Rain will continue for the next four hours, the next four and a half hours. We'll just have to see what is going to happen. Maxime Martin trying to make inroads on Klaus Bachler, and I think he is. How can they be so identical on time?! Unbelievable! Maxi Gotz in the #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes is a lap down but is lapp[ing the same pace and Bachler says, "I have had enough of this!" Maxime Martin could become the second best, or the best placed of their cars because Sheldon van der Linde leads but has a drive through penalty in his future. Tresor Attempto team boss Arkin Aka says that his team makes great decisions and that they are veterans, and they will see how things go with the weather. He has slept for an hour or an hour and a half. Aston Martin on Aston Martin, Marco Sorensen passing Maxime Robin.
David Pittard is fifth overall aboard the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsports Aston Martin currently. 2:16.387 is the new CrowdStrike Fastest Lap set by Frank Perera. Perera is now chasing Sheldon van der Linde. Chris Froggatt pits from sixth overall and the lead in the Bronze division in the #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. In from fifth place, the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsports Aston Martin, still behind Maxime Mrtin, and many crews owe us a pit stop. Ross Gunn has taken over from David Pittard I believe. Sheldon van der Linde and Frank Perera are both in for driver changes and scheduled service of fueling and tire changes.
The #32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 serving an extra 30 seconds during this pit stop. Grasser Racing Team and Lamborghini and Klaus Bachler in the #92 Pure Racing Porsche. Sheldon van der Linde out and it is either Charles Weerts or Dries Vanthoor. Did they take tires? I am not sure. You do lose performance on old wet tires because sharpness of the edges of the tread blocks fades away. The #10 Boutsen VDS Mercedes pits for more new rain tires. We have seen rain since 10:00 P.M. last night. We should be rejoined in another hour by David Addison and John Watson as Maxime Martin cycles back to the top of the pile in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3.
Maxime Martin pits from the race lead. Maxime Martin is in the pit lane in the #46 Team WRT BMW and now, back into the garage is Ralf Aron, the Estonian driver in the #130 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the garage in the old heritage pit lane. They have some work to do with the air hose on the air jack. They are working on the left-hand side of the automobile. They might be looking for a fluid leak under the car, and it is red hot under there. It sounds to me like they are looking for a leak in that car. Everything is leaking water and dripping if they are trying to find an oil, water, or fuel leak, that has zero to do with rain watter. Nicky Catsburg at the wheel of the #4 CrowdStrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 needing more front brake as opposed to rear brake.
Vincent Vosse won here in 2002 with Sebastien Bourdais, David Terrien, and Christophe Bouchut. One of the Mercedes' has a broken left rear taillight, and I don't know which one. No idea why the #130 GruppeM Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been shoved into the garage farther as the #21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin is in trouble as the #998 BMW M4 GT3 of Augusto Farfus, wriggling through the corner but needs to pit and will fall way down the race order. Augusto Farfus wants to win another 24 Hours of Spa after also winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. The #54 Dinamic Motorsports Porsche has long since retired and the #55 sister car was hit by Till Bechtolsheimer in the darkness, a long time ago, and there hassbeen contact somewhere. Never mind. It was the #52 AF Corse Ferrari.
The #21 Comtoyou Aston Martin is being investigated for contact at turn 19. Jim Pla scrapping with Franck Perera, but don't waste time for a driver that is on a different level, and he has let him go. That is a wise place to go. 66 cars in five classes based on driver ratings, all GT3 cars. The #158 McLaren went off the road and is now back on track. I am not sure if the sister #159 car of Benji Goethe, Dean MacDonald, and Tom Gamble are 31st in the overall. Augusto Farfus pits the #998 BMW M4 GT3 to the lane and he should and probably will be doing a double stint, a 63 minute stint. Franck Perera takes over the lead.
Julien Andlauer in second brings the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 t0 the pit lane. Spray hanging in the air. The rain is getting a wee bit heavier again. #130 Mercedes, they were not looking for a leak. They were looking to reattach a loose floor and now, Klaus Bachler passes Franck Perera for the lead of the motor race! Wow! Dropping back doesn't really hurt a driver at this stage with a long, long, long way to go yet. Klaus Bachler has indeed arrived on the tail of Franck Perera and he has also made it by the #158 McLaren I believe. Bachler and Pure Racing is leading the motor race, the Lithuanian team. Josh Caygill will hand over to Alex Buncombe in the #100 RJN Mc,Laren soon.
Someone is stationary at the La Source hairpin and I think it is Alex Buncombe. Oh boy. Fastest lap again for the #163 Lamborghini. He (Buncombe) was going slow but he is only going into the pit lane. The overall race leader is indeed Klaus Bachler pulling ahead of Franck Perera by three seconds or so. Simon Gachet in the Haas RT Audi spun at La Source. We have been under green flag racing for seven hours 21 minutes. We have seen 13 safety car periods and 16 Full Course Yellow periods. Ross Gunn vs. Nicki Thiim and the #66 Attempto Racing Audi of Dylan Pereira has gone off the road. He thew it in the gravel trap at Piff Paff.
Mattia Drudi is glad to ser the light of day. They have been competitive all race long and they have good chances either ay in the wet or dry, but dry racing would be far easier. The pace is good even with the rain currently. Someone has lost a tire and that is a car in the pit lane, blocking the entrance to the pit lane and that is the #188 that has lost the left rear, Miguel Ramos in the Bronze Cup division. The rim came off the center of the wheel or that is what it looks like. One wheel drive on that car. He knocked it off the wheel using Begkiun as a ganner, He clattered over the curbs, three wheels on me wagon, and how did the wheel split off the tire?
Now the marshals are pressing on with pushing the car. Ramos is stuffed and being towed away by this Citroen van tow vehicle. To all the marshals in orange or white, thank you for being dedicated and unpaid volunteers. Without marshals there is no safety. Without safety, there is no racing. Thank you for all you do. We cannot go racing without you no matter the level and we owe you a debt of gratitude. Where is the #7 Aston Martin? Nikki Thiim has gone past Ross Gunn just before the McLaren incident, or after it. The Aston Martin's have sapped places.
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