The #33 BMW M4 GT3 is finished with their pit stop, trundling out of the lane. As we said, Dan Harper's stint at the beginning of the race motoring from 23rd to sixth, my gosh, we are going to be reminiscing about that drive for years to come as future editions of this great race come and go. He effectively erased that tail end of the grid penalty in a single stint. Dries Vanthoor, the Belgian, now at the wheel of the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 that is the ersthwile leader of the motor race. Mikael Grenier, the Canadian, is giving chase in second aboard the #130 GruppeM Mercedes. Grenier knows the Mercedes-AMG GT3 well and in multiple endurance sports car racing championships. He is not on everyone's radar but delivers in a big race, very much like his fellow Canadian Daniel Morad who is actually a very upbeat and in your face character.
The #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche is in pit lane for service. Adam Adelson spryly leaps out of the car and should hand it over to either Laurin Heinrich or Elliott Skeer and it is Elliott Skeer. I don't believe we will see Adam Adelson take another stint in this race. He can chill out for the rest of it and watch because we should be seeing Elliott Skeer and Laurin Heinrich doing double or triple stints from here on out. The maximum drive time is 195 minutes, three stints, = 3 hours and 15 minutes total. The #10 Herberth Motorsports Porsche is pitting too, and it appears Antares Au is getting out which should mean it will be either Patric Niederhauser or Loek Hartog getting in.
Antares Au needs to get to halfway and will win the Independent Cup championship as Dries Vanthoor's lead was just under five seconds a short time ago. He is 4.8 seconds ahead of Mikael Grenier. Grenier in hot pursuit of the Belgian BMW man. In the IGTC manufacturers' cup, Porsche has no Pro class entries, but all cars are eligible. BMW has been at the pointy end and Munich are leapfrogging one of the two Stuttgart brands in the form of Porsche, currently. So, Bavaria has the edge for the time being. Adam Adelson is the mandated Silver ranked driver in the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche.
His drive time is done of course and so Elliott Skeer is now driving that automobile. It would be two triple stints for Skeer and Heinrich to get to the end of the race tonight. The Pro points standings right now stay the same as they were in a two-horse race. Tommy Milner and Alec Udell for the DXDT Corvette team with the #63 car have 250 points. They are 13 points clear of Adam Adelson and ElliotT Skeer who are on 237 points. Probably do two blocks. It is warm today, but it will cool off towards the end of the race.
Alexander Sims is at the controls of the #63 DXDT Corvette in fifth overall. Elliott Skeer will be reeling in Alexander Sims. DXDT Racing have had a great weekend. The sister #64 DXDT Corvette Z06 GT3.R is running in the top five ranking in the Pro-Am class with Patrick Liddy at the wheel of it. Liddy is 15th in the overall sandwiched right between the two AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3's, the #163 of Toni Vilander and the #88 of Cedric Sbirrazzuoli. Augusto Farfus just ran the fastest lap of the race at 1:23.7. Some of these drivers are coming from different championships that raee on different tires.
Turner Motorsports for instance, runs here in Fanatec GT World Challenge on Pirelli tires while they run in a different endurance championship with a different tire brand altogether as the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, their GT3 classes, run on the French Michelin tire. They know what the changes are but there is a nuance with a new driver. Alexander Sims is a perfect example because he does not have the experience on the Pirelli tire, and he has to feel the tires and what they are doing. Dries Vanthoor leads by almost six seconds. Just past the two hour mark in the race, the fifth running of the Indianapolis 8 Hours.
Samantha Tan is well down the order in 23rd after a mechanical problem. They need a bundle of cars to fall out to have a shot at the Pro-Am victory. Now, Adam Adelson has just passed by the sister ST Racing BMW M4 GT3, car #28, currently in the hands of Varun Choksey, the American driver, and Choksey wriggles his way through the corner but keeps clear of Adelson, barely! That was weird. Hard to see what on earth happened there. Choksey is in the Pro class ST Racing BMW. That was bizarre! No acceleration for Choksey. Pardon me. I missed the mark. That was the sister #38 ST Racing BMW of Samantha Tan who is still getting back up to speed after being in the garage. That is not the #28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 of Bill Auberlen, Varun Choksey, and Phillipp Eng.
The transponder must now be working on the #4 Lone Star Racing Mercedes. It has to be working but the team still could not fix the issue themselves which is even more galling than what the stewards said earlier. Fabian Schiller is still out there pounding around currently running in tenth place overall. There was talk of a transponder problem on the car that maybe has been dealt with already, but we'll see how that all transpires. We have word from Race Control that Augusto Farfus will be given a five second penalty for either being outside the pit stop time by five seconds exactly, or maybe an infraction for one of the mechanics. We'll have to dig into that, an equipment violation, possibly?
Lots going on for one of these pit stops with changing tires, adding fuel, and checking the car, or doing the driver change. OK. So, Jayden Ojeda has now handed the #75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 back to Kenny Habul for what should be his second and final stint in this race. He has cars around him not on the same lap and most notably, the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 currently driven by Elias Seppanen, the Finnish racer, who is running in 13th place. WRT had equipment over the pit box line for their five second penalty, maybe an air hose from one of the rattle guns or something.
The #4 Lone Star Racing Mercedes is in with the LumiRank system still not working. They are now set for a driver change. Alex Palou is suited and booted ready to take over. The pit crew is working on the LumiRank system. They will have to drive one lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway to prove to the SRO marshals and stewards that the problem is fixed and the LumiRank mechanism is in working order. They have dealt with this problem since the race's second hour. Never mind. Palou is helping to change the drink bottle for Fabian Schiller who is going to do a double stint. It seemed a mechanic had a piece of Velcro to put the number panel for the LumiRank back inside behind the windscreen.
Maybe it was ultimately something different. "Curioser and curioser". It's complicated, GT racing. Modern race cars are so complex. There is a three-ring binder full of the tools and gadgets for the drivers to work with. SRO says the #4 car is good to keep running. There is probably an auxiliary GPS unit on top of the car that the SRO needed to double check on. The system is to the satisfaction of Race Control, but they have a long road as Fabian Schiller is two laps down to the rest of the IGTC Pro class. Schiller stays in the car. The car has a lot of work to do coming throgu the field from 18th in the overall as things currently stand.
Alexander Sims leads the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Pro, at 1:24.573, Alexander Sims has just marginally improved on Alec Udell's fastest lap, so things are getting better. Now we look at the Pro-am class as Kenny Habul leads over Justin Rothberg, and Elias Seppanen. Let's do a class rundown of the Pro-Am cars while we are at it.
1. #75 Habul/Ojeda/Auer 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
2. #29 Rothberg/Gallagher/Foley Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3
3. #91 Seppanen/Burton/Ellis Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
4. #163 Vilander/Negri Jr./Schreibman AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3
5. #64 Liddy/Sellers/McDonald DXDT Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
6. #888 Maini/Love/Ibrahim Triple Eight JMR Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
7. #88 Sbirrazuoli/Agostini/Toledo AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3
8. #61 Buus/Leitch/D'Silva EBM Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
9. #10 Hartog/Niederhauser/Au Car Collection Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
10. #32 Sargent/Washington/Guven GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
11. #21 Fontana/Patel/Mettler Car Collection Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
12. #8 Yelloly/Sabo/Lee Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT3
13. #38 Tan/Capestro-Dubets/Verhagen ST Racing BMW M4 GT3
Regulator Racing had their first victory at Virginia International Raceway earlier this summer. Now we see a battle for second in class in Pro-Am and the situation is such that the #91 car wants what the #29 has, in the form of second place in class. Seppanen in pursuit of Rothberg. This battle has implications for the championship points and effectively becomes a battle for the lead among the North American Pro-Am cars. A change of position could swap the fortunes of Turner Motorsports and ST Racing. We know Philipp Ellis could be a thorn in the side to Turner Motorsports in this battle.
The irony there, too, is Ellis is in a king-sized battle with both Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher in IMSA competition that goes down to the wire next weekend for their finale at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. So, after we are done here at Indianapolis, you will also want to tune in for the coverage of anything and everything for the IMSA finale too. There is lots of sports car racing still to talk about and many stories left to tell. In Pro-Am as it stands now there is a single point separating Turner Motorsports from ST Racing! This is going to be close!
Ellis has been winning GT3 races all year in many championships. I am sure Ellis will be on the Christmas card list for Samantha Tan and Neil Verhagen if he can pass the #29 car.
Dear, Philip,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Signed,
Samantha
Dear Philip,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Signed,
Neil
There's a long way to go and lots to play for in the next five hours and 40 minutes. Justin Rothberg is in his second stint and we have not seen Jeff Burton do his second stint. What I don't understand, as Ryan Myrehn is explaining the situation, is these two chaps are nearly a lap behind to Kenny Habul who is the class leader in Pro-Am, but he is preparing to come up and put a lap on both Rothberg and Seppanen. I just don't understand it. Normally, yours truly is the paragon of all sports car endurance racing, the oracle of wisdom about this sport. That being said, I beg of you to tell me something I don't know. Somebody, please help me answer this riddle.
OK. Thank you, for chiming in, Calvin. Apparently, Rothberg was a lap down when we went yellow for the first time in this race. Burton in the #91 Mercedes is in the same shape. So, BMW #29 and Mercedes #91 are both in somewhat of a pickle, currently. Effectively, the yellow has separated the #75 car from the rest of the class and because Patric Niederhauser didn't pit, there was no wave around and everyone else got trapped in the middle of the queue. The rules are written in such a way that you can get back on the lead lap, but these regulations put forth by the SRO are pretty Byzantine to even those like me who, again, I consider myself pretty well versed on the vagaries that surround these races all the time.
If someone figures a strategy out, that others like me can't understand, it will drive you bonkers. Loek Hartog, the Dutchman in the pole position #10 Porsche is now down in ninth spot and here we still have this scrap going on between Rothberg in the BMW and Seppanen in the Mercedes. #29 vs. #91. Seppanen is on the inside, look, and now it's a drag race. The BMW is quicker. Seppanen has the preferred line and sends it. Rothberg wisely gives it up. Rothberg is setting things up for Robby Foley and for Patrick Gallagher to drive the rest of today's race in the #29 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3.
Seppanen passing flips the championship back towards Samantha Tan and Neil Verhagen in spite of the troubles with their fuel pump. So, we can see in the box on the right of the screen it is true. Verhagen and Tan lead with 227 points now in the Pro-Am class compared to 214 points in second spot for Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg, a difference of 13. Elias Seppanen is now motoring ahead of Justin Rothberg. The Finn is the 2023 ADAC GT Masters champion. He comes from an open wheel background racing in Formula Regional and Formula 4 and has also been racing in GT4. Kenny Habul is right behind Justin Rothberg. The situation is that Habul can put Rothberg two laps down. But the 75 Express Mercedes is not eligible for points in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America series.
I think they are only eligible for... well, never mind. They are a Pro Am entry. So, I won't even discuss what I was thinking about because it is a moot point. At the top of the running order, Mikael Grenier is dropping into the clutches of Augusto Farfus. Farfus is aware he has a five second penalty in his future so he needs to chase down the Mercedes and stay close to the sister car of Dries Vanthoor. Things will ebb and flow as drivers navigate traffic. Currently, Augusto Farfus holds the fastest lap of the motor race aboard the #33 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 with a 1:23.766. This is as warm as we will see, into the 80s before the temperature cools off considerably in the evening as we finish in the darkness around this 2.4-mile circuit at IMS with 14 corners.
Grenier seems to be responding to Farfus' challenge. Dries Vanthoor in the leading #31 Team WRT BMW continues ripping off lap times much quicker than the rest of the field. He is 12 seconds ahead and the irony is that Dries Vanthoor is trying to help his teammate beat his brother Laurens Vanthoor who was supposed to race this event but could not do so. He stood down because he is racing in the Hypercar class for Porsche in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the Porsche 963 with a title fight on the line there as well. Ayhancan Guven of Turkey is the only factory Porsche driver who can go for manufacturers' points.
165 miles an hour into the braking zone for turn one. Turn one, turn seven, and turn 12, the biggest curbs in any of the corners here at Indy. The BMW's can take the curbs, but they are being clobbered. Chasing, I get it. But, trying to run a consistent pace, it might hurt the car. Farfus and Grenier continue their fight. We also have a serious battle brewing down the order for 15th place. Patrick Liddy aboard the #64 DXDT Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R has his hands full with the #61 EBM Porsche 911 GT3R (992) with Danish Porsche racer Bastian Buus at the wheel of it.
Liddy is debuting in Fanatec GT World Challenge America. Buus closes in but Liddy slams the door in his face in this battle for sixth place in the Pro-Am class. Bastian Buus is a man on a mission! He wants this! Single make Porsche racing has produced many stars, the reigning 2023 Porsche Super Cup champion and a former champion in the GT4 European Series, a series I want to continue to talk about on this blog but need to find the time to do so. So, stay tuned. Buus down the inside of Liddy and he nails the pass. When you fight another car through the technical part of the circuit that destroys your lap time.
Dries Vanthoor now leads by 13 and a half seconds while the squabbling continues for second and third between the #130 Mercedes of Grenier and the #33 BMW of Farfus, the French-Canadian doing all he knows to fend off the challenge from the Brazilian. The two BMW's have a real edge with a permanent presence at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Uh oh, there's trouble coming onto Hulman Boulevard for Arjun Maini at the wheel of the #888 Triple Eight JMR Mercedes. He is slowing. Maini, alongside co-drivers Jordan Love and Prince Jeffri Ibrahim, they have had a fraught race thus far.
Is this a technical problem or a puncture? The car is at idle. He is picking up speed. I wonder if the transmission isn't working or if there is a tire issue. This car is invisible for North American points. Maini seems to be back underway after coasting down Hulman Boulevard as we still see Farfus trying to make a move on Grenier. Farfus is really pushing hard from the back of the pack after the engine change, driving alongside Dan Harper and Max Hesse. Right now, we must give kudos to the fourth-place car, too. This is the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 currently driven by Conor Daly, who has very little seat time at the wheel of a GT3 car.
Daly is running lap times within a tenth of some of the factory drivers. He remains on the lead lap, 27 seconds behind the top three. He looked very strong at Barber Motorsports Park last time out. It is hard to make a transition from an IndyCar to a GT3 car. Alex Palou and Conor Daly are both experiencing that. The #32 GMG Porsche is in the lane for service. Conor Daly was supposed to drive the BMW M4 GT3 for Random Vandals at Road America but was instead committed to being a sub for one of the IndyCar races earlier in the summer, and though I casually follow the IndyCars, I cannot remember which race that was.
I think it was the race at VIR for SRO GTWC America but ended up racing in IndyCar at Gateway, Worldwide Technology Raceway near St. Louis, Missouri. Random Vandals Racing are building their team and Paul Sparta snapped up Michael Harvey as one of the top members of his team after Harvey worked at Porsche for a long time. We saw Arjun Maini slowing and now the #888 Mercedes is in the garage. Arjun Maini is very upset, and the trouble is a fuel pump, but it isn't terminal. What on earth is going on with the fuel pumps today? We have seen fuel pump issues for a BMW and now for a Mercedes.
That is very disappointing for Triple Eight, Maini, his first time racing in the United States and a big fan of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo was launched in 2020 and since that time, 280 of those cars have been sold globally and it is such a great platform at any possible track you can think of. The car just has a massive sweet spot and it is very user friendly and not as twitchy as some other GT3 cars. Compliant over the curbs and good under braking. Some of the mid-engine cars can be a little harder to drive and of course the Porsche has it's own characteristic. The 6.2 liter V8 with it's rumble is very distinct and has been around since the days of the Mercedes SLS in 2011, 2012, 2013 and for a few years after that.
The GT3 car differs from the 4-liter bi-turbo V8 used in the road car and hence in the GT4 spec Mercedes-AMG race car as well. With a Pro-Am car, you need a car that isn't so edgy that an amateur driver is not comfortable with. The Pro drivers can handle an edgy car, but the Am drivers need confidence and the Mercedes gives that to a driver. Tom Sargent is now at the controls... excuse me, it is Ayhancan Guven in the #32 which had an earlier puncture and dropped off the lead lap and they are now buried down in 20th overall. The battle for second is beginning to boil because Augusto Farfus is now right on Mikael Grenier's six.
Grenier enters the corner knowing he is vulnerable to Farfus. These two are losing bucketloads of time to Dries Vanthoor whistling into the distance to the tune of 16 seconds plus over this battle we are watching on the road. Augusto Farfus has won Indianapolis in the past and suffered heartbreak in 2023 after wrecking due to lapped traffic. Oh dear. Patrick Liddy has pulled off the circuit in the #64 DXDT Corvette! I have to think that maybe he made contact with somebody or something. There is damage and maybe he has lost the steering. There are tire tracks in the grass, but I don't know where those came from. Was that a curb strike? One corner must be broken on that car.
In this replay, Liddy makes contact or got barged into by Tom Sargent in the #32 GMG Racing Porsche! You can easily break a tie rod and in traffic, Kenny Habul gets used up by both Toni Vilander in the #163 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 and Nick Yelloly in the #8 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT3! Vilander currently running in 13th place and Nick Yelloly in 21st. Some fast rivals there for Kenny Habul! Calamity Corner! Yelloly and Vilander should be having some fun. Toni Vilander is fourth in class in the Pro-Am class. Jay Schreibman, I believe he already did his driving stint. In the meantime, we still need to keep talking about the second-place fight.
Augusto Farfus is still turning up the heat and you know that he wants by Mikael Grenier and soon. When you are in this position, how much time are you compromising? You are risking getting hit as well. Are you better off letting the BMW go and accepting losing a spot? I think so. Drivers are on their headlight flasher buttons. It makes them feel better and vent frustration with their rivals. Patrick Liddy remains in the pit lane, and this is important because the #64 DXDT Corvette is eligible for points in the North American Pro-Am GT World Challenge America points. Again, all these cars are GT3, but they are all running for several SRO championships on a global or national level today at Indianapolis.
Bryan Sellers has driven the full season in #64. Sadly, we are hearing that car has gone behind the wall. But this is good news for the #38 ST Racing BMW as Neil Verhagen and Samantha Tan might be able to gain spots if one of their rivals is in strife. Tan, Verhagen, and John Capestro-Dubets, they might just be able to salvage something. If they get to 50%, the #29 Turner Motorsports BMW of Justin Rothberg, Robby Foley, and Patrick Gallagher need to win in class and if they do, then the #38 car needs to finish in the top five at the end of the race tonight. Rothberg, 20 minutes ago, was passed by Elias Seppanen in the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes.
In that section, in Pro-Am, we now see that Toni Vilander, has also passed Rothberg. So, Justin Rothberg now has two Finnish drivers to try and make passes on. Oh, my goodness! Farfus has the chance to make the pass on Mikael Grenier down Hulman Boulevard! Will he be able to do it? He can indeed as these two chaps are working their way past the Pro-Am class leader, Kenny Habul, in the #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3. After nearly an hour's work, Farfus passes and he gets a wriggle on to try and motor away from Grenier.
For that shemozzle with the #64 DXDT Corvette, the #32 GMG Porsche of Ayhancan Guven has now been assessed a drive through penalty by the stewards. A drive through for incident responsibility. That's pretty cut and dried. So, it appears Tom Sargent will need to serve that penalty ASAP. That is the nail in the coffin for Guven and he will not win the Intercontinental GT Challenge championship in 2024. Meanwhile, Dries Vanthoor is on a Saturday drive. He is 18 seconds and more, ahead of Augusto Farfus at this moment.
What will Farfus and company do now that the Brazilian can chase down his teammate? The #33 car was dead last in 23rd after an engine change but now runs second overall. Team WRT are expected to be strong after their earlier troubles this week. The #33 still needs to serve a five second penalty on their next pit stop. Mikael Grenier wants to stay within five seconds as long as his pit stop goes well. The talent level here at Indianapolis is stacked. For Team WRT to be out front again, it shows the organization of the team, BMW's prowess, and the strength of the driver lineup. There is no weak link in the chain.
We have more news, and probably not good news either, RE: DXDT Corvette #64. The front end is off the car being worked on. Tires are being changed and the team is assessing suspension damage. Patrick Liddy remains in the car while teammate Bryan Sellers is helping out and making sure the team and his co-drivers are staying hydrated by bringing them water. Racing drivers, when they aren't in the car, have plenty of other responsibilities to help the team. We are pushing temperatures in the low 80s here in Indianapolis. It is nice weather but it is pretty warm. In the last few years it has been more autumnal.
Some cars have air conditioning ducting, but it is not always cooler air. Some teams are doing triple stints and others doing singles or doubles, but these drivers are incredibly fit. Wheel to fender contact can do a lot of damage but making things possible for quick fixes helps. Contact with a wheel of another car can make for a big shock through the steering rack. Bryan Sellers, Patrick Liddy, and Blake McDonald, and Liddy and McDonald are debuting in SRO America. Patrick Liddy has run in endurance races like the Petit Le Mans in IMSA before, so he does have experience. Meanwhile, the #75 Mercedes is in the pit lane. Fuel, tires, and a driver change, as the window for the pit stops opens.
Kenny Habul is out and a new driver is in.
I think it will be Lucas Auer. It is. The Australian flag prevalent on the car signifying the team's heritage and that flame job, the hot rod flame job, candy tangerine, orange chrome metalflake color, that looks really cool. You know instantly what you are looking at. The sister #28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 bounding over the curbs. That is Varun Choksey driving right now sharing with Bill Auberlen and Philipp Eng. He is chasing Elias Seppanen. The BMW M4 GT3 is a big, robust car, and it makes drivers of other GT3 cars envious because it can bound over the curbs and wallop them and doesn't miss a beat. It is a stout race car.
The forces on these cars, the aerodynamic forces, are unreal, generating hundreds and hundreds of pounds of downforce and the pressure on the aerodynamic wings and foils and so on. Drivers are forced to trail brake into the turns. Elliott Skeer aboard the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche is moving up steadily. He is chasing the rapid Italian Ricardo Agostini at the wheel of the #88 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. He has two Fanatec GT World Challenge America poles this year. But in this race, he and his co-drivers are in a different class. Agostini from Italy sharing with Custdio Toledo of Brazil and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli of Monaco.
Kenny Habul says everything is working well for track position, but after contact with the BMW they have bent the steering arm on the car and so, it tracks sideways down the straightaway and one way it turns just fine while the other way, it is a bear to steer it. The drivers are struggling with that. Two professional drivers might be able to figure it out but the car is very difficult to drive. The wheels are bent so cornering is hard. One of the BMW's Habul had a clatter, halfway through the corner when he truned in and hit the rear of the car. Habul had a big crash at Spa last year but is now back in the seat. They have the benefit of gaining a lap over the rest of their class. But, another safety car could change the situation as we haven't even reached the halfway mark yet.
Don't knock the car out of alignment because it can be annoying, can affect the handling, and affect the tire wear. Lucas Auer does not seem to be worried about the alignment though because he just uncorked the best lap for car #75 so far in the race at 1:24.342. He is half a second faster than race leader Dries Vanthoor. Let's take a look at the replay of the incident that caused the steering trouble. This was back in hour one, in the race's opening stanza. Ah. That was the shemozzle with the #8 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 that saw #8 stranded in the gravel trap and brought out the Full Course Yellow.
OK. I understand everything now. So, it was Elias Sabo and Kenny Habul clattering into each other. Elias Seppanen aboard the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 is under pressure again from the #88 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 of Riccardo Agostini. Agostini is a former Lamborghini Super Trofeo champion. Varun Choksey who we have mentioned, is running in sixth overall now and is very quietly having a wonderful run in this race so far and of course, Philipp Eng is one of his co-drivers along with Bill Auberlen. Eng ran very well in the opening stint as well putting the #28 in a great spot running second in the North American Pro class.
The veteran drivers in the #163 AF Corse Ferrari in the Am class are also running very well. The saying goes "the kids are alright". Well, so are the old guys, because Toni Vilander is now in 11th overall sharing that automobile with Jay Schreibman and Oswaldo Negri Jr. They are making progress currently. We are closing in on the end of the third hour. With the Am class drivers getting their drive time in the bank, things are simplifying. Before we continue talking about the race itself, I shall touch once again on AWS Race Vision and the most places gained so far.
Augusto Farfus has gained 21 places from where he started followed by 11 places for Toni Vilander, nine for Alexander Sims in the #63 DXDT Corvette, eight for Elias Seppanen, and four for Bastian Buus in the #61 EBM Porsche. There are many curious championship scenarios. Who can be the spoilers? There are viable candidates for that deal. There is always a caveat with this race being an eight-hour enduro. Especially since you need to wait until the four-hour mark to score points unlike a typical sprint race which is an hour and a half and where points are awarded at 45 minutes and then again at the end of 90 minutes. So, now we do see the Pro-Am fourth place battle on the screen. It is Bastian Buus vs. Lucas Auer.
Here are the Pro-Am standings, before I forget.
1. #91 Seppanen/Burton/Ellis Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
2. #163 Vilander/Negri Jr./Schreibman AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3
3. #29 Rothberg/Foley/Gallagher Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3
4. #61 Buus/D'Silva/Leitch EBM Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
5. #75 Auer/Habul/Ojeda 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3
6. #10 Hartog/Au/Niederhauser Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
7. #21 Fontana/Patel/Mettler Car Collection Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
8. #88 Agostini/Sbirrazzuoli/Toledo AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3
9. #32 Guven/Sargent/Washington GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
10. #8 Yelloly/Sabo/Lee Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT3
11. #64 Liddy/McDonald/Sellers DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
12. #888 Maini/Love/Ibrahim Triple Eight JMR Mercedes-AMG GT3
13. #38 Capestro-Dubets/Verhagen/Tan ST Racing BMW M4 GT3
OK. Maybe the troubles for the #38 are a blessing in disguise but you have a sense that in the next five hours things will get turned on their head. We are almost three hours into this race coming up on the halfway mark soon. In the next five minutes a lot of cars will hit pit lane with the 65-minute maximum stint length.
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