Harthy burning off all his driving time in the #46 WRT BMW M4 GT3. Porsche Penske leads with Laurens Vanthoor in the #6.
The Cadillac #2, Alex Lynn, is chasing the two BMW's, the M Hybrid V8's from Team WRT. Thomas Flohr was sliding on old tires but has done a great stint and is very happy. His background is in rallying and the car feels perfectly balanced, the new GT3 Ferrari 296. He will keep pushing. The back half of the Hypercar pack sees Alpine, BMW, BMW, Lamborghini, Cadillac. A driver change for the #12 Jota Porsche 963. Robert Kubica brings in the #83 yellow AF Corse Ferrari 499P as well. Francesco Castellaci chasing Michelle Gatting. Ferrari vs. Lamborghini. Peugeot in the lane now as well, the #93 for a driver change and full service. They are second.
Ian James and Ahmad Al Harthy are both doing triple stints at Aston Martin and BMW. James Calado and James Cottingham had contact, Ferrari Hypercar vs. McLaren GT3, under investigation by the stewards as Jenson Button has done a single stint in the #38 Jota Porsche 963. I wonder who will get into the car. Every driver entered must race and must complete an hour to score points. This is a ten- hour race, Bronze and Silver GT3 drivers need to complete a minimum of two hours and 55 minutes. Oliver Rasmussen takes over the #38 Porsche 963 from Jenson Button. Matt Campbell trying to go by the Ford Mustang and the TF Sport Corvette GT3.R, the Proton Mustang GT3.
Toyota and Alpine battling for second with Sebastien Buemi vs. Ferdinand Habsburg also known as "Feather Foot Ferdi". Alex Lynn is now fourth and in fifth, Callum Ilott now in the #12 Porsche 963 and the #6 Porsche 963 is in the lane for service and a driver change I believe. Kevin Estre into the car with a full four tire change as well. Roger Penske 87 years young and still at it. Toyota #8 in pit lane as well. There is a driver change. Brendon Hartley taking over from Sebastien Buemi.
Laurens Vanthoor being interviewed by Bruce Jouanny. He was pushing hard. His drink bottle was not working. He had a good start and lost places but made his way back up in a good stint saving fuel and being smart. Blistering tires happens through heat buildup in the surface of the tire. Matt Campbell now chasing Oliver Rasmussen for fourth spot. The #15 and #20 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8's came in and changed only right-side tires. They are tenth and 11th overall as Matt Campbell dives inside of Oliver Rasmussen. A battle for ninth as Raffaele Marciello in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 chases Brendon Hartley in the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid.
Valentino Rossi had a purple patch during his motorcycle racing career, for two decades. Finding the form after losing it for a while is the hardest thing in any sport, in the zone, or not. The investigation with the McLaren will result in a warning flag for the #51 Ferrari 499P of James Calado. Rui Andrade, the #81 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R has his hands full with Simon Mann in the Ferrari and they are behind Michelle Gatting and others. Manthey Pure Racing leads LMGT3. Our moving map looks like a jigsaw puzzle on a cruise ship!
The Cadillac moves past the GT3 cars. Rui Andrade in a major scrap with Simon Mann. It's still a very long race at this point in time. It's not over yet. Nicklas Nielsen in recovery mode passes Charles Milesi in the first of the Alpine's. Half the field in Hypercar will get nil points in this race. The Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 passes Rui Andrade in the #81 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z.06 GT3.R. We see another glimpse of the battle between the Isotta Fraschini and the Lamborghini SC63 as well. Now, Sebastien Bourdais is all over the BMW M Hybrid V8 of Robin Frijns and makes the pass stick.
Pit stop infringement warning for Jota Porsche. Isotta Fraschini being examined for a tech infringement. Robin Frijns is doing a reset on the steering wheel. His steering while data has frozen up, the data screen. He cannot change settings on the car. Hopefully he has the auditory message and the rev lights for the gear change. Losing the screen, that isn't an issue, but losing the rev lights for gear changes is a real bear. A good battle between the Corvette, the Lamborghini, and others. Simon Mann was pushed out wide on two wheels. Michelle Gatting is being told to just keep going as she is under attack from Sean Gelael in the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3.
The Corvette also passed and will have a Captain Cook at trying to get by the BMW. Esteban Masson in the Lexus RC F GT3 is coming. GT3 is a mixture of GT cars and supercars. We are seeing a lot of passes in GT3 past Michelle Gatting's Lamborghini. Sean Gelael, Rui Andrade, Erwan Bastard in the #777 D'station Aston Mattin, one of the two Lexus RC F GT3's and then the McLaren. Saving tires is crucial at this stage of the race. Run your own race. Don't worry about the cars around you. The Lexus overtakes, all four wheels off the road. Kevin Estre continues to lead the motor race overall working lap 79.
Simon Mann is closing on Francesco Castellaci hand over first as Rui Andrade spins the #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Andrade is last year's FIA WEC LMP2 champion. Andrade loses the rear end of the car all by his lonesome. Sebastien Bourdais is now chasing Raffaele Marciello in traffic in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8. This race is going into yet another phase. Sebastien Bourdais is beginning to reel in Raffaele Marciello. The #6 Porsche 963 leading the motor race is coming soon. You have BMW's Andreas Roos along with Vincent Vosse and Thierry Tassin at Team WRT.
Bourdais is about to be lapped by the Porsche. Both Ferrari's are a lap down. Toyota in seventh and ninth. I don't know if Bourdais has seen the blue flag. Toyota #8 of Brendon Hartley is about to go a lap down to the Porsche. Kevin Estre clears the BMW and is chasing down Brendon Hartley on genuine pace. We have not had safety cars or Full Course Yellows yet. We are only just almost two and a half hours into the motor race. Bourdais on the attack, trying the outside of the BMW and gets squeezed. The BMW bouncing over the curbs. Raffaele Marciello tucked up like a kipper by Sebastien Bourdais.
Alessandro Pier Guidi now chasing Edorado Mortara, Ferrari vs. Lamborghini. Three Italian brands in the last three places. Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Isotta Fraschini. Pit stop time at Peugeot for the #94 from fifth spot. Paul di Resta sharing with Loic Duval and Stoffel Vandoorne. This is Alpine vs. Ferrari. Nicklas Nielsen vs. Mick Schumacher. LMGT3 stops coming, with one of the Mustang;s coming in and the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin still has damage. Mick Schumacher defends his position and loses out. Ford Mustang GT3 in the lane for service. The Mustang and the McLaren. There's been contact on the left front of the Mustang. I think that was a shrot fuel stop.
Nico Pino, the Chilean, in the #95 McLaren GT3. Nicklas Nielsen has passed Mick Schumacher and now, Robin Frijns is his next target in the BMW M Hybrid V8, the same car run stateside in IMSA by BMW Team RLL. Corvette #82 is about to make up a whole lap on fuel saving. I wonder if we will have a yellow. Brendon Hartley in the #8 Toyota, he is having trouble with the torque sensor as Sebastien Baud is now in the #82 TF Sport Corvette. Sebastien Bourdais is closing up on Brendon Hartley. Toyota vs. Cadillac. Esteban Masson under investigation in one of the Lexus RC F GT3 as Sebastien Bourdais locks up, big!
Paul di Resta says things at Peugeot are going well but he says he was a victim of a demolition derby with a Cadillac in the midfield. He hopes for a clean race with a long, long way to go. The #81 Corvette is in trouble, the pole sitting GT3 car. Ahmad Al Harthy brings the #46 BMW M4 GT3 in the lane for tires. Meanwhile, no fire in the hole for the Corvette. Everyone in LMGT3 is coming in. Rui Andrade flying Plummet Airways to the tail of the field. He is still learning this car. The Manthey EMA Porsche stays out of the Hypercar's way. Morris Schuring at the wheel of the #91 car. Sebastien Bourdais does not have the speed advantage on the Toyota trying to catch Brendon Hartley.
At TF Sport, they are fueling the Corvette. The car will be going to the garage and cannot get the car into neutral as it goes up on the air jacks and gets the dollies underneath it. Meantime, Matt Campbell is chasing Brendon Hartley and Sebastien Bourdais. Campbell has made his third stop. We have just passed 2 hours and 40 minutes, the sprint duration for an IMSA event, or rather the duration of a sprint event in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship. There's a transmission issue for the TF Sport Corvette GT3. The mechanics will be earning their money.
Sebastien Baud in the sister car having a go at the Lexus and makes it stick. Three into one, and Hypercars on one line with the GT3 cars on the other. Sebastien Baud passes Takeshi Kimura as Joel Sturm leads Morris Schuring. Both of the Manthey Porsche's 1-2, Pure Racing followed by EMA. Ian James is in the pit lane and will have to do only 12 more minutes. Bourdais is now pressing the Toyota and the Porsche is coming in a hurry, the #5 Porsche 963. Work continuing on the #81 TF Sport Corvette. Something is going on with the gearshift, electronic issues.
It is part of the learning process. TF Sport are in learning mode with this new car. It will take them longer since they are no longer running an Aston Martin which they've known so long. Esteban Masson has ten seconds added to his next pit stop for overtaking Michelle Gatting. Carl Bennett, the Thai driver under investigation for speeding in the pit lane in his second stint in the #11 Isotta Fraschini Hypercar. The Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 Competizione. Matt Campbell still chasing Brendon Hartley and Sebastien Bourdais. Hartley has enough under braking. Kevin Estre not pushing hard to go for it.
Yifei Ye takes over the #83 customer AF Corse Ferrari 499P. Robert Shwartzmann has not driven the car yet. Yikes! This is proper threading the eye of the needle stuff with almost two hours of racing completed. Matt Campbell in eighth place. He has lost a lap I believe. Kevin Estre in the sister #6 is in the race lead. Callum Ilott pits from third in the #12 Jota Porsche. Harry Tincknell also brings in the #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963, the Fat Turbo Express car. Left side tires going on the #12 Porsche 963 and it is actually a full four-tire change.
The #81 TF Sport Corvette is back on track as Matt Campbell in the battle for third chasing the Cadillac and the Toyota. So, Matt Campbell is right on Bourdais' six while Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari 499P is 18th of 19 Hypercars. Kevin Estre will do a double stint pitting the #6 Porsche 963 for Penske Motorsports. They are fueling the car and cleaning it. At Toyota, they have gone back to their 2022 headlights and Ferrari tested a small light cluster on the front. Mick Schumacher has made his pit stop at Alpine and so has Robin Frijns in the BMW. Bourdais and Hartley both pit at Cadillac and Toyota.
Rui Andrade is now warned about exceeding track limits. Cadillac engineers clearing rubber out of the vents. An hour and a half ago, GT3 cars under investigation. Thomas Flohr, in the #54 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3, Ahmad Al Harthy in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3, and Yasser Shahin, in the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3R. Cadillac, fuel only, and Toyota, right side tires. A slower pit stop it appears for Toyota. 236 laps of racing remaining for maximum lap count. Seven or so hours to go on the time limit.
We are watching the battle between Lamborghini and Alpine. Alpine in the pit lane. Charles Milesi in the #35 Alpine A424B. Three hours now done I believe.Kevin Estre leads Mikkel Jensen with Matt Campbell third and Will Stevens in fourth place. In GT3, it is Joel Sturm and Morris Schuring followed by the two Ferrari's and the D'station Aston Martin. Porsche, Peugeot, Porsche, and one of the Mustang's is off the road, Zacharie Robichon with a flat tire, possibly. Zacharie Robichon has made it to pit lane with the Mustang GT3. It is a left rear tire puncture. The car loses grip, and he can't keep it in a straight line. Where did he pick up the puncture? Maybe it was bounding over a curb. There are tons of gravel on the outside. The GT3 cars bring the gravel across the circuit. We are seeing good racing here at the Losail circuit. With the high-speed corners, it is a fascinating dynamic between the Hypercars and the GT3 cars.
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