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!
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