The race broadcasts on IMSA TV of the final two races of the 2024 season for IMSA VP Racing Fuels Sports Car Challenge featuring Brian Till and Jeremy Shaw with the race calls for each one. Enjoy.
Race 1:
Race 2:
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
WEC 2024 Lone Star Le Mans REVIEW
From Formula Jonah. The WEC's return to the United States of America was a success! The 6 hours American endurance race was thrilling with an intense battle in both Hypercar and LMGT3 including a fierce battle for the overall win between Ferrari and Toyota in the closing stages of this race. So, this is the race review for Round 6 of the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans!
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
2024 WEC Lone Star Le Mans at COTA
From Lanky Turtle. Teams from the FIA WEC race in the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas.
Monday, October 28, 2024
Race Recap & Post-Race News after the Lone Star Le Mans
The race recap and post-race news after the FIA World Endurance Championship Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Race Recap:
Ferrari's No. 83 Car Leads Toyota at Halfway
AF Corse Ferrari Wins at COTA After Toyota Penalty
The dramatic closing moments of the Lone Star Le Mans with Martin Haven, Graham Goodwin, and Anthony Davidson on the race call.
Last Minutes And Chequered Flag 🏁 | 2024 6 Hours of COTA | FIA WEC
Post-Race News:
Conway Labels Penalty That Cost Toyota COTA Win "Bizarre"
Diuguid: Ferrari, Toyota Have "Found a Bunch of Pace"
Shwartzman: COTA Win "Redemption" for Le Mans
Riberas: Heart of Racing Ran 'Dream Race' at COTA
COTA Post-Race Notebook
Read on. We have some bonus post-race coverage for you.
More Post-Race News:
Here are the extended highlights of the race. Martin Haven, Graham Goodwin, and Anthony Davidson, the FIA WEC commentary team, call all the action, live.
Extended Highlights | 2024 6 Hours of COTA | FIA WEC
Alpine Buoyed by Engine Updates; First Top-Five for A424
Porsche, Peugeot, and BMW are among the Hypercar manufacturers in WEC who are completely against the proposal of having three-driver teams for every single FIA WEC race from 2025 onwards.
OEM Bosses Speak Out Against Proposed Three-Driver Mandate
The latest Double Stint Podcast. Jonathan Grace and John Dagys discuss everything about the Lone Star Le Mans plus more sports car racing news you can use.
DOUBLE STINT: WEC COTA Recap; News Roundup & More (9-3-24)
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Lone Star Le Mans: Hour 6 (the finish)
Mick Schumacher turns a lap of 1:52.633, less than a tenth away from Kamui Kobayashi as points and a top ten finish for both Alpine's. Porsche #5, Matt Campbell, making his last stop and so is the #7 Toyota. Kobayashi fighting the Toyota as Kevin Estre brings the #6 championship leading Penske Porsche 963 into the pit lane. Kobayashi and Shwartzman both to the pit lane now for their final stops. It is true that Kobayashi will do a double stint. For the moment, Antonio Fuoco, also known as "Tony Fire", will cycle to the lead in Ferrari #50 that has had a truly lonely race. Penske Porsche have pitted both of their cars. Robert Shwartzman also comes in for a pit stop. His average lap time has been a 1:56 flat while Kobayashi has run a best average of 1:55.6. Kobayashi, cool as ice even without air conditioning in this heat.
6% energy might be able to get them through two more laps. Just left side tires for the final tires in their 18 tire allocation. Time you lose in the pit lane is impossible to make up on track. Fuoco in the lane fr their final stop. He has only 4% energy remaining. They will put the last two new tires on the car to win back the time loss. Lamborghini in for their final stop and the Cadillac is right there. The car is moving while you locate the wheel nut with the rattle gun, and then, try to get the nut off. Cloud cover giving us respite from the heat of the day as we get close to finishing today's race here in Texas. 50 minutes to go, now with a whole load of track limits warnings and penalties. Drive through penalty for abuse of track limits for Augusto Farfus in the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 serving the penalty immediately.
Farfus barely ahead of Marino Sato in the #95 United Autosport McLaren with Richard Leitz chasing down Alessio Rovera for fourth in GT3. Manthey Pure Racing leads the championshup. Heart of Racing if they win, they will gain more but not enough to close the gap on the Manthey Pure Racing Porsche. Sebastien Buemi penalized and serving a drive through penalty for ignoring blue flags. Nico Costa, the Brazilian, pits the #59 United Autosport McLaren 720S GT3. Richard Lietz went off the road in the finalc orner of the circuit, all four wheels off the track over the white lines.
Drive through penalty for the #7 Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi for not respecting yellow flags and will serve a drive through penalty as we see the #20 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 in the pit lane as well. The surviving Ferrari's and the #2 Cadillac are right back in it. 159 laps completed, 541 miles. Kevin Estre in the #6 championship leading Porsche 963 of Kevin Estre also has a drive through penalty. Will we get a sixth straight different race winner in WEC in 2024? We just might. Drive through penalty for the #6 for not respecting yellow flags.
Kobayashi will end up behind Robert Shwartzman. Kobayashi has not come in. He is protesting the penalty, the drive through, but knows he has to do it. Maybe he just got the wrong information. He is in fight mode. He wants to avoid a black flag. 42 minutes left on the board. Disaster too, for the #55 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3! 100 second stop and go for a technical infringement for the #55 AF Corse car! Heart of Racing leads the GT3 class over Manthey Pure Racing and Kobayashi is taking maximum risk.
He has 41 and a half minutes to gain back ten to 15 seconds as Robert Shwartzman is on the front straightaway and in the replay, it was the double waved yellows in a straight line when the Peugeot stopped. He was totally safe but maybe came around the hairpin too fast and didn't see the flags. It is 9.9 seconds between Robert Shwartzman and Kamui Konayashi. 40 minutes remaining. 162 laps in the books. 551 miles. Behind Heart of Racing in GT3 it is the two Manthey Porsche's followed by the BMW's and the Mustang's.
Another drive through for the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus as well. Kobayashi has the sister #8 Toyota behind him and now can go on the attack against Robert Shwartzman. Whoops! The #88 Ford Mustang GT3 has spun. Dennis Olsen from Norway at the controls. Local Yellow I think. He has the hazard flashers on but has not restarted the car. So, this moves Marino Sato up a place, and Gregoire Saucy in the sister McLaren has gone by and we could see a Full Course Yellow. 36 minutes and change to go. Dennis Olsen says the steering is broken on the right front.
Box, box, box. So, the #88 Mustang GT3 is out. The orange curbs and slamming over them, has broken the steering. He is stuck. We will have a Full Course Yellow, more than likely, as Augusto Farfus has a drive through penalty for track limits abuse? No. That is a splash and dash full pit stop as the #7 Toyota goes straight through the chicane. Most of the GT3 cars will still need to make their final pit stops. The gap is 9.4 seconds. Oof! Kobayashi went straight off the road and overtook off the course!
I think too, that is why the GT3 car was lifting. This is going pear shaped for Kamui Kobayashi and Tyota as the #77 Ford Mustang GT3 of Ben Barker pits and so does one of the other GT3 cars. Full Course Yellow in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. I think we are going to see a Ferrari 1-2, with perhaps, Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber in the #2 Cadillac on the podium. So, we'll just have to see what on earth is going t happen here i the next half hour. Overtaking under a double waved yellow is a massive no no. If you are penalized for the second time for the same offense, you are in a world of pain.
The #88 Ford Mustang GT3 is being craned away. Robert Shwartzman is in turn 19 and Kamui Kobayashi is behind in turns 15-18. Full Course Yellow now removed. Green flag. Kobayashi has gained a little bit back on Shwartzman. THere are tire marbles everywhere. Full attack mode is all that can be accepted. AF Corse looking cool, calm, and collected. Coming up to put a lap on the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8. Kobayashi told to be circumspect and think about the championship instead of the race victory.
Kobayashi is pushing under braking. Pit stop time for the #46 BMW M4 GT3. What will the stewards decide? Kobayashi apologized for what has happened, but he is perplexed. Alex Riberas leading the GT3 class and in second and third, the two Manthey Porsche's are leading the championship. Maxime Martin will finish the race in the #46 BMW M4 GT3. Vincent Vosse runs the BMW Hypercar program and Kurt Mollekens runs the GT3 program. Heart of Racing Aston Martin, from pole, have driven a very clean race.
Joel Sturm at Manthey Pure Racing says that for now they are looking good in second but don't quite have the pace for the lead. They are getting there, picking up the points. Julien Andlauer in the #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963 passes Jean Eric Vergne in the #93 Peugeot 9X8. Charles Milesi in the #35 Alpine is in fifth place. A great run for Alpine and for BMW. This will be Alpine's best finish of the year. The #36 scored points finishing tenth last time out at Interlagos, at Sao Paulo in Brazil. The last driver change for the #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini. Claudio Schiavoni handed over to another driver. I am not sure who though.
Michelle Gatting helping Claudio Schiavoni out of the car. Rest In Peace, Luca Persiani, who was killed in a horrible off roading accident. Michelle Gatting was helping Matteo Cressoni into the car. Rest In Peace, Luca Persiani. 20 minutes to go. The #81 TF Sport Corvette has retired along with the #777 Aston Martin, the #54 AF Corse Ferrari, the #51 Ferrari 499P and the #94 Peugeot 9X8. Yifei Ye tells us, back i the lead, he had a great race and Robert Kubica started the race very well. The #7 Toyota had better pace but the #83 has had a clean race with no penalties.
The lead in Hypercar is 6.2 seconds. In GT3 it is nearly 27 seconds. 173 laps, 588 miles completed by the Hypercar leader. In GT3, 154 laps, 524 miles. New talent is emerging in the Hypercar class. Team WRT, car #46 of Maxime Martin shown as stopped and that must be a glitch. It is game over for the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 and of course the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 retired. I tink it is a timing glitch that has now disappeared for the #46 BMW M4 GT3. Rahel Frey in the #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini cops a drive through penalty for abusing track limits.
BMW #46 going very slowly. Dropping like a stone, Maxime Martin could be low on fuel. 16 and a half minutes left. United Autosport could potentially win this race. Game over for the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. They have had a horrendous 2024 season. Trouble again, for the #12 Porsche 963 on the outlap. I cannot believe they keep sending it out of the pit lane and the litany of woe continues. They keep getting themselves in trouble. Andre Lotterer considers that they have made a comeback from 14th to seventh. They have a good race car and made good strategic decisions.
Kevin Estre will finish the race with less than 15 minutes to go. Andre Lotterer looking ahead to racing in Japan in two weeks, his second home, where he lived for 15 years. He has won Super Formula and Super GT races at Fuji Speedway but has never won in FIA WEC. Kobayashi, 3.7 seconds behind Robert Shwartzman. Target acquired. Sheldon van der Linde trying to get on terms with Charles Milesi. A battle for fourth between BMW and Alpine. Robert Shwartzman being told to push. Ben Barker in the #77 Ford Mustang GT3 being closed on by Marino Sato in the #95 McLaren 720S GT3.
Meanwhile, the #46 BMW M4 GT3 Team WRT have the bonnet up and it is potentially a terminal issue, and they are a lap up only on the Iron Dames. Power steering failure for the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. Oh boy. Robert Shwartzman over slipping the rear tires and getting almost tangled up with one of the Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3's! Kobayashi might be able to make a pass and passes by a GT3 car but loses time in traffic and speed onto the straight after being trapped behijnd the Lexus. Antonio Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari has more usable energy than is required.
Robert Shwartzman is about to put a lap on the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 in ninth, Dries Vanthoor. He has already lapped past the #36 Alpine of Mick Schumacher. Sheldon van der Linde in the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 is under investigation for a technical infringement by the stewards. Six laps to go with 3.8 seconds the gap. No lift and coast necessary for Robert Shwartzman. Win it or bin it. Trophy or trees. Robert Shwartzman from Israel, the driver with the least experience, in his first season in WEC.
Kamui K9bayashi has not had the rub of the green in traffic. The gap is now out to three seconds. Eight minutes to go. 178 laps completed, 605 miles. The last time a world championship race was run by a privateer Ferrari, it was a long time ago. We have seen a privateer Porsche win. That was Jota Sport at the 6 Hours of Spa. Race Control could have something in store for the #7 Toyota and a warning flag for Robert Shwartzman who overtakes the Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. Kobayashi goes the lng way around the Lamborghini and he is still catching Shwartzman.
One lapse of concentration, one lockup, Kobayashi will pounce. Three laps to go after this one. The gap is 1.9 seconds. Sheldon van der Linde cops a 100 second stop and go penalty for a tech infringement in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 for BMW Team WRT moving the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 up the order. Five minutes to win it for Robert Shwartzman or for Kamui Kobayashi. Shwartzman passes Alex Riberas, the GT3 leader who is 25 seconds clear of Manthey Pure Racing's Porsche. Kobayashi has to pass Shwartzman immediately or he'll be stuck.
Thw BMW in the lane for the stop and go and Kobayashi goes off the road into the marbles through turn 16 and 17. There is just no way for Toyota to have a go at a race win. Three minutes to go. Kobayashi overcooks it again. Robert Kubica could join a very short list along with Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix and a World Endurance Championship race. Final lap with clear sailing for Robert Shwartzman. The #15 BMW of Dries Vanthoor is ahead but is going quickly enough that I don't think he will need to be caught.
Kobayashi is not within shooting distance. AF Corse Ferrari and their privateer Ferrari 499P, the #83 yellow Ferrari will guide AF Corse to a victory! In Texas, it is the first win for the #83 AF Corse Ferrari winning by under two seconds with the #7 Toyota second and the #50 Ferrari third! Yifei Ye, Robert Shwartzman, and Robert Kubica are race winners in the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The Heart of Racing, Ian James, Daniel Mancinelli, and Alex Riberas win in GT3 in Texas!
Overall/Hypercar: #83 Kubica/Shwartzman/Ye AF Corse Ferrari 499P
LMGT3: #27 James/Mancinelli/Riberas The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR
GT3
In two weeks, it is the next FIA WEC race, the penultimate race of the 2024 season, the 6 Hours of Fuji at Fuji Speedway in Fuji, Japan. Join us there. So long, from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, as we see the sixth different winner in six FIA WEC races in 2024! The first win for the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, their tenth WEC class victory in GT and 53rd overall Aston Martin winner in WEC. They are also the second brand after Porsche to win in three different GT classes. Cadillac fourth and Alpine fifth. BMW Team WRT faded at the end.
That was a remarkable race! We'll see you in Japan for the 6 Hours of Fuji. From Austin, Texas, this is also the second closest FIA WEC finish in history after 2017 here at COTA with the Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 cars swapping places. Congratulations to AF Corse, the first win for a Ferrari 499P outside of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023 and 2024. Absolutely incredible. Each of the Ferrari's have now won a race this year and I think too that Yifei Ye and Robert Shwartzman are possibly the youngest driving duo to win. A Polish driver, an Israeli driver, and a Chinese driver.
Aston Martin win their first race in GT in WEC since Fuji, 2022, 15 races ago. Alex Riberas is only the second Spanish driver to win in a GT class race. Robert Kubica is also the third Formula 1 driver to also win not just in F1 but in FIA WEC along with Aussie Mark Webber in LMP1 for Porsche and Fernando Alonso when he drove in LMP1 for Toyota. Miguel Molina at Ferrari was the first. Holy cow! What a race! What a race! We'll see you in Japan, everyone. Goodnight, from Austin, Texas.
Lone Star Le Mans: Hour 5
a So, the #83 Ferrari is now in the pit lane. 123 laps completed. 418 miles. We have a yellow flag at turn 11 for the #94 Peugeot. A critical it stop at Ferrari. This is a full set of tires but with three mediums and a hard right rear. Yellow flag at turn 19. Where is the Toyota? The Toyota moves into the lead of the motor race over Robert Shwartzman. Toyota, four seconds quicker in the pit lane. This is teamwork. Kamui Kobayashi's outlap on cold tires had to be bamboozling. Ferrari #50 now in the pit lane. The #2 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac has stopped. Earl Bamber out, and Alex Lynn in until the finish. The #81 Corvette is having handling problems, pulling to the right. Antonio Fuoco into the #50 Ferrari.
Cadillac going for medium tires and so is Peugeot. The #50 Ferrari maintains third place and Robin Frijns reassumes the lead in the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 for Team WRT. 124 laps completed, 422 miles. Full Course Yellow. Full Course Yellow. Nyck de Vries says they are gaining performance ad the track conditions are changing, at Toyota. On the medium tire, they are in their sweet spot. Peugeot #94 of Paul di Resta lost drive, a box full of neutrals. There is smoke out f the car. This could be a hybrid issue. The car is being touched, it is not unsafe but maybe there is a braking, regeneration issue.
The BMW is in turn 11 and has the opportunity to pit but they have not done so yet. Robin Frijns and BMW will be back timing the race with an hour and 53 minutes left on the board. Game over for the #94 Peugeot. The car is being craned away. Jean Eric Vergne is in the points in tenth place in the sole remaining Peugeot #93. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Full Course Yellow removed. Robin Frijns leads the motor race and pitting now it is the BMW! Holy smokes! Toyota #8 takes the lead. Kamui Kobayashi in the #7 Toyota will do a double stint and Brendon Hartley is the erstwhile leader but needs a pit stop to replenish energy.
Toyota Gazoo Racing does get a reprimand for a technical infringement. Sounds like something with tire pressures to me. Toyota #7 won at Imola in April. We have had five different winners in FIA WEC in 2024 and if the #83 Ferrari manages to win, it will be a sixth winner. Hartley throwing the car all the way through the esses. Toyota #7 pitted early to go for the undercut. Why did the BMW pit? I don't know. They should have pitted earlier to gain track position through the Full Course Yellow. Alpine are in the pit lane now for regular service.
Toyota #8 in the pit lane now. Brendon Hartley is in from the lead and so the sister car of Kamui Kobayashi will take the lead. Matthieu Vaxiviere has indeed brought the #36 Alpine to the pit lane. Sebastien Buemi is now in the #8 Toyota, the Swiss veteran sports car driver and Le Mans winner. Robert Shwartzman just uncorked the fastest lap for the #83 AF Corse Ferrari. An hour and 45 minutes left on the board. Alpine and Lamborghini have both had very fast pit stops, in fact, maybe just Alpine, honestly.
A flat left rear tire on the #8 Toyota right out of the pits! He has body slammed the #6 championship leading Porsche 963! Oh, my heavens! Hartley will score nil points today! Sebastien Buemi squeezed Kevin Estre off the road. Big damage to the left side of the Toyota. In this replay, Estre does the switchback and there weree two hits! That's very aggressive driving! Buemi says the car does not accelerate. A locked wheel. A locked differential. So, Kamui Kobayashi uncorks the new fastest lap at 1:52.853. A good GT3 battle here, look, between Maxime Martin in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 and the #91 Mantney EMA Porsche 911 GT3R of Richard Lietz.
The #8 Toyota has singled stinted their drivers and the same with the #7 single stinting until the very end. I think Kobayashi will do a double stint, or, he could do a single and Mike Conway can go to the end. Another new fastest lap at 1:52.584 for Charles Milesi in the Alpine. This is wonderful news for the end of 2024 and heading for the 2025 season. It is going to get tougher and tougher. The track temperature has cooled by four degrees Celsius, 10-11 degrees Fahrenheit. Trouble for the #81 Corvette looking at a broken right front after a hit.
They've got a wobble wheel on the right front. The Buemi and Estre contretemps is under investigation and the team manager of the #7 Toyota has been asked to report to Race Control. Heart of Racing leads GT3 with Manthey Pure Racing in second. Aston Martin vs. Porsche with a gap that has been edging downwards lap by lap. Alex Riberas fending off the challenge of Klaus Bachler. Car #6 team manager to report to Race Control as well. No tea and biscuits for you boys. Please report to the headmaster's office. That is all. Maybe they've summoned the wrong team manager at Toyota.
Kazuki Nakajima will have questions to answer. Robert Shwartzman in the #83 Ferrari is having trouble locking up both the front and rear axles in the #83 Ferrari. They have had trouble with the tires all day long. The tire situation in Brazil last time out, Toyota produced their speed on medium tires and Ferrari on hard tires. The #83 AF Corse car is a privateer car with an identical Ferrari 499P but not a factory car. It is a satellite development car to develop their next generation of Hypercar drivers and the same three drivers should be back next year. We'll find out.
Earl Bamber being warned about track limits as he is closing in on Antonio Fuoco in the battle between Ferrari and Cadillac. In the Peugeot camp, the #94 was having problems with a hybrid electric motor, not a clutch. Racing drivers see things that laypeople like me who watch it and blog it, have no idea are going on. The #81 TF Sport Corvette is back in the pit lane and out, with just about an hour and a half of racing remaining. In GT3, Heart of Racing has a 16 second lead. They have run 121 laps, 411 miles, for Alex Riberas.
There is an investigation for the #6 Porsche 963 for Porsche Penske Motorsports ignoring a yellow flag. Kamui Kobayashi leads Robert Shwartzman by just under six seconds with Antonio Fuoco third being harried by Earl Bamber and Sheldon van der Linde is fifth in the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8. We are seeing Augusto Farfus in the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. Augusto Farfus has been racing for BMW for 15 years and did a lot of racing in those early days with British legend Andy Priaulx. Robert Shwartzman in second, racing against Kamui Kobayashi. He ran a Free Practice 1 session for Ferrari in Formula 1 for a United States Grand Prix here at COTA years ago.
The #55 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 is in the pit lane, looking for a possible podium as Kamui Kobayashi under invesitgation for not respecting yellow flags, same penalty we saw for the Porsche and now, the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 of Dennis Olsen is in the pit lane as well as we see Charles Milesi chasing down Dries Vanthoor for seventh place in the overall. Milesi has been very entertaining to watch in the Alpine. Does Alpine have a tire advantage? I wonder. Alpine and BMW have both been progressing with pace and longevity. Four and a half hours gone, an hour and a half remaining.
Charles Milesi on all medium Michelin's and a hard left rear on the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 and there are two left for right side use, I guess. They have one stop remaining before the race is over. 4-liter turbo V8 in the BMW. 3.4-liter turbo V6 in the Alpine. The #12 Porsche 963 is back on track running quickly. Well, well, well. Kamui Kobayashi is told to lift off the throttle if there is a double yellow to acknowledge the double yellow flag. Reduce the racing pace. They've been given a final warning by the headmaster, by the clerk of the course, before being told off.
The #81 Corvette, Charlie Eastwood, the Irishman, is back on track. A left rear toe link was damaged, and the left rear tire was trying to spin the car to the right. Ferrari #50, Antonio Fuoco, is having Earl Bamber in the #2 Cadillac. Oh dear. That is a very slow Porsche, the beleaguered #12 Hertz Team Jota car. I cannot believe they forced Norman Nato to continue dragging the #12 Porsche 963 out onto the track. Bring it in. Pack it up. Trying to understand the problem at slow speed is just not worth it. Sebastien Buemi under investigation for disregarding blue flags.
This race will be over in an hour and 20 minutes as drive through penalties will be copped by the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Sheldon van der Linde and the #63 Lamborghini SC63 where they are in position to score a single point, but they will drop behind the #93 Peugeot. Now we aere back to the Charles Milesi and Dries Vanthoor story. Milesi makes the move on Dries Vanthoor through the hairpin, up the hill and down the dale. Milesi has a head of steam, look, makes the pass, successfully. He absolutely swept past the BMW in the braking zone.
That could have gotten incredibly ugly! Toyota, Ferrari, Ferrari, Cadillac, and now, the #20 BMW is in the pit lane serving a drive through penalty. Sheldon van der Linde drops behind Kevin Estre as we see Kevin Schwantz on track commentary, the motorcycle racing legend, from Texas. Earl Bamber is now chasing down Antonio Fuoco and there is a drive through penalty for track limits asssessed to the #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. Klaus Bachler is in for what might be his final stop, in the #92 Manthey Pure Racing car.
Franck Perera in the Lamborghini will be the one to cop the penalty. Sheldon van der Linde is determined to catch the Porsche and the driver wants to push. BMW could match their best race finish of the year thus far. 143 laps completed by the leading #7 Toyota, 486 miles. Alex Riberas is happy to double stint tires but he is feeling a vibration that is getting worse as the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin continues leadin in GT3 and there's some big-time opposite lock in the #95 McLaren 720S GT3 of Marino Sato, the driver. He rode the bucking bronco, kept it on the island, but his newly purchased cowboy hat wouldn't have been a good luck charm.
Riberas cops a drive through penalty in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin. They changed both left side tires. 130 laps completed for The Heart of Racing, 442 miles. For eighth place in Hypercar, a battle between Dries Vanthoor and Oliver Rasmussen. BMW M Team WRT and the #38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963. A 30 second stop and go penalty for the #8 Toyota and two penalty points on the drivers' license of Sebastien Buemi, for causing a collision. It is hard to see where Estre was. He did move over.
Meanwhile, the Hertz Team Jota Porsche and the BMW continue to battle. It is the less well scoring #38 car. A ten second penalty for the 16th place #81 TF Sport Corvette of Charlie Eastwood for causing a collision, the one that Tom van Rompuy got into with Sarah Bovy earlier on. Buemi pits, dropping to become the final running Hypercar. Kamui Kobayashi in the sister #7 car which leads, he uncorks fastest lap of the race at 1:52.564. Kobayashi leads the motor race by 10.4 seconds over Robert Shwartzman in the #83 Ferrari. 148 laps completed, 503 miles.
Sebastien Buemi has dropped to 15th overall. A stop and go penalty for the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3 for a technical infringement. Porsche #5 has had three third places, and two poles at Qatar and Spa. They retired from the 6 Hours of Spa of course. One really bad result can cause a disaster in the championship. Alessio Rovera was in a podium position, but Nico Costa has moved up to third in the #59 United Autsoport McLaren and Rovera has Richard Lietz all over him, the winner of GT3 at Le Mans. Richard Lietz has been around for years and maybe the most experienced FIA WEC driver with Christian Ried having retired from the championship.
Things are tight between Antonio Fuoco and Earl Bamber. Meanwhile, the battle is on for 12th place. Three-wide here as the Lamborghini Hypercar passes the battle for 12th between Daniel Juncadella and Jose Maria Lopez. The #82 TF Sport Corvette vs. the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3. The GT3 cars can take far more curb than the Hypercars. Clemens Schmid taking the penalty for the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus which puts both Proton Competition Ford Mustang's up into the GT3 points, Dennis Olsen in the #88 and Ben Barker in the #77.
BMW #15 of Dries Vanthoor into the pit lane. 33 laps on those tires in this recent stint. So, he has really managed the fuel as well. The BMW's strategy is based solely today on fuel efficiency. Cadillac #2 cuts it's fastest lap of the motor race as Cadillac Racing are looking for their best finish of the 2024 season. Kamui Kobayashi is not far from lapping the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963. Rovera passes by Lietz in GT3. This battle is allowing both of the BMW M4 GT3's to come into the picture. Valentino Rossi and Augusto Farfus.
Lone Star Le Mans: Hour 4
Into the second half of the race, Andre Lotterer says he and his teammates are making progress. The Hypercars are like wrestling an alligator in a sauna. Perish that thought! Cadillac #2 in the pit lane for service and for new tires. Porsche Penske Motorsports are reaping rewards for hard work. Meanwhile, the Gregoire Saucy, Valentino Rossi story is being told, still. They are side by side and Saucy edges ahead! Four drive through penalties for GT3 cars for improper Full Course Yellow procedures. BMW #31, Corvette #82, Mustang #77, and Lamborghini #60 I think. The Alpine whistles past both of the GT3 cars, the McLaren and the BMW.
Yifei Ye brings the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P to the pit lane. The #77 Mustang has pitted to serve a penalty and now, the #777 D'station Aston Martin is in the pits and the garage. Erwan Bastard at the wheel. The #7 Toyota of Nyck de Vries has pitted. de Vries back into the car. I think Kamui Kobayashi is not feeling too well. He was fine this morning. Is he feeling OK? He might still drive. He has to in order to score points. In the GT3 class, Daniel Mancinelli leads in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3.
Joel Sturm second in the championship leading #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche and Rui Andrade, the Angolan driver in the #81 TF Sport Corvette, third. The #777 D'station Aston Martin is having a starter motor problem and is being fixed in the garage and now, Alex Lynn was just passed by the #36 Alpine. Ferrari #50 is in the pit lane for a scheduled stop. Two new medium compound Michelin tires and Alex Lynn is down in ninth spot. Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Alpine all in the pit lane. Nico Lapierre has just finished his stint. That is the #36. Nicklas Nielsen took medium Michelin tires of the left side.
BMW still leading. 96 laps completed, 326 miles. Nico Lapierre almost clangs the barrier on the way into the pit lane! Yikes! Full opposite lock as Matthieu Vaxiviere takes over. Neel Jani in the #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963 and the sister #35 Alpine of Charles Milesi is now pitting for full service and a driver change. Robin Frijns at the wheel of the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8. Can BMW stick it out for their fuel mileage? Robin Frijns leading Yifei Ye. BMW, Ferrari, Toyota, Cadillac, and possibly Porsche, are contenders.
Oh boy, some argy bargy between the #93 Peugeot of Mikkel Jensen and Sebastien Baud in the #82 TF Sport Corvette who is in the pit lane. Mikkel Jensen might cop a penalty. Nico Pino in the #95 McLaren, final public warning for the Chilean driver for track limits. Valentino Rossi and Gregoire Saucy are still scrapping. Could we see the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 getting back on track? We'll wait and see. Robin Frijns, from the race lead, brings the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 into the pits. He might be taking just left side tires as Yifei Ye takes the lead of the motor race in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P.
Yifei Ye, Nyck de Vries, Nicklas Nielsen, Alex Lynn, Robin Frijns, and Andre Lotterer, the top six ahead of Ryo Hirakawa, Raffaele Marciello, and the rest. Gregoire Saucy runs wide and contact is made by Valentino Rossi on the McLaren with an ever closing gap. Rossi got the door slammed on him. The Alpine and Porsche battle is still going on. Ferdinand Habsburg vs. Matt Campbell. Rossi and Saucy still fighting. Rossi has a run on the Frenchman in the McLaren. Saucy tries to defend and no dice. Inside becomes outside through the right hander, very quickly.
Yifei Ye leads but Nyck de Vries is chasing him down, hard. A peerless effort for Ian James in the #27 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. Daniel Mancinelli is now driving, leading the #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3R of Joel Sturm. A drive through penalty being assessed for the #82 TF Sport Corvette and more troubles for the #777 D'station Aston Martin being pulled back into the garage after a starter motor change. It is confirmed the #51 Ferrari 499P has officially retired. The #12 Jota Sport Porsche 963 is still being worked on.
Sebastien Baud in the #82 TF Sport Corvette has been pinged with a track limits penalty as Valentino Rossi has indeed gone ahead of Valentino Rossi and the #55 Vista - AF Corse Ferrari. We need to check this pass between Saucy and Rossi. Simon Mann at the controls of the #55 Ferrari is starting to push and pour on the steam. A fresh driver = a fast driver. Thundering your way through the end of a double stint, is tougher. Neither Ferrari in LMGT3 has finished on the podium.
Nyck de Vries reeling in Yifei Ye. So, the lead of the Chinese driver for Ferrari is dwindling. Nyck de Vries has scrubbed tires on the left side of the car. Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac, BMW, the depth and competitiveness of Hypercar is increasing and will grow leaps and bounds as the years go by. We have six brands in the top ten and the same is true for the GT3 class. The Mikkel Jensen and Sebastien Baud incident we saw earlier is under investigation by the stewards.
19 laps to go in Yifei Ye's stint. The gap to Toyota is 5.9 seconds and Yifei Ye can reduce the stint length and not have to worry about doing lift and coast. Seven brands in the top ten out of eight in the top ten in the GT3 class. Lexus and Lamborghini have not had good races in GT3. The gap is now 4.9 seconds between Yifei Ye and Nyck de Vries. The #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 is back in the fight! Wow! I had no idea. They are out of competitive contention but will be able to get more track time. This is the shakedown for the car before the race at Fuji in Japan in two weeks.
Two and a half hours to go. Nyck de Vries closing half a second to Yifei Ye and Matthieu Vaxiviere in the Alpine #36 goes another lap down with a brand-new set of Michelin tires. The #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini is back on track. Oh dear. Trouble again for the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963, slow on the circuit. Good grief. A close shave there for the Alpine of Ferdinand Habsburg and Matt Campbell in the Porsche Penske factory Porsche! Alpine #36 vs. Porsche #5. Yifei Ye and Nyck de Vries will soon be closer together.
The #51 Ferrari was retired because of driveline failure after contact with a GT3 car. Traffic to come for the lead battle between Ye and de Vries. Norman Nato, trundling around slowly. Valentino Rossi will get five second of penalty time added to the next pit stop he takes for the contact between him and Gregoire Saucy in the McLaren. Nyck de Vries in a battle with the lapped GT3 traffic. He is still steaming after Yifei Ye who has lost 1.1 seconds and 1.7 seconds on the previous two laps alone. The writing could be on the wall and the Ferrari will go a lap shorter with no lift and coast as the Jota Porsche 963 back in the garage.
Ferrari maybe made a big mistake going onto the harder compound Michelin tires. Ferrari could switch back to the medium tires and run better. They have the option. The #50 is now running three mediums and a hard right rear tire. Car #50 has not been match fit all day. Nyck de Vries can use his tires and get new ones at the next pit stop. Yifei Ye is going through a pace improvement and the Hypercars are factoring into the traffic including one of the Lamborghini's. de Vries to the inside of a GT3 car. No air conditioning or cool suits for the Toyota drivers.
On new tires, the Alpine, laps down, can still hang with the Ferrari and the Toyota. The #46 BMW M4 GT3 is in and Valentino Rossi is handing over to Maxime Martin while the #777 D'station Aston Martin has retired with starter motor trouble. The Proton Competition #77 Ford Mustang is in the pit lane being handed over to Ben Barker. Lamborghini on Peugeot in turn 12! Wow! Now, the battle for ofurth is Alex Lynn vs. Robin Frijns. The #2 Cadillac and the #20 BMW. Next year, Hertz Team Jota will have two Cadillac V Series.R's in FIA WEC, for the 2025 season. Matthieu Vaxiviere in the Alpine properly tucks up Jean Eric Vergne like a kipper at the top of the hill, in the French civil war between Alpine and Peugeot.
Robin Frijns reeling in Alex Lynn hand over fist. Double yellow flags at the start/finish line and now, the #12 Jota Sport Porsche 963 is still crawling around. It is not running well at all. I think it is time for the Jota boys to pack it up. OK, boys. You've had enough. It is time to stop and just enjoy the rest of your evening. Nyck de Vries in the #7 Toyota along with Mike Conway, they have been driving cracking stints all day. Yifei Ye taking all kinds of risks in traffic to stay ahead of Nyck de Vries in the Toyota with a wee bit over two hours of racing to go.
Blimey! Attention, car #12, pack it up. This is very dangerous. It is frustrating, nerve wracking, dangerous, and you are a huge inconvenience to everyone else. Decide if the car is broken or fixed and if it's broken, put it in the bin and pack it up. It's not worth it. Drop the rock. Don't keep suffering. Valentino Rossi very happy with his battles that he was fighting in the GT3 class with a different strategy than his competition. He is having a fabulous time! Meanwhile, the lead battle continues. Is Alex Lynn closing on Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 Ferrari? Lynn is struggling in the #2 Cadillac but has Robin Frijns in the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 right on his six.
The GT3 leading #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin is in. Daniel Mancinelli completes his double stint and Spaniard Alex Riberas will take over for the final two hours and 15 minutes of this race. Heart of Racing are an American team. Ian James is a dual citizen of England and America, born in England but has lived in the United States for 30 years. Heart of Racing will have both their GT3 program and the new Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar next year, in 2025. Maxime Martin in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 chasing down the remaining #55 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3.
Nyck de Vries getting the raw end of the deal defending against the Alpine and chasing Yifei Ye in the Ferrari. The Alpine, flashing his lights to try and pass de Vries to get back on the lead lap. 117 laps complete, 398 miles. Brendon Hartley pestering Andre Lotterer. Toyota #8 vs. Porsche #6. There are battling pairs throughout the top ten. The Hypercars are so close in performance. It is incredible. The vagueries of traffic and of tire choice as well. The Toyota's are not as compliant over the curbs compared to some of the other Hypercars and the same is true with the GT3 cars. Some are more comfortable over the curbs.
The undercut has not been advantageous here at COTA because of the tire temperatures. The overcut might work better, honestly, although the #83 Ferrari team has made it work. The Toyota is overcooking his tires, Yifei Ye is told. Ye's reply, "copy", driving his tail off. Any airflow to cool the drivers is superheated. Toyota have to do something to keep an advantage over the Ferrari. The Toyota's are going to be stuck in a box. A bit of a moment between Alex Riberas and the Hypercar leaders. Riberas 24 seconds ahead of Klaus Bachler in the #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3R.
There will be a significant fuel shortfall before the race ends for the GT3 cars. It will be five stops and a splash and a dash. Everything has been under green in this race. Everything! That blasted Alpine continues to be a real ice cream headache for Nyck de Vries. In four laps, the Alpine might pit and get off Nyck de Vries' back. de Vries is so close to Yifei Ye! The Alpine closes on the Toyota, Matthieu Vaxiviere in the #36 car. The #5 Porsche 963 is also in the lane and Brendon Hartley has now passed Andre Lotterer and it is Matt Campbell in the pit lane. A driver change at Penske Porsche with Kevin Estre taking over for Andre Lotterer.
Side by side between Nyck de Vries and Yifei Ye! Holy cow! At Alpine, hang on a second. We'll be back to this. The undercut done by Toyota and the #7 of Nyck de Vries. There was a theory for the Alpine management strategy for their issues and they will have a full fix on the car for next year in 2025. de Vries out and Kamui Kobayashi into the car. He has finished his business obligations, spreadsheets and whatnot, and now, he will go drive. Fresh hot tires and fuel. Robert Shwartzman will finish the race in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P.
Lone Star Le Mans: Hour 3
#50 now in the pit lane as we see a battle here with Lamborghini, Mirko Bortolotti, passing the #36 Alpine of Mick Schumacher. Scratch that. Schumacher passes the Lamborghini SC63 for seventh place. #50 in for a four-tire change. Three mediums and a hard right rear tire. So, Rene Rast is now leading over Nyck de Vries. 62 laps completed, 211 miles. Rui Andrade of Angola now at the wheel of the #81 TF Sport Corvette and now, a battle betwee Ferrari and Cadillac, and so, we now see Earl Bamber making a move. No puncture for Marco Wittmann. The #83 Lamborghini goes back by the #46. Ahmad Al Harthy tries for third place but gets the door slammed in his face by the Lamborghini.
There are more battles in GT3. Joel Sturm, Francois Heriau, and James Cottingham. Manthey Pure Racing Porsche, AF Corse Ferrari, and United Autosport McLaren as both Alpine's have pitted and so is Nyck de Vries in the #7 Toyota. Earl Bamber said in the pre-event press conference, Toyota on medium tires were much better in Brazil in the heat on an abrasive track. Mike Conway back into the #7 Toyota. Oh! There's a shark bite taken out of the front sidepod of the Toyota. That will affect cooling. Four tires going onto the Toyota. Four medium compound tires. No chance yet for Kamui Kobayashi to drive.
Rene Rast is your leader in the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8. Rene Rast comes to the pit lane after a lead. The BMW M Hybrid V8 is a North American design, conceived and designed in America. BMW in Munich will be proud and of court WRT is a Belgian team. Ferrari #83 resumes in the lead. Game over for the #51 Ferrari. They are a retirement. But Ferrari, BMW, Toyota, and Cadillac. Porsche in sixth, eighth, and 13th, between Hertz Team Jota and the two Penske cars. Ferrari, Toyota, Cadillac, BMW, the top four. Earl Bamber makes the move to third. Mike Conway now second. The BMW has dropped down to fifth place.
Yifei Ye is now at the controls of the #83 Ferrari. Mike Conway has four new medium tires and Nicklas Nielsen had three mediums and one new hard. Norman Nato back in the pit lane in the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 after just getting into the car. Yifei Ye on four brand new hard compound Michelin tires. Sean Gelael and Ryan Hardwick in a battle for ninth in GT3. BMW M4 GT3 vs. Ford Mustang GT4 and there is an Aston Martin there too and now the Jota Porsche of Norman Nato has stopped at the end of the pit lane. Dear, oh dear.
Hybrid off. Ignition off. Main power off. Not good news for Norman Nato. Exit driver's left. Yellow flag warning from Race Control. Nato in the pit exit road. Pit exit road now clear. He is moving again so all he had to do was a reset. But Norman Nato is still in trouble. He might recycle the car but he might also park it and walk home into a retirement. Could we see a Full Course Yellow or a safety car scramble? Rui Andrade and Rahel Frey battling. Robin Frijns ahead of Raffaele Marciello at BMW. Charles Milesi in the #35 Alpine is ahead of the #5 Porsche 963 factory car of Michael Christensen.
Norman Nato says the Porsche switches off automatically. It is an electronics problem and there is nothing you can do as a driver. Double waved yellows. Joel Sturm and Ahmad Al Harthy battling for fourth in LMGT3. Sturm in the #92 points leading Manthey Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3R. The #12 Jota Porsche 963 is moving again, thankfully. That car was in a very dangerous spot. Air temperature, 95 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. Track temperature at 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Norman Nato has cleared the esses. If you want a cup of tea, just put a cup of tea on the track surface.
Jota does not have enough energy to get back to the pit lane. He is on the backstretch but is recycling again. If he can't get the combustion engine to work, he won't have enough SOC and is going through range anxiety right now. He's stopped. He doesn't have enough SOC to get back on the electric motor. The complexities of modern day machinery. Michael Christensen has passed Nico Lapierre. Yeifei Ye leads Mike Conway and Earl Bamber follow by Nicklas Nielsen.
Yifei Ye leads Mike Conway, Earl Bamber, Nicklas Nielsen, the two BMW's, the #6 Penske Porsche, the second #8 Toyota, the healthy #38 Jota Porsche, and then the first of the Peugeot's. Yifei Ye leads. So, now, Nico Lapierre has continued with double stinting the rightside tires while Michael Christensen has brand new tires. The Alpine's are down to 12th and 13th. That was a gimme for Michael Christensen. Norman Nato is still struggling, stopping at turn 15. So, Mike Conway, is 12 seconds behind Yifei Ye who has completed 72 laps, 245 miles. Earl Bamber's theoretical best lap is 1:52.9.
Cadillac have looked strong all week. Raffaele Marciello in sixth with Andre Lotterer in seventh. So, this is the #15 BMW vs. the #6 Porsche. WRT BMW vs. Penske Porsche as the #12 Jota Porsche 963 is in the pit lane still on engine power I believe instead of electrical juice. Hertz Team Jota pulling the Porsche back into the garage. Whether it comes back, we don't know. This is probably the most extreme heat we've raced in all year, here in Texas as Rui Andrade is being harried by Rahel Frey. The team is making repairs straight away.
Rahel Frey is now chasing Rui Andrade. Yifei Ye is leading for the Hypercar World Cup for privateer teams. We have seen five races with five different winners and could have a sixth winner. It does not matter what car you have. The parameters are the same, but with cars that look, sound, and work different and the maxima and minima are the same. Maxima? Nissan Maxima? Oh dear. Of course, we don't have a factory Nissan sports car, not like they did in IMSA and at Le Mans in the '80s and '90s. Rahel Frey shows no respect to Rui Andrade and simply shoves the Corvette out of the way and she has a right rear puncture.
Maybe that is broken suspension on the Iron Dames Lamborghini. Not enough space into the turn. That was an iffy move. Andrade needs to pit and the right suspension is broken for the Iron Dames. They are having no luck in the FIA World Endurance Championship or the European Le Mans Series. Now, if you want to hear about the European Le Mans Series, we will talk about that over the winter. TF Sport are ready to fix the Corvette and now, I think it could be game over for the Iron Dames as well.
I don't think Rui Andrade had the space even though he was on the normal racing line. Three and a half hours of racing remaining. Up to seventh, Andre Lotterer chasing Raffaele Marciello. Porsche vs. BMW. Andre Lotterer, in the championship leading car. Full Course Yellow for debris after two and a half hours of racing. Full Course Yellow in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Full Course Yellow. BMW #15 were out of kilter on their pit stops because of Marco Wittmann being too tired. The marshals are running to retrieve the debris waearing a fire suit in 95-degree heat, and not getting paid. They are volunteers. God Bless You and thank you to our marshals.
Back to green flag racing with three hours and 26 minutes to go. A great battle in LMGT3 with the #95 United Autosports McLaren of Nico Pino and the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3R of Morris Schuring. The #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 is back out of the garage but the incident between the #85 Lamborghini and the #81 Corvette under investigation by the stewards. Ferrari #51 is out. The #12 Porsche 963 is still being worked on. Ryan Hardwick in tenth, in the #77 Ford Mustang GT3 is under investigation for Full Course Yellow procedures.
Meanwhile, Raffaele Marciello is still being chased by Andre Lotterer. They have not stopped yet and need to do so or they will be completely off sequence. This might be Andre Lotterer's last year as a race driver. But he could continue if he has the desire to. Porsche Penske are in the fight in the FIA World Endurance Championship. They have also had success in IMSA and now, Morris Schuring has made his move on Nico Pino. The Dutch driver vs. the Chilean driver. Michael Christensen is still in the #5 sister Porsche 963 for Penske and now he is chasing down Mikkel Jensen, the Dane, in the #93 Peugeot 9X8. Paul di Resta in the sister #94 Peugeot is a lap down after an opening lap puncture.
Alpine's pace was great over a lap in qualifying, but they are having trouble in the race. The Alpine package might not be handling the heat well. The Peugeot's tail is moving around like crazy. Meanwhile, i the GT3 class it is the #87 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3 of Esteban Masson vs. the #82 TF Sport Corvette of Sebastien Baud. The second Lexus RC F GT3 #78 is in the pit lane in the hands of South African Kelvin van der Linde. At the top of the shop, it is Yifei Ye, Nyck de Vries, Earl Bamber, and Nicklas, Neilsen.
The Porsche overhsoots the uphill hairpin and loses out to the Peugeot, much like the uphill at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. Heart of Racing leads TF Sport by 20 seconds. 73 laps, 248 miles. At Porsche, Alwin Springer is still around. Alwin Springer has been a part of Porsche North America since he ran Andial who produced engines for the Porsche 956/962 program in World Endurance Championship and IMSA GTP 1.0 back in the 1980s. The 2.65 liter turbo flat six motors that were all a part of the Porsche 956 and 962.
Everyone in LMGT3 in the lane for service. "The Doctor", Valentino Rossi, taking over from Ahmad Al Harthy. Rossi, a Silver rated driver, but of course, a legend in MotoGP motorcycle racing. McLaren back out of the pit lane and TF Sport has left Rui Andrade out on the road even with damage. 15 minutes before we end another racing hour. Approaching the halfway mark. Corvette #81 in pit lane needs bodywork repairs and in the #31 Team WRT BMW pit are in for service as well.
Bear Bond tape being applied to the #81 Corvette. The McLaren is also in for a driver change. Everyone now back on track. Mikkel Pederson has now taken over the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3. Yifei Ye leads by 11 seconds over Mike Conway. Earl Bamber third. Charles Milesi in the Alpine is now catching Michael Christensen and Mikkel Jensen. Mike Conway, new fastest lap at 1:52.994. Nicklas Nielsen, 1:53 dead. Stoffel Vandoorne in the #94 Peugeot 9X8 now driven by Paul di Resta, was pinged by the stewards for speeding in the pit lane.
Michael Christensen anticipated making a pass on the Peugeot. He couldn't do it. Jensen blocks with a strong defense. Tom van Rompuy, the Belgian, he says the TF Sport Corvette is running very well. Daniel Mancinelli has taken over the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, the Italian. Trying another late lunge, Michael Christensen does not have the momentum to try poking his nose out to pass the Peugeot. Michael Christensen says moving under braking was totally disgusting. The drivers don't like it and understandably so. There is a serious risk there.
The BMW battle in GT3 is hot. Valentino Rossi passing Sean Gelael and Gelael tries coming back, but no dice. "The Doctor" slams the door in his teammates' face. Now then, Michael Christensen is oj the inside of Mikkel Jensen and Jensen goes to the outside and Christensen has it covered with the Alpine following. That was an undefendable move by Christensen. Charles Milesi was not close enough in the Alpine. He could have been crawling all over the tail of the Peugeot. Why did the Alpine fade? How is Milesi finding more speed? The #94 Peugeot 9X8 of Paul di Resta has just picked up a speeding penalty. The two #35 and #36 Alpine's, Milesi was fourth at the beginning of the race.
88 laps now complete, 300 miles more or less. Early pain for long term gain for Alpine. Michael Christensen pits the #5 Porsche 963. The Alpine's are reentering the picture. A possible seatbelt or steering wheel issues in the Penske Porsche pit. I wonder why. That drink bottle will no longer be cool. BMW M are trying to take the debris out of the front of one of the M4 GT3's by playing the drums on the bonnet. Morris Schuring and Mikkel Pedersen in a battle, the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche and the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3.
Valentino Rossi is now chasing down Gregoire Saucy. WRT BMW M4 GT3 vs. United Autosport McLaren 720S GT3. In the Hypercar class, Mike Conway continues to edge closer to Ye Yifei, for the lead, the gap is 9.3. seconds and Nicklas Nielsen is reeling in Earl Bamber. Ferrari, Toyota, Ferrari, Cadillac. Rossi, braking late, parking it on the apex, doing a MotoGP motorcycle pass. Valentino Rossi raced many times here at COTA in MotoGP and never won. But, he could do so in a car. Now, the #6 Porsche 963 of Andre Lotterer is in the pit lane. He ran very well, his strongest stint so far this year.
I think Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor have had a speed advantage. Lotterer does not have the same speed he did in the LMP1 days but still is running very well. Rossi trying it again and Gregoire Saucy couldn't hold his line. Two very different cars and yet racing nose to tail as Neel Jani is now gaining on Andre Lotterer fresh out of the pit lane. This si for 11th. Jani in the #99 Proton Competition Porsche reeling in the factory Penske car.
Lone Star Le Mans: Hour 2
OK. The #15 BMW is in and out in the hands of Marco Wittmann, a two-tire stop, as the #50 Ferrari completes service. The first lap looked like rush hour traffic here in Austin. But now everything is settling down. The #36 Alpine has stopped for service and our current race leader, the #51 Ferrari 499P is in as well. The BMW can do one more lap and so can the #6 Porsche 963, the Penske car. BMW are in. OK. Whoops! One of the Jota Porsche's is off and on, the #12 Porsche 963. So, the #6 Penske Porsche 963 are only the erstwhile leaders as it was Callum Ilott trying to defend against Alex Lynn, but he locked the brakes and got onto the marbles, offline there.
Ferrari #83 is just barely ahead due to the undercut. Laurens Vanthoor is the race leader, and the three Ferrari's are closer together than they were. Miguel Molina took just two tires, right with Antonio Giovinazzi and the #83 of Robert Kubica just up the road. Molina will be in the danger zone as far as his tires. Laurens Vanthoor in the pit lane for service. He will do a double stint. Giovinazzi second and Molina third. Giovinazzi, we'll have to see where he is at. We saw the #2 Cadillac, by dint of a shorter stop, move ahead of the #7 Toyota taken over by Nyck de Vries taking over from Mike Conway and Sebastien Buemi has now taken over the #8 from Brendon Hartley.
Ben Keating being chased by the sister #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 in the hands of Canadian Zacharie Robichon. Heart of Racing, Iron Dames, TF Sport, the top three. Aston Matin, Lamborghini, Corvette, Porsche. So it is Ian James vs. Sarah Bovy. Aston Martin has seven wins at COTA in GTE Pro and GTE Am. The McLaren now passes by the #777 D'station Aston Martin. Nico Costa ahead of Clement Mateu. Darren Leung stays in the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 and in the sister #46 it is Maxime Martin taking over from Ahmad Al Harthy. Miguel Molina warned three times now about track limits and the Spaniard is not happy about it. His crew chief tells him to keep going, calm down, not worry about the tires.
The drivers are in fight mode. They aren't just sitting down here and having a good time chatting about the race. Drivers have a right to be miffed, but they have to keep their cool. The team engineer has to be a psychiatrist just as much as an engineer. Ferrari still holding the top three. BMW fourth and fifth. Cadillac in sixth and trying to chase down the two Bimmers. 37 laps completed, 126 miles. Robert Kubica has used left side tires, new right sides. Antonio Giovinazzi only had rear tires changed on the #51. Strategizing around the limited tire allocation is what they are doing at Ferrari. That makes it really hard to read what is going on.
Sebastien Buemi being told the front tires are less worn than the rears, with much more on the left rear. The #83 Ferrari is running a hard tire on the left rear I believe. Robert Kubica, the Polish driver, he has a newer rear tire I believe. Alex Lynn, Nyck de Vries, and Callum Ilott, all in a battle. This is sixth, seventh, and eighth. Oliver Rasmussen has more grip with two newer left side Michelin tires. He still does, honestly. We have a couple battles. Toyota #7 vs. the #12 Porsche. Nyck de Vries vs. Callum Ilott while the sister car #38, Oliver Rasmussen, fending off the challenge from Sebastien Buemi in Toyota #8.
Sarah Bovy is right on Ian James' six for the lead battle in LMGT3. Aston Martin vs. Lamborghini. Ian James defending into turn 12 or at least contemplating it. Sarah Bovy, she is piling on the pressure. Cold gel packs frozen in the freezer are helping drivers. Fans work with the air conditioning, but the hot air is very static in these cars which are all closed cockpit of course. Oliver Rasmussen crawling all over Nico Muller for tenth and the Peugeot runs way deep into the turn! That was ugly. He didn't find a ladder. He found a snake. Under pressure, Nico Muller couldn't stop. All four wheels were clearly off the road. Definitely track limits.
Sarah Bovy says she doesn't have enough power or grip to attack. Well, Sarah, you can definitely do it. Ian James in the meantime, fending off the challenge. Robert Kubica believes he can do a double stint on the tires but will need to push hard to do it. His crew chief wants him to do a triple stint. He says he is OK with that. The key detail is that the track is gripping up and it means the tires are sliding less and they are not overheating. Marco Wittmann and Rene Rast continue their battle with the two Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8's. Robert Kubica has huge experience and is helping his teammates progress, Yifei Ye, the Chinese driver, and Israeli driver, Robert Shwartzman.
#83 was the only Ferrari to change al of their tires. Sarah Bovy is now telling the team she needs to lift and coast. Antonio Giovinazzi goes for a gap but one of the Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3's flies in there. Everyone tries straightlining those esses. They are compared to the Maggots/Becketts/Chapel corner sequence at Silverstone, but they are their own unique deal. The racing line isn't going all the way across the track. Giovinazzi was not expecting the GT3 car to move all the way over. There is debris between turns seven and eight that might need to be retrieved via a Full Course Yellow or a safety car as the BMW boys swap places.
Huge pressure from Rene Rast on Marco Wittmann. Marco... Rene is faster than you. Car #38, Oliver Rasmussen cops a five second penalty on his next pit stop for going off the road to overtake in the second Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963. OK then. Antonio Giovinazzi in the #51 Ferrari is told he has 19 laps left in his stint. Oliver Rasmussen has copped two separate time penalties for overtaking. Jeepers creepers! He will have 15 seconds added to the pit stop. He will have to hear the words of "Doc Hudson" from "Cars", "stay on the gray stuff, sunbeam. That's what it's there for."
Ian James and Sarah Bovy still within a second of each other with the Corvette of Tom van Rompuy next in third in the #81 TF Sport car and Maxime Martin in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. Callum Ilott still racing behind Nyck de Vries. Toyota GR010 vs. privateer Porsche 963. That is the #12 Hertz Team Jota entry. Clement Mateu in the #777 D'station Aston Mattin is battling with Zacharie Robichon in the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3. Ben Keating in the #88 Ford Mustang GT3 has gone down to 11th in class and is behind Darren Leung in the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3.
Four and a half hours to go. The BMW IMSA team led by Bobby Rahal and David Letterman, the comedian, have been running the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the WeatherTech Championship a year longer compared to WRT. However, the IMSA WeatherTech Championship no longer races at Circuit of the Americas. They used to, but not anymore. There hasn't been an IMSA race at COTA for a few years now. Robert Kubica is positive and he says "I don't have a strategy, but anything is possible." Nyck de Vries is right with Marco Wittmann and Wittmann is doing all he knows to try passing Alex Lynn in the #2 Cadillac.
Lynn motoring ahead of Wittmann who is ahead of Nyck de Vries in the #7 Toyota. Harry Tincknell cops a drive through penalty in the #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963. Marco Wittmann says the rear end is all over the place. Hang in there, sunshine. As soon as the window opens, we will box. We can see the BMW wagging it's tail, stepping out through the corner. Wittmann is losing performance to his teammate Rene Rast in the sister #20 BMW M Hybrid V8. Porsche #12, Callum Ilott screams past Wittmann as does the Cadillac #2 I believe!
That was a close shave! The BMW was boxed in by the #27 Aaston Martin. Poor old Marco Wittmann's race is now going pear shaped. In this replay, we can see the #51 Ferrari 499P around the outside, giving absolutely no space to the Lexus RC F GT3. Psst the Texas flag they fly. We are just over an hour and a half into the race. In the Hypercar class, the established order can change dramatically. That is how competitive the top class is. Ian James stretching his advantage over Sarah Bovy who got stymied by the Hypercar battle we were just looking at.
Oh no! Marco Wittmann has gone off the road, someplace. That BMW is back on the road but is very wrorried. He completely spun because he has a flat tire. All the air has escaped from the tire. I think Wittmann is tired. He is physically fatigued and under investigation for overtaking and gaining and advantage over a GT3 car but lost two spots. He didn't have to slow down. Goodness me. That is bizarre. So, Alex Lynn is now into the top five. Earl Bamber tells us how things are going. He says that they had really good pace, but the Alpine hit the Cadillac in order to avoid hitting the BMW.
Marco Wittman's troubles have meant the Cadillac has moved to fifth. Raffaele Marciello is now at the wheel of the #15 BMW. Rene Rast in the #20 BMW chasing down Miguel Molina. The BMW is much quicker than its previous best race at Imola in Italy way back in April. Driver fatigue for Marco Wittmann and Raffaele Marciello must cop a penalty for overtaking in a bad spot. That was Marco Wittmann's maneuver of course. In GT3, Maxime Martin continues being chased by Tom van Rompuy. We are soon to being an hour and 45 minutes so the Bronze-rated drivers can do a driver change. Ian James will have finished his drive time by then.
Ian James, Sarah Bovy, Tom van Rompuy, Aleksandr Malykhin, Josh Caygill, Arnold Robin, Yasser Shahin, Hiroshi Koizumi, Takeshi Kimura, and Thomas Flohr, all of them will be finished. Excuse me. Thomas Flohr was late into the race, so he will have more driving to do. Callum Ilott is now chasing down Nyck de Vries. Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 #12 vs. Toyota #7. Maxime Martin in hot pursuit of Sarah Bovy. BMW vs. Lamborghini. Team WRT vs. Iron Dames. Bovy in defensive mode over Matin who is a platinum rated, factory driver.
Tom van Rompuy is sticking with this group and one of the Ferrari's spins! That is the #51! Oh man! Antonio Giovinazzi in traffic, tags one of the Peugeot's! There could be a penalty for that! I think that was Stoffel Vandoorne in the #94 and he is still stranded! Now, in GT3, Maxime Martin is going to go for it. Antonio Giovinazzi is still wondering what is wrong with the car. The engine is running but he is stuck in gear! My gosh! This is very disappointing for the #51 team. He could be stuck in neutral, revving the engine and dropping like a stone down the running order from second, down to 15th.
Finally! Mercifully, Giovinazzi is back on his way. Ferrari #51 will be out of contention. At Toyota, Mike Conway says the beginning of the race was like a jungle. He managed to gain places and Nyck de Vries is doing a solid job. There are hints of trouble for The Prancing Horse. GT3 pit stops, and Erwan Bastard has taken over the #777 D'station Aston Martin plus more driver changes. Ferrari #51 is in limp home mode and the team wll have to plug in the laptops and try to get the car to play ball. A plethora of GT3 cars have just stopped. Wow. The #51 Ferrari is coughing and spluttering to a stop./ He has no energy left.
He has run on empty. He cannot move. The mechanics will have to push the car. He has no first gear. You can't bump start the car in the pit lane. Wow. Trouble in paradise at Ferrari with four hours and ten minutes to go. Zacharie Robichon is now in the LMGT3 lead in the #77 Proton Comeptition Ford Mustang GT3. Stay in neutral. Antonio Giovinazzi is crushed. I think they are out. Now, Miguel Molina is being chased by Rene Rast. Molina now must change from a tortoise to a hare. The engine is running, the #51 Ferrari's motor but it has no gears. I think the transmission is shot.
They are putting the car on the hello dollies and is being wheeled into the garage. Only ten Hypercars will score points of the 18 starters. There can be weather and we'll see what is going to happen in the next four hours. Daniel Mancinelli is now in the leading #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin completing 52 laps, 177 miles. The #51 Ferrari was in gear, but the clutch would not release. Something might be wrong with the electronics. The #54 Ferrari 296 GT3 had the same trouble. Last year, on the last two stops at Le Mans, the engine would not start. Electronics do not like heat and vibration and it is hot today.
Very soon we are going to see Miguel Molina, Rene Rast, Alex Lynn, and Nyck de Vries in their battle. Ferrari, BMW, Cadillac, Toyota. Alex Lynn goes to the pit lane to top up on fuel. The BMW still has 11% energy! Are they running on fairy dust? Are they running on cinnamon sugar? What's going on here? The LMDh cars deploy their energy through the rear wheels instead of the front like the LMH cars. Oh! A touch! The BMW goes the long way and he snags the Ferrari for second when they got balked by one of the TF Sport Corvette's! Robert Kubica in the lane in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P.
The Corvette was defending a position and outbraked himself. Rene Rast leads for BMW with the #83 Ferrari in the lane. It is game over for the #51 Ferrari. They are retiring the car. Ferrari needs the points in the manufacturers' championship. Miguel Molina will be the only dog in the fight in the #50 car. BMW still running on their cinnamon sugar here. I really think so.
Lone Star Le Mans: Hour 1
For the first time since the winter of 2020, the FIA World Endurance Championship, makes a triumphant return to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for the Lone Star Le Mans. Of course, a lot has changed in the four years that the championship was away from Austin, especially, with respect to the success and massive growth of the new Hypercar prototype category. In 2020, it was Toyota and Rebellion racing against each other in the last vestiges of the legendary LMP1 prototype era. Now we see a slew of brands and different cars in competition. Toyota, Ferrari, Cadillac, Porsche, Peugeot, Lamborghini, Alpine, BMW, plus the addition of the GT3 cars in the production car category. Last time, in 2020, it was the old GTE class with a main battle contested only by three makes. Porsche, Ferrari, and General Motors with the Chevrolet Corvette.
Now, in this day and age, if it is a prototype or a GT3 car, it is here. Fans have many to choose from as their favorites. The competition is hot! Each car with its own design characteristics, and with its own distinct engine note produced mainly by V6 or V8 power, turbocharged and naturally aspirated. A feast for the eyes and the ears, endurance sports car racing, globally, is on an upward trajectory. Many nationalities of drivers, but also, of course, cars are here stateside for the first time in about a year and a half. The last time the FIA WEC came to the United States, they ran the 1,000 Miles of Sebring, in March of 2023 in conjunction with the 12 Hours of Sebring for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, the U.S. equivalent.
Many IMSA prototype teams of course, came across the pond to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well. This is a globetrotting championship and a global one in terms of brands with America, French, German, Italian, and Japanese cars, represented. Sports car racing has existed for over a century, since the first 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923, and has always had an international flavor. That continues, today, at the only FIA approved Grade 1 circuit in the United States. Before we go any further in talking about what is in store for the race today, let's meet the overall and class polesitters.
Ferrari, The Prancing Horse, the spirit of Maranello, are on the pole for the Lone Star Le Mans this afternoon. Antonio Giovinazzi scored the pole sharing the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, the winner of the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023, with teammates James Calado, and Alessandro Pier Guidi. On the pole in the LMGT3 class it is The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, car #27. American domiciled Brit Ian James, the team owner, is sharing with Daniel Mancinelli of Italy and Spaniard Alex Riberas.
One car not on the grid here in Texas, is the #11 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6C Hypercar. That was to be expected. The fabled Italian supercar brand of the 1930s making its return to racing, has withdrawn from the remainder of the 2024 FIA WEC season, here in Austin, and in the next two races before the season ends in Japan and Bahrain. Antonio Serravalle, Carl Wattana Bennett, and Jean Karl Vernay are not racing, except for the fact, that Serravalle has been drafted into the #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963 in place of Harry Tincknell this weekend who is focusing on his duties contracted with Multimatic. He is of course, one of the drivers in the factory Ford Mustang GT3 program in IMSA here in the states.
There are Mustang GT3's of course, entered in WEC also for Proton Competition in LMGT3. But the factory Ford team that runs in IMSA is, I believe, a separate situation. Keep in mind, the Hypercars are all on Michelin tires, which Goodyear is the tire supplier for the GT3 cars. The official motto of the city of Austin is "Keep Austin weird". We are back at COTA for the first time since 2020 and the cursed coronavirus pandemic. We could see hot weather and maybe some rain. A month ago, we were in South America, in Brazil. After today's race, we have two races left, in Fuji, Japan, and in Bahrain.
The Vista AF Corse Ferrari's one is in good shape the #55, but the #54 stalled and has clutch and electronics issues, doing a battery change on the car now. Counterclockwise, 20 corners, 5 and a half kilometers, 3.4 miles. No tire warmers. Despite the heat, the tires could still be cold. Turn 12 will be an overtaking place and so could turns 16, 17, and 18, a triple apex turn where you must preserve the tires. Drivers will be hot and fatigued after their stints. Double stinting is the name of the game. When the body begins overheating, your pace will drop off a lot. Your concentration levels will also fall off and your brain plays tricks on you.
Ben Keating is starting ninth aboard the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 sharing that car with Mikkel Pedersen and Dennis Olsen. Eighth place is the #777 D'station Aston Martin and up from that, the #59 United Autosport McLaren 720S GT3. McLaren scored a podium in LMGT3 in Brazil last time out. We are two hours from Houston, two hours from Dallas. The gulf states are suffering with severe weather. We might catch the edge of rain from Louisiana. Next on the grid, the #81 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Tom van Rompuy and company. Then comes Alex Malyhkin in the championship leading #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3R.
Francois Heriau is next in the #55 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. Sarah Bovy starts the #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 and wearing a fluffy pink cowgirl hat. Ferrari #54 is undergoing a clutch change as we speak. Ian James will start on ple in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. This is the first pole for Aston Martin in GT3. Medium compound Goodyear tires are the choice for GT3 here in Texas with the wet weather tires on standby. Fan engagement has been wonderful. There are fans here in droves. This is a platinum era of endurance sports car racing.
For the Michelin Hypercar tires, we are using medium and hard compounds. In the heat, the hard compound will be the way to go as we look at the #63 Lamborghini SC63. The stints will be long and hard. Phil Hanson starts the #38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963. This motor race, in the intense heat, will be punishing. Harry Tincknell starting the #99 Proton Competition FAT Turbo, SALT Porsche 963. Peugeot #94 in 15th place, Stoffel Vandoorne will start the car. These cars are basically a greenhouse with a hot, powerful engine. 18 Hypercars in the field as we look at Laurens Vanthoor in the #6 championship leading Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 factory car.
They had a broken damper in qualifying. Next, the #2 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V Series.R of Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber. Next, the #36 Alpine A424 with Mick Schumacher starting. He was stung by a wasp in his qualifying run. Ough! Brendon Hartley is 12th in the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid. If a driver is struggling with heat, they cannot continue in the race if they aren't feeling well. Next, Nico Muller in the #93 Peugeot 9X8. The teams have set up inflatable kid's swimming pools, not for swimming, but filled with ice, to keep the drivers cool between their stints. Mike Conway starting ninth in the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid.
Austin, Texas, is a big music town, a cosmopolitan and international place. Music legend Willie Nelson is from Austin. Next on the grid, the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8. That is one of the two BMW Team WRT car and next up is the sister #20 BMW. Fred Makowiecki is starting the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963. Fifth place, Miguel Molina in the #50 Ferrari 499P. The grid is clearing. The #35 Alpine A424 is fourth with Charles Milesi at the wheel. Third, Earl Bamber in the #2 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V Series.R. Robert Kubica is second in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P privately entered yellow car.
On the pole, the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans winning #51 Ferrari 499P with Antonio Giovinazzi at the controls. Best qualifying laps were all in the 1:50 range and Giovinazzi laid down a mega qualifying lap! Will we see Ferrari succeed in Austin? Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! That is the command, the four famous words have been given. The #54 Ferrari is still undergoing a clutch change. They will race but they will be an hour behind. There will be two formation laps as Frankie Muniz, actor and racing driver, waving the Stars & Stripes. He raced in one of the two Ford Mustang Challenge support races, sanctioned by IMSA.
Roger Penske flew into Austin from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, yesterday where IndyCar ran the first of two races they have at The Milwaukee Mile this weekend. 110 degrees is the operating window in Celsius. So, the tires are hot! If you touch the tire with your bare hands, you will get a nasty, nasty burn. We have many potential winners who could take the victory today. Stay with us for the next six hours to find out what happens. Toyota drivers will single stint through the race today. That's the plan. We will have the FIA WEC Full Access program on the blog, about this race, soon.
We are getting set to go green for six hours in round six of the FIA World Endurance Championship. No tire warmers, so all the cars need heat, work heat into the tire working the throttle against the brake pedal. A little weaving is OK. But the throttle and brake method is better. Alright. Here we go. Ladies and gentlemen, the Lone Star Le Mans is underway! Everything is bigger in Texas, including the sports car racing! Get ready, get set, punch it! Let's go! Ferrari #51 leeads. Antono Giocinazzi and Robert Kubica. The BMW is flying past the Alpine of Ferdinand Habsburg. Everyone safe so far.
Lamborghini, Edoardo Mortara, on the putside of the Toyota. Alpine, BMW, Cadillac. Here comes Alex Lynn side by side with one of the two V6 turbo Alpine's and there's contact between them! That's Ferdinand Habsburg and Earl Bamber off the road! Yikes! One of the BMW's off the road, too as the #5 Porsche 963 of Fred Makowiecki passes for seventh. Kamui Kobayashi passes Ferdinand Habsburg. Fred Makowiecki got shuffled back and is into the pit lane early doors. Makowiecki in a spot of bother as Mike Conway barely hangs on over the Alpine. Peugeot in the lane too. Oh dear.
Edoardo Mortara is motoring! The Lamborghini getting after it early doors. Stoffel Vandoorne having trouble with a tire in the Peugeot. Phil Hanson and Will Stevens, the two Jota Porsche 963's side by side. Holy cow! Phil Hanson always starting the #38 car. The Toyota #8 of Brendon Hartley wants a bite of the cherry. Mike Conway up to eighth. Brendon Hartley down to 13th spot. Blimey! This is a wild motor race so far! We've been racing for five minutes. Three Ferrari's follow by two BMW's, a Peugeot, and the lone Cadillac. Porsche #5 brought in due to the pitot tube needing to be unstuck. That measures the airspeed. They forgot to take off the safety tape on the grid. That is an aircraft device for measuring air speed.
Look at the onboard camera and you will see a metal thing sticking out of the front by the windscreen. That's the pitot tube. In GT3, the Aston Martin leads the Ferrari, the Lamborghini, and the Corvette. Speaking of Lamborghini, Edoardo Mortara has the SC63 up to tenth place. Will Stevens in the Jota Porsche 963 is glued to his tail. We could see tire strategies revolving around right side tires. This is a counterclockwise circuit here at COTA as Mtthieu Vaxiviere in the second #36 Alpine should have been farther up the grid.
But of course, Mick Schumacher, on his qualifying lap, was fighting a wasp in the cockpit. Matthieu Vaxiviere says he is having trouble with the handling. The new tarmac, the new pavement, is fresh from the end of the lap to the first sector. Earl Bamber and Ferdi Habsburg's shemozzle is under investigation by the stewards. The track has gotten grippier as the race weekend has progressed. Slippery surface/debris flags at the second turn. Hmmm. Is there fluid down on the road? In GT3, it is Francois Heriau vs. Tom van Rompuy. Sarah Bovy is up t0 second behind the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin.
Each driver category has a minimum drive time of curse. There is damage on the left rear of the #94 Peugeot as we see Heriau outbraking himself at the top of the hill in turn one. Marco Wittmannn is now chasing Miguel Molina for third. Ferrari vs. BMW. Robert Kubica in the #83 Ferrari 499P has one new hard compound left rear Michelin tire. Stoffel Vandoorne in the #94 Peugeot 9X8 did the same thing. 18 tires allocated, four and a half sets, allocated to the Hypercar teams. Turn three here, going light over the brow is like Druids corner at Brands Hatch in England, a place where the World Endurance Championship raced in the 1980s.
Marco Wittmann is racy today right in the slipstream of the #50 Ferrari. Watch for that BMW. He can stay right with the Ferrari. 3 liter turbo V6 in the Ferrari. 4 liter turbo V8 in the BMW. Earl Bamber is fretting about the handling of the Cadillac. He will have to adjust the antirollbars inside the cars. It is a common suspension package between the Hypercars and the GTP cars in IMSA here, because the cars are basically the same with the Hypercar/LMDh platform. Could we see a full-fledged Hypercar in IMSA? Aston Martin will have the Valkyrie. Will Ferrari enter stateside? We'll see.
Wittmann continuing to harry Molina. BMW have had some good finishes this year at Imola and Brazil. One of the critical areas is to keep your car close to your rival ahead. Earl Bamber is harrying Nico Muller and now he pokes his nose inside. 15 minutes of racing now on the board. Clear air will allow for brake cooling and for the radiators to work and cool the engine. Listen to the sounds of the Hypercars, each one sounds different. Oh my! Mike Conway pulls the switchback over Earl Bamber and he hangs on. He may have gone off the track but was forced off and now, Nico Muller gets passed by Ferdinand Habsburg in the Alpine.
Habsburg for contact earlier has copped a drive through penalty from the stewards. Will Stevens pulling out to pass the Peugeot. Peugeot have suffered clutch problems during Free Practice. Are they OK? Will The Lion have a competitive edge? Ooh! Oh boy! Stevens absolutely steamrolls a couple more cars making the pass. The poor old GT3 drivers are being swarmed by the Hypercars jumping into gaps you had no clue existed! Blimey O'Reilly! Alpine back out of the pits, the #35 car.
The sports car drivers are absolutely fearless. Ferdinand Habsburg was responsible for the opening lap contact and hence his penalty. Alex Lynn is chasing Mike Conway. Conway is monstering the BMW's. 20 minutes into a six hour race. Mike Conway now sixth. Edoardo Mortara in the lime green Lambo chasing down Nico Muller in the Peugeot. Oof! The Toyota runs wide past Ben Keating in the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3. The #6 Porsche Penske Porsche 963 factory car is in recovery mode, Laurens Vanthoor at the wheel of it. Early delays can absolutely crush your race. You need the whole race duration to claw back 30 seconds.
Brendon Hartley giving Phil Hanson all he can handle. Toyota #8 vs Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 #38. Robert Kubica is on the march early doors and we are seeing some wild replays of the start. Miguel Molina was inside the white line having to fend off the Alpine with a block pass, parking the car on the apex of turn one. Be careful so you aren't bullied off the road. Conway twitched and was biffed by the #5 Penske Porsche 963. No puncture for the Porsche and of course Ferdniand Habsburg in the Alpine was muscled off the road. Crunch! The Peugeot had contact from Phil Hanson in the #38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963.
Half an hour, almost, into the race, and Antonio Giovinazzi leads Robert Kubica by 1.6 seconds. Ian James leading Sarah Bovy and Tom van Rompuy in GT3. We have several different cars. Aston Martin, in the lead. Clkement Mateu, Ahmad Al Harthy, and one of the McLaren's, James Cottingham, I think. No. That is Josh Caygill in the sister #95. Al Harthy right on Caygill's six. Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 vs. #95 United Autosport McLaren 720S GT3. Lap times at the top of the shop are ebbing and flowing. Toyota and BMW have freer air around them and are able to lap faster.
Everyone else bunched up in a tight formation, a conga line. 13 laps in the book. 44 miles. Porsche 963 #5 was in the lane for a splash of fuel. Yasser Shahin, the Australian, warned for track limits in the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3R in LMGT3 sharing with Morris Schuring and Richard Lietz. We have had a McLaren on pole, the Inception Racing car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That was one of the IMSA entries that came over for Le Mans I believe. The McLaren's transmission was destroying the mandated torque sensors. Go online and do a search for torque sensors to see what those are.
Great battle between Ahmad Al Harthy and Josh Caygill with the second Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 #31 in the hands of Darren Leung. On the inside, Ahmad Al Harthy chops the nose off the McLaren for ninth with Josh Caygill now tenth. The GT cars are so different. The McLaren, streamlined, and the BMW M4 GT3, a sports coupe. The GT3 cars have antilock brakes of course. It is the same as having dead power steering. You have to be able to feel it and it is strange if a driver has not used it.
Robert Kubica, the ex-Formula 1 driver, he is chasing another Formula 1 driver, formerly, Antonio Giovinazzi. Marco Wittmann in the first BMW ahead of the sister car of Rene Rast. Antonio Giovinazzi is told to stick to the plan and focus on his own race. Keep the tires alive and don't overstress the car. Earl Bamber is coming back at Mike Conway. Toyota with the 3.5-liter twin turbo V6 and Earl Bamber in the Cadillac V Series.R with the massive 5.5 liter naturally aspirated V8. On the marbles through turn six the leading Ferrari's pass one of the TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R's.
The crew of the yellow Ferrari looks very strong. 17 laps now on the board. The energy levels have now been cut in half before first pit stops. Below half, actually. We'll have to see how the fuel strategies come out in the wash, 34 minutes now elapsed with 18 laps completed. Ferrari #83 under investigation for a technical infringement. Antonio Giovinazzi is worried. His engineer says "believe me, we won't let him by. Focus on your race, sunbeam." Ferrari #83 goes by! How weird. Kubica has found his way past Giovinazzi. Antonio Giovinazzi knew that he had to back out of the throttle but he was clearly upset asking his engineer "why do I have to back off? That's insane!"
Robert Kubica channeling his anger, whistling off into the distance. Now, Rene Rast in the second BMW is chasing Ealr Bamber in the Cadillac. Bamber down to seventh after being muscled out of the way by the other Hypercars. Around the #777 D'station Aston Martin of Clement Mateu, Brendon Hartley is trying to escape Laurens Vanthoor as Clement Matheu was simply nudged out of the way by the #38 Jota Porsche 963. What will the stewards say? #777 stays on track with no damage. Brendon Hartley being reeled in by Laurens Vanthoor. Only the top ten score points. 25 points for a win in a six hour economy mode race.
We have two more races, the 6 Hours of Fuji in Japan and the 8 Hours of Bahrain, after Austin is done and dusted. Packed racing in both classes. Seven Hypercars covered by 11 seconds. Marco Wittman not giving up the chase, running Harry Flatters vs. Miguel Molina. Both of the BMW M Hybrid V8's are up there. Vincent Vosse, the boss of Team WRT, the man with the flat cap, looking on. Ge asi gas tge two BMW M4 GT3's in GT3. Thomas Flohr in the #54 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 is back on track, finally, 40 minutes late. He will have to serve a penalty for not joining the start of the event.
Davide Rigon now at the controls, and we now have all 36 cars entered, in the race. Ben Keating in fourth aboard the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 just behind Alex Malykhin in the #92 Manthey Pure Racing Porsche 911 GT3R. The Heart of Racing is testing with the new Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar that we will see here in the WEC next year and in IMSA. Ian James also wants to race the GT3. Looking forward to seeing the Aston Martin Valkyrie and we are going to see more manufacturers coming. Porsche vs. Alpine have not battled each other since the late 1970s and their scraps at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between the Porsche 936 and the Alpine A442.
Why would you not want to be here? Sports car racing is in a golden era right now. The best, since the 1980s. The rulebook is fairly open within weight, aero, and power parameters. The Aston Martin Valkyrie will sound and look great. A 6.5 liter naturally aspirated, non-hybrid V12. A variety of cars but every car looks and sounds different. This is why sports car racing is so wonderful! This is why I write about it with such vigor, zeal, and passion. The BMW has seven percent more energy than Ferrari #83 of Robert Kubica who is stretching his lead over Antonio Giovinazzi currently.
Was the change of position warranting a penalty between Ferrari's #51 and #83? Nope. It was just good, hard, clean, fair racing. Clean and fair. That's the key. No trickery. No malice. Mike Conway has made it up to sixth in the #7 Toyota while the sister #8 continues languishing down in eighth spot. We are only 47 minutes into the motor race. We have a long, long way to go here in Austin this afternoon. #83 reprimanded for tire pressures by the stewards. Harry Tincknell chasing Ferdinand Habsburg. That #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963 has a white a lime green paint scheme, reminiscent of the early 1990s and the Joest Racing Porsche 962's in the later days of Group C.
Ian James leads over Sarah Bovy, Tom van Rompuy, Ben Keating, Francois Heriau, and Alex Malykhin. Aston, Lambo, Corvette, Mustang, Ferrari, Porsche. Six different cars in the top six. Vincent Vosse, WRT team boss is confident but quietly so because there is such a long way to go. They are making the best of what they've got. Vosse, the cat in the flat hat. Left front corner dive plane damage on the #2 Cadillac, copping a whack from a Porsche and an Alpine. It has blunted the car aerodynamically and they will need a new nose.
Earl Bamber is now having to reel Mike Conway back in as they wrestle between the GT3 traffic. 26 laps now on the board, 88 miles. Drag is the biggest factor for Earl Bamber with the dive plane being busted. He will hve to do bigger lift and coasts before the team can fix the nose and replace it with a new one that isn't blemished. D'station #777 Aston Martin, Manthey EMA #91 Porsche, Akkodis ASP Lexus #78 in for energy replenishment. Translation, refueling. Incident responsibility penalty as we see the legality planks on the bottom fo the car bottoming out over the bumps. Miguel Molina in the Ferrari being harried by Marco Wittman and Rene Rast in both BMW's.
Car #36, the Alpine, has hard rear tires and medium fronts, with Matthieu Vaxiviere driving. We have seen one of the Peugeot's in and the top running GT3 cars also pitting for fuel and tires I believe. Ben Keating now leads his home race aboard the #88 Ford Mustang GT3. Alex Lynn takes over the #2 Ganassi Racing Cadillac. Just two drivers in the car. You get a debrief, a prep period, and a short time trying to cool down and rehydrate. Rene Rast needs some water to pour down his overalls. He needs an ice bath or somethng.
Ford Mustang GT3 #88 is in the pit lane. Ben Keating will do a double stint. Marco Wittmann in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 is in massive fuel save mode in clean air. Save fuel for later. That is the plan. The #6 Penske Porsche 963 is in the same boat as Robert Kubica is in the ane. Fueling up, as Alex Lynn got left side tires on the #2 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V Series.R. Rene Rast still has 11% energy in the tank. We see the two Alpine's, Ferdinand Habsburg and Matthieu Vaxiviere have found each other as Edoardo Mortara will be penalized for an illegal overtake in the #63 Lamborghini SC63. Five seconds added to Mortara's next pit stop.
So, we are coming to the end of the opening hour. 31 laps on the board, 105 miles. Left hand tires for Alex Lynn in the #2 Cadillac and we will see the BMW go to the lead with the #50 Ferrari pitting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)