The most recent caution was for Katherine Legge in the only Acura NSX GT3 in the field, and of course, we had that massive shunt earlier for Pipo Derani coming off of turn seven through turn eight and nine. It was a massive barrel roll, and it was extremely disappointing. Katherine Legge in the Acura NSX GT3 suffered an equally violent wreck, walloping the barriers in turn 17 at Sunset Bend. These massive crashes also bring to mind an incident from the 2022 Michelin Pilot Challenge event here at Sebring when Kyle Marcelli and Mason Filippi had a huge incident, and thankfully, the drivers were OK. Same in these recent incidents. These modern endurance sports cars are so safe now, but you can never take things for granted and just throw caution to the wind.
Sometimes, drivers do take massive risks, but the danger remains. This is an unforgiving circuit. Pit stop time in GTP. Brendon Hartley kept the lead after the last pit cycle. The #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac is in. Chip Ganassi Racing team manager Mike O'Gara mentioned that there was an electrical problem on that car earlier, but after a system reset it seems to be just fine now. Everyone topping off with fuel. The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport team is removing the rear decklid from the car, the engine cover, the bonnet, and are investigating the possible source of the wisping smoke we have been seeing out of the tailpipes of that car for some time now.
Is the IMSA instigating this? Or is this the team? They have the time to do it, paying attention to the "dancing ants" on the scoring monitor. Sebring is old school and unforgiving, with 58 cars on the track, as we are at the sunset mark. The Acura #10 had a faulty O ring on an oil line. That is where the smoke came from and the team refilled it with oil and it's fine. Right now, the stewards have both the #6 Porsche 963 of Fred Makowiecki and the #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 of Katherine Legge, the incident is under review as Legge was stuffed into the barriers. Race Control stipulates, just because you are the faster car, does not mean you have the right to shove a slower racer out of the way.
Will Fred Makowiecki be held accountable for that incident? He will lead the field to green. The two Porsche 963's from Porsche Penske Motorsport are running 1-2. Fred Makowiecki is the leader with Matt Campbell currently in second place. Renger van der Zande is running in third place in the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac and rounding out the top five are both of the BMW M Hybrid V8's from BMW Team RLL with Nick Yelloly in the #25 followed immediately by the sister #24 entry with the Brazilian Augusto Farfus behind the wheel.
In the LMP2 class, Hunter McElrea, the Australian open wheel racer, is at the top of the shop in the #11 TDS Racing Oreca, followed by the #18 Era Motorsports Oreca of Scotsman Ryan Dalziel. In third place it is Nico Pino of Chile in the #2 United Autosports USA Oreca. Fourth place is being held by the #81 DragonSpeed Oreca with the all-Scandinavian lineup of drivers. Rasmus Lindh from Sweden at the controls right now. In fifth place in the class, the sister #22 United Autosports Oreca 07 with Scotsman Paul Di Resta driving.
Moving to the GTD Pro class, the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 is the leader in the hands of Englishman Ben Barnicoat. Behind him, the #19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 now being piloted by Frenchman Franck Perera. Christopher Mies of Germany is in third spot in the first of the two factory Ford Mustang GT3's from Ford Multimatic Motorsports. Fourth place, and the meat in a Mustang sandwich is Davide Rigon, the veteran Italian Ferrari GT driver aboard the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3. Rounding out the top five is the sister Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3, with Belgian Fredric Vervisch at the wheel of it.
The GT Daytona class is headed by the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Dutchman Indy Dontje at the controls. Spencer Pumpelly is second at the wheel of the #44 Magnus Racing Flex Box Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo. Third in class is Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco in the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. Fourth is the team car for Vasser Sullivan Lexus, registered in GT Daytona, the #12 entry of Canadian racer Parker Thompson, former Porsche Carrera Cup North America standout. Rounding out the top five is the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 of the Monegasque racer who's surname I can never pronounce correctly, Cedric Sbirrazzuoli. I don't know if I can spell it right, either. Two R's and two zeds in it. I see.
Second in line is the #63 GTP car, the Lamborghini SC63 of Romain Grosjean and currently he is one lap in-arrears of the rest of the GTP field that is still circulating. That is the green Lamborghini. A driver must cross the start/finish line before the possibility of serving a penalty. Campbell and van der Zande hanging back, looking for the slingshot. Not a chance. Green flag. Makowiecki goes early and extends his lead. The restart zone is from corner entry into turn 17 to the frontstretch. Jan Heylen has spun on corner entry to Sunset Bend, but he corrects it and gets back on his merry way.
That is the Wright Motorsports #120 Porsche 911 GT3R. Passing is allowed right after the green flag. Screech! I do believe the bloke got an assist from someone else. One of the Aston Martin's wriggles and taps Heylen who spins. No action. That is verbiage in Race Control for, let it go. It means nothing. Penske Porsche's run 1-2. They are looking to keep their amazing victory streak not only in sports car racing, but in many forms of racing, IMSA, WEC, NASCAR, IndyCar, going. Will they be able to do it here at Sebring?
Penske have won this race at Sebring only once. That was in 2008 in the American Le Mans Series days with the Porsche RS Spyder that was driven to victory by Frenchmen Romain Dumas and Emmanuel Collard sharing with Germany's Timo Bernhard. Matt Campbell has the Lamborghini of Grosjean ahead, and the car has pace, the SC63. It would be great to see the Lamborghini continue in IMSA at least for a car variety perspective in GTP. Although I believe they are only registered to do the remaining endurance events of which there are three after Sebring concludes here tonight. It is fabulous to see growth in the GTP class, the rebirth of the GTP class.
Campbell and van der Zande will not have issues with Grosjean unless he is holding them up. Watch out at Bishop Bend at turn 14, at Sunset Bend in turn 17, and at turn one. Dirty air off the tail of the Lambo will create turbulence on the other cars. Grosjean is only a lap down compared to some of the other GTP contenders. Grosjean would pass by Makowiecki if he spun, and if we went Full Course Yellow, Grosjean can get the lucky dog and get back on the lead lap with the pass around and the wave by. This might be just the second race of their program at Lamborghini after debuting in WEC at Qatar last month.
But they know what they are doing. They are fully in the frame here to do well on debut. A stream of GTP cars followed by the LMP2 field. Ryan Dalziel at the top of the shop. Connor Zilisch of course, had trouble earlier. Everyone in LMP2 has had their time in the basement today. But the fight is still on. Hunter McElrea and Nico Pino are both applying the blowtorch to the veteran Ryan Dalziel but he is not cracking, as a veteran driver, to the pressure applied by the two rookies. Pino actually has quite a bit of experience in LMP2 and LMP3 both here in IMSA and throughout the world. The Chilean driver is a quick study. Pino surely has the speed between the Carousel and the Hairpin,
Oh, criminy! The #6 Porsche has spun in the hairpin and Fred Makowiecki has kicked up a lot of dust right in the faces of the following traffic! Ugh! Poor old Makowiecki has a cut down left rear Michelin tire. You can tell the two factory Porsche's apart because the #6 has a white shark fin and the #7 has a black shark fin. That is the component attached to the rear engine cover behind the bulkhead that connects to the top of the rear wing mount. Fred Makowiecki in big, big trouble, in limp home mode to fix the left rear tire and the left rear corner. Do we have a replay of this?
We are onboard with the sister #7 Porsche. Look in your picture two cars up, if we can see that far ahead. The left rear of the #6 Porsche tagged Katherine Legge in the #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 earlier. Ah. She might be thinking, karma at this moment, if you believe in that situation. Did that start a slow puncture? I would think so. He is jolly lucky it was in the slowest area of the track. He has to be in limp home mode to the lane. If you go too fast with a shredding tire, the bodywork is destroyed. Then, another factor is the regeneration unit, the Motor Generator Unit on these GTP hybrid race cars.
That unit is right on the rear axle. Plus, there is the entire rear suspension to be considerate of as well. Watch the brakes as well. Oh my. A change for second place in LMP2 as Nico Pino passes and is chasing Ryan Dalziel as Rasmus Lindh and Paul di Resta scrap for fourth place. Nico Pino cannot finish this race with just under three hours of driving to go. We have just about the standard duration at 2 hours and 40 minutes of a regular IMSA WeatherTech Championship sprint race left to run. This is fabulous racing, though, because Rasmus Lindh is now being monstered by Paul di Resta.
Check this out. Paul di Resta wants by, and there, look, is Toby Sowery coming calling in the #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca entry as well! Sowery, the rapid young Englishman is also coming to the fore in the car he shares with Colin Braun and George Kurtz. Di Resta is not done hounding Lindh yet. We are into sprint race territory. Josh Burdon wanted a bite of the cherry as well. But he only got the pit, and not the juicy part as he spins out too. My gosh. LMP2 is definitely turning it on in the waning hours here at Sebring. Everyone has had their time in the barrel and Burdon is one of them. Meanwhile, speaking of in the barrel, Fred Makowiecki, oh my gosh. He is still trundling to the lane with that flat as a pancake left rear tire shredding the bodywork and shredding the tread, the carcass of the tire itself.
Makowiecki is in and it seemed like an eternity. Slow down! Mate, you are going too fast! They are tearing away the bodywork. The carcass of the tire itself has wrapped its way around the brake rotor and the brake lines. This is a nightmare, a demoralizing experience for the Porsche Penske Motorsports team. They'll have to cut that tire away. It's like a rubber band spooled around the suspension components. This puts the sister #7 Penske Porsche of Matty Campbell into the overall race lead. Well, well, well. We needed another well, well, well moment and we've got it. The team taking the rear tail off and replacing it with a spare.
Now, we resume the LMP2 battle and the Nico Pino vs. Hunter McElrea story. Nico Pino is indeed the new class leader in LMP2 as we speak. Ryan Dalziel has pitted, and Pino took the lead, but Hunter McElrea is really pushing. Ryan "Razzle Dazzle" Dalziel is beginning to push. Back time the race right from the beginning as we say hello again, to Kevin Lee, on pit lane. He makes the point that Hunter McElrea is having a far better race today than he did on debut at Daytona back in January. He was second in the Indy Next Championship, last year.
McElrea is ready to pounce on Pino as we have reached sunset. The LMP2 lead battle is hot. The power to weight ratio between an LMP2 car and an Indy Next racer, is the same. The Indy Next car is an open cockpit machine, but the power and weight ratio are so similar. Now, the lead battle is heating up in GTP as Renger van der Zande is steaming right up behind Matt Campbell. Porsche vs. Cadillac for the first position in the standings, the lead of the motor race. Romain Grosjean in the #63 Lamborghini is just ahead of the leaders but is on the tail end of the lead lap and I think is the last car running in the GTP class.
Grosjean wants to go all the way back around and get back in the fight. I don't know if he has the speed to do it, but they want to finish on the lead lap at the very least. The leaders are now slicing and dicing through the GT class traffic. As the skies over Sebring darken and night falls, you see the taillamps of your competition, and the headlamps of course. But you lose recognition in the darkness for which car you are making a pass on. That is where things will begin to get really tricky. In the final hour, you may assume the best drivers are in each car, but we all know what assuming makes you, sometimes. Is Campbell able to make a move? Campbell is going to try darting around Grosjean and dispensing of him.
What we will be watching is can the Dutchman make his move on the Australian? Grosjean is not giving in and he wants a Full Course Yellow, and there, look, we have the two BMW's coming into the frame. Campbell and van der Zande are going to make it three abreast on the front straight as they want around that GT Daytona Lamborghini! They split the GT car, and I don't even think the GT3 class Lamborghini even saw that the two prototypes were there. Two and a half hours to go. If there is a full moon tonight, this is going to go crazy.
Campbell cannot throw it away but how long will he stay patient? Any side-to-side contact can ruin your day. Grosjean pokes a hole throughnthe GT class traffic. Campbell has mirrors full of van der Zande at this stage, too. Check this out. Colton Herta has a made pass for fourth on Augusto Farfus. Acura passing by BMW. The clouds have broken up in the sky and now at sunset, the sun will be blazing right in your face. The #40 Acura of Colton Herta is made aware of how crazy things are becoming. Meanwhile, the GTD Pro blokes, the leaders in that class, are being swamped by these prototypes. That's Ben Barnicoat in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 vs. Christopher Mies in the #64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3.
Colton Herta reeling in Nick Yelloly for third place. Christopher Mies says he is in fuel save mode but then he reeled in the Lexus pretty quickly. They are back to fuel saving mode and everything changes depending on what is happening on the track. The sun is setting as we see on the camera, and these are your class leaders right now. Overall and in GTP we have the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 of Matt Campbell. LMP2 is being led by Nico Pino in the #2 United Autosports Wynn's Lubricants Oreca 07. In GTD Pro it is Ben Barnicoat in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. In GT Daytona regular, it is the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in the hands of Dutchman Indy Dontje.
What a gorgeous yellowish orange sunset here at Sebring. We are riding aboard the ghost plaid and papaya liveried Pfaff Motorsports #9 McLaren 720S GT3. This is the car that has had a fraught race all day long with Marvin Kirchhofer, the Swiss driver, Englishman Oliver Jarvis, and Canadian IndyCar racer turned broadcaster James Hinchcliffe on the drivers' strength. James Hinchcliffe did two and a half stints right in the middle of the day, not running air conditioning or a cool suit. They have been in survival mode. It was the hottest Hinchcliffe has ever been in a race car. The drivers are adapting to what they see and also the track conditions.
Sebring changes every single lap. We still have two hours and 20 minutes of racing left to go. Every 10-15 minutes, you are losing another degree of track surface temperature. The battle is hot in LMP2, still. This is for second place in the class, a three-way fight between Hunter McElrea in the #11 TDS Racing Oreca, the #22 United Autosports Oreca of Paul di Resta, and the #04 CrowdStrike by APR Oreca of Toby Sowery. Oh, my heavens! Four... five wide... into Sunset Bend! Blimey! That is one of the Porsche GTP cars going rodeo style around thee of the LMP2's and a Lamborghini GTD car! Have you ever? No, I've never!
No pass made. But that was so close. That is the #6 Porsche 963. With two hours to go, ramp up the aggression while you are losing vision. All you will see is headlights and you lose a lot of depth perception as well. Rest up, James Hinchcliffe, and get hydrated. Thank you, to our in-race reporter. Indy Dontje, the leader in GT Daytona in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes, he has picked up more positions on track than anyone, from their starting position, during the entire event to this point. Wow. That is quite the statistic. Our biggest movers of the race, overall, are all in the GT Daytona class.
You have Indy Dontje, Spencer Pumpelly, Onofrio Triarsi, Lars Kern, and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli. Russell Ward admitted his team had to limit mistakes and so far, it has been a trouble-free day for those boys. They are 11 seconds to the good over Parker Thompson in the #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus. We continue watching the sunset. Someone might have watched this race from a tree, while today, there are scaffolds and RV roofs. This scaffolding gets set up by the fans. Two hours and 15 minutes to go. Matt Campbell holds the lead in GTP over his competition, but remains in a quandry about how to make a pass on the lapped Lamborghini SC63 in front of him.
Check that. The Lamborghini is still on the lead lap with their brand spanking new car. Campbell is still being harried by Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, and Colton Herta. We are heading into the final stints of this race and... boom. Matt Campbell and Porsche pit. Caught in traffic, forget it, and get to the lane to get the stops out of the way. #7 still in play to continue the dominance we saw from them at Daytona back in January while the #6 car is totally out of the game now. No double stints necessary and the conditions are hitting the sweet spot.
Who has the separating factor on performance? Penske are on a roll in all the championships they race in at this juncture. IMSA, World Endurance, IndyCar, NASCAR. On a roll? Let's not use that terminology. Blech! Meanwhile, Renger van der Zande and Ganassi Cadillac respond and pit. Hats off to the camera folks getting the great pictures. There will be a driver change in the #01 to Sebastien Bourdais. Renger van der Zande has done his job. He is trusting his co-drivers and his team. van der Zande will be on the radio to Bourdais to quickly tell him how the car is handling.
OK. Matt Campbell is headed now through turn 17 at Sunset Bend as Renger van der Zande is exiting the pit lane. Bourdais is back on track but on stone cold Michelin tires. Bourdais must be magic to play catch up. Even the GTD Pro and GTD cars are quicker until Bourdais' tires become more compliant with temperature and pressure alike. Campbell must push like no tomorrow. Two hours and ten minutes left on the board. The drivers of these GTP cars are all so good, it is more down to the tires and the track conditions they are feeling.
Now that everyone else is pitting, Colton Herta assumes the lead of the motor race in the #40 WTR Andretti Acura. They should respond to their rivals and make the plays now. You are strategizing from the beginning of the race, but your hand of cards is thinning out. When will #40 hit the pit lane? The light is changing. Thanks to Brian Till and Dave Burns for their time in the broadcast booth taking us through the race. We will have Leigh Diffey, Calvin Fish, and Townsend Bell in the play by play booth to take it home to the finish in the next two hours.
Nighttime is the right time to be with the one you love, as the song says. We have had so much action today. Sunset has occurred and things have delivered even though they have affected a lot of top teams. All professional drivers will finish the race. The Silver and Bronze drivers have done their jobs. It is time for the fastest sports car drivers in the world to push to the bitter end. This is the transition from daylight to darkness. It is go time. Here at Sebring, rely on the headlights. There is very little trackside lighting here at Sebring compared to a place like Daytona.
In the GTD Pro class we focus on the car that is currently fifth in the class standings, the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 currently in the hands of American Neil Verhagen. The team lost several places and have made up a few, but they are 20 seconds behind after missing the pass around during the previous yellow. They are 20 seconds in-arrears of the #3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R for Corvette Racing by Pratt & Miller Motorsports currently driven by Antonio "The King of Spain" Garcia. Brake wear was an issue for PMR BMW at Daytona and they want the brakes to last here at Sebring.
Sometimes drivers have different ways to brake and heavy pressure on the pedal can wear the brakes out quicker. Drivers must be reminded to not get too heavy into the ABS. Colton Herta leading the motor race. The #40 entry is the eighth different GTP car to lead this race out of 11 entries. The top four cars overall and in GTP are on a slightly different atrategy which caused a domino effect with the overcut and the undercut. #40 remains on track while the sister car of Brendon Hartley, the #10 is still scrapping for position. The top four GTP cars are Hert's Acura, Yelloly and Farfus in both BMW's, and now, the privateer #5 Proton Competition Mustang Sampling Porsche 963 with Gianmaria Bruni of Italy at the wheel of it.
Hartley is clawing and digging to get back to the lead lap. Cadillac and Porsche were at the top in qualifying. But now, Acura are coming to the fore. Bruni is the next quickest GTP car on the road although the #40 has turned fastest race lap and no, I don't have the lap time handy. At Paul Miller Racing, they have not changed brakes. They are cautiously optimistic that they don't need to change brakes. With that said, you need the brake pedal and to hit your marks. Compromises are not to be tolerated late in the game.
Don't let the brake pedal get spongy. If it runs longer and has more travel, you will lose the pad material and there is no stopping power on the backing plate. Lamborghini in the lane for service as Romain Grosjean ends his stint after fighting valiantly to stay on the lead lap. The green machine now runs a lap down to their competition in GTP from Acura, BMW, Porsche, and Cadillac. The pace of this car has been highly respectable. Grosjean is also on a new team in IndyCar at Juncos Hollinger Racing. Ten hours down, two remaining.
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