Sit back and relax to the sound of 50+ cars battling it out in the rain at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2024 IMSA Battle On The Bricks.
Monday, September 30, 2024
How the REXY Porsche went from LAST to FIRST at Indianapolis
From Formula Jonah.
The Rexy Porsche did was deemed to be impossible, going from last to first among the GT field at IMSA's Battle on the Bricks in 2024. AO Racing experienced the highs and lows during that event, being disqualified in qualifying, to then winning the class victory and extending their championship lead. This video is a breakdown of the details on how the Rexy Porsche and AO Racing secured this remarkable achievement, I hope you enjoy the video!
Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 Race Broadcast
The race broadcast of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on IMSA Radio. John Hindhaugh leading the commentary team along with Jeremy Shaw in the broadcast booth and Shea Adam reporting from the pit lane.
LIVE | Race | Brands Hatch | British GT 2024
It is race time! It is the finale of the 2024 British GT Championship at Brands Hatch in Kent, England. Tom Hornsby, SRO Press Officer has our race preview before we hand off to David Addison and Joe Osborne in the broadcast booth and our roving pit reporter Bryn Lucas, reporting on everything happening during the race in the pit lane. Enjoy this one. It should be fun to watch. We'll see you next year, after this race is over, as 2025 will bring more great action in British GT.
LIVE | Warmup | Brands Hatch | British GT 2024
It is finals day for British GT 2024. This is the pre-race warmup session for dialing the cars in and doing some pit stop practice before we get going for the race this afternoon. David Addison and Joe Osborne covering the action from the broadcast booth while Bryn Lucas is our roving reporter in the pit lane taking care of news, notes, reports, and interviews.
LIVE | Qualifying | Brands Hatch | British GT 2024
Qualifying for the final race of the 2024 British GT Championship at Brands Hatch on the Grand Prix circuit in Kent, England. This is the Battle at Brands Hatch. David Addison and Joe Osborne take you through the qualifying rounds with their expertise and information about GT racing and the British GT Championship with Bryn Luca reporting from the pit lane.
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Indy 8 Hour Entry List Takes Shape
IGTC points leader Ayhancan Guven set to drive for GMG Racing.
https://www.dailysportscar.com/2024/09/27/indy-8-hour-entry-list-takes-shape.html
Saturday, September 28, 2024
HUGE Championship Implications | IMSA Indianapolis Race Report
From Off in the Esses. IMSA headed to Indy for the Battle on the Bricks which included some changing weather conditions and a big penalty for a championship contender!
Friday, September 27, 2024
Porsche & Acura PENALIZED! JDC Miller Promoted to GTP Podium
From Formula Jonah.
IMSA has confirmed that the No. 6 Porsche and the No. 40 Acura will receive penalties from the Battle on the Bricks event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This drops Porsche Penske off the podium and promotes JDC Miller Motorsports onto it with their No. 85 Porsche securing their first podium in GTP. In this video I'll breakdown these penalties and the implications that come with them.
Driver Lineups Confirmed in 25-Car Indy 8H Entry
Guven, Heinrich among latest confirmed drivers for IGTC, Fanatec GT World Challenge America finale...
Still making plans to cover all the Indianapolis action. When it will happen, I will keep everyone posted. Stay tuned.
IMSA 2024 Indianapolis Race REVIEW
From Formula Jonah. The penultimate IMSA race of the 2024 season is complete, and what a race it was! This 6 Hour endurance race was intense including changes in strategy, rain, crashes, breakthrough moments, heartbreak, bold overtakes, and surprising results, along with so much more! This is the race review for Round 10 of the 2024 season, the TireRack.com Battle of the Bricks at Indy.
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Intercontinental GT Challenge Headlines looking ahead to the Indianapolis 8 Hours
As the 2024 SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is upon us, here are some pertinent headlines going into the race weekend. There will be more highlighted later on. This is what we know thus far. Yours truly is looking for a window of opportunity either during the race weekend itself, or after it, to bring you full coverage of the race, as well as all the season finale SRO America support races that go along with it.
Vilander to Join AF Corse for Indy 8H
You will recall, this was discussed to a point during race two of the weekend at Barber Motorsports Park and we heard from AF Corse driver Jay Schreibman about Vilander joining the team for the big enduro.
IGTC Points Leader Vanthoor Stands Down from Indy 8H
Originally, I was going to editorialize on this. But I can put my thoughts here, in this blog post. I can see Porsche's reasoning for this because their prototype program, the factory Porsche 963 program within both the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, and the FIA World Endurance Championship, is more vital, than Mr. Vanthoor racing within one of their customer backed GT3 outfits. It says in the article, Ayhancan Guven, Vanthoor's Turkish teammate in IGTC, will be racing as a part of GMG Racing's entry in the race itself.
So, that pairs him presumably in the #32 Porsche 911 GT3R to co-drive alongside Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent at Indianapolis. Also, it states in the article, Laurin Heinrich will be the third driver, a Porsche ace in GT3 cars in IMSA and in global SRO competition, in the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R alongside Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer. Laurin Heinrich earned pole last year at the Indianapolis 8 Hours racing a Porsche 911 GT3R for Huber Motorsports.
WRT, GruppeM Confirmed in 25-Car Indy 8H Entry
DXDT Adds Sims, Liddy, McDonald to Indy 8H Lineup
Bathurst 12H Qualifying Format, Pro-Am Lineup Rules Tweaked
Car Collection Porsche Confirmed for Indianapolis 8 Hours
Leitch, Buus, D'Silva to Race EBM Porsche in Indy 8H
IndyCar champion Alex Palou from Spain is set to make a return to GT3 racing for the first time in five years, in the Indianapolis 8 Hours. Details below.
Palou to Make GT3 Return with Lone Star at Indianapolis
ROWE Drivers Bolster WRT's Indy 8H Lineup
Chaves Completes Racers Edge Acura Lineup for Indy 8H
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Brands Hatch Sees 2024 Title Showdowns
This weekend marks the finale of the 2024 season for SRO British GT Championship competition at Brands Hatch. Stay tuned for video posts coming soon of practice, qualifying, and the race, as per usual.
https://www.dailysportscar.com/2024/09/25/brands-hatch-sees-2024-title-showdowns.html
In Memoriam: Rocky Moran Sr.
1993 Rolex 24 at Daytona winner passes away at age of 74...
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/rocky-moran-sr-passes-away/
Rest In Peace, Rocky Moran Sr. You will be missed.
Abdolvahabi Passes Away at 58 After Cancer Battle
Michelin Pilot Challenge competitor passes away after battle with pancreatic cancer...
https://sportscar365.com/imsa/impc/abdolvahabi-passes-away-after-cancer-battle/
Rest In Peace, Ramin Abdolvahabi.
Recapping the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
From the official IMSA website, the race recap of the Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in case you missed any of it, last weekend.
Pre-Race News:
Jaminet, Tandy, No. 6 Porsche Back on Top in Indianapolis Practice
Battle on the Bricks Notebook: IMS President Pleased with Event's Growth
Qualifying Report:
Catsburg Inherits GTD PRO Pole at Indianapolis for Corvette
Bourdais Puts Cadillac Racing and Ganassi On Pole at Indy
Race Recap:
No. 01 Cadillac Leads Soggy Battle on the Bricks at Halfway
Eng, Krohn, No. 24 Lead 1-2 BMW Finish at TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks
Last-to-First Resurrection for Rexy, AO Racing in GTD PRO at Indianapolis
BMW M Team RLL Scores 1-2 Sweep at TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks
Post-Race News:
Check Out Indianapolis Motor Speedway Results And Points Standings Here!
Three Takeaways: TireRack.com Battle on The Bricks
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
INDY Hot Lap | In the Winward Racing #57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 | Narrated by Russell Ward
Winward Racing driver Russell Ward takes us around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the #57 Mercedes-AMG GT3. This is the view the drivers saw from their cockpits while competing in the Battle on the Bricks at "The Brickyard", Indianapolis Motor Speedway, last Sunday.
2024 IMSA Battle On The Bricks at INDY | Press Conference | WeatherTech Championship
Here's the complete WeatherTech Championship press conference for the IMSA TireRack.com Battle On The Bricks. Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
2024 IMSA Battle On The Bricks at INDY | Race Recap | WeatherTech Championship | Indianapolis, IN
Here's the full recap of the drama filled IMSA TireRack.com Battle On The Bricks. Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Brian Till, Calvin Fish, Dave Burns, and Townsend Bell, in the broadcast booth, and pit reporters Matt Yocum and Georgia Henneberry call all the action.
More WeatherTech Championship News after Indianapolis
More news from the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship after the Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Cairoli "Happy" Despite Early End for Lamborghini SC63 in Indy
Michelin IMSA Indianapolis Recap 2024
Bosch System Gives Wickens a "Chance" at LMDh Drive
The latest Double Stint Podcast as Jonathan Grace and John Dagys recap all the IMSA action at Indianapolis Motor Speeday and take a look at sports car racing news as well.
DOUBLE STINT: IMSA Indy Recap; News Roundup & More (9-24-24)
Monday, September 23, 2024
Dragon Speed's New Ferrari PLUS interview with Team Owner Elton Julian
From Formula Jonah. Big thank you to Photographer Lucca Conti for providing the interview and photos for this video, you can take a look at more of his work on his instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/luccacontim...
RAHAL WINS INDY
From David Land on YouTube.
BMW Team RLL hadn't won an IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car race on track in the GTP era... yet... in a week where Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was raided by the FBI, the team fought against the adversity and delivered a storybook 1-2 at the world's most famous race track.
Talking about that story and much, much more at IMSA's first endurance race at Indy!
Race Recap & Post-Race News After the Battle on the Bricks
The race recap and post-race news after The Battle on the Bricks for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Race Recap:
Bourdais Leads Rain-Soaked Opening Hour in Indy
Van der Zande Out Front At Halfway on Drying Track
BMW M Team RLL Secures Historic 1-2 Finish at Indy
Extended highlights of the Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on NBC Sports. Brian Till, Calvin Fish, Townsend Bell, and Dave Burns call the action from the broadcast booth, with Matt Yocum, Georgia Henneberry, and Hannah Newhouse, reporting from the pit lane.
Watch Extended Highlights of Battle on the Bricks
BMW Team RLL Secures Historic 1-2 Finish at Indy
Post-Race News:
Rockenfeller: No. 64 Mustang "Had Nothing" for AO Porsche
Bourdais Laments "Frustrating End" to GTP Title Chase
Indianapolis Post-Race Notebook
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Battle on the Bricks: Hour 6 (the finish)
Into the final hour of this motor race. Penske Porsche taking stops under yellow and they can go full bore for 54 minutes. Tandy can go flat out. No real wind, 6 miles an hour out of the southwest. Cloudy, 75 degrees, 84% humidity. It was a deluge and a downpour earlier today. #7 Porsche in pit lane. Felipe Nasr not happy. He is thinking of the championship picture. Nasr in damage control. Lights out on the safety car. We are going to be in for a fight to the finish. Green flag. Louis Deletraz and company won the 12 Hours of Sebring back in March. Deletraz punches it and he's gone. Connor De Philippi stacked behind the #5 Porsche 963 of Gianmaria Bruni, the Proton Competition car. Tom Dillman leads LMP2. Mike Rockenfeller applying the heat to Laurin Heinrich and so is Jack Hawksworth in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.
Felipe nasr has to pick his moment. With the steering out, turning that Porsche 963 will be an ice cream headache. Robby Foley in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 pushing for P2 in GTD on Kenton Koch in the #32 Korthoff Presto Mercedes and he makes the move but here comes Koch! He tucks into the draft and tries sending it! Contact! Oh man! Koch forcing the issue! No dice. He is hung out to dry. He is helping Winward Racing a fellow Mercedes team in GT Daytona. We saw debris off the GT car, the #44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin of Spencer Pumpelly. Excuse me, the #23 Heart of Racing car of Ross Gunn has lost bodywork with just 52 minutes left on the board.
Antonio Fuoco in Ferrari #47 all over Loris Spinelli in the #78 Lamborghini. Antonio Fuoco is a Le Mans overall winner for Ferrari in FIA World Endurance this year. Matt Bell battles with Kay van Berlo, the #13 AWA Corvette and the #90 Kellymoss Racing Porsche 911 GT3R. Louis Deletraz is coasting to dave fuel in the #40 Acura with a lap advantage over the two BMW M Hybrid V8's. Matthieu Jaminet and Phil Hanson are moving up. Phillip Eng just uncorks the fastest lap of the race. BMW going for a podium and a win.
They have not won in a long time. They are trying to break their duck with the #24 who has never won. Now, Deletraz is lifting and coasting to save fuel and in LMP2, it is a fierce scrap between Spike the Dragon and Nicklas Nielsen in the #88 AF Corse car who is a lap down and he spins Matty Brabham out who spins 360 after 360! That's three 360s for Matty Brabham! Gosh. Nielsen put him on the tilt a whirl and now, Phillip Eng passes Connor De Philippi in the battle of the factory BMW prototypes!
They are tired of knowing they have not had a podium. Shades of the middle point at Sebring back in March with BMW going after Acura for a victory. Acura got it at Sebring. BMW wants it. You know they do. Munich and the bosses will be having a Captain Cook at all of this. Eng has passed Deletraz and now Eng is caught up in GT Daytona traffic! Acura's backing up as he is in fuel save and now, the BMW boys are in full attack mode, throwing the kitchen sink at this. 45 minutes remaining in the motor race. 75% energy remaining in the tank.
Hard to save energy with other rivals right on your six. Deletraz does not want a yellow. Eng passed Deletraz through turn 13 back onto the speedway banking. The #52 of Tom Dillman is in to take it to the end on another fuel fill. 44 minutes to go. BMW 1-2. That has not happened since 2013 in the Grand Am championship the year before the unification of sports car racing to create the new IMSA. Fuel save is key for the #40 WTR Andretti Acura team. A splash and dash for the BMW's would cost them 45 seconds right at the end of the race. A yellow changes everything.
Deletraz, if he has to go on fuel save, the Porsche's are coming, Jaminet and Hanson, Penske and JDC-Miller. The sun beginning to set here at Indianapolis. Good run for the factory Ford Mustang's with a stacked lineup of drivers amongst their two cars. They had a podium at VIR in the GT sprint race last time out. Jack Hawksworth and Antonio Garcia not far behind. Lexus vs. Corvette. Garcia inside Hawksworth and no dice this time. Some clean racing between these two. Veterans who know what they are doing and now, Garcia tries it and can't get the crossover. Be careful. GTP Porsche's ahead and behind.
\Hawksworth takes the line away from the Corvette as we see a stopped car, the beleaguered #56 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 with Toni Vilander at the wheel of it, Ferrari ambassador, no longer a factory driver. He ran Ferrari Challenge here at Indianapolis last weekend and Anders Fjordbach spins the #86 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R. Fjordbach, the Dane, sharing with Kerong Li from China and Brendon Leitch from New Zealand. Leitch, a veteran GT3 driver in Lamborghini's making his first WeatherTech Championship start.
Half an hour to go at Indianapolis. BMW 1-2 as Connor De Philippi is back in the fight racing his teammate Phillip Eng. Mikkel Jensen takes the LMP2 lead from Paul di Resta. He cannot keep pace and runs wide and off the road! There's trouble for the Scotsman and now, Connor Zilisch makes the pass. He locked up the right front releasing the brakes. Mikkel Jensen and TDS Racing leads LMP2. The battle for the overall win is between the two BMW's with Louis Deletraz lurking along with the sole contending Penske Porsche 963 of Matthieu Jaminet, the #6 car. BMW have not podiumed and have not won.
The #25 car won on a disqualification at the 6 Hours of the Glen in 2023 but have not won anything fair and square yet. The energy data on the telemetry is pretty equal. Oh dear. Ben Hanley slowing in the #2 Oreca LMP2 car and is now refired and in limp home mode. Mikkel Jensen taking the #11 TDS Racing entry. They won this race last year in the sprint event. "Rexy" the dinosaur leading GTD Pro. They have been up and down all weekend with a pole and a ride height infraction and now working their way through the field and a great pit stop last time, beating everyone out of the pit lane trying to get "Rexy" a win at Indianapolis.
The two BMW drivers, are they on a fuel saving strategy? Yes. Everyone wonders and Philipp Eng asks if they can make it on fuel. It is a tight strategy for them. The top three are all in fuel saving mode with half an hour to go. Predictions tell us that the BMW's could be a lap shy on fuel and the #6 Porsche 963 of Matthieu Jaminet has more energy and is closing in on Louis Deletraz who makes contact with Chaz Mostert, the Australian, in the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 makes contact with the Acura and spins through the grass!
Tgat;s tge diabolical chicane at turn five forcing the issue on the outside and Mostert could have given it up as well. A big clonk to the #40 Acura of Louis Deletraz, and Mikkel Jensen is going for it and not saving any petrol. The BMW boys are hoping to bring it home. They need this result. They are based near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, so this is a home race. They want a victory. Connor De Philippi can save fuel in the draft and maintain the gap as the #57 Winward Mercedes gets mugged by the #18 Era Motorsports Oreca LMP2 of Connor Zilisch. Zilisch is being penalized by the stewards for making contact with Paul di Resta in the #22 United Autosports Oreca.
The #22 came down pit lane being black flagged to change the nose, they got the meatball, the mechanical black flag with the orange dot. The BMW goes outside the racing line to pass Felipe Nasr in the #7 Penske Porsche 963 who is running slow due to power steering trouble. Ross Gunn takes the spot away from the #3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Ross Gunn runs third in GTD Pro. The BMWs are down to 40% energy. De Philippi just sends it right around, zapping past the GT cars! Blimey! 20 minutes to go. BMW have not won, nor have they had a podium in 2024.
There's been tons of pressure in the BMW organization in GTP. BMW are showing speed, strategy, and reliability. How hard will the teammates battle for a win at Indianapolis in these last 18 minutes? Philipp Eng asks about saving fuel. No need to save fuel. They are fine to the end. Mano e mano between the BMW teammates. Let them race. They are not contending for a championship. An endurance race win at Indianapolis would be a feather in their hat. Mikkel Jensen leading LMP2 but he will have to scythe his way carefully through the GTD Pro and GTD cars as Laurin Heinrich continues leading in GTD Pro.
The Porsche 911 GT3R (992) has been strong, and they could have a 79 point lead headed for the finale at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta as Connor De Phillipi is getting closer and closer, saving more energy in the draft, but he loses downforce and burns off the tires if he gets closer. Deletraz in the #40 Acura hits pit lane. The BMW boys are getting better mileage. Now, Mathieu Jaminet is third in the #6 Penske Porsche 963 as the #88 AF Corse LMP2 car swerves and blocks the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca as well, of Charlie Eastwood, the Irishman. Maybe the BMW's are getting better mileage. Maybe not. 30% energy for Deletraz. 15 minutes left on the board.
Matthieu Jaminet running third. Does BMW have it in the bag? Getting down to the nitty gritty. The two BMW's working through traffic. Phillip Eng vs. Connor De Philippi. BMW teammates going for the win. Keep an eye on the #6 Porsche 963 of Matthieu Jaminet. The Porsche could pounce if the BMW boys get tangled up. Jaminet moves past the lapped #01 Cadillac of Sebastien Bourdais. Jaminet has 5% more energy left. Yikes! More lapped cars as now De Philippi closes on Eng! He has the power in the tow. Are they allowed to race?
Victory very important for BMW coming off their first podium in FIA WEC in Fuji, Japan. Squeezing the teammates, Eng defends and keeps the lead. Keeping the lead the most important thing but De Philippi could have made a pig's breakfast out of that. In the shadows, the #01 Ganassi Racing Cadillac of Sebastien Bourdais. If the #01 can unlap himself with a short yellow he could pass but he is three laps down, so it won't work. Nine minutes now left on the board. Jaminet has fallen off the hot pace, three seconds behind.
The BMW team battle is on. Eng has to time the GT Daytona traffic including Jan Heylen leading in the GTD class, the #120 car. Connor De Philippi flashing the lights. 15% energy remaining for the BMW's. De Philippi right on Eng's six. Rng will get stacked up. Deletraz was penalized for spinning the SunEnergy1 Mercedes earlier, the Chaz Mostert car. Jaminet gets balked behind Hawksworth for a second. Eng has a comfortable lead over De Philppi, as well as Bourdais and Jaminet. Porsche #7 still slow. Felipe Nasr still struggling with power sterring woes.
Nasr and company will have only 14 points in the lead headed to Petit Le Mans. Felipe Nasr bracing his elbows on the sidepods and wrestling the wheel. Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr, would only be ahead by 14 points headed for the Petit Le Msns at Road Atlanta. Driving with no power steering is horrible because you are wrenching the wheel and the steering is incredibly heavy. His hands are cramping up. For the final step on the GTD Pro podium, Jack Hawksworth losing the rear end grip on the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus and so Ross Gunn is catching up in the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin.
The sister #27 listed in GTD Pro tried being a blocker and it didn't work. Hawksworth loos like he is from the cast of the "Peaky Blinders" TV show. Now, here's a move on the outside and Hawksworth protects and then Garcia tags Gunn and puts the Aston Martin and Gunn on the back foot! Oh man! Three laps to go. No chance to manage the clock. Philipp Eng and Connor De Philippi both have just five percent energy left in the tank. Sebastien Bourdais and Matthieu Jaminet are catching up. BMW does not want to do an extra lap before the end,
Will the BMW boys be forced to save fuel? The team is calm. cool. and collected. Garcia side by side with Hawksworth and Ross Gunn wants a bite of the cherry! Garcia right on Hawksworth's tail! He shoves it to the inside and Ross Gunn has a head of steam. Hawksworth loses two places but he pushes Ross Gunn into the clag on the outside! Can Hawksworth respond? White flag next time by. BMW Team RLL have not been on a podium all year. They are based in Indianapolis and could win at home. Do they have enough energy for two and a half more miles?
Connor De Philippi at zero percent! Bourdais in the #01 Cadillac is hanging tough. Can he move over and let Matthieu Jaminet go by in the #6 Porsche? De Philipi flashing the high beams. Here comes Jaminet. Can the BMW's make it without coughing and sputtering? It's the final few corners. Philipp Eng and Jesse Krohn win the Battle on the Bricks! Mikkel Jensen and company win LMP2. AO Racing and "Rexy" wins GTD Pro! A third gold tooth for "Rexy". Jan Heylen, Adam Adelson, and Elliott Skeer win GT Daytona for Wright Motorsports!
Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher, and Jake Walker finish second in GTD Pro in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 with one race to go.
Overall/GTP: #24 Krohn/Eng BMW Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8
LMP2: #11 Thomas/Jensen/McElrea TDS Racing Oreca 07
GT Daytona Pro: #77 Heinrich/Christensen AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
GT Daytona: #120 Adelson/Skeer/Heylen Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
That's it from "The Brickyard". The home team, BMW Team RLL, based in Indiana, kisses the bricks here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ...And then, there was one. The season finale. The Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, is the final event on the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship calendar, coming up in three weeks. Join us there. Yours truly will be on vacation over the race weekend. When I return, rest assured, you will hear all about how Petit Le Mans turns out. Do stay tuned, everyone. So long from "The Brickyard". Take care. Bye bye.
Battle on the Bricks: Hour 5
Ryan Dalziel has the #18 Era Motorsports LMP2 car that Connor Zilisch is driving, and Zilisch has won in nearly everything he drives, especially stock cars and Mazda MX-5 Cup. Ryan Dalziel is giving the #18 A great performance. Zilisch is a Red Bull athlete as well. Trouble for the #6 Porsche 963 of Nick Tandy? He took the runoff area and the #01 Cadillac is side by side with the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Nick Yelloly. Filipe Albuquerque leads the motor race. The #10 and #5 need longer stops as we should see two more stops. Yelloly trying to pass van der Zande, putting the squeeze on the Cadillac and Nick Tandy takes the pass on Yelloly, too! This is bonkers!
Alessio Picariello gets a bit of breathing space. van der Zande starting to push. The #10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global Acura is now leading with Filipe Albuquerque at the controls. They have won two races this year. Sebring and Detroit. The #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren is off in the grass. WTR Andretti will switch back over to Cadillac for next year. The #9 McLaren is off and running with Oliver Jarvis at the wheel of it, stalled and is running again. Andretti's team name will not be on the Wayne Taylor team for 2025.
All four classes blended together. It has been busy and fun to watch and there's still plenty more in the final two hours of this motor race. Mustang vs Lexus in GTD Pro and now, Harry Tincknell has gone off in the mud someplace because the nose and half the windscreen is caked with mud. Ben Barnicoat is coming in a big hurry with an hour and 45 minutes of racing remaining. The lap time seems to be given to the Ford because they have more horsepwoer even though they don't have the grip or handling. Indianapolis Motor Speedway was meant to be a test track, one of two FIA Grade 1 infield road course tracks, and the third oldest permanent circuit in the world.
Before cars raced at Indianapolis there was a motorcycle race and a hot air balloon race. Albuquerque could be coming to the pit lane very soon. Andy Lally in the Aston Martin vs. Laurin Heinrich in the Porsche and Heinrich prevails. He is in podium position but must protect himself from being vulnerable. Now, van der Zande passes Picariello and it's tree wide with Picariello, Tandy getting sandwiched, and the Iron Dames GT Daytona Lamborghini! Yikes! Yelloly loses big to the cars he is chasing, Picariello and van der Zande. Tandy is going to have Yelloly in the BMW coming in a big hurry.
Matt Brabham makes a wild move in the #99 "Spike the Dragon" AO Racing LMP2 car and a big hip check between the #47 Cetilar Ferrari 296 GT3 of Antonio Fuoco and Loris Spinelli in the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini as the #10 WTR Andretti Acura pits for the next to last time. Full fuel load, new Michelin tires, and slightly off sequence. They are out of the championship chase. They can throw caution to the wind and use both cars to throw caution to the wind. A top off on fuel for the #5 Proton Competition Porsche 963.
Of course, the GTP cars have internal combustion engines along with the Motor Generator Unit and the battery. The GTP cars are very tricky to drive on stone cold tires that atre not up to pressure or temperature. Brakw early and he locks up the left front going nearly off the road! The braking with the brake by wire system is so, so sensitive. He is over the line and did lock up. I think he might have to do a drive through for unsafe release from the pit lane as Dane Cameron is on the stick and slices past in the #7 Penske Porsche. He can't catch the GT Daytona cars inclduing the #90 car, the Porsche 911 GT3R with Kay van Berlo at the wheel of it.
77 degrees ambient temperature and 81 degrees track temperature, hence the stone-cold tires. Two more stops for the GTP cars before the race ends. Renger van der Zande and Cadillac lead this motor race overall. Nick Tandy has now put the #6 Penske Porsche 963 into the lead in traffic holding station to pass Renger van der Zande. He is only four points out of the championship lead, in this battle of the giants, Penske and Ganassi. Porsche and Cadillac. An hour and a half of racing remaining. IMS President, Doug Boles making history with an endurance race and we see trouble for the Lamborghini.
This endurance race is about what the duration was of the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911 with almost seven hours of racing completed. Happy Birthday to Doug Boles. Big trouble for the #63 Lamborghini SC63. Argy bargy with Andrea Caldarelli clattering into Ben Barker in the #55 Proton Competition Ford Mustang, braking, the left rear toe link and cutting down the left rear tire. Romain Grosjean put the the car out front in the rain. Their race has turned pear shaped. Ben Hanley is now third i the LMP2 class in the #2 United Autosports Oreca 07.
Meanwhile, Tomm Milner ismrunning in third place in GTD Pro in the sister #4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Hello to IMSA President John Doonan. This is IMSA's second year here. Glad to see WeatherTech and Michelin sponsoring the series. Record crowds and we hope that continues for Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. 17 of 18 brands are winners in IMSA in 2024. They want to put a show on for the fans. Genesis will bring out a new GTP/LMDh car coming in a few years.
IMSA is "the biggest international series in North America". True that. Renger van der Zande in trouble and now, he is scrapping for it against Nick Yelloly and he loses a spot and now Louis Deletraz is right on his six. Poor old van der Zande has chewed up his tires. That is an evil handling Cadillac and he has to pit for new Michelin boots. There was a massive lockup resulting in a flatspot on the left front tire and then light contact with the BMW M Hybrid V8.
New sticker Michelin's on the car as Sebastien Bourdais is back into the car. This has been quite the race today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Nick Tandy in the lane and so is LMP2 leader Mikkel Jensen in the #11 TDS Racing Oreca. One hour and 25 minutes of motor racing to go. We see the #10 Acura and #7 Porsche scrapping and the #6 Porsche pitting. Sebastien Bourdais has cut down a left rear tire. This championship goes upside down with the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac!
He loses the tire and now, he overshoots the corner and picks up the banking on the oval. No evidence of contact. Maybe debris cut down the tire. Curb hopping on a low-pressure tire might have caused it and they've got damage to that car. Their championship hopes will also take a severe hit at Ganassi Racing. Louis Deletraz in the #40 WTR Andretti Acura now takes the lead of the motor race over Jesse Krohn in the #24 BMW and Matthieu Jaminet in the #6 Porsche.
One of the mechanics has to cut the shredded tire away from the brake disc and the axle assembly. The #18 Era Motorsports Oreca 07 has pitted and Ryan Dalziel hands over to Connor Zilisch who has won in everything he's driven. NASCAR Xfinity, Mazda MX-5 Cup, IWSC LMP2. Boulle and Dillman are now opening their lead on Keating and Hanley. Whoops. The #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari of Albert Costa Balboa goes off the road, the Spaniard. Conquest Racing won in GTD Pro at Road America. He was all by his lonesome with broken right front suspension and far too much camber.
Lots of Ferrari 296 GT3's racing globally as Connor Zilisch is flying! Full commitment and full send for the youngster! Connor Zilisch, turning on the afterburners and still on the lead lap in spite of spins and penalties. He passes Stevan McAleer and Graham Doyle in the #66 Acura NSX GT3 and the #45 Lamborghini Huracan as we see the #24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid in the lane for fresh tires and brimming the fuel changing drivers to Philipp Eng. Eng won for BMW in a GT3 car here in the SRO 8-hour race that will be taking place in a few weeks' time again.
Full Course Yellow. We are under Full Course Yellow. Drama for the #7 Porsche 963 of Felipe Nasr, stopped with a power steering problem. Wow! He tries to recycle the system and that's what he did, but it didn't work. Everyone is taking hits in GTP and there's still an hour and ten minutes to go. I cannot understand stopping a car in the middle of the straightaway with cars speeding by! That's bananas! That was an aggressive area to come to a halt and Louis Deletraz had to thread the needle between the leader who was stopped and the pit wall!
The #40 Acura still needs to pit. Just a shade over an hour to go. Who will claim victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? Louis Deletraz gives up the lead to come to the pit lane. Felipe Nasr still in trouble with the #7 Porsche 963. This championship is being turned upside down. Mustang, Lexus, Porsche, GTD Pro battle in the pit lane. This is going to be a fight to the end. The GTD leading #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche in the lane. Elliott Skeer out of the car and Jan Heylen will take the car to the finish. The #64 Ford Mustang GT3 will have Mike Rockenfeller finish after Harry Tincknell's stop and Tincknell trips over a tire. He'll be OK. "Rexy" beats everyone out! He goes from third to first. AO Racing! How about that!
In the saga of the #7 Porsche 963, Felipe Nssr cycled the electronics and is still having issues. He doesn't know if he can last for an hour without power steering. They might have to put Dane Cameron into the car. With these hybrid GTP cars without power steering is impossible. The loads are unreal with the switchbacks and the cars are set up for power steering to control a slide. Wrestling the car is not a part of the picture. Seating position, hand position on the wheel. My gosh. That Porsche 963 will be evil to drive.
Porsche #6 in the pit lane looking to the end of the race. Tires and fuel added.
Battle on the Bricks: Hour 4
The penalty for the BMW was for entering a closed pit as we are halfway home and into the second half of this six-hour endurance event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In the Michelin Endurance Cup, we will see the bonus points. This is significant because the top three in each class gets bonus points. Renger van der Zande, and we will see who else earns points in the other classes. The skies are a lot brighter now. The amjority of the rain has passed through Indiana it looks like. We are doing a reset. Race Control informs the teams that pit lane is open. Here come the prototypes, GTP and LMP2. Dane Cameron elects to stay out. He has 60% of energy level left, 60% fuel load. Cadillac vs. Porsche. Ganassi vs. Penske. The #7 Porsche 963 is in. The Penske Porsche 963 has a very clean stop. The GTD Pro leading #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 had to do emergency service.
The GT cars can't pit with the prototypes as the GT's are supposed to come in on the next lap as everyone is ging to slick tires. Nick Tandy is a huge NASCAR fan and recalls Nigel Mansell's IndyCar exploits here at rhe speedway. Here come the GTD Pro and GTD cars. Sports car racing is really on the up and up. The entries are open for next year and we will have massive fields in all classes for 2025. The #44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin will run the Rolex 24 and then go on sabbatical because of John Potter's business interests.
Magnus Racing won here at Indianapolis in either 2012 or 2013. The pass around is now happening as we are looking for the overall leader listed as Jesse Krohn in the #24 BMW. Bijoy Garg brings the #22 United Autosports Oreca 07 in the pit lane. Bijoy Garg won the LMP3 championship in VP Sports Car Challenge last year, in 2023. The radar is showing a good amount of clarity for the rest of the way. The engineer's brains are not smoking as much as they were before. Of course, the AO Racing "Rexy" Porsche was disqualified from their pole position for a ride height infraction.
They are getting better though as we see Garg with a lazy spin on cold tires with no traction control allowed. Connor De Philippi says, in the pouring rain, it was very slippery and there was a lot of standing water. The speedway doesn't drain so well. BMW goes to slick tires for this stint. The hard Michelin tire is built for the heat. Nick Yelloly is driving the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 after they came into a closed pit. De Philippi might do another double stint. We'll see. All of the GTP cars are on the lead lap, the ones that are still in. Tijmen van der Helm back in the #85 JDC-Miller "Banana Boat" Porsche 963. I think Richard Westbrook or Phil Hanson will do another stint later.
The #31 Action Express Whelen Cadillac has officially retired. The car got sick and shut down. It is true. There was a loss of oil pressure, and the engine quit. Oil lubricates the motor. Well, when the engine loses oil pressure, it shuts off. It is a failsafe mode, so the engine doesn't go bang in a plume of smoke. Such a shame for my pals at AXR. But that's racing. So, we see the #65 Ford Mustang GT3 in the pit lane with Joey Hand at the wheel also doing a lot of Ford's NASCAR Cup simulator work for the Ford Mustang Darkhorse Generation 7 NASCAR Cup car. Now, the prototype and GTP class split is happening. Two hours and 43 minutes of racing remaining. We will be under green flag conditions in a wee while.
The track is wet but drying. We have never seen a field this large and deep at Indianapolis. 56 cars for the sports cars on the 2.4-mile road course, compared to the oval and 33 cars for the Indianapolis 500 and 38 cars for the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race. Our class leaders, the #01 Ganassi Racing Cadillac of Renger van der Zande in GTP, Hunter McElrea for TDS Racing in LMP2, Michael Christensen for AO Racing Porsche in GTD Pro and Elliott Skeer in GTD in the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R.
Renger van der Zande is ahead by a country mile over Jesse Krohn in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 and the #63 Lamborghini SC63 of Matteo Cairoli is third and Michael Christensen goes off the road in the chciane getting nudged by Harry Tincknell in the #64 Ford Mustang GT3. The Ferrari 296 GT3 tries getting back on track and rattles into the Porsche and now we see Ben Barnicoat move by for second in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. Antonio Garcia is next up in the #3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
Barnicoat gets tagged by the Porsche and there is the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 of Davide Rigon who has some contact. Two and a half hours of racing remaining. Ross Gunn trying to pass the GTD class #78 Lamborghini. Devlin DeFrancesco at the controls of the Lambo. Two and a half hours to go as Renger van der Zande almost runs over the top of the GTD car! Egad! van der Zande runs to the high side and passes the GT Daytona traffic. Clear. The traffic behind, it is rush hour, baby.
Dane Cameron is being challenged by Nick Yelloly in the #25 BMW. Renger van der Zande has now gapped the BMW, the Lamborghini, the Acura, and the Porsche. van der Zande, Krohn, Cairoli, Jordan Taylor, and Nick Tandy. Hunter McElrea leads LMP2. Harry Tincknell in GTD Pro, and Corey Lewis in GTD. Ford Mustang GT3's leading both of the GT Daytona classes, Pro and regular. We have more trouble on the circuit, as Rui Andrade, the Angolan driver, is stuck in the gravel in the #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Both Corvette's are in the pit lane and one of those needs a clean windscreen tearoff and has been through the old Sippi hole. The #65 Ford Mustang GT3 of Joey Hand taps ppor old Rui Andrade and sends him spinning into the gravel trap. Full Course Yellow number five here at Indianapolis with two hours and 20 minutes to go. Porsche Penske in the pit lane. The #7 car has a clean pit stop and now we see Matteo Cairoli taking the lead in the Lamborghini. The two WTR Andretti Acura's are now second and third. Jordan Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque.
The Penske Porsche's have had pit lane penalties, contact, off course excursions and so on. Penske and Ganassi are 74 points apart to the final lap at Petit Le Mans next month while the #40 WTR Acura and the #31 Action Express Whelen Cadillac, last year's champions, are way behind now. In the LMP2 ppints Boulle and Dillman at PR1 Mathiasen with Inter Europol have 138 points over the Rley Motorsports car followed by Era United Autosports and AO Racing. Boulle and Dillman ahead of Fraga and Robinson, Dalziel, Hanley and Keating, and P.J. Hyett.
The yard of bricks and the entire track are drying up. Everyone is now on slick tires and so the teams are battling the weather. IN the GTD Pro class, the points margin is 17 between Heirnich and Gunn and then the rest of te feild is farther behind. But of course, AO Racing lost points but now they are 139 points ahead of Ross Gunn and Heart of Racing, 19 points ahead of the Paul Miller Racing BMW, 348 points ahead of Vasser Sullivan and 301 points ahead of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims.
I still need to check the GT Daytona points. I saw them on the screen but have not had a chance to break them apart just yet. Still under yellow as some of the golfers are out there on the Brickyard Crossing golf course. Survive turn one chaos. Manage temperatures, and let it rain on your parade? Well, managing tires and race cars will be fine and it has rained on our parade for a while, but the skies are brightening up. OK. Here are the GTD points. Leading is the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes of Philip Ellis and Russell Ward.
Second, Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMWM M4 GT3 and those teams are tied for their positions and behind them is the #32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3. According to Chip Ganassi, they are looking at strategy and hoping for less traffic concern with two hours and seven minutes to go. Safety Car lights off. We're back under green! Filipe Albuquerque is the leader of the motor race. Here comes Renger van der Zande to the inside of Phil Hanson who goes a lap down.
Look at the BMW's side by side! Jesse Krohn has to give it up and here comes Dane Cameron right up behind the yellow custmer Porsche 963. There is a puddle inside the approach to turn seven. Through the chicane, Hanson locks up and goes off the road! He runs with Jota Sport in the FIA World Endurance Championship, too and raced at Fuji last weekend, a race I hope to have for you on the blog soon. Mikkel Jensen makes his move on Phil Hanson in an LMP2 car in the dry! Oh man! Watch out so you don't go off in the Tooley's! Renger van der Zande does not want the top two to get away. Albuquerque being followed by Alessio Picariello in the #5 Proton Competition Porsche 963. Lots of traffic. 35 GT3 cars in the field, 21 prototypes. Closing in on two hours to go as we will soon start another racing hour and another blog post to continue talking about the action in today's motor race. It is wild out there at The Brickyard!
Battle on the Bricks: Hour 3
Car #023, the Ferrari 296 GT3 has a broken toe link as Hunter McElrea goes off the road in the #11 TDS Racing Oreca 07 he shares with Steven Thomas and Mikkel Jensen. No brake by wire, no traction control, and now, Jakub Smiechowski spins off in turn 13. He is back underway now. Aye yaye yaye yaye yaye. Keep the tire rolling through the turn or under braking. When the tire locks or slides in the wet, you can't save the car like you can in the wet. The #77 GTD Pro leading Porsche almost clatters the tires! Daniel Serra too in the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 almost crashes into the #77 AO Racing dinosaur Porsche as we see Romain Grosjean now in third in the new Lamborghini SC63. Jaminet, Bourdais, Grosjean, De Philippi, Eng. Porsche, Lamborghini, Cadillac, BMW, BMW.
Alex Riberas in the #23 Aston Martin for Heart of Racing is doing all he knows to try and keep the car on the road. In the wet, you are hyper focused to keep the car on the island and you lose peripheral awareness. Tunnel vision is very real especially for racing drivers in the rain. The #34 Ferrari 296 GT3 is off the road, the Conquest Racing car of Cedric Sbirrazuoli, the Monegasque sharing with Manny Franco from the states and Spaniard Albert Costa Balboa. Romain Grosjean has plenty of Indianapolis Motor Speedway experiece and he is showing that at the wheel of the Lamborghini SC63 currently. We also saw another of the cars off the road but while I was talking to you all about the other cars, I don't know who went off.
The battle is for third between Bourdais and De Philippi. Lamborghini has been quick from when they unloaded their car off the truck. This motor was built in house. The Lambroghini GT3 cars have an Audi V10 motor. Connor De Philippi is taking the fight to Sebastien Bourdais. There will be a penalty to the #43 Andretti Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R after contact. That is the Jarett Andretti, Gabby Chaves, Scott Hargrove car. The #31 Whelen Cadillac has just spun and is headed for the pit lane. Pipo Derani slow to the pit lane. He straightlined the corner, stopping in a hurry. The car shut off and he went to the brakes and stopped it.
He brings the car to the pit lane and what are they going to work on? They are pulling he tail off the car. Something electrical is wrong. The team does not exactly know what is going on. This is a scavenger hunt for the problem. Is the hybrid unit acting up? Intake? Fuel lines? This is not good for Action Express. Water and electricity don't mix. They are looking to the fuel lines. Maybe the fuel pressure is off and now, Romain Grosjean slams into Matthieu Jaminet! Lamborghini passing Porsche! Romain Grosjean on a tear to the top of the shop! Lamborghini leads Indianapolis! Jaminet nearly spun.
Grosjean has rain experience in an IndyCar here on the road course. He went from 17th to 10th in an Indianapolis Grand Prix, road course IndyCar race. Will Race Control deem the bump between Jaminet and Grosjean penalty worthy? The Whelen car is being pushed back to the garage. Not good for my pals. Our tough season, continues. Meanwhile, Porsche at the top of the shop in GT Daytona in the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R sharing with Elliott Skeer and Adam Adelson. Matthieu Jaminet flying Plummet Airways behind Grosjean with that rear diffuser damage.
For Jan Heylen, he has a gap to Ollie Milroy in the #70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. No word from the stewards on the contact between Jaminet in the Porsche and Grosjean in the Lamborghini. Felipe Nasr in the #7 Porsche 963 went off into the gravel and thankfully continues on his way. He just ran out of road. He ran off the road and got onto the painted white line. Romain Gtosjean is two seconds faster than Matthieu Jaminet. The battle is on between the Lamborghini SC63 and the Porsche 963. No clean laps anymore for the GTP cars. It is so stressful and requires focus and mental bandwidth.
Push, but don't push too much. Matteo Cairoli and Andrea Caldarelli are unknown quantities in the GTP class when they get their stints underway. What is Romain Grosjean doing with the throttle, the brakes, and the adjustable systems on the car? The differential settings, the braking system with the brake by wire? Felipe Nasr is short shifting, grabbing the gears early taking the peakiness out of the power band and limiting wheel spin. Alexander Sims leads the GTD Pro class by 24 seconds in the #3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. We might see more yellows here and maybe a dry line will form as we are going to be halfway home, soon.
The rain is letting up. The dry line is coming fast. At Action Express, Pipo Derani tells us that there was an oil pressure alarm and the engine shut down. The engine will be examined. The day could be over but they will inspect the car and see if they can get back out. Romain Grosjean warned about contact as it is drying out. Grosjean on stone cold wet tires. It might not be long before we see the cars going to slicks but a penalty for too many personnel over the wall! So, trouble in paradise for Cadillac, for Porsche, and for Lamborghini! Grosjean will have to do a drive through penalty. Connor De Philippi and BMW will take the lead.
Matteo Cairoli has taken over the #63 Lamborghini. Well, well, well. Now in the lane, the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac in the hands of Sebastien Bourdais. Tires are changed, fuel is added, and Renger van der Zande should take over. Now, the #63 Lamborghini is back into the pit lane. This is the drive through penalty for the #63 Lamborghini SC63 which is going to put them a lap down to the field. Wow. The #18 Era Motorsports LMP2 car has spun off and gotten back on the road. Sebastien Bourdais out of the car. He says that they ended up with the right tires and then the wrong tires.
It depended on rainfall levels. They did the best with what they had. There's a long way to go yet with the traffic, the weather. Bourdais still needs to debrief with the engineers as Renger van der Zande knows how to drive in the rain. A lot of the rain is moving out and we could stay dry for the next three and a half hours. If you aren't in front in any class, go to slicks. Take a gamble on tires. Michael Christensen leading GTD Pro in the #77 "Rexy" Porsche 911 GT3R, definitely looking for water.
Heinrich has an 149-point lead on Ross Gunn and a 188-point lead on Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat. Porsche, Aston Martin, Lexus, in GTD Pro points. The strategy call is to be sequencing the pit stops backtiming the race for three more stops. Jack Hawksworth will pit soon for slick tires. They gambled with Frankie Montecalvo and Jack Hawksworth. Vasser Sullivan has the experience on slick tires on a partially wet road. Marvin Kirchhofer could be having issues in the #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 and he has no grip on slick tires sharing the car with Oliver Jarvis.
The #5 Proton Competition Mustang Sampling Porsche 963 are going to slick tires. Porsche and Penske back to the lead. Felipe Nasr is in aboard the #7. The #6 needs attention to the rear wing. Nasr getting out handing over to Dane Cameron. Meanwhile, with the #6, Matthieu Jaminet was asked about tires. Be risky? Be safe? We might go with wet tires, says "Jam Jam". Nick Tandy is ready to take over the #6. There is a rear tail change on the #6 Porsche 963. Take your time. Do it right. Pack the fuel tank full of petrol.
BMW running 1-2 but now the #25 hits the lane for service. Connor De Philippi has had a great stint. Survival is the key. Tires and fuel. Elongated stops in the middle of the motor race as the #74 Riley Motorsports LMP2 car spins, Australian Josh Burdon at the wheel of it. Burdon sharing with Brazilian Felipe Fraga, and Gar Robinson, the American racer and son of sports car racing legend, George Robinson. That was late contact as Richard Westbrook tipped Josh Burdon, the #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963. No active rainfall currently. The #74 car will have the same driver lineup for the 2025 season. Why fix something that's not broken?
Josh Burdon stays in the car after routine service. With rain tires, they don't need as much time to get heat into them and get the tires up to optimum performance. We think the #9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren went to slicks on their most recent stop. It paid dividends for Lexus until the rain fell again. So it ebbs and flows and is a catch 22. Hopes for Pfaff Motorsports are that the track dries up. Be so, so careful in turn 14 transitioning back onto the oval. Pfaff Motorsports a lap down and they had to gamble.
The more cars on slicks, the faster the track will dry. But how do you pass if you have to go onto the wet line? Marvin Kirchhofer is trying his best to pass Spencer Pumpelly and does so. The #44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 goes down a spot. Pumpelly sharing with Andy Lally and John Potter. Stay out until getting to the fuel window. The pit lane is very wet with the #2 United Autosports Oreca 07 in and out staying on the wet tires. BMW leading in front and in GTP. BMW have struggled. They were on the podium in the recent FIA WEC race in Japan. Don't worry, again, I will have that race on the blog, hopefully soon.
The BMW team though, is feeling pressure as they know they can deliver. It is so hard to tell who is on what tire. Some are using the rain line and others are trying to just use the rain line. Matteo Cairoli making up for lost ground in the #63 Lamborghini SC63. Felipe Nasr put on a clinic earlier and now we see Dane Cameron going for it. They have finished on the podium in every race save one this year in 2024. The sun is beginning to peak out and the track is drying. The factory Porsche's are now seventh and eighth.
Felipe Nasr says that he was extra cautious and in the mixed conditions a margin is necessary with so much spray out there. There's lots of time left on the board. BMW #24 in the pit lane and back out. Fuel, slick tires, and a driver change. Coming soon, Michelin Endurance Cup points. You need to be up front to earn points. Teams have strategized for it. Marvin Kirchhofer is reeling in the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. The McLaren whistles off into the distance.
How much time do you lose hanging out on wet tires when it is dry? Don't keep the wets on for too long because they will be useless. The #40 WTR Andretti Acura going to slicks and now they have a loose air line for the air jack and turn the valve off so nobody gets whacked in the face! The rattle gun got pitched and the fitting from the rattle gun to the air tank lost it's grip. That's five to ten pounds of equipment. Two Ferrari's have clattered each other in GTD. #56, Rasmus Lindh for DragonSpeed and Giorgio Sernagiotto, the Italian, in the #47 Cetilar Racing entry who continues. In this replay, the BMW is trying to find speed and the two of the Ferrari's spun in tandem.
The #10 Acura is on slicks and has no grip. Filipe Albuquerque looking for tire pressure and temperature as Michael Christensen pits the #77 "Rexy" AO Racing Porsche as Nick Yelloly now leads the motor race in the #25 BMW Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8. All the GT Daytona cars are in the window for their tire changes. Nick Yelloly has a long, long way to go as does everyone else. Porsche #6 in the pit lane for scheduled service. Nick Tandy at the controls. Renger van der Zande in the Cadillac #01 has half a fuel load left as the Penske Porsche team goes for slicks.
Cold, slick tires as we join Dave Burns and Calvin Fish. The track is drying up. The points shift is 2660 for the lead of Cameron and Nasr, 65 points over the sister Porsche and 104 over the #01 Ganassi Cadillac. Tandy is a sitting duck and almost gets punted off the road with the wet conditions. The slick tires are allowing the prototype to be overtaken by the GTD Pro, GTD and LMP2 cars. Weaving the tres around cleans the tires but does not put any heat in the tires.
Now, Tandy is beginning to feel it with loading the tires up and we have a spin for the #023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari in the sand and team boss Onofrio Triarsi beaches the car in the gravel trap. Full Course Yellow. We are under Full Course Yellow again. With the low ride height he will need a tow. He got squeezed by Toni Vilander and Giorgio Sernagiotto was right there, too. Three Ferrari 296 GT3's trying to fit in one place. I think it is a racing incident. I think Sernagiotto forced the issue as one of the BMW's, the #25 serves a drive through penalty. He cannot serve the penalty under yellow, however.
He thought he'd made it but he didn't.
Battle on the Bricks: Hour 2
Full service and a driver change for the #40 WTR Andretti Acura. Louis Deletraz finishes his stint and Jordan Taylor gets in. This is going to be a mentally draining race. Your eyes are on stalks looking for the puddles and the grip. The GTP cars at 190 miles an hour and the rapid condition changes play games with your mind as a driver. Back time the race for who you want in the car for the final double stint. The tire changers with the rattle guns, the tape is wet and like ice. Their shoes, they don't want to slip and fall down. Break out your wellies, everyone. The rain is getting worse. The #4 Corvette is in. Grab a coffee and some lunch during this yellow. Hot dogs, beans, corn on the cob. Eat up, because we are about to go back to green, maybe.
It is good to discover where the puddles are under yellow as the GTD Pro and GTD cars pit. Paul Miller Racing BMW, Iron Dames Lamborghini. With the constant rain, the track conditions are going to be consistent lap on lap. Not much grip for Jack Hawksworth even on wets in the #14 Lexus RC F GT3 with that 5-liter V8 under the bonnet. Visibility is so massively huge. Have a demister system on the inside of the windscreen and get the windscreen wiper to touch the screen as Philip Eng is in the lane in the #24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 sharing with Jesse Krohn.
Richard Westbrook in the #85 "Banana Boat" JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963, loves the wet, sharing with Tijmen van der Helm and fellow Brit Phil Hanson. Watch the braking system on the GTP car, mechanical in the front, and electronic in the back. The spray is insane. Pipo Derani is now in the #31 Whelen Action Express Cadillac. Louis Deletraz tells us that he was very surprised to get tipped into a spin with the GT car outbraking himself. I think that was the #56 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3. That is the all-Scandinavian driving team. Swedes Rasmus Lindh and Henrik Hedman, teamed with Finlander Toni Vilander.
Be patient and watch out for the aquaplaning to avoid a demolition derby. In the old days, there were no heated windscreens in the early 1990s. No defroster, an inside driver's side windscreen wiper, nothing on the right. The inside windscreen wiper jammed into the steering wheel. It is like shaving in the morning right out of the shower. Poor Calvin couldn't find the pit lane. A lot of drivers had the squeegee in the car. Hans Stuck started that trend when he drove with Porsche. The #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 is back out but 11 laps down to the VT Daytona class leader. The cameramen have the squeegee.
Back in the day, in 1993, when it rained big at Sebring, our mate Calvin Fish was driving an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme for Rocketsports with Paul Gentilozzi, a champion racer himself, and his team. In that race, 47 cars started in five classes. Calvin Fish drove to an eighth-place finish with teammates Dorsey Schroeder and Paul Gentilozzi in the #31 Rocketsports Oldsmobile Cutlass in the GTS class. In fact, years ago, Calvin and Dorsey commentated on sports car races together as well. Good times! Good times! Still under yellow as Sebastien Bourdais leads overall and in GTP. Nick Boulle leads LMP2. Alexander Sims in GTD Pro and Patrick Gallagher in GTD.
So, Ganassi Cadillac, PR1/Mathiasen with Inter Europol, Corvette Racing, and Turner Motorsports BMW. Action Express had a slight miscommunication on the left rear tire. They sent the car and corrected the mistake. No worries. Pipo Derani driving now. Tom Blomqvist will be in the car next. The weather doesn't guarantee a clean race. Get the drive time in. Then, you don't want to change drivers in changing conditions. Nutrition and hydration so important. What do drivers eat?
Well, get carbohydrates and water. Anything easy to go down like pasta. No heavy food. But carbo loading is big. Pasta with a little chicken and a little olive oil will be fine. Now, if you have a three-driver lineup, all the drivers need to do a 30-minute drive time. You can't leave your third driver hanging. There is an adjustment to the rules, if there is a red flag. You need to tick all the boxes with the strategy. It is so, so tough for the coaches, for the engineers and the strategists. Dirk Mueller is back at the wheel of the #65 Ford Mustang GT3. The #19 Lamborghini is out of the race. Game over for Maximilian Paul and for Luca Engstler.
The Multimatic Ford Mustang team are looking good. Now, they are back on track. These cars are so homologated, you have to get permission to change the parts. This is a formula, when you build a car, you build it in a box, and you need to approve it according to the rules and parameters it was built to. It takes an act of Congress to change it. It is why we use Balance of Performance. There are a lot of engine layouts and types, and power ratings. The tech committee, from a power and weight ratio, the cars need to be equal to race each other.
The #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 is pitting. That's the all-Australian team of Kenny Habul, Jordan Love, and Chaz Mostert. One of Habul's homes is on the Conrod straight at Mount Panorama Bathurst where Habul and his team have won. He has run at Indianapolis in SRO competition, and we will have the SRO enduro race here for you in a couple weeks. Cars circulating and we are getting the field under control. There is time to neutralize and don't turn this race into a demolition derby. The #027 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 is pitting.
They had a damper, a shock absorber issue that was out of homologation, so they got disqualified. This is their GTD Pro second entry with Roman De Angelis, the Canadian, and Germany's Mario Farnbacher. Heinrich and Gunn are 49 points apart for the GTD Pro title. This is the crossover time, and you can use the other car as a guinea pig to change over to a different set or type of Michelin tires. Split strategies can really be helpful. Trust me, no team is going to give their strategy away! So, as writers and commentators, we just have to guess. Learn the track. Learn the conditions as we are almost halfway through hour two here at Indianapolis.
There's moisture in the air right now. IMSA has such great history. There was a historic NASCAR race in the HSR historic sports car racing. These are the older NASCAR cars, not the homologated Gen 7 machines of today. Go to IMSA.com and check out the 2025 HSR Historic Sports Car Racing schedule. The road courses are a part of NASCAR's playoffs for the championship. There's Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Motor Speedway "roval". "Rexy" the dinosaur, the Porsche #77 is in for scheduled service. Pat Womack won the NASCAR Classic race, an old Joe Gibbs Denny Hamlin Toyota Camry.
Chris Andrews prepares those old NASCAR Cup cars. There is a street legal NASCAR CUp Series road course Toyota for Kyle Busch when he drove for Joe Gibbs Racing. He made a NASCAR Cup car street legal like the old Trans Am cars, the old sports cars from the '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s. That is just plain cool! Chris Andrews is an engineer for the Lexus Vasser Sullivan team. Frankie Montecalvo says when the rain started, he was on slicks and hit a river and snapped around and crunched the wall. They are getting the car back together and hoping to get back out there. Halfway through the second hour here at Indianapolis.
Again, these wet conditions are like black ice, and you can do nothing if the car hydroplanes off the road. With the wide track in the corners, you try scooting down the inside, and it can turn into calamity corner. IMSA is very giving, and many teams give back to those less fortunate or giving back to those who might be sick. Mike Rockenfeller is getting out of the #64 Ford Mustang GT3, and Harry Tincknell gets in. The IMSA paddock, there is a return on everything. Camp Boggy Creek, Austin Hatcher pediatric cancer foundation, Team Fox for Parkinson's research, and more. The #18 Era Motorsports Oreca of Connor Zilisch, he has been on a tear, winning in stock cars, sports cars, you name it.
Wins in LMP2, Mazda MX5 Cup, ARCA. NASCAR Trucks, NASCAR Xfinity Series. My gosh! Connor Zilisch is a character. He is a huge asset to the endurance races for Era Motorsports. Ryan Dalziel, Connor Zilisch, and Dwight Merriman. Zilisch did not have good luck at Bristol in the ARCA race on the truck race and had a huge crunch in both events. 36 degree banking at Bristol Speedway in Tennessee. Connor Zilisch can drive stock cars and sports cars, both. Green flag and we are back to racing. Rediscover the situation. Refocus. Now, Romain Grosjean in the #63 Lamborghini fighting with the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 and that's Connor De Philippi!
Grosjean loses the rear end and has to regroup. The GTP cars were all very close. The Lamborghini has it's first in house designed racing motor, the 3.8-liter twin turbo V8. It is early days. They have been racing in the FIA World Endurance Racing too. Felipe Nasr serves a penalty for passing under yellow along with the #5 Proton Competition Porsche 963 and the #99 AO Racing "Spike" LMP2 car. Remember that Felipe Nasr is the championship leader. Risi Competizione scrapping with one of the McLaren's and now, the Pfaff Motorsports #9 McLaren 720S GT3 moves up past the #88 AF Corse LMP2 car.
Henrik Hedman has spun the #56 DragonSpeed Flex Box Ferrari 296 GT3 and we had a three-way battle in LMP2 as Charlie Eastwood in the #8 Tower Motorsports car got squeezed. The #90 Kellymoss Racing Porsche 911 GT3R was also involved, Jake Pedersen, Kay van Berlo, and Riley Dickinson. The fight is on between the #14 Vssser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 and the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 as well as the #96 GTD BMW M4 GT3 from Turner Motorsports. All the GT Daytona Pro and GT Daytona cars are the same. Only the driver lineups are different and here come the two Heart of Racing Aston Martin's in GTD Pro!
Holy cow! What a race! What a race! Riberas is passed by De Angelis. Oh, my heavens! The battle is now on between Sebastien Bourdais, Matthieu Jaminet, and Connor De Philippi. Cadillac, Porsche, BMW, onto Hulman Boulevard carving through the GTD Pro and GTD traffic. Forget good, clean easy laps, and Jaminet reads the move and passes Bourdais! Holy mackerel! He made that look like taking candy from a baby. Only 46 points separating the two Penske Porsche's in the points standings right now. There's a long way to go yet.
Bourdais in the #01 Cadillac is caught in GTD traffic. The strain will not be physical for the drivers in the rain. The mental fatigue will be extreme. Drivers after the race tonight will want to be in a darkened room and go to bed early. Eat some dinner, get out of your racing suit, and go to bed. Oh man! Eight LMP2 cars have drive through penalties for disobeying the wave around and the class split. LMP2 drivers were told no by Race Control on the class split. They gave the split to the GTP cars;. That's an oddity. We'll see what timing and scoring says. Jaminet is motoring away from Bourdais in traffic.
The headlamps are so bright, they are more of a distraction to a GT driver if the GTP cars are motoring up behind you. Nico Pino in the #2 Wynn's sponsored United Autosport Oreca leads but they too have a penalty in their future. Ben Keating and Ben Hanley share the car with the Chilean driver as the #023 Triarsi Ferrari spins, Onofrio Triarsi at the wheel of it making contact with another car. That wheel on the left rear is busted. He got collected by the #45 Lamborghini and the #43 Porsche. Chain reaction crash there.
Battle on the Bricks: Hour 1
The most famous speedway in the world. "The Brickyard", Indianapolis Motor Speedway, for the first time ever, plays host to an IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship endurance race for the very first time. A 2 hour and 40-minutes sprint race? Forget about it. Today, we are going all out, for six hours. A six-hour race, yes, it is an endurance event, but it might go by so quickly that if you blink, you could miss something. On the other hand, we could see several yellow flags today considering track density. Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the combination of the oval and the infield road course, which has more twists and turns than rises and falls, as it is relatively flat, like the one at Daytona International Speedway, adds up to 2.439 miles in length. 56 cars in four classes are slated to start today's race. Traffic density will be a major factor all day.
56 cars on this short circuit equals almost 23 cars per mile! There will be nowhere for the drivers to rest today over the course of the next six hours. Some teams have opted for two driver pairings and others are going with three. Let's look at our class polesitters. Overall and in GTP it is the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V Series.R driven by Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande. In the LMP2 class, Nick Boulle aboard the #52 PR1 Mathiasen/Intereuropol Oreca 07 breaks a four-race pole streak by P.J. Hyett, AO Racing, and "Spike" the dragon. Boulle, the American amateur Bronze rated driver, is sharing the #52 car today with Jakub Smiechowski of Poland and Frenchman Tom Dillman. Boulle is a jeweler by profession, but he is proving himself as a racing driver as well.
In the GT Daytona Pro class, things are kind of fascinating. Everybody thought "Rexy" the dinosaur, the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3R with its green tyrannosaurus Rex livery earned the pole with the driving team of Laurin Heinrich of Germany and Porsche factory driver Michael Christensen of Denmark. However, the dinosaur, temporarily went extinct as the car failed post-race scrutineering and the stewards found an infraction. What that is, isn't clear but we might expound on it before the green flag.
In the GT Daytona division, it is the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 that scored pole with an all-Australian lineup as team boss and solar energy magnate Kenny Habul returns stateside to race in IMSA. He is sharing the car with countrymen Jordan Love, who has been a mainstay in global GT3 racing, and Australian Supercars and GT racing veteran Chaz Mostert completing the driving trio. Again, I really believe traffic is going to be a critical factor in the race today as this is the first time Indianapolis has hosted an IMSA endurance race. Other sports car championships have run endurance events here in the past, but with fewer cars on the grid and the cars all running to similar specifications.
Breaking down the classes in the 56-car field, there are 11 GTP cars, 10 LMP2 cars, 13 in GTD Pro and the largest class represented class is GTD with 22. We have, for the NBC Sports and Peacock broadcast, Dave Burns, Brian Till, Calvin Fish, Townsend Bell, and James Hinchcliffe in the broadcast booth, who will be rotating in and out through the six hours, and taking care of all we need to know in the pit lane will be Matt Yocum, Georgia Henneberry, and Hannah Newhouse. Drivers come from Formula 1, IndyCar, and sports cars just the same.\
Names we recognize, future starrs. The goals are the same of conquering The Brickyard and becoming a winner at the greatest track in the world. Only one place in the world where an imperative phrase, "drivers start your engines", brings a crowd of fans to their feet. That is here, at The Brickyard. The coolest cars on the planet. A 200 mile per hour car show. 56 strong starting with 150 drivers. Some have raced here before. Some are on debut. Many have not won. This is going to be very special. Drivers are chasing history today.
This place never gets old. The yard of bricks that stretches from the start/finish line through pagoda plaza. In 1961 it was paved with asphalt, but there are still millions of bricks across the finish line. The fans in the infield are pumped! They are ready to watch a sports car endurance race. This is the penultimate race of the season and the IMSA Battle on the Bricks, is right here, right now. 56 cars, six hours, championships on the line, with some rain in the forecast. Indianapolis makes great names. Team Penske, "The Captain", Roger Penske, ahd Chip Ganassi Racing, are both here.
We have Rahal, Andretti, Action Express under team owner, Bob Johnson, all the stars are here. Last time out at Road America it was a Penske Porsche 1-2. The cars are on track ready to race. Ldt's look at the circuit. 2.436 miles. It is dominated by two long straightaways and two very tricky sectors of corners. 190 miles an hour into turn one in a GTP car. Watch out for drama. Turn seven is a huge overtaking opportunity. Watch turn 14, the final turn onto the frontstretch. There is nuance as we get ready to go. We've got rain in the forecast. These GTP cars have such high horsepower and torque and putting power down in the rain is going to be a bugaboo.
Watch for the fly by wire braking systems. This is going to be maddening! Here we go. We're ready. Green flag! Away we go! The race is on! Bourdais gets the lead but here comes Matthieu Jaminet and Louis Deletraz. Six hous. Don't get sucked into going bonkers. Three deep in GTP for Jack Aitken in the #31 Whelen Cadillac as we see the GTD Pro and GTD start. Corvette leading Mustang. ABS brakes in the GT3 cars, not in the GTP or LMP2 cars. There's rain coming. We need t watch. Porsche, Acura, Cadillac, everyone is absolutely pushing like mad!
Get the energy into the Michelin tires. That will pay dividends. Matthieu Jaminet flying Plummet Airways already and settling in. Nasr jinking around and goes around Deletraz. Felipe Nasr pushing, pushing, pushing. He drove around the #40 Acura like he was standing still. The BMW #24 BMW M Hubrid LMDh is pushing. As the rain comes, watch the curbs and the paint. Porsche inside Cadillac. Nasr passing Bourdais. Penske Porsche vs, Ganassi Cadillac.
Nasr really beginning to motor. He is throwing caution to the wind. Again, rain drizzling and the skies are darkening. We are going to see more. As Bob Dylan sang in one of his songs, a hard rain is gonna fall. In the GTD Pro class we see Dirk Mueller chasing after one of the Lexus RC F GT3's. Two fornt engine V8 sports cars as the #45 Lamborghini and the #34 Ferrari both go off the circuit and back on. That's cold tires. Oh no. The #65 Mustang gets punted by the #19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3. There's severe damage for rookie driver Maximilian Paul of Germany sharing with countryman Luca Engslter.
That was a late move by the rookie, clattering into Dirk Mueller in the #65 Ford Mustang GT3 and he has a broken toe link. Mueller sharing with Joey Hand. They go straight back to the garage. The #65 has had a fraught time. No real body damage but there's big suspension damage. The suspension has been tweaked and the Lambo's steering is toed out. The #40 Acura has been spun around by a GTD car and things are going a bit pear shaped. If you are Jack Aitken in the #31 Whelen Cadillac, how decivisve can you be? Watch the traffic. Watch the traffic. Watch the traffic. The GTP cars are 30 miles an hour faster than the production-based cars.
Deletraz spun because he simply got in the way of one of the GT3 cars. That was Rasmus Lindh in the #56 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3. This is their first start with the Ferrari and here comes the Lamborghini on the JDC-Miller #85 Porsche 963! Gianmaria Bruni goes for it and now, Tijmen van der Helm in the Porsche scrapping with Romain Grosjean. The GTD cars are all over the place and the GTP cars are trying everything to escape the ornet's nest. Aitken chasing Bourdais, hard. Jack Aitken passes by Sebastien Bourdais.
Bourdais and van der Zande are driving for rides next year because Ganassi will not race a Cadillac prototype in 2025. They will just be in IndyCar. The GT Daytona cars, it is insane because you have the prototypes screaming past you at all times. In the #40 Acura pit, Louis Deletraz is told everything looks OK. Deletraz is mad at one of the other drivers calling the driver a "moron". Left front steering arm damage for the Maxi Paul and Luca Engstler Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. Feel it out, don't just dive into the turn. The blindspots on a GT Daytona car are massive. Nicky Catsburg in the #4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R has Mike Rockenfeller in the #64 Ford Mustang GT3 all over him like cheap suit.
There was weight taken off the Mustang, power was added. Now they are in the sweet spot. Our championship leader in GTD Pro, the ride height was too low on "Rexy" the #77 dinosaur Porsche 911 GT3R. The weather is dry for now. To the west of us, it is beginning to rain. We are going to see mixed conditions all day. Are the teams prepared on setups? Are there enough rain tires? Weather will be part of our conversation today. The mist has stopped. Oh dear. Another spinner, the #88 LMP2 car. With the tire deal, we have the wet tires and the slicks. The #88 AF Corse entry is stuck at least partially in the gravel and we have a spin too for the #22 United Autosport Oreca as well.
Luis Perez Companc and Dan Goldburg have both spun. Full power, loop the car around and we should have a Full Course Yellow to rescue Luis Perez-Companc sharing with Nicklas Nielsen and Dylan Murry. Dan Goldburg in the #22 entry has Paul di Resta and Bijoy Garg as teammates. The #88 spun all by his lonesome and poor old Goldburg did the same thing up the road. He had contact with Sheena Monk in the #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 sharing with Stevan McAleer and Tatiana Calderon. You cannot be a bull in a China shop.
A bull in a China shop is actually a very silly saying, that sounds good on paper. I have seen an experiment and bulls don't automatically knock China over. But I guess, if you are an exuberant racing driver, you can be a bull in a China shop and play dodge 'em cars but it will get you nowhere. Luis Perez Companc is back on his way again. This is going to be a mentally fatiguing race. We have 48 cars in the sprint race last year. Eight more cars here for the endurance event at 56. Reset how aggressive you are. It has dried out and we could see raindrops later. Everyone is up to snuff now.
Felipe Nasr might shoot through the target and lose a bit. Can Sebastien Bourdais and Jack Aitken catch up? Or will the Porsche go for it. A few takers are in the lane in GTP. Porsche, BMW, Acura, and more, but the sister cars. Is this a five or a six-stop race for GTP? Five and a half is more likely. Both BMWs in the lane. WTR Andretti Acura's are in the lane, both of them. Mathieu Jaminet gets topped off with gas. "Jam Jam" didn't have enough grip and so he changes the anti-rollbar to stiffen it. There's no tire warmers in IMSA. The crowd are reaching for their umbrellas. Rain could be on the way.
Now, the GTD Pro and GTD cars are pitting. Are we going to see rain tires? That's the question. Yes, Mr. Shakespeare. Yes indeed. Winward Mercedes, Corvette, and more going for wet weather tires. Vasser Sullivan Lexus in the lane, car #12. Frankie Montecalvo gets in the car and tye are going for more slick tires. Montecalvo sharing with Parker Thompson and Aaron Telitz. Both United LMP2's have slick tires. A lot of the GTD and GTD Pro cars are going to wets but cold, slick Michelin's in heavy rain is going to be a big problem for Frankie Montecalvo.
It is raining at the Indianapolis airport hard, five miles from the speedway. Porsche and both Cadillac's are in. Whoops! Era Motorsports car #18 spins with Dwight Merriman at the wheel of it. Wet tires it appears for Action Express, Ganassi, and Penske. Heart of Racing Aston Martin, Mustang, Corvette etc. #31 beats #7 and #01 out of the pit lane. Both WTR Andretti Acura's are in the lane, #10 and #40 both. The team usually asks what tires the driver wants. The driver has no idea and asks the team and they say, "no, mate. We need to know what you want!" Almost the entire 56 car field was in the lane.
Dirk Mueller tells us that this incident he had with the Lambo is not what he wanted. He had an apology from Maxi Paul. Mueller says "he was losing the train, doesn't have the speed, and he apologized. But there is nothing I could have done. This isn't a passing area. Stay close to me so I can tell what you are doing." Big damage to the Ford Mustang #65 and they will have to treat the race as a test session. The damage is all in the suspension on all four corners. Apologies are all the other driver has but sometimes, apologies just cannot be accepted.
Rain tires for the #31 Whelen Cadillac of Jack Aitken. We are half an hour into the race with a long way to go. The #45 Lamborghini is in and we don't see Frankie Montecalvo returning to the lane for tires. It will be hero or zero for him. He could be in the pound seats if the track dries. #45 is the Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 of Kyle Marcelli, Danny Formal, and Graham Doyle. There was a close car with a tire for the #23 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin and they have two GTD Pro ranked Aston Martin's today, the #23 and the #027.
ABS and traction control on the GTD cars of GT3 spec. Every brand has different approaches, but they all have a rain setting for the antilock brakes and the traction control, testing constantly but you cannot plan for wet weather at all. Wind the brake bias t the rear so you don't lock the brakes up. With the fly by wire rear brakes and mechanical brakes on the GTP cars, they have a lot of tools. The crew chief reminds drivers, "go to your rain settings." Peter Baron calling strategy for Action Express. I think they might have missed something, but they will get back in the fight. They have a logbook of past trends and driver strategies.
It is just like baseball. You have a logbook of pitchers, batters, their performances in games for the bullpen and for the starting players. The humidity is bonkers. The ambient temperatures are hot. Make sure there's airflow in the cockpit so the windscreens don't mist up. Green flag and we are racing again and now Felipe Nasr has Sebastien Bourdais to his inside taking the lead away. Hard to get the car to turn in the wet. Bourdais up on the wheel and another spin now for Goldburg in the #22 car! Jeepers creepers! Nasr not letting Bourdais get away. Bruni, Jaminet, van der Helm, more Porsche's coming. Nasr to the inside and passes Bourdais and here comes Matty Jaminet and Gianmaria Bruni in the gray and gold #5 Proton Competition Mustang Sampling Porsche 963.
Porsche is coming off a win in WEC at Fuji last weekend. We will talk about that race in the near future. There should be time, soon. The normally aspirated V8 in the Cadillac brings more power for off corner acceleration than the turbo Porsche's. Some of the drivers are running the traditional rain line outside the racing line to look for water in the aggregate and across the bricks. Rain tires also have a sofeter compound as the LMP2 battle sees Nick Boulle passing Ben Keating as there is a drive through penalty for the #99 AO Racing Oreca, "Spike" for hitting pit lane equipment. Frankie Montecalvo is going back forwards in the GT Daytona class.
If it stays drizzly, stick to a lap time and have better longevity on the slick Michelin tires. Lexus #12 is flying and so is in GTD Pro the sister #14 of Jack Hawksworth sharing with Ben Barnicoat. Now, Devlin DeFrancesco in the Forte Racing #78 Lamborghini is running well. The Lambo is very balanced as a GT3 car across all the racetracks. DeFrancesco sharing with Loris Spinelli and Misha Goikhberg as we see a spin for Sheena Monk in the #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3. John Farano spins the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca LMP2 and he has damage. We could see another yellow and now, a abttle for the lead again between Bourdais and Nasr! Nasr takes the lead! Bourdais has a head of steam and he wants it back!
Ganassi vs. Penske at Indianapolis. How many times have we seen that at the Indianapolis 500? A lot! The traffic is bananas and now, Gianmaria Bruni is in third! The #5 Proton Competition Porsche 963 and now we have another yellow on the circuit. Full Course Yellow for the stranded #66 Acura NSX GT3. Who will come to the pit lane. Sheena Monk says she cannot power cycle the car to restart it. They have a battery, but they need assistance from the AMR safety workers. The truck is there providing assistance. Gradient Racing had a podium at Road America and they will change to the Ford Mustang GT3 next year.
The drizzle is getting worse. If it stays light, it will be rough staying on wet tires for the factory Porsche boys. The wet is conservative on speed and it is safer because slicks in the rain are going to be a bear. It is raining harder as we soon will end hour one and get into hour two. We saw John Farano in the #8 Tower Motorsports Oreca LMP2 get tipped into a spin from the #4 Corvette of Nicky Catsburg. We have a good number of Indianapolis 500 starters in this race. Sebastien Bourdais, Gabby Chaves, Romain Grosjean, Devlin DeFrancesco, Tom Blomqvist, and Matt Brabham.
Gren flag. The rooster tails are appearing now. This is a deluge. You can't see anythigng. Nasr out pf cpntrol swerving to avoid the apex and locks up! He saved himself there! Release the brake and find the front end. Two LMP2 cars are bailing out as well. Bourdais is flying and now, here comes the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus for wets as we go back to Full Course Yellow. Mechanical braking and electric braking combo in the GTP cars and the sister Lexus has spun off the road and spun in a straight line and is against the wall on the frontstretch of the oval!
Blimey O'Reilly! Turn 14 is diabolical in the rain and there's debris and a big tire mark on the concrete barrier. There is a penalty on the #4 Corvette for incident responsibility. The rain in Spain falls mainly on the racetrack as Nasr went straight off the road into the grass but he did the right thing because he could have crashed, easily! We talk about this being a championship clincher. We have six hours of racing today and ten hours at Petit Le Mans, the finale in October. Frankie Montecalvo spun 360 degrees and clattered into the wall like driving on black ice.
It is like someone pulling the rug out from underneath you. The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Russell Ward has a big points lead. They won at Laguna Seca in the sprint race but have won in endurance races with the strategy and a third driver. Russell Ward sharing with Phillip Ellis and Indy Dontje. Indy Dontje is named after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and comes from a family of racers. So, yes. There's your answer to that question if you were absolutely wondering and wanted to know.
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