#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.
No comments:
Post a Comment