We're going all the way. Overtime. Extra innings. A shootout. If you want to use synonymous sports terms. We have entered the extra hour here at Spa Francorchamps necessitated by the red flag delay after Earl Bamber's massive crash of the #2 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V Series.R Hypercar earlier this afternoon, in order to finish the race here in Belgium and give the diehard sports car fans of the Spa, Malmedy, Stavelot triangle, what they came for and what they paid their hard earned money to see. Hour 7? Did you say, hour 7? Yes, mate. I did. Hertz Team Jota lead the motor race at the scene of their Hypercar debut, a year ago, here at Spa.
Last year they had one Porsche 963, and this year are running two. Right now, they lead by almost four seconds over the Penske factory Porsche 963, car #6. 113 laps on the board. 492 miles completed. Wow. We've very nearly run 500 miles in this race today. Callum Ilott leads the race from Kevin Estre. Estre is staying within four seconds of the race leader in spite of dealing with nagging brake problems. The battle for third in the overall and in Hypercar rages on between Antonio Fuoco in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 499P and Kamui Kobayashi in the #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid. They are ahead of the sister #51 Ferrari 499P currently in the hands of Alessandro Pier Guidi.
We know who the leader is because there is just a sole remaining Jota Porsche in the race after the #38 entry crashed out very early, the Phil Hanson, Jenson Button, Oliver Rasmussen entry. Of course, the car was taken out by the #20 BMW Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 of Rene Rast. Callum Ilott is asked by his crew chief about the tires. He is informed he has nine laps remaining in his stint. Ilott's reply, "uh, my tires feel quite hot on the rear." OK. So, the rear Michelin's are really being heated up. I think the car is sliding, so the handling is not up to par.
The four-wheel drift a driver puts a car through when the tires are slimy and overheated like that, it looks great to the naked eye of those of us of the endurance sports car racing fandom who are glued to our mobile devices or TV screens loving everything we are seeing about a great endurance race. But to a driver, it is a living nightmare, and they are on the radio to the team saying, "good grief! I've got to get off these tires because they are completely toasted!" Ilott has only run 18 laps on this set of Michelin's. They were fresh when we restarted the race.
I am a little surprised that he's only managed a total of 18 laps or a little over 78 miles on a set. That's a short stint life for a set of these Hypercar spec tires. Oy yoy yoy yoy! Speaking of sliding around and across, Dries Vanthoor gets all kids of sideways aboard the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 for Team WRT in his close and hot pursuit for eighth place of Paul Loup Chatin in the #35 Alpine A424B! Paul Loup Chatin is trying to make good his escape over another local Belgian racer who is going to know this track like the back of his hand. Two turbocharged Hypercars, the Alpine with the 3.4-liter turbo V6 derivative of a Formula 2 motor modified for endurance racing, built by Mecachrome in France, and of course, the BMW with it's modified 4-liter V8 that started life as a motor used by BMW in the old Class 1 touring car days of the DTM.
WRT and #15 have not scored a single, solitary point yet in 2024 and of course last time out at Imola in Italy they got fired off the road and into the barriers right from the word go, and from then on it was just a test session to work the bugs out of the BMW for six hours. Alpine #35 has nine points, and they scored at the season opener in Qatar. Both Alpine's and both Peugeot's as well as one BMW ended up in strife in the Imola event and Alpine I believe they scored nil points in the Italian round of the championship we saw last time. The two Alpine's, the two Peugeot's, one of the BMWs, and the Isotta Fraschini, all of them were wadded up in that first corner shemozzle at Imola.
So, Callum Ilott is fending off Kevin Estre's challenge, and we are also loo,ing to see where Julien Andlauer is at this stage in the #99 Proton Competition Fat Turbo Porsche 963. Andlauer making inroads into Alessandro Pier Guidi. All of the sevens in this GT3 battle as we see Marco Sorensen formerly racing with the factory "Dane Train" Aston Martin lineup, now in the #777 D'station Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. He is being chased by the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 with Ben Barker at the wheel of it. This is for tenth place in GT3. Sorensen has it and Barker wants it.
The final pit stop is underway for the #59 United Autosport McLaren in GT3 running fifth in class with just 56 minutes left on the board. James Cottingham started the car. Gregoire Saucy will take it to the end. The team at United Autosport must be utterly delighted though because they've shown themselves in the fight all day long. Sheldon van der Linde is taking the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 to the finish. Many cars that have struggled are looking far better here at Spa and all on merit. Nobody should be floundering.
BMW, Alpine, and Peugeot in Hypercar, and in GT3, McLaren, Lexus, Ford Mustang, they are all looking much better here at Spa Francorchamps. Oh, man! Down the hill to Eau Rouge, it is a drag race between the Mustang and the Aston Martin, and now, here comes the Isotta Fraschini Hypercar to make it three deep! Ben Barker doing everything to make the pass stick on Marco Sorensen. The Dane not known for giving places away. Show that you don't gain an advantage and display a disadvantage if you put all four wheels off the road. We saw a penalty for exactly that transgression earlier in the race for the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus.
Now we see the final stop of the race for the #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini. Will they break through for victory in their home race? Michelle Gatting will take it home. Sarah Bovy and Julien Andlauer both should be nominees for Driver of the Day if we had that award here in endurance racing like it is in Formula 1. A third candidate could very well be James Cottingham in the #59 United Autosport McLaren. Tires going on the Iron Dames Lamborghini, but they dropped the car down off the air jacks too soon! No! No! No! You've got to be kidding me!
The rattle gun is wreaking havoc, and the nut has to be locked squarely on the center of the wheel, so the tire and wheel don't fall off! You can hear how much speed and torque that gun has. Pop, pop, pop, pop. Vroom! They needed a spare wheel nut. No worries about the rattle gun, but the wheel nut, the original one, has gone, and the team needed a spare. They lost 20 seconds in the pit lane. Talk about pressure. The drivers need to be icy cold under pressure and so do the teams. Cracking, freaking out about little things, does you no good. Yikes! The #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 does beat Michelle Gatting out of the pit lane!
Wow! That was a close shave! That is surely for position on pit exit. The Mustang cut in front of Michelle Gatting, and it is clear as we see it from the replay, that's an unsafe release, no questions asked. The Proton Competition Mustang team are going to cop a penalty for that. That's black and white, clear as crystal. Forget the gray shade because there is none. Track and ambient temperature changes can do so much to positively or negatively impact the performance of a car. Now, Kamui Kobayashi is making inroads on the Ferrari ahead.
A wee while ago we were sure that Toyota were out of contention in this race. Now, they are moving in, drawing a bead on the Ferrari's. Early doors, the Ferrari's were the ones on the move. Kamui Kobayashi is now putting the Italian cars under immense pressure, and grinning like a Cheshire cat while doing so, giving The Prancing Horse management at the track and in Modena, a real ice cream headache. 52 minutes to go with the #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3R refueling in the pit lane. Goodness gracious! Callum Ilott is now up to the tune of 5.6 seconds over Kevin Estre as the battle continues. Jota Porsche vs. factory Porsche.
The battle behind them still remains Ferrari vs. Toyota. Germany leads Italy and Japan. Julien Andlauer in the #99 Proton Competition Porsche is only 3.6 seconds in-arrears of Alessandro Pier Guidi. We are onboard with the #94 Peugeot 9X8 of Loic Duval and the Frenchman in the Peugeot sounds to me like he is slower than he should be. Yup. He's in trouble. Something is amiss in the back of the Peugeot with that 2.6-liter twin turbo V6 engine of theirs. OK. I take it back. I digress. That's not an engine issue. It is a left rear puncture. Loic Duval is informed by his crew chief on the radio. "Rear puncture. You have a left rear puncture. Slow down. We'll box this lap for the rear left puncture and fuel."
"The Lion", the Peugeot team has spare rear bodywork at the radio just in case. Andlauer has eaten away two seconds from the battle up the road between Pier Guidi and Kobayashi. I think these Hypercars have been tripping and falling over the GT3 cars, and in this replay, we can see a prime example of that shemozzle I was talking about. Into La Source, and... clunk! Kobayashi makes contact, his left front to the right rear of the pink #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini! You'd think that might result in suspension or wheel and tire damage for both cars. That's a massive hit on the right rear corner for Michelle Gatting, just when you thought the Iron Dames' race couldn't get any worse!
Oh, my heavens! Kobayashi was also nearly clattered into by the Ferrari behind him! There may very well be consequences for all of this handed down from Race Control, from the stewards' office. Kobayashi thought he was being let through and Gatting was sure she was going to have a pass, and she cut across Kobayashi's bow. Everyone was fighting for the preferred line, and it was a complete hornet's nest. Now, as I am telling you this part of the story, another page is being written before I can even hope to get there. Julien Andlauer is closing in hand over fist on Alessandro Pier Guidi. Factory Ferrari falling into the clutches of another privateer Porsche.
Before the mess we just saw, Pier Guidi was struggling with tire temperatures and now the Peugeot is in the lane. We need to see which one it is. It is #94 which was having a slowly deflating tire. Maybe there wasn't a puncture in that Michelin. Maybe there was an erroneous warning on the TPMS, the Tire Pressure Monitoring System. If there is a red light on your dashboard and a red light on the engineers' telemetry screens, bring the car in immediately. This is not a situation to be messed with. Red light on. Red alert! Man your stations! We have a tire puncture! Don't ignore it because then if the tire lets go at 270 kilometers an hour, well, you are toast.
Julien Andlauer brings the #99 Porsche in for the final time. More Hypercar battles moving around the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3. Paul Loup Chatin in the #35 Alpine A424B vs. Robert Shwartzman in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P. This is a scrap for seventh and Shwartzman has the #83 on a recovery drive. The #85 pink Iron Dames Lamborghini did not lose as much ground to the black and gold Proton Competition #88 Ford Mustang GT3 as we first thought. Dennis Olsen, the Norwegian, at rhe wheel of the Mustang.
Shwartzman is chasing Chatin in Hypercar and right now in GT3 the Iron Dames are the meat in a Mustang sandwich. Platinum rated driver Dennis Olsen vs. Gold rated driver Michelle Gatting in the Iron Dames Lamborghini, and Ben Barker, Gold rated, in the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3. Franck Perera, the Frenchman, is taking the #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 to the checkered flag. Perera is ahead of the other two aforementioned cars that are in a battle of their own. Speaking of battles, with just over 46 minutes to go, we are seeing the BMW pulling out of the skipstream to pass the Alpine!
Dries Vanthoor and Matthieu Vaxiviere, and the two touch up through Les Combes! Vanthoor had an 8PM flight scheduled home before he and everyone else had to finish the race this evening. Well, cancel it, Dries. That plane left the airport just a wee while ago. Andlauer weaving around on cold tires. Now, there is a group of drivers who are supposed to be on a flight from here at Spa Francorchamps tonight, to Berlin, Germany, for the Formula E electric car race, tomorrow. I am not sure how those drivers pulling double duty are going to get to Berlin. They will have to find another flight in 45 minutes, once this race ends.
So, 45 minutes left and Callum Ilott for Hertz Team Jota is your leader overall and in Hypercar. Ilott leading Kevin Estre in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 factory car and then, in third, is the #50 factory AF Corse Ferrari 499P with Antonio Fuoco, the Italian, taking the car to the end. So, the top half dozen in Hypercar shows Porsche, Porsche, Ferrari, Toyota, Ferrari, Toyota. The #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963 has the speed, but overtaking in the Porsche 963 has a hard time overtaking on the straightaway. I think all the 963's have that issue. Andlauer must use his natural speed and at the same time, cut some good laps, but the critical point will be the undercut.
Penske ready for Kevin Estre to make a final pit stop. Estre is still four and a half seconds in-arrears of Callum Ilott. In the meantime, we are watching the battle for seventh. Paul Loup Chatin in the #35 Alpine and Robert Shwartzman in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari, the yellow Ferrari. Julien Andlauer is a lucky chap because he is on a full fuel tank but also has four brand new, virgin, untouched Michelin tires on the Porsche. Fresh tires work wonders. Strategy is fine but you need pace a swell. Shwartzman is now all over Chatin like a cheap suit!
Shwartzman senses he has a chance, so he is pouring on the steam right away, look. Chatin passes the McLaren to driver's left. On driver's right, Shwartzman tries it, and it doesn't work. The key doesn't fit the lock this time. Shwartzman loses time in turn 19 having to poke his way out from behind the McLaren. The leaders are due to pit in the next lap or two. The slight concern is about the #6 Porsche 963 being on fumes at the end of the race. The sister #36 Alpine of Matthieu Vaxiviere also needs to pit. Vaxiviere is behind his teammate, Chatin, and Shwartzman, and he has his hands full with Dries Vanthoor in the #15 BMW Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8.
Alright. So, the #6 Porsche is in the pit lane now. Hertz Team Jota and Alpine both stay out. Jota should pit next time by. The deal is they are set to take on a fraction less fuel than the #6 Penske factory Porsche. Now, in GT3 action, we see the Iron Dames have passed the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3. What is so important about this position change? Well, Michelle Gatting is in the clear. OK. #6 is being service, as Gatting gies to the outside and has a clean run. Kamui Kobayashi is under investigation by the stewards for his contact with the Iron Dames Lamborghini. That is the little touch, the bit of argy bargy we saw in La Source a wee while ago.
OK. Andlauer in the Proton Porsche passes Dries Vanthoor in the BMW for 11th place. Vanthoor has had his wake up moment on tires and in this replay, we can see the #51 Ferrari 499P also going well off the road. So, I think his tires are nearly ready for the bin as well and he will need new boots on that red Prancing Horse ASAP. That's a tire begging for mercy. "I've had enough! Don't push me any harder! Have mercy on my soul!" OK. Antonio Fuoco in third, looking for Kevin Estre. Oh. How convenient! Estre pops right out of the pit lane on stone cold tires. Boom! Fuoco says "grazie mille!" and swoops right into second spot.
Both Ferrari's had to stop during the safety car. Callum Ilott in the #12 Jota Porsche is going to be on the same set of tires through the end of the race. Now, I don't know how much wear they have already, but odds are that after being thrashed for another 40 minutes, they are going to come off that Porsche 963 in the shape of cubes! 121 laps now complete, 526 and a half, almost 527 miles, in the book. Ah. Jota are going to take only left side tires but believe you me, they will have to do it. Those tires have a full 26 laps on them! OK. OK. Don't shoot the messenger! I am only doing my job.
OK. So, that's me saying that I am only doing my job and not to shoot the messenger, paraphrasing this conversation between Martin and Anthony in the booth, and then, the other me is pointing out quite vividly, "did you notice how knackered this current set of tires is?" To my double, yes, I noticed that. Thank you for pointing that out Captain Obvious. Finally, #12 hits the pit lane as we continue to watch that scrap between the Alpine and the yellow Ferrari. Tires are everything here at Spa. Will Stevens looking on. This is so tense. This could be a historic result. So, Jota has put just the left side tires on the #12 Porsche 963.
Now, Ferrari did not trust their driver. I hope Jota is not making that same mistake. You should have gotten on the horn to Callum Ilott and asked him directly, "Callum, is it OK if we do a strategy of giving you just two fresh left side tires?" Ilott is a jolly lucky chap! He is going to have the fresh tires on the left side, and he is going to maintain the lead! Wow! Sometimes it is far better to be born lucky than rich. The caveat, well, they are stone cold like an ice cream cone and they are going to be doing all the work. A singing tire may be a happy tire according to racing legend and racing school founder, Skip Barber. However, a sad tire is going to be one that is getting hammered and wants to put be put out of its ever-loving misery.
The Ferrari needs to pit again and Ilott does not. Porsche #6 does not need to stop again. Things are going to change. With a pit stop coming for the #50 Ferrari, Fuoco is going to drop out of contention for the victory, but the #6 Porsche factory car isn't. Callum Ilott vs. Kevin Estre, this is the race. Robert Shwartzman brings the yellow #83 Ferrari to the lane. Jota put 87% energy in the tank. So, anyone above 87% on fuel fill can make it to the end. Anyone below that level or drastically below it will need to pit again in the next 39 minutes, or 38 minutes and change, before the checkered flag. Heart of Racing Aston Martin and Manthey EMA Porsche in the lane in GT3.
At the end of the next lap around, we should see both the #7 Toyota and the #51 Ferrari dive for the pit lane. #51 can come in and then clear the pit lane for the #50 to be serviced. Estre wrestling around and passes Fuoco. Estre has fresher tires I think than Ilott does. Tires are everything here at Spa. Ilott is on the second stint for his right-hand side tires. Callum Ilott will be at a disadvantage to Kevin Estre. It's calisthenics time, in the Toyota pit. OK, everyone. We have a pit stop coming up. Before the car hits the lane, the trainer wants you all to do 15 jumping jacks. Go! Those were vigorous jumping jacks!
I think they are revving up for Kamui Kobayashi to get back into the car and floor it to the checkers. Ilott now runs in the lead, 13 seconds clear of Estre. Fuoco and Kobayashi both need to pit again. OK. Ferrari #51 and Toyota #8 are followed by Alpine #35, Peugeot #93, and Porsche #99. #51 to the pit lane. They need to turn their season around. Toyota #8, Alpine #35, Peugeot #93, and BMW #15 all need to pit. The real dangers to the #51 Ferrari are the #99 Proton Porsche and the #83 yellow AF Corse Ferrari. That is the situation. Ferrari #51 is in for their last pit stop with 34 and a half minutes to go. Porsche Penske might have put too much fuel in the tank. Maybe there was a judgment error.
Andlauer must make up time. Right now, we are also looking at the battle for the GT3 victory. Davide Rigon, the Italian, in the #54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 is 9.6 seconds to the good over Swiss driver Gregoire Saucy aboard the #59 United Autosports McLaren 720S GT3. Rigon needs to stop. Saucy doesn't. Andlauer is in a hot and heavy race with Alessandro Pier Guidi. Andlauer in fact is right on Pier Guidi's tail as we speak. Fuoco and Kobayashi are also in the pits. 33 minutes to go. This is a battle of eight cars for the next half hour, but it is also a game of 52 pickup. The gap remains 13 seconds between the top two.
Ferrari will stay ahead of Toyota. A full set of tires it looks like, for the Ferrari. Ferrari #55 in GT3 reprimanded by the stewards for tire pressure. Alpine #35 in the pit box. Toyota #7 went ten seconds longer on their stop and so they will be fighting the Ferrari. But here's the kicker. The #7 Toyota changed only right-side tires, and they put two qualifying tires on the right side! Oh mama! This is either going to be a stroke of genius by Toyota or the strategy will flop like a crepe. Kobayashi already has 22 laps on his left side tires. Okie dokie then. BMW in the pit lane, which one? I think that is #15. Pier Guidi, Ferrari #51 has full tire temperature, and now, he is right on Kamui Kobayashi's six!
Kobayashi leaning on Pier Guidi. The left side tires will be fresher for the Ferrari. Brendon Hartley in the sister #8 Toyota pits. But now, this is for all the money. Pier Guidi is closing in on Kobayashi! Half an hour to go. Pier Guidi has the grip forcing it through. Kobayashi puts four wheels off the road and stays in front of the Ferrari, but just barely! Hartley exiting the lane. He has done a change of right-side tires. Now, Julien Andlauer thunders past Hartley like taking candy from a baby. Proton Competition who has their American IMSA team at Laguna Seca with another Porsche 963 must be watching this and cheering.
With half an hour left, and time of the essence, the gap between Ilott and Estre has been reduced to 12 seconds. Estre is slightly quicker. In the meantime, Kamui Kobayashi is clinging on behind Alessandro Pier Guidi. We are speaking about the battle for fourth place which is very hotly contested. Hartley had stone-cold, right-side tires he was dealing with, which is why he lost some of the speed in the sister #8 Toyota and is down behind Andlauer in the Proton Competition Porsche, the #99 car. Kobayashi continues struggling for grip through the GT3 traffic, and now, Pier Guidi sees his chance to pounce!
He runs wide over the curb and can't do anything with the #7 Toyota just yet. Kobayashi has him covered. Twice, Toyota have won in WEC with a pair of drivers. In 2012 it was Alexander Wurz and Nico Lapierre and in 2014 our mate Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi. So, in the shorter races, Toyota have used the two-driver team to their advantage before, but not for a long time, in a span of ten to 12 years. That just shows the speed of progress in racing and especially in endurance because back then we would still be waxing eloquently about the LMP1 era.
Oh, nuts! Kobayashi catches a slower GT3 car at the worst moment! This up through Eau Rouge and Raidillon and there he has one of the two silver Vista - AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3's in the way! We know the Ferrari Hypercar is fast in a straight line. Kobayashi has no choice but to give it up. Holy cow! The Ferrari Hypercar, the 499P of Pier Guidi somehow or other, makes room to pass by one of the Lexus RC F GT3's! So, we have two of the prototypes passing their sister cars from the same brands in GT3, Ferrari and Toyota/Lexus.
Kobayashi and Andlauer both knew they were in their own trouble spots just then and had to be proactive to stay out of the way. Reactive driving is not what you want. I was about to say reactive. But I think proactive is exactly what I was trying to say. I don't know who was at the wheel of the Lexus but as the Hypercars came steaming up in his mirrors he had to know discretion is the better part of valor. 128 laps now in the book for the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 of Callum Ilott. 557 miles have been laid down.
Coming out of the apex of turn four catching the GT3 cars kills your momentum. That's the top of Raidillon I believe. Kobayashi hampered in the wrong place. Porsche, Porsche, Ferrari, Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche, Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot, and Alpine. Two French cars at the tail of the top ten. Both of them are in the points. Oh jeez! The Ferrari runs very wide at the final corner and off the circuit at what used to be called The Bus Stop. Purists like me still call that turn The Bus Stop, but I don't believe it is one in daily life here in Spa Francorchamps like it used to be.
There might have just been a touch between Kobayashi and The Heart of Racing Aston Martin! That was close. That overhead helicopter shot is very deceptive because looking down on the track it is hard to gauge the position of both of the cars. OK. Let's see if we can see this better from Kobayashi's onboard camera in Toyota #7. Alright. Let's break this puzzle down before we put the pieces back together and see exactly what happened. The Ferrari goes to the isndie of the Lexus ahead of the Aston Martin and will outbrake himself.
He goes off the road but retains the position. From the camera in the cockpit of the Toyota, it was hard to tell if Kobayashi touched the Aston Martin while we were focusing on the Ferrari up ahead. It is impossible to videotape and record or track every car on every lap except through timing and scoring. I agree with Graham Goodwin. Pier Guidi must give that position up. That pass was not made in a fair and square manner. Now, we are watching, again from the helicopter, the battle for seventh between Brendon Hartley in Toyota #8 and Robert Shwartzman in the #83 Ferrari.
Pier Guidi took advantage of the GT3 car by retaining the place he'd gained, by going off the road. That said, Pier Guidi legally rejoined the track. So maybe the stewards won't nip him for it. A position swap for ninth between Peugeot and Alpine. Jules Gounon is passed by. well, I am not sure who is finishing out the race in the Peugeot yet. 31 laps on the Peugeot's tires. Bruno Famin is one of the bosses at Alpine and he worked for Peugeot during their diesel LMP1 program. OK. It is the Dane, Mikkel Jensen in the Peugeot to the finish. That's what I wanted to know and pass along to everyone.
Gregoire Saucy, United Autosports, and McLaren, have now gone to the lead of the GT3 class. Saucy is 3.2 seconds ahead of Klaus Bachler and both the McLaren and the Porsche are being caught by Frank Perera in the Lamborghini. Gounon, flashing the headlights at Mikkel Jensen to confuse him and throw him off his game. Jensen and Nico Muller are the two drivers. Jean Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne are racing in Berlin, Germany, in Formula E. 8:30 P.M. here in Spa and no one has left. They are going to see this race out which should end just before 9:00. Gounon tries going back past Jensen and thinks he has it.
But Jensen appears to be fighting back again with a lapped Lexus GT3 car ahead, heading again for La Source. Jules Gounon is the reserve driver for Alpine, standing in for Ferdinand Habsburg who was injured in a testing accident. The Alpine had ore traction, but Jensen is not giving up. Perera passes Bachler for second in GT3. The #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini vs. the #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche. Perera's next and only other target is Gregoire Saucy in the United Autosports McLaren, as the beleaguered #20 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 is in the pit lane. The Iron Dames in the sister Lamborghini run fourth. Does anyone else need to pit in LMGT3? That is the question.
The lead for Saucy and United Autosport is 2.7 seconds. Saucy has completed 120 laps, 522 miles. We could get to the 1,000-kilometer mark, but with the time on the board being just over 20 minutes, I don't think we are going to reach that target this evening. Claudio Schiavoni started the #60 Lamborghini and the Proton Competition Mustang GT3 also needs to stop. Both of the Mustangs are dangerously low on gas, but especially the #77. 11% energy in the #77's tank and 34% in the #88's tank. Ooh! We've got an off-course excursion as one of the BMW Hypercars plows through the gravel trap. #15, indulging in some rallycross. 20 minutes to go.
#15 just out of the pit lane on cold tires they won't need to use for very long since the race is, finally, finally close to being over. It has been a long, long day here at Spa Francorchamps setting us up next month for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Callum Ilott in the lead. 20 minutes of racing left and Ilott is in the groove. The #6 Penske Porsche has 57% energy while the leader at Jota has 51%. Why did Porsche Penske Motorsports put so much fuel in the tank? It is not just petrol. It is also the state of charge of their hybrid unit in the back of the Porsche. It also includes how much SOC they have available.
Is the car regenerating more? They have dealt with brake problems all race long. If there is a hybrid problem for the #6, the differential between the two leaders should start to decrease. This is similar to what Ferrari dealt with in the 6 Hours of Portimao in Portugal last year, in 2023, when they were having braking trouble. The brake disc exploded, and they had to retire. Estre has fresher, grippier Michelin tires at this stage than Ilott does. Ilott is driving superbly if he can hold onto a nearly 14 second advantage.
His performance is not being hindered whatsoever. 131 laps completed by the leader, 570 miles. This is a coming-of-age drive for Callum Ilott, and he is holding his own. Martin Haven in the broadcast booth, mate, you are right. I mean, we could see a historic result in the era of Hypercars with a privateer team beating the factory cars for the first time. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. I think we should just enjoy this. The lead battle is raging in LMGT3 right now, too. Greogire Saucy, the Swiss driver in the McLaren ahead of the Lamborghini in the hands of the Frenchman, Franck Perera.
Perera has a fuel advantage. Saucy is really having to have a Captain Cook at his fuel meter. Let's not forget the third place Porsche. That is car #92, Klaus Bachler, the Austrian driving for Manthey Pure Racing. The sister cars from Iron Lynx and Manthey are coming in a hurry. Michelle Gatting in fourth spot aboard the pink #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini and Richard Lietz in the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche. Perera wants a bite of the cherry. He is poking his nose to the inside heaed up the frontstretch and into La Source.
Well, well, well. Lamborghini leads GT3! The #59 McLaren has run extremely well today. The sister #95 car has been less fortunate. But they were the second quickest car in qualifying, the car shared by Josh Caygill, Nico Pino, and Marino Sato. The gap between them is merely 6/10ths of a second with Perera having completed 122 laps, 531 miles. Ben Barker brings the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 to the pit lane for the final time. He will take it home. Saucy defended long and hard from Perera and he is proving himself as Callum Ilott is.
16 minutes of racing remaining. Callum Ilott is 14 seconds to the good over Kevin Estre. Make that 15 minutes. Mikkel Jensen goes a lap down and is in tenth place. Hertz Team Jota have been lapping the factory cars and have put a lap on a car that is in the top ten in the overall. Oh boy! Oh boy! Achtung! Julien Andlauer is making his move down the hill to Eau Rouge on Kamui Kobayashi! Side by side into Eau Rouge and Andlauer makes the pass work! Kobayashi is back into the slipstream. He won't roll over and play dead. Not by a long shot.
Andlauer picked up a tow from the GT3 Iron Lynx Lamborghini of Franck Perera. He hangs on into the braking zone in Les Combes. Up one place with similar pace to Kobayashi in the Toyota. Alessandro Pier Guidi, it is true, the stewards have him and the #51 Ferrari under investigation for cutting the chicane in the final turns of the lap. If they ping him with a drive through penalty that will cost him fourth place. Kobayashi hung on against all odds for the win at Imola a month ago. But now, here at Spa, he is facing a much tougher challenge.
Spa is fast and flowing with space to pass but Kobayashi cannot pass Andlauer. A bit of succor for Kobayashi is that he does not lose any points for Toyota in the Hypercar manufacturers' championship chase. A change of position, meanwhile, in GT3 with the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin going by the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang. We have seen starring roles for teams that barely were mentioned in the opening two races of 2024.
Ben Barker said about the Proton Mustang team, the only time the Mustangs were seen on TV at Imola was when the black car was shedding bodywork all over the place. Callum Ilott for Hertz Team Jota Porsche leads Hypercar with Franck Perera leading GT3 for Iron Lynx Lamborghini. 12 and a half minutes to go. 134 laps complete. 583 miles. Will Stevens has driven a brilliant race today. He started it, kept his nose clean, and can read a race well. He has a wide head on his shoulders.
We've got a penalty. A time penalty added for Kobayashi for hitting the Iron Dames. Five seconds to the end of his race time. So, he is eight seconds up on Brendon Hartley and will stay where he is. I think the battle in GT3 will be tremendously close because United Autosport McLaren and the Iron Dames Lamborghini will both need to pit again before this race is over. This race is on it's head in the GT3 class and now, Klaus Bachler in the Pure Racing Manthey Porsche in third is just two and a half seconds behind Gregoire Saucy.
Ten minutes and change to go. You spend a lot of time at full throttle here at Spa. Now, Ian James has just brought the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin to the pit lane because he had a massive off course excursion through the gravel trap. Alex Riberas, excuse me. The Spaniard went way off the road, over the gravel, and now the car is bounding up and down like a bucking bronco and is tearing up the Spa Francorchamps grass! Oh dear!
Very similar to what we saw Julien Andlauer do going off the road earlier in the #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963 Hypercar. Excuse me. Not Andlauer. Oliver Rasmussen in the #38 Jota Sport Porsche 963. Right now, Toyota #7 will not lose a spot. They have that time penalty after the race. So, in nine and a half minutes they will pay the penalty. We have just seen the #59 McLaren in the pit lane. They exit. So wonderful to see WEC continue this race after the big crash for the #2 Ganassi Racing Cadillac. Big push, watch track limits. Pressure, pressure, pressure.
Eight minutes and counting for Team Jota who are looking to become the first privateer team to win in the Hypercar class in WEC. Final eight and a half minutes of the 6 Hours of Spa and it is 8:45 P.M. So, we are going to have nearly the 8 Hours of Spa. So, your Hypercar running order, to condense it is the Jota Porsche, the sole remaining factory Penske Porsche, the two AF Corse factory Ferrari's in third and fourth, the Proton Competition #99 Porsche in fifth place, and in sisxth and seventh, the two Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid's.
13 seconds is still the gap between Jota and Penske. 136 laps completed. 592 miles down. In 2020, Rebellion was the first privateer team to win a race in the FIA WEC at Circuit of the Americas in February of 2020. This would be something very special for Jota because the competition here in the Hypercar era in 2024 is as deep as the Mariana Trench. Back in 2020, Rebellion was primarily racing against Toyota with a grandfathered LMP1 car. The yellow Iron Lynx Lamborghini leads GT3. Hertz Team Jota impressed in 2023 rolling out their Porsche 963 a year ago in this race.
Jota was really on the ball last year. So much so that the Penske factory Porsche team were flabbergasted. They couldn't believe how Jota was cleaning their clocks here at Spa Francorchamps. Now, Jota have opened the door and entered the party. Our mate Anthony Davidson has done a lot of winning with Jota. They've won in the production car classes in GT3 and GT4. They've won in LMP2. Could they be about to win in the Hypercar class, at the top level? They have done everything right. Michelle Gatting is asked to come to the pit lane at Iron Dames for a very short refueling, a splash and a dash.
This is heartbreaking for the Iron Dames. That's the way the cookie crumbles. They stopped before the safety car came out. All that promise has not been realized. They are third in GT3 trying to stay ahead of the United Autosport McLaren. Just ahead of Michelle Gatting is the #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche of Klaus Bachler. Bachler's crew chief is on the radio to his driver saying of their rivals "they will most likely pit this lap. They had to pit anyway."
They are in, Iron Dames. Iron Lynx and Franck Perera lead. Perera clicks the radio and asks "do I need to save something?" His crew chief says, "no, no. Go, go, go. Push, push, push." Michelle Gatting was right on Klaus Bachler's bumper and almost ran into him! That contact was a bit unnecessary. Three laps to go with a stable gap for Callum Ilott. Ilott asks "what is the gap?" His crew chief replies, "12.7 seconds." Oh man! Perera is told to run one more lap before Iron Lynx must do a splash and a dash!
Manthey Pure Racing and Manthey EMA could make it a Porsche 1-2 in LMGT3! 8% fuel for Iron Lynx 10% fuel for Manthey Pure Racing! This is going to be close! It's squeaky, squeaky time. Just over three minutes to go. Manthey EMA and Iron Dames don't need to stop. #92 going through Blanchimont. Ilott is going to finish soon. The car that was in pieces yesterday can win this race. They very likely will win this race. Richard Lietz though is catching Klaus Bachler hand over fist, two seconds behind.
It is "OK, boys. Have at it!" Or "please, can we finish 1-2 without damaging the cars?" A four second splash and dash plus the delta and whatnot, so it will be 40-45 seconds in total. He cannot do enough fuel save to make it. One lap to go. Final lap of the race for Callum Ilott and Will Stevens. This is sports car racing history. Iron Lynx is in. So, the battle for the lead in LMGT3 is now between the two Porsche's! Manthey Pure Racing and Manthey EMA. Are they holding station? They are not holding station because they are separate teams under the same tent.
Will there be lift and coast? I think the lift and coast comes and Richard Lietz snags the lead! He passes Klaus Bachler on the last lap. With almost no fuel left, #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche have to settle for second. Victory, in the longest six-hour race you have ever seen in your life, goes to the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963! Callum Ilott and Will Stevens are FIA World Endurance Championship race winners! The first ever privateer Hypercar win!
Congratulations to Callum Ilott, Will Stevens, Sam Hignett, David Clark, and the whole team.
Overall/Hypercar: #12 Ilott/Stevens Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963
LMGT3: #91 Shahin/Lietz/Schuring Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
1% fuel for Manthey Pure Racing. They are safely ahead of the Iron Lynx Lambo, and he can coast. No energy left, hopefully that is not a problem post-race. This is the first 1-2 for Porsche in LMGT3 with Lamborghini 3-4 with Iron Lynx followed home by Iron Dames. Manthey EMA have not finished inside the top 15 in GT3 this year, but they win round three at Spa Francorchamps! Never give up! Never give up! Manthey Pure Racing bring their rebuilt car home. So, this elongated race at Spa Francorchamps is now complete. Next time, it is the big one. It is the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, in a month. We'll see you in June! Very excited for that race! From Spa Francorchamps and the Ardennes Forest, bon nuit. Good night, everyone.
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An addendum. I had no space to post this race in the May section of my blog when it happened. So, I am posting it now. Since this event, there has been the race at Le Mans, the 24 hours, the race at Interlagos in Brazil, which I have to write about, and this weekend's race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, before another race for WEC at Fuji in Japan two weeks later. So, the next event you will likely hear about, is Brazil, and then, the race will come in order in due time. Thanks, everyone, for the understanding of yours truly, doing everything he can to catch up on the WEC races in 2024.
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