If the Akkodis ASP Lexus does not stop on this lap it isn't getting to the pits at all. The #36 Alpine is going to cop a penalty from the stewards for causing the collision at the start of the race an hour ago. Meanwhile, car #11, the Isotta Fraschini is in the pit lane and a crew member yanks away the errant piece of bodywork caught up in the nose cone of the car. Michelotto in Italy built this car, and now, the #54 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 is coming in to pit right ahead of the Isotta Fraschini team. They are ready for a driver change so it looks like Thomas Flohr only does a single stint to start this race. The #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963 in the FAT International, FATurbo Express, or Fat Turbo Express, legendary livery that was on the Le Mans 24 Hours winning Dauer Porsche 962 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 30 years ago, in 1994, is also in the pit lane.
The race leading Ferrari, #51, is in the lane and so is the sister yellow #83 Ferrari from third spot. Antonio Giovinazzi is doing the overcut and going longer on a stint compared to the competition. We have seen this strategy work in sports car racing, many times. We could see a lead change in the Ferrari camp if the traffic is kind to the #51 but stymies the #50 sister car. Out of Tosa he is going to put another lap on the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3R and then there is an Alpine Hypercar directly ahead. On his in lap, Antonio Giovinazzi will only catch two cars maximum. #50 and #83 both in the pit lane at Ferrari along with the #54 AF Corse GT3 Ferrari 296. In the background, look, it is also the #2 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac pitting as well.
This is a driver change for the Cadillac team and it appears the Chip Ganassi mechanics under team director Stephen Mitas are looking also at the bodywork on the side of the car. One tire changed for the #50 and it is an overtake for #83 on #50. No tires for #83. Track position is critical, and we keep saying it over and over, but it is true. On the #50, maybe they were going for a hard compound tire. That said, the left rear tire gets a free ride, a free lunch, and does not do any work around the circuit here at Imola. Proton Competition Porsche #99 loses a place, with Neel Jani driving.
Antonio Giovinazzi brings the #51 Ferrari to the pit lane, and he had a purple (fastest of all) sector on his in lap. #51 had a lot of traffic to deal with and now, heading through Tosa, the yellow #83 sister AF Corse Ferrari 499P has leapfrogged the second of the red cars. So, the race is well and truly on at Ferrari between Antonio Giovinazzi and the Polish former Formula 1 and rallying driver, Robert Kubica. Porsche and BMW all going farther on a tank of fuel. Farther distance, further length of time, so let's say, further, as I think we are looking also at fuel rate as a length of time. The Jota Porsche's (both #12 and #38), the WRT BMW, and the Penske Porsche #5.
They are all going further on a tank of petrol than either Ferrari or Toyota. Laurens Vanthoor has now brought the #6 Penske Porsche to the lane, but the two Jota cars are staying out for an extra lap. Kubica through the double apex at Rivazza, he has had a clean out lap, and will not catch the GT3 traffic for a wee while. We are looking, looking for the #51 Ferrari. Now, Toyota #8 is also in the pit lane for a scheduled stop. Where is #51? It is squeaky, squeaky time right now. Wow! #51 out of the lane first with the #6 Porsche behind. Wow! Vanthoor to second and Mike Conway in Toyota #7 does leapfrog Kubica!
Not so fast. Wait, I tell you a lie. Kubica is coming with a king size head of steam! Everyone on hot Michelin tires. Holy cow! Conway did pass Kubica! Jeepers creepers! Well, well, well. Guess who are also on the march? The BMW and the Porsche have also jumped up the order. Can you believe it? It is getting spicy! Traffic management before and after the pit stops is a big, big deal. Porsche #5, BMW #20, and both of the Jota Porsche's are also hitting the pit lane, #12 and #38. We have a motor racing equivalent of a 52 pickup card game where you scatter playing cards all over the floor at random and then pick every one of them up putting them back randomly into the Bicycle deck.
Hey, man, where's the Bicycle deck? I've got it here, somewhere. This is how the strategy plays, everyone. Here's the scoop. Overtaking on track here at Imola is nigh on impossible because of how narrow this great old circuit is. It is all about in laps and out laps when you cycle through the pit lane. Trust me on this. Yours truly saying "trust me" might be a little bit shady. But I am serious. This is how strategy works, folks. Stateside in IMSA, my pals at Action Express do this a lot. The pit strategy is what separates good teams from great teams. We are seeing that play out in WEC competition just the same.
Whoops! The #2 Ganassi Racing Cadillac temporarily becomes the world's fastest and most aerodynamic lawn mower, trimming Imola's grass. Hmmm. What do I owe for that lawncare service? OK. My prose is getting weird! But that is what happens when we have a race where the strategy is really starting to chop and change. Track position is crucial. Say what?! Will Stevens, the man on a mission! He did not pit and now leads this motor race aboard the #12 Jota Porsche. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. What is Stevens up to? I believe he is peddling that Porsche like Fred Flintstone! He is fast and economical. What, is he racing while wearing a cozy pair of slippers?
Lift and coast, lift and coast, lift and coast. Then, after that, your rival(s) they are tucked up like a kipper. Well, well, well. We needed a well, well, well, moment, and there you have it. Even I didn't see that bus coming. I waited at the bus stop and that speedy racing bus never showed up. Sorry, this isn't the local Saturday night short track that features school bus racing, ladies and gentlemen. Now, there's another twist in the tale here because the BMW leapfrogged Ferrari #50 coming out of the lane. Oh, deary me. I can't keep up with all of this! I need a status report! Somebody tell me something! Hardy har har. Just kidding!
Giovinazzi is told he is fighting with the Porsche who took on less petrol. Criminy! We are into Formula 1 style fuel strategy race management, and someone with a much larger brain than I possess, must figure this out. I can talk until I am blue in the face about race strategy, but, I cannot compute fuel mileage to save my life. I cannot do the math in my head. I need a calculator, or pencil and paper. Now, the Porsche team are well ahead of the game. They were holding up the Toyota and they realize by not putting as much fuel, they can leapfrog the competition.
Speaking of computing, now I need to straighten out the race order here for you. Hmmm. Just give me a second to reshuffle the old Bicycle deck. Jota Porsche #12, Will Stevens, is in the pit lane and our leader, the #51 Ferrari of Antonio Giovinazzi is screaming his way through Variante Alta. 37 laps now on the board, 113 miles. Giovinazzi was 49 and a half seconds behind Stevens. But with the British driver now in the lane, Antonio Giovinazzi can pull the pin and motor on like a madman to try and catch up. Here's the rest of the order. Second is Porsche #6, third is Toyota #7, fourth is the #83 Ferrari who led before this pit stop sequence. That is the yellow Ferrari. Porsche #5 has fallen to sixth or seventh place.
Toyota always used to be in front and they were the ones pulling blinders on strategy. But now, the other teams have learned from their example and are beating them at their own game. Can you believe it? Can you believe it?! I am just sitting here, at my computer, typing like crazy, telling you this story, and laughing my head off! The biggest advantage Toyota have had in the three, now four seasons of Hypercar, is their ability to stretch fuel and their performance in the second and third stint. That is where they are working their magic. But believe me, I think the other teams are on to them. They secretly know something that the Toyota camp wanted to keep hidden. Well, the cat is out of the bag. The game has been given away!
This is the polar opposite of what we see when we are chuntering on and on about Balance of Performance. Balance of Performance works best the deeper you go and the more effective you can be with the car you have. The people at Aston Martin who have been following the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix that also took place on what was a major racing weekend back in April, they are sitting up watching this race going, "oh my heavens! This is what we are going to have to do when we bring the new Valkyrie into the picture next year?" They are wringing their hands, wondering what kind of a fine mess they will be getting themselves into. Criminy!
Everyone has the same tire. Forget about tires. Just change them when they need to be. It is all about efficiency and fuel mileage and energy usage, the whole nine yards. That is going to be the focal point of this new era of prototype sports car racing whether it is here in Europe, in Japan later in the year, stateside in the WeatherTech Championship, it doesn't matter. Strategy and managing traffic. Mike Conway, 1:33.3. Robert Kubica, 1:34 dead. Let's switch gears briefly to the GT3 class and see how the order is shaking out. Right now, the #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3R is leading by nearly four seconds to the good over the #46 BMW Team WRT BMW M4 GT3.
Laurens Vanthoor has now uncorked a 1:33.9. Antonio Giovinazzi, leading the motor race in Ferrari #51 has turned a 1:33.5. Mike Conway didn't have as uch traffic. Alpine are still racing, and trying to play catch up as we watch one of their cars work through the battle for third in GT3. The #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 with Darren Leung at the controls, being chased by the #55 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 currently in the hands of Frenchman Francois Heriau. Darren Leung, of course, is British, having come out of the British GT Championship racing for BMW under SRO sanction and into the GT3 class in FIA WEC.
The #36 Alpine is serving a penalty for taking the blame for the shemozzle at the start of the race. The pit stops were a second apart between the AF Corse Ferrari with the 499P and the factory Penske Porsche 963. Toyota Gazoo Racing had an identical stop time, and then, it was 1:20 for the #83 Ferrari, 1:18 for Penske Porsche #5, and 1:23 for the sister #50 Ferrari factory entry. OK. So, we are an hour and a quarter into the 6 Hours of Imola with the #51 Ferrari leading overall with 41 laps completed, 125 miles. Here is the top ten in Hypercar at this moment.
Oh, what the heck. Let's go through the full field.
1. #51 Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi Ferrari - AF Corse Ferrari 499P
2. #6 Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963
3. #7 Conway/Kobayashi/de Vries Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid
4. #83 Kubica/Shwartzman/Ye AF Corse Ferrari 499P
5. #5 Campbell/Christensen/Makowiecki Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963
6. #50 Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen AF Corse Ferrari 499P
7. #20 van der Linde/Frijns/Rast BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8
8. #8 Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid
9. #12 Stevens/Ilott/Nato Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963
10. #38 Button/Hanson/Rasmussen Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963
11. #63 Bortolotti/Mortara/Kvyat Lamborghini Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63
12. #93 Jensen/Muller/Vergne Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8
13. #99 Tincknell/Jani/Andlauer Proton Competition Porsche 963
14. #2 Bamber/Lynn Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V Series.R
15. #11 Serravalle/Bennett/Vernay Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6C
16. #35 Chatin/Gounon/Milesi Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424
17. #94 Di Resta/Duval/Vandoorne Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8
18. #92 Malykhin/Sturm/Bachler Manthey Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
19. #46 Al Harthy/Rossi/Martin Team WRT BMW M4 GT3
20. #36 Lapierre/Schumacher/Vaxiviere Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424
21. #31 Leung/Gelael/Farfus Team WRT BMW M4 GT3
22. #55 Heriau/Mann/Rovera Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3
23. #27 James/Mancinelli/Riberas The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3
24. #81 van Rompuy/Andrade/Eastwood TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
25. #95 Caygill/Pino/Sato United Autosport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo
26. #777 Mateu/Bastard/Sorensen D'station Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3
27. #82 Koizumi/Baud/Juncadella TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
28. #59 Cottingham/Costa/Saucy United Autosport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo
29. #77 Hardwick/Robichon/Barker Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3
30. #78 Robin/Boguslavskiy/van der Linde Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3
31. #87 Kimura/Masson/Lopez Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3
32. #60 Schiavoni/Cressoni/Perera Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2
33. #88 Roda/Pedersen/Olsen Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3
34. #54 Flohr/Castellaci/Rigon Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3
35. #85 Bovy/Pin/Gatting Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2
36. #91 Shahin/Schuring/Lietz Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
37. #15 Vanthoor/Marciello/Wittmann BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8
Trying to make this race work is just as much up to each brain trust on the pit wall as it is for the drivers in the car. So, that is the full field rundown and of course the very last car in the field is the beleaguered #15 Team WRT BMW Hypercar that was involved in that first lap shemozzle. We are seeing multiple cars trapped behind one another and it is extremely difficult to overtake. Tire strategy, and for Porsche, fuel strategy which I hadn't even considered. Same with Anthony Davidson on the commentary team. We both were stumped on that one.
Those who short fueled and got track position will have to use it meaning a longer stop and then get pushed back. It is not a magic bullet. Rene Rast though in the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 has played the strategy as such, to be able to stay ahead of the #8 Toyota of Sebastien Buemi. Jean Karl Vernay, after the team were forced by the FIA to fix their sensors, has the Isotta Fraschini back on track. Sarah Bovy is not battling for GT3 class position in the #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini. But she is closing up on a class battle for ninth between Hiroshi Koizumi in the #82 TF Sport Corvette. This is a scrap for ninth place it is.
Bovy must unlap herself. She has ducked into the pit lane which appears to be a scheduled stop. The #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 is now under investigation after it was trailing the bodywork, the rear diffuser, earlier in the race. The #50 Ferrari 499P had dropped from the lead of the race down to sixth place as indeed the Iron Dames Lambo is in the lane now. Sarah Bovy is being wheeled on the dollies back to the garage. Troubles persist for the Iron Dames. Antonio Giovinazzi now has a 3.7 second cushion back to Laurens Vanthoor. Ferrari #51 leading Porsche #6. Vanthoor has slightly less fuel in the tank than the Ferrari.
Porsche #6 after winning in Qatar in March, leads the championship. Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 car was leading the motor race a wee while ago. He has flown Plummet Airways down to sixth. Maybe there was a reason, a slow puncture. No notification on the tech infringement for the #50 Ferrari. #51 remains in the lead. On track we watch a battle for eighth spot in LMGT3 between the #777 Aston Martin for D'station and the #82 TF Sport Corvette. Clement Mateu of France vs. Hiroshi Koizumi of Japan. James Cottingham is the next car in the order in the #59 McLaren but is not part of the battle.
Meanwhile, here is a replay of a scrap between Ferrari and BMW for third in GT3. Francois Heriau going past Darren Leung. It is hard to see another car into the second part of Tamburello corner. The Iron Dames are in the pit lane another time.
The two drivers did well to be seen and to make the move properly, to accomodate the position. So, now, the #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini are back on the pit lane and out of the garage. A single tire change is allowed within the rules. Marco Wittmann in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, excuse me, #20, he has set his fastest lap, personal best at 1:33.9. The leaders are running 1:33.6, 1:34.5 etc. So, the BMW is back on the button even with a split tire strategy. Right now, the top three Hypercars are Ferrari #51, Porsche #6, and Toyota #7. Currently we are having a Captain Cook at the battle for eighth spot in the GT3 class. Clement Mateu ahead of James Cottingham while the sister McLaren #95 of Josh Caygill is up ahead.
Mateu has his hands full with Cottingham, two Bronze rated drivers. Next up, it is Hiroshi Koizum in the Corvette followed by Ryan Hardwick in the Ford Mustang. Now, the battle is well and truly on, look, and the Aston is slow off the corner out of Tosa and up the heill and into the Pireatella, Cottingham shuts the door on the #12 Jota Sport Porsche 963 of Will Stevens while also staying ahead of Mateu in the D'station Aston Martin, the #777 car. The Porsche passes the Aston in Acqua Minerale and he makes his move as does the sister #38 Jota Sport Porsche 963, the sister car.
There is respect at this point in the race. But let's just see how things progress. Holy cow! From onboard the Corvette we can see the fight unfold. In the meantime, the #54 Ferrari of Thomas Flohr, he handed the car to Francesco Castellaci and Castellaci is unlapping himself. Meanwhile, in the Hypercar class, Charles Milesi in the #35 Alpine A424B moves over to let the leading #51 Ferrari to put another lap on him. James Cottingham will emerge as a standout in the GT3 class for sure. Ferrari now leads Porsche in the overall by five seconds having completed 48 laps, 146 miles.
James Cottingham should prove himself to be quite the star in LMGT3 as the class matures and progresses into the future. Meanwhile, the battle we are watching currently is in the Hypercar class in the lower reaches of the category for 15th place. Jean Karl Vernay in the #11 Isotta Fraschini vs. the sole remaining Alpine in the race, the #35 in the hands of Charles Milesi. Vernay got boxed in behind the BMW. He was looking to go through on the inside and the BMW was having none of it. I want to say Darren Leung is still driving the #31 Team WRT BMW and he was saying, "oh, no you don't, sunshine. You cannot pass here. Try again."
Milesi now is giving Vernay all he can handle as the Isotta Fraschini is being hounded by the blue Alpine, painted of course in the French national racing color. Down the inside, and he makes the move stick. Great racing, and a much better run at this point for the Isotta Fraschini than what we were expecting to see. Jean Karl Vernay is the top drive for Isotta Fraschini compared to his co-drivers who need the experience, Carl Watana Bennett and Antonio Serravalle. Mike Conway in third place right now in the #7 Toyota is continuing to chase down Laurens Vanthoor in the #6 Porsche 963. That gap has closed up from five seconds to a second and a half.
Ferrari are still in the doldrums because just now we hear Robert Kubica has been pinged with a penalty and will serve a drive through, for not respecting Full Course Yellow procedures. We need to see a picture of him slowing down, likely going around a GT3 car as the Full Course Yellow countdown went to zero. How many places will that cost him? Up to four. Fred Makowiecki in the sister #5 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 followed by the #50 Ferrari 499P of Nicklas Nielsen. 23 seconds I believe is the pit lane delta after exiting. You lose five or six places in the process.
Nicklas Nielsen running sixth chasing after Fred Makowiecki into Acqua Minerale. Now, there is a technical infringement reprimand from Race Control being directed at the #50 Ferrari. So, Nielsen too, should probably be serving a pit lane penalty here shortly. We should hear from Bruce Jouanny in the pit lane fairly soon. Ferrari #83 is in the pit lane serving their penalty and now, Mike Conway had pulled a gap on Robert Kubica up from two seconds to four and a half. Keep in mind, on pure pace, Conway and car #7 with Jose Maria Lopez and Nyck de Vries, they have the speed to win the race at Imola today on pure pace. So, something to keep a close eye on for the next four and a half hours.
#83 is facing a nightmare as the meat in the sandwich between both of the Jota Porsche's. One has already passed Kubica, and the other is now working on accomplishing that feat. Porsche does not have the speed here at Imola that they had in Qatar. Imola is a slower speed circuit with heavier braking zones. It is an old school track. Fred Makowiecki in fourth is just half a second ahead of fifth place Nicklas Nielsen in this classic battle, Porsche vs. Ferrari. How many endurance sports car races have their been where we have said that? Too many to count. Porsche and Ferrari, old rivals. Porsche's most recent Le Mans triumph was in 2017. Ferrari won the race for the first time since 1965, just last year, for the first time in 58 years.
Meanwhile, through the chicane ahead of this fifth place Hypercar battle, GT3 is getting feisty! The battle is between Lexus and Porsche there, look. They are desperate to stay out of the way of the Hypercars through Rivazza. Rene Rast in the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, he has a bird's eye view of this fifth place battle between Makowiecki in the Porsche and Nielsen in the Ferrari. He may want to make it a threesome. Stuttgart vs. Maranello vs. Munich. Now, the Ferrari has the straight line speed advantage and Nielsen could dust both of these blokes as they hurtle towards turn two!
Nielsen turns it on, pulling out to make a pass! Wow! That is the first proper Hypercar overtake we have seen all day with almost an hour and a half of racing written in the book. Rene Rast is now right in the slipstream of the Porsche and there is the second BMW lurking in the background. The Porsche Penske Porsche 963's had trouble with managing their tires on double stints throughout all of last year in 2023. Meanwhile, Makowiecki has all kinds of pressure from Rast out of Tosa and headed for the next corner at Piratella. Excuse me. That isn't Rene Rast. That is the second BMW with Marco Wittmann at the wheel of it I believe.
This is Wittmann, entering the chat, entering the conversation. Technically, he should not interrupt because this is not his battle to be a part of. Blimey! Nielsen was shot out of a cannon even though only one of his tires is newer and has less mileage on it than the other three. The #50 Ferrari team saw a low-pressure warning light and therefore, they quite logically, changed the flat tire. Valentino Rossi checking the weather forecast. Rene Rast, in the meantime, is continuing his chase of Fred Makowiecki. Rast is 8/10ths behind the Porsche, and he has a teammate ahead. Marco Wittmann of course, is many laps behind.
We did not speak too much about the BMW boys in Qatar and we have given the Jota team loads of shtick through the years trying to make their cars look so similar. We might just have to be doing the same sort of ribbing and joshing with the BMW boys. The only telling difference between the two cars is the sun strip on the windscreen on each car. One is red and the other is blue. Rast has already made his way by Wittmann. OK. That settles things for the time being. Wittmann is tail gunner with Rast ahead. Fair enough.
Mike Conway in a battle for podium spots continues chasing Laurens Vanthoor, vigorously. Ferrari #51 is still the race leader. 54 laps now complete, 165 miles. The trouble in Porsche land, at least on the Penske side of things, is Fred Makowiecki aboard the #5 Porsche 963 is losing pace to his Hypercar rivals behind him. Laurens Vanthoor is going through the same exact problem. They are not keeping their tires alive to the end of the second stint. If these tires they are on now, this set of Michelin's, is dead, then, they are going to continue slipping. Vanthoor was a lucky chap to catch the McLaren 720S GT3 car just before Acqua Minerale because Mike Conway in Toyota #7 has locked the brakes up and perhaps toasted at least one of his tires.
Rene Rast is continuing to keep Fred Makowiecki honest in this continuing battle of the German automotive giants between Porsche and BMW. We are now in the hottest part of the race, the hottest track conditions and ambient temperatures, I think, that we will see all day today. Meanwhile, a drive through penalty for abuse of track limits has been issued by the stewards to the #99 Proton Competition FATurbo Express Porsche 963. Neel Jani for "Fat Turbo" has been penalized. When Nicklas Nielsen finishes his stint in the fourth place #50 Ferrari 499P, he will hand over to the Spaniard, Miguel Molina.
BMW are not fighting for the overall lead, but they are in a fight, a competitive scrap, nonetheless. Therefore, their morale will be boosted. They didn't have a chance in Qatar back in March. They are fighting the Qatar winners, though. 1:34.3 the last time by for Rene Rast. The leaders are cutting lap times in the 1:33.7 range. Laurens Vanthoor at 1:34.1. Rast is running a pace remarkably close to the race leaders. They seem to have more pace left in the locker compared to the Porsche, the factory Penske Porsche. Now, here is a possible bell ringer. Alex Lynn in the #2 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac uncorked his fastest lap at 1:33.3. We'll need to double check that. So, this isn't as much of a "bell ringer" yet.
We'll have to confirm that before hitting the gong. Ganassi Racing have replaced the tail section on that car already during this race. They also changed right side tires. For the strategy of saving tires for later, the teams will only change to the two right side tires on their cars, around this circuit here at Enzo E Dino Ferrari. Marco Wittmann is hanging right in there with his teammate, Rene Rast. The BMW's are right on the pace of the factory Porsche's and in fact, I think they are going quicker at least according to what the commentators, Martin, Graham, and Anthony, have been discussing these last few minutes.
The Ferrari, I think, has the speed to overtake the Porsche's in a straight line. But, we have not seen such a turn of speed from Bavarian Motorwerks just yet. The BMW seems agile and nimble though through the chicanes while the other Hypercars seem to be crawling all over the curbs. The BMW's have been set up for American road course tracks that IMSA races on which are very much like what we see here at Imola. So, in the IMSA championship we can think of circuits with long and flowing turns and fast speeds. Watkins Glen in New York and Road America in Wisconsin, come to mind. I don't think Laurens Vanthoor is being told the entire story.
His engineer is giving him data. But he is telling him, "Copy, I understand. But stop telling me these things and let me drive!" Sometimes as an engineer, you might just want to maintain radio silence and let the driver do his job, driving the car. It is no different than Kimi Raikkonen's famous quote to the Lotus team in a Formula 1 race years ago, "leave me alone. I know what I am doing." We can see the graphic with the energy percentages for each of the Hypercars and a lot of them are getting down there. They are anywhere from the 19% to about 48%. Vanthoor has done a ton of lift and coast which means Mike Conway can sail up behind him.
Oh dear. It is game over. It is the end of the race, for the Iron Dames Lamborghini here at Imola. It has been a terrible opening two race weekends between the season opening European Le Mans Series race and this event as well. What can you do? We will talk more about the European Le Mans Series later in the year. Probably around fall time, there should be a way to find highlighted coverage of the European Le Mans Series and we'll have it for you, when I have the means and the time to find out about it. For now, it is a disappointing afternoon for Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting, and Doriane Pin.
BMW #20 has stayed ahead of the Toyota for track position. In the process, they have burned up their energy more compared to their rivals. Vanthoor continues being harried by Conway through lapped traffic which includes both GT3 and Hypercars. Marco Wittmann asks how many laps are left in his stint. His crew chief or engineers replies, there are 16 laps left before we do a driver change. He is also encouraging Wittmann saying, "you are doing a mega job, mate. We are beginning to catch everybody."
BMW #15 has hard tires on the rear and medium compound Michelin's on the front. Stretch out the tire life but maintain the current performance levels. Motorcycle racer, from MotoGP, Franco Morbidelli is here this weekend to support his mate, Valentino Rossi. He seems to be enjoying the racing, and so is one of Rossi's MotoGP riders, Marco Bezzecchi. I wonder if his other rider, Fabio di Giannantonio is also hanging around the garage. It could be. They are at Imola supporting their boss this weekend. Meanwhile, in the GT3 class it is argy bargy for position between D'station Aston Martin and Akkodis ASP Lexus! Clement Mateu was ahead of Takeshi Kimura, but the shoe could be on the other foot by now.
Car #92, the Manthey Pure Racing Porsche is the leader with 53 laps completed, 162 miles. So, Kimura san makes his move. You have to stick to your guns and make the other driver know you mean business. Don't bully me out of this because there aren't as many chance to pass. In the meantime, Mike Conway continues chasing the Porsche. We are about to reluctantly hear from Sarah Bovy about the Iron Dames' bad race today. Racing drivers do not often want to talk to a reporter if their race has gone pear shaped. Bovy says, "the start was really strange, to be honest. I would like to talk with some of the other drivers.
It was started and stopped three times in a row, and I think I saw a red flag, and the Porsche behind me couldn't avoid me so he hit me. The chassis seemed OK, and the car was OK to drive. But unfortunately, we started to have a lot of electronic issues with the power management and everything. I tried doing a few power cycles to try and reset everything but that was not enough. So, we just had to box and to fix everything and now when we restarted, we can only cry about it because the car was good to drive." It is really delayed for when you put your foot down before the red lights go out because it causes anticipation and anxiety for drivers farther back in the pack.
If you are right in the middle of it, a chain reaction can be caused. It is like a traffic jam on the motorway, on the M25 or any major highway here in the United States. Speaking of American cars, the #2 Cadillac is in the pit lane and so is one of the TF Sport Corvette's, it looks like the #81 car. But, the #2 is the focus of the camera, so let's see what's happening. Alex Lynn is in for service. This is an early stop and I think they are out of sequence. A right rear puncture for Alex Lynn, and that is why he pitted. Perfectly logical. Meanwhile, we are looking at a battle for sixth in Hypercar on your TV or mobile device screen between Will Stevens in the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 and Robert Kubica in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P.
323.4 kilometers an hour through the speed trap for Kubica. That is... gasp... just shy of 202 miles an hour! That's hauling the mail! That is the fastest top speed of this race thus far. The Hypercars were knocking on the door of 330 kilometers an hour in qualifying. That is A LOT of speed! In old money, that is 206 and a quarter miles an hour! Again, holy smokes! Imagine the distance you cover in three hundredths of a second, braking really, really, really late, and just a whisker later than that! 61 laps now completed by the leading Ferrari, the #51 car. 186 miles.
How do they judge it? Wow. When Mike Conway goes to sleep tonight, and closes his eyes, an image of a red and white Porsche 963 is going to be burned into his retinas because he has stared at that car for far too long trying to get past it. If the Porsche doesn't catch the GT3 car in the right place, the Toyota is pushing, pressing, hunting for it. It is constant attack, like a leaking faucet. Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip. Now watch this replay for the last lap by. Oh! That was a close, close shave for Vanthoor with the #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini right in the way!
Mr. Iron Lynx, Claudio Schiavoni, the Italian, driving the car. He had the foresight to at least know those two Hypercars were there on drivers' left. He didn't panic and stayed on the racing line. There was a massive deluge yesterday evening and through the night before we began this race this afternoon. It completely washed away any rubber from Free Practice and qualifying, a completely green circuit. There were a handful of support races before the big six hour race this afternoon for Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and a 50-minute-long Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe race, kind of the same as how Porsche Carrera Cup and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America support a lot of the IMSA races here stateside.
The Hypercars and GT3 cars put load through their tires which are much softer than the control tires of the spec championships that are support categories. Someone up ahead has a monster brake lockup! I think that was one of the GT3 cars, and possibly it was the #54 Vista Jet AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. The weather yesterday evening seemed as if it was brought to you by Karcher power washers. It was like special effects in a Harry Potter movie. The wind was blowing dust storms and those white seeds that blow off the trees in springtime, cottonwood seeds, and it was pitch black everywhere around the circuit. It was torrential rain here in Imola, in Emilia Romagna on Saturday night before this race.
Meanwhile, the #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3R is in the pit lane and we are close to a telling point for some of the crowd. Alexander Malykhin steps out of the Porsche and getting onboard will be Joel Sturm. This means, that your class leader in GT3 is... drumroll, please... someone who will get a major crowd reaction... yes, Valentino Rossi, "The Doctor" will be in the house. Now we move to a battle for fifth place in Hypercar and in the overall. Frederic Makowiecki in the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 followed by Rene Rast in the #20 BMW Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8, and Sebastien Buemi in the sister #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid.
Marco Wittmann has pulled the sister #15 BMW into the pit lane and additionally we see the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 also making a stop. Buemi is closing up on the back of this scrap and now we look at the battle for second between Mike Conway in Toyota #7, chasing Porsche #6 in the hands of Laurens Vanthoor. The team tells him to hang on tight with five laps remaining. That is like the Italian for "you might want to try going a little faster." Potresti provare ad andare un po' più veloce. Nicklas Nielsen got that message in Ferrari #50 as he has uncorked the fastest lap of the motor race, and my goodness, I wish we knew the lap time!
Pit stop time at BMW M Team WRT on the GT3 side for the #46. Ahmad Al Harthy finishes his stint, and "The Doctor" is in the house! Valentino Rossi is about to venture off on his driving stint in the 6 Hours of Imola and the crowd will go crazy! "Il Dottore" è in casa! Valentino Rossi sta per avventurarsi nel suo stint di guida nella 6 Ore di Imola e il pubblico impazzirà! What did I say about the extent of my Italian during this race? I think I told you another lie. Shame on me! OK. I admit it. I'll come clean. I am using an English to Italian translator!
Darren Leung in the #31 BMW finished his stint and handed over to Sean Gelael. I would have thought Darren Leung was going to do a double stint or maybe a triple. Nope. Not the case. So, the Indonesian driver takes over. 108 minutes is just enough for the minimum Bronze driver requirement. Now, Conway is right on Vanthoor's six! No pun intended, as they catch the #35 car, the sole remaining Alpine Hypercar in this race. Conway in the Toyota has a head of steam! This is a pressure cooker now that we are almost to the end of the second hour. Four hours and ten minutes remaining on the board. There are slower cars ahead of the leaders entering Piratella.
The most telling is the #94 Peugeot 9X8 which was stymied earlier on. The Peugeot, in turn, is being held up by the black and yellow TF Sport Corvette. I think that is the #81 car and no, I am not sure who is driving at this moment. Conway makes a move of mild desperation there. That was a ten out of ten insofar as risk management. The #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 will need a ground up rebuild after this race because it is shaking itself to pieces, and in the meantime, the much cleaner looking sister car, #77 has hit the pit lane for scheduled service and a driver change. The Porsche got by the Peugeot and now it is up to Mike Conway to do the same.
That #94 car is the much-delayed Peugeot 9X8 of Paul di Resta who has picked up a place after the Isotta Fraschini hit the pit lane. Jean Karl Vernay in the Isotta Fraschini #11 drops out of 15th place. The Peugeot was not easy to pass. This is the other Porsche, BMW, Toyota battle. Fred Makowiecki racing ahead of Rene Rast and Sebastien Buemi. At the end of a double stint, the tires are getting slimy, and the car is complaining as the handling is flying south for the winter. Both Toyota's are strong but they are stuck in a rut.
Jean Karl Vernay tells us about his stint. He tried warming the tire up and he was taking a safe approach. He braked early but locked everything up and had contact with the car in front. He has apologized and it is a bad deal to end the race like this. The only issue was the loose piece of carbon fiber trim on the front nose. Now they are trying to do their best to salvage a finish here at Imola. The goal is to finish. But, as the BMW head to the pit lane for scheduled service, the boys and girls at Isotta Fraschini might not be so lucky. Car #11 is rolling to a halt on the grass on the outside of the circuit. Carl Watana Bennett has looped the car around on cold tires. Gilles Duqueine looking on, along with the former Maserati and Lotus Competition Director, Claudio Berro.
Bennett, obeying the blue flag, he is trying to give other drivers space. But, instead, he goes up onto the curbs, and the rear end snaps away from him, Bennett spins out, and... thud! He hits the wall. He was doing all he could to stay out of the way. That second shot we saw was at Variante Alta. In the meantime, we have two matched pair battles between Porsche's and Toyota's and on camera now is the second of those battles. This is Buemi reeling in Makowiecki as everyone's fuel tanks and energy meters are running dry. The leading #51 Ferrari is 17 seconds ahead of this scrap and has now completed 67 laps, 204 miles.
No other Hypercars have changed tires so they will be taking the pain. Carl Watana Bennett is one of the least experienced Hypercar drivers. We saw the warmup being so difficult on minimal fuel and never mind with full, heavy tanks. Now, Sebastien Buemi is trying to aim and line up the Porsche. The Ferrari's seem to have more speed than the Porsche's and/or the Toyota's which are both very evenly matched. The Italians are ruling the roost on home turf here thus far. The top Hypercar teams have not yet decided to make a move and use stone cold tires which could put the cat among the pigeons very quickly because on an out lap on stone cold tires, well, that's treacherous, as we well know.
The cars may inevitably lose control. The new driver will be released from the pit lane back onto the track without being swarmed by Hypercar rivals who perhaps have hot tires already. They won't be worried about the GT3 cars but the GT3 guys out there are going to be on hot tires, tripping and falling over slow Hypercars and well, someone is liable to make a pizza out of that situation. That is double jeopardy. Now the #88 Ford Mustang GT3 is in the pit lane for scheduled service and a driver change, and once again, look, we have Carl Watana Bennett off the circuit in the Isotta Fraschini! BMW #20 has taken the pain of doing full service, a tire change, and a driver change to Robin Frijns, so the Dutchman is now in that automobile.
As we speak, both the #7 Toyota and the #50 Ferrari have hit the pit lane as well. The Lamborghini SC63 is also out on track on cold tires, the #63 car shared by Mirko Bortolotti, Edoardo Mortara, and Daniil Kvyat, the two Italian factory Lambo drivers and the Russian former Formula 1 racer. In this replay it is Isotta Fraschini vs. Alpine vs. BMW. The Alpine spikes the brakes, and heading into Rivazza, the Isotta Fraschini plows through the gravel trap. Bennett was off on the marbles and probably got caught unaware those other cars were making a pass.
So, one of the Toyota's is in and so is one of the Ferrari's. That's the #50 car. Two of the three Ferrari's are in the pit lane at once as we also have #83 making a scheduled stop. Left side tires being changed first and the right-side tires are taking the brunt of the weight of the cars. Yikes! #83 almost had a clatter with the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 of Will Stevens! Another very close shave! No aloe infused shaving cream required! Stevens pulls ahead of Robert Kubica. Kubica is now in the pit lane and so is Nico Muller in the #93 Peugeot 9X8. Ditto for the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P.
We could be seeing issues for Peugeot and the same could be true for the #51 which is being put up on the dollies like it is going to be rolled back into the garage. I think the team was moving the car to get aligned with the fuel hose. The #6 Porsche 963 for Porsche Penske Motorsports is also in for scheduled service from second place as the stationary #51 Ferrari has now covered 69 laps, 210 miles. There could be an issue with the onboard air jacks on the #94 Peugeot and we will keep you updated on that situation, as the #8 Toyota is now in for service as well.
#7 Toyota has been in and back out and so, Sebastien Buemi has clear sailing into the box. By doing a "nose in" pit stop, the #51 Ferrari has now lost time hand over fist. In doing that, you lose easily, 20 seconds of your pit stop time. Brendon Hartley gets into the Toyota. In the GT3 class, the battle is on between Francois Heriau in the Ferrari, Joel Sturm in the Porsche, and Valentino Rossi in the BMW. Heriau has now run 62 laps, 189 miles, so the equivalent of one Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Many enthusiastic fans here at Imola to watch this race as in comes the #94 Peugeot. Rossi is battling for second place in LMGT3 and Heriau is out of kilter with all the rest of the GT3 cars as currently it is a Porsche 1-2-3 in Hypercar. Penske #5, Jota #12, and Jota #38. 70 laps now completed by the #5 Porsche, 213 and a half miles. Joel Sturm in GT3 holds a three and a half second lead over "The Doctor". Rossi was very impressive last year in Michelin Le Mans Cup and the Road to Le Mans races before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He very nearly won race one of the weekend in GT3 and did win race two.
Jerome Policand, who is now a rival of Rossi, raced with him in the WRT BMW in Michelin Le Mans Cup last year, and of course, Policand is the team boss for the Akkodis ASP Lexus team. Toyota #7 has leapfrogged Porsche #6 on the pit stop exchange. Car #50, the first of the Ferrari's is now ahead of both of them.
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