Laurens Vanthoor leads Peugeot by ten seconds. Porsche, Peugeot, Porsche, Jota Porsche, Toyota, Jota Porsche, AF Corse Ferrari, AF Corse Ferrari, Cadillac, Porsche. There's debris all over the place. The amount of gravel getting onto the track is it is like driving on ball bearings. But if we need a track cleanup, we will need a full-on safety car situation. Work still going on, on the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3. They are having brake problems. Ben Barker has pitted the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang and Alex Lynn lunges nearly past the BMW M4 GT3, one of the WRT cars. Further troubles for the Manthey EMA Porsche. Goodyear will be awarding their Wingfoot Award to the fastest GT3 driver at every race this year.
The Manthey EMA car is back on track but the throttle actuator problem has lost them tons of time. Game over for Isotta Fraschini, team boss Claudio Berro looking on, a man who has worked with Lotus, Ferrari, Maserati, and now Isotta Fraschini. Claudio Berro has been at this game for a long time. The two WRT BMW M Hybrid V8's are 13th and 14th. Marco Wittman leading Rene Rast. Lamborghini in the pit lane as well, with the #63 SC63. They are changing the tail section it appears. Gear selection troubles? No. They have a vibration, and they are trying to sort out where it is has come from.
So, we are more than halfway through this race. Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 #5 is in the pit lane, Michael Christensen at the controls. Alessandro Pier Guidi has brought in the #51 Ferrari 499P in and is serviced and sent. Further troubles for the #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R. I think it is game over for the #81 TF Sport Corvette. Ferrari #50 has been serviced and sent. Proton Porsche vs. Proton Mustang and a Hypercar tagging a GT3. Meanwhile, Stoffel Vandoorne has pitted, and oh no! The #27 Aston Martin, Alex Riberas has just spun! He is back on track but has Klaus Bachler right behind him!
Oh my goodness! Here comes Bachler. This is a massive battle in GT3. Bachler can smell blood in the water. Drivers are getting tired. It is beginning to get dark. Riberas vs. Bachler. Richard Lietz is another professional driver in at Manthey Porsche. Alex Riberas has now pitted and so, Klaus Bachler takes the lead and passes Matteo Cressoni in the #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini. Daniel Mancinelli is going back into the #27 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin. The pendulum I believe is swinging back in Porsche's favor. Ferdinand Habsburg is struggling with front locking on the brakes and the wheels.
The Alpine is right on it's nose, plus the rear is nervous, and understeering. Understeer, oversteer, oh my! That is an ice cream headache! Hertz Team Jota in the lane as well. Porsche #5, passes the #12. So, the two Penske Porsche's are both in the top three and the #12 Jota Sport Porsche 963 goes a lap down. Highest top speed on the backstretch, 193 miles an hour, from the Peugeot. We should have about three more hours of racing. You know, I was getting confused about the timing of this race. But it looks as if we are going to need about three and a half hours to go. We have a parade of talent here in the WEC in Qatar.
The #92 Pure Racing Porsche is in from the lead, the second Manthey car. Bachler out and Joel Sturm in. He has another hour of drive time to get through. Peugeot #93 in the lane. Mike Conway has moved up to fourth spot. Jenson Button is now in the #38 Jota Porsche 963. Sara Bovy cannot take the racing line and she just had to let the Hypercars go. Esteban Masson has just moved ahead of Charlie Eastwood in GT3. The #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus had brake issues and the #81 TF Sport Corvette, we documented their troubles. The #7 Toyota of Mike Conway pits from fifth spot. The sister #8 Toyota has just cracked the top ten as we are at 2/3rds distance and we still have 110 laps to go, having covered 2/3rds distances.
Laurens Vanthoor is now in the pit lane with Nico Muller catching up to him. That was squeaky, squeaky time between Jenson Button and Mike Conway! Button tucks Conway up like a kipper! Michael Christensen continuing to suffer from a vibration in the #5 Porsche 963. We have just seen a pit stop for the #8 Toyota. Peugeot #93 brushes the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche! Yikes! Ten second pit stop penalty for the #2 Cadillac and Esteban Masson in the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3. Valentino Rossi is back in the race with the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 on fresh Goodyear tires. Michael Christensen is now 1.8 seconds behind Norman Nato in the #12 Jota Sport Porsche 963.
Drive through penalty from the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3. After losing their rear decklid, the #51 Ferrari 499P has languished down in 16th place. Matt Campbell is now in the #5 Porsche 963. Christensen seems to be favoring his lower back. Four tires and fuel in the #5 Porsche 963 camp. Damage and smoke for the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3 who had contact with the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 of Sean Gelael for fourth place with the sister #46 of Valentino Rosssi next.
Penske Porsche, Peugeot, Jota Porsche, the top three in Hypercar. Because the GT3 cars have antilock brakes, they can brake extremely deep into the turn. Michelle Gatting in the #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini goes off the road and now she is back on track trying to clean the tires off. Marco Sorensen passes Sean Gelael. The Manthey Pure Racing Porsche, with 100 laps to go, has lapped all the way up to the #777 D'station Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The LMDh cars have their hybrid boost on the rear wheels and the Hypercars have it on the front and it is speed limited. It is a boost in efficiency not in power.
The #2 Cadillac pits for scheduled service. We are into the hours of darkness here in Qatar. Less than 100 laps left to run. After earning pole, Matt Campbell is really showing his capabilities. The BMW does not have the same straight line speed as the Toyota or the Ferrari. Raffaele Marciello is in the #15 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8. Nico Costa is fading in the #59 United Autosports McLaren.
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