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.
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