We are in the final hour at Watkins Glen. Pit stop time for one of the factory Porsche's. We watch the top three cars in GT Daytona. Lawson Aschenbach, Andy Lally, and Alessandro Balzan. There's not much in it as these guys are covered by a second and a half. Audi is 1-2, with Ferrari chasing. They have had some adjustments since the previous races at Laguna Seca and Detroit, two races that yours truly, will cover, when there is time to do so. You will hear a lot about IMSA on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog, coming up. Jonathan Bomarito runs third in Prototype and third overall, as he follows Joao Barbosa. GT cars dive for pit lane. You have to follow the leader on pit stops. Ford vs. Ferrari, just like Le Mans. Richard Westbrook tries to stretch the margin, running fastest lap of the race at 1:41.5.
Many GT Daytona cars are stepping up tire pressures with the new curbing in the Inner Loop. The pace of this track is coming uphe #68 Scuderia Corsa car is in the lane for their final pit stop. Waiting on fuel, and they are back on track. Alessandro Balzan is at the wheel.in the GTD car. Alessandro Pier Guidi in the sister car. Clean stop for Stevenson Motorsport. Westbrook and Werner are pushing. Who will blink first in this battle and dive for pit lane? Risk vs. reward. That's what this is down to. Now, we hear there is a low rev misfire on the #55 Mazda. The Corvette's are making their final pit stops.
#4 ahead of #3. These boys have a hard time ahead of them at the moment. The Corvette's just don't have the pace of the Ford's or the BMW's. Werner hits the lane. Not Westbrook, however. Westbrook will have fresher tires and more fuel to burn. Team manager Mike Hull is calling something. Driver change at BMW as Bill Auberlen takes over the M6 GT. Did the door get securely shut? Richard Westbrook has run 19 laps in this stint, and here he comes, now. Westbrook should stay in the car. Four tires and fuel. No mistakes. No extra fuel. Just tires. That took a while. Will Westbrook make it on fuel? He's got cold tires, too.
Daniel Serra is now right behind Bill Auberlen, as we are 45 minutes from the finish. Mazda has hit pit lane. But, now, it looks like MSR with the Ligier Honda of Olivier Pla is also going to get into it. Get creative. Watch your limits. Jonathan Bomarito is finding a way to work around the low rev miss. Westbrook leads Auberlen by 1.4 seconds in GTLM. Dane Cameron and the Mazda pit. Joao Barbosa, stays out. How cleanly can Barbosa get to the GT Daytona cars? Crews need to execute. Perfect pit stop. Four tires and fuel for Dane Cameron. The out lap is critical. #55 had a fuel issue.
Barbosa has clear track. He needs to break out a quick lap to get a buffer to pit and stay in P1. Barbosa is in the lane now. This has to be perfect. It's go time. Left side tires done, and right side tires ready. Tires done before fuel. Fuel is in. Down and away for #5. Barbosa will nab Dane Cameron who has hot tires. A big pit delta here. Cameron must have hit traffic on his out lap. The #60 Ligier Honda of Olivier Pla only took fuel. Extra grip will help Barbosa. Pla is steaming along. The clock continues to tick. With the late pit call, for left side tires and fuel... but there turned out to be no tires.
The car takes too long to get temperature into the tires. This isn't the lead battle. But, can Pla pass Cameron and chase down Barbosa? 1:35.4 for Pla. 1:37.5 for Cameron. Renger van der Zande leads Prototype Challenge. Pla tries to get a run on Cameron. Through the esses, Joao Barbosa, gains more time, out front. The tires for Pla, might get worn out. Debris on the road. Something has happened to the Mazda. Bill Auberlen makes contact with the Mazda, and the Mazda loses it's rear corner... one of them. Half an hour to go now. The competition is close, and very intense. Mazda is slow. Heartbreak. The engine is dead. Smoke spews out the back end.
This has to be a full course yellow. Can you recyucle this? A few plumes of smoke out the exhaust. Game over, for Mazda. This is a short yellow. The pit lane, is closed. The emotional roller coaster for Mazda, is at no end. The electronics have been playing up on the cars, all day. Mazda will go get 'em in the next race, next weekend, at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. Lights out on the safety car. Daniel Serra passed Tommy Milner. The top nine GT Le Mans cars are all on the lead lap. Go! Pla was left in the dust by the two Action Express Corvette's. van der Zande, Kyle Marcelli, and Stephen Simpson, will push for the Prototype Challenge win. Olivier Pla is going to push Dane Cameron like there's no tomorrow.
Olivier Pla makes his first start at Watkins Glen, and he's learned this course. Everyone is re-learning this great circuit. Pla is very close! Auberlen is going after Richard Westbrook and we've got the Corvette's, BMW's, Ferrari's, and Ford's, all going for it. Renger van der Zande realizes Kyle Marcelli is coming, fast. Some debris in turn nine being reported by the marshals. It looks like bodywork. Car #90 just pitted. Ooh! The #85 Prototype Challenge car went off the road, and Ryan Dalziel has to take evasive action. Alessandro Balzan, got past Andy Lally, as we are headed for the finish. This is going to be a hot one, ladies and gentlemen!
We are, again, under full course yellow. We are ready, and have gone back to green. Barbosa and Cameron are going for it. But we see Westbrook, Hand, Serra, and others, pushing hard for GTLM honors. Olivier Pla is all over #31. Here comes Ricky Taylor. Pla has to defend from Taylor! Get creative in your moves. Olivier Pla's tires are beginning to fade. The P2 car can rocket away from the Daytona Prototype based chassis. The cautions will help some of these guys, who have been in the cars for a good three hours. We have less than 13 minutes remaining in the race.
Will there be enough? Dane Cameron is blocking Pla, according to Mike Shank, team owner at MSR. Dane is not easy to pass. Joey Hand and Bill Auberlen are going for it. Tommy Milner is going for it, too, in the Corvette. Joey Hand has driven with Bill Auberlen at BMW before. But he and Bill Auberlen are still friends even though they drive for different marques. Less than ten minutes now remain. Tommy Milner hasn't matched the fast laps today of the Ford's and BMW's, but he's driving very well. Oh my! Stephen Simpson and Richard Bradley have been banging on each other for a good while, playing dodge 'em cars. Bradley won Le Mans for KCMG last year.
This is only the second race for Bradley in North America. Bradley ran Simpson off the road and Simpson retaliated. Beaux Barfield is going to be looking at that. If you like to race hard, you can. But no sympathy if someone attacks you back. Alessandro Balzan has gapped Andy Lally. Balzan is a hard charger. He'll keep going. Lawson Aschenbach, Mario Farnbacher, and others, are still in this scrum, with six minutes and change to go. This race, is almost over. Westbrook's Ford GT has been hooked up, all weekend.
These cars are starting to climb those curbs in the Inner Loop. Five minutes now remain. Pla is still in touch with Dane Cameron and can't get by. He has to push, now. Joey Hand is attacking Bill Auberlen. This is the battle for second. Up the ouitside, Hand makes the move on Auberlen, and can make a clean pass. That was respect, indeed. The handling has gone away on the BMW M6 GT of Bill Auberlen. He and Dirk Werner have put in a great drive. Ford will close in on Corvette, with three minutes left, insofar as the points. Every position is crucial for the championship. White flag next time by.
If Dane Cameron hangs on to second, he will be tied with the WTR Corvette boys... the Taylor brothers. Pla is pushing, and pushing hard. Pla has nothing to lose. Thisis the final lap. White flag is out. Traffic ahead of the battle for second. Cameron goes outside and so does Pla on the GTD BMW. White flag. Ford, could get three wins in a row. Jpey Hand lays down a 1:41.27. Fastest lap of the race. Barbosa wins overall! Joao Barbosa, Filipe Albuquerque, and Christian Fittipaldi. Starworks wins Prototype Challenge. GT Le Mans, makes it three wins in a row for the Ford GT. Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe do it!
GT Daytona goes to the Ferrari, with Alessandro Balzan, Jeff Segal, and Christina Nielsen!
Overall/Prototype: #5 Barbosa/Fittipaldi/Albuquerque Chevrolet Corvette Prototype
Prototype Challenge: #8 Popow/van der Zande Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet
GT Le Mans: #67 Briscoe/Westbrook Ford GT
GT Daytona: #63 Balzan/Nielsen/Segal Ferrari 488 GTE
The next race on the schedule, is next Sunday, at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. Also, stay tuned, for reports on previous races at Laguna Seca and Detroit, that yours truly hasn't yet had an opportunity to write about. But, those races, are coming up. For now, so long, from the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, and Watkins Glen International Raceway.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
6 Hours of Watkins Glen: Hour 5
In 1968, Jacky Ickx and Lucien Bianchi, won the first 6 Hours of the Glen. The team car, was driven by David Hobbs. Meanwhile, Spencer Pigot has moved past Eric Curran. Marc Goossens has entered pit lane. This is a scheduled stop for Goossens. More drama for the #54 car. Whoa! One of the factory Porsche 911's (#911) exceeds the track limits in a huge way! He turned in too far and took evasive action. Fortunately, he didn't plow through the gravel trap. Nick Tandy was surely caught napping there. Porsche and Ford have announced extensions to their North American pro racing programs. Porsche has a brand new car for next year. They will have full factory efforts for next year on both ends of the pond. Ford commits to racing in North America and Europe, through 2019.
Matt Bell still leads GT Daytona with Lawson Aschenbach about ready to take over the car for another stint. Audi runs 1-2 in GT Daytona at this time. Jorg Bergmeister is running well in the Park Place Porsche. Meanwhile, Ryan Briscoe is chasing down the BMW M6 GT of Dirk Werner. Oswaldo Negri Jr. in the Ligier isholding these blokes up. Werner will; go on defense. Briscoe is in need of prize money with a new baby that needs shoes. This is the second daughter for Ryan Briscoe and his wife Nicole. Pigot makes a move for the race lead! He didn't get the job done. NJot yet anyway. Fittipaldi hangs on to the race lead. Pigot had no choice but to give way. Spencer Pigot times the run for the pass perfectly, and Christian Fittipaldi takes the braking in deep, and shuts the door.
The #33 SRT Viper pits. Christian Fittipaldi still leads. But Spencer Pigot is not giving up, nor is Eric Curran. The finish of this race, will be a shootout. Scott Sharp runs fifth. Pippo Derani will finish the race. Christian Fittipaldi and Spencer Pigot clear the #911 Porsche. Pardon, #912, Dirk Werner leads Ryan Briscoe, and Alessandro Pier Guidi in GTLM. In GTD, the #22 WeatherTech Porsche leads with Gunnar Jeanette, ahead of Alessandro Balzan in the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari. The Risi Competizione Ferrari pits. Joey Hand is now at the controls of the #66 Ford. Eric Curran runs wide.
In endurance racing, keep fine tuning the car. Get the tire pressures right, or go to a different compound if you are in GTLM on the Michelin tires. GTLM, BMW is in the lane. Full service stop. Dirk Werner will stay in the car. A fresh set of scrubbed tires go on the car. There will be one final stop for those boys to get to the finish. Dirk Werner has dropped into the 1:41 range for fastest lap. The drivers in #25 are swapping fast laps with a healthy rivalry. #55 hits the lane, and Jonathan Bomarito will take over the car. Great driving by Spencer Pigot during his stint. They have cleaned the car's windshield, too.
Christian Fittipaldi still leads. If a yellow comes out, pit lane is closed. So, Fittipaldi best pit soon. Cooper MacNeil could not race at Le Mans due to a food borne illness. But, he says he wants to be back at Le Mans, next year. Pit stop time for the #100 BMW with John Edwards at the wheel. He stays in the car, getting new tires and fuel. Eric Curran pits from the lead in car #31. Dane Cameron will take over the car. ESM is also in the lane. A battle for position, between the two Action Express cars. Barbosa has a run. Barbosa has to attack, now. He looks inside. Cameron defneds inside and gets by Barbosa. #10 is now pitting. Box, box, box. Goossens in the #90 spins and causes a local yellow.
Little visible damage to the #90. But, he needs to try and see if he can get back on track. Gooosens runs wide in turn eight. He couldn't rotate the back end of the car, and is now stuck. Goossens can't find reverse. Ricky Taylor is now in the #10 car. Race control has to call a full course yellow for Goossens' stricken Prototype, as the #67 Ford pits just in the nick of time. We are ready for a grandstand finish. We willn do a complete reset. The cars are now stopping on course. What's going on here? Ah. The DeltaWing, stopped. Katherine Legge at the controls. Renger van der Zande now leads Prototype Challenge.
We are still thinking of Katie Crawford, and hoping she gets well. Daniel Serra, Toni Vilander, and Jonathan Edwards, they lead GT Daytona. Mike Shank Racing sends their Ligier to the lane for fuel. Ford, BMW, and Ferrari lead GTLM. Correction. Drivers are: Ford = Westbrook, BMW = Werner, and Ferrari = Serra, and Vilander, for their respective squads. Leh Keen takes over the #22 Porsche. The Porsche's may have short filled. Mario Farnbacher has perhaps taken over car #23. Olivier Pla is now at the wheel of the #60 Ligier. Everyone out there in all four classes needs one last stop before we end this race.
Lights out on the safety car, so, we'll go back to green, with Dane Cameron at the controls. Pippo Derani passes Ricky Taylor. Pippo Derani cannot be stymied by Tom Long in the #70 Mazda. The GT cars are stacked up! Can John Edwards fight around the Ferrari? He tries outside of the Risi Ferrari as Joey Hand follows through in the Ford. A couple other cars run wide. The Corvette's are in the fight, too. The Corvette of Milner/Garcia gets a run on Joey Hand, while Alessandro Balzan has to take evasive action. Oivier Pla has gone off the road, scrambling for grip! Pla made the right move, but got way out in the dirt! On the gas, on the brake, release the brake.
Edwards and Hand continue to scuffle. Lawson Aschenbach is running well, but has his hands full with Alessandro Balzan's Ferrari. Aschenbach has less fuel than others in GTD. Balzan runs inside. The #55 Mazda with Jonathan Bomarito driving, he's doing very well. #2 of Pippo Derani, is stopped on course. A big plume of smoke. They were trying for their third endurance race victory of the year. But, they won't get it today. Toni Vilander was the Scuderia Corsa car that made a move. But, for Derani, he has to be crushed that he's out of this race. No three-peat in the enduros for ESM. Based on earlier pace, he was close. Very disappointing for ESM. He was hoping for a great last stint.
We could get back to green, very, very soon, as we close in on the final hour of this race. Mechanical failure ends ESM's day at The Glen. Electronic issues, more specifically. No indication of a failure, vias the telemetry. They led at the halfway mark at least. We are back to green! Dane Cameron rolls into the throttle. Bomarito will apply the blowtorch to Barbosa. Corvette has struggled, opening the door for Ford to capitalize. The repaving has made this speed palace, very quick. We will soon be into the final hour of this race. Lawson Aschenbach leads GT Daytona over a fellow Audi and the Ferrari.
Matt Bell still leads GT Daytona with Lawson Aschenbach about ready to take over the car for another stint. Audi runs 1-2 in GT Daytona at this time. Jorg Bergmeister is running well in the Park Place Porsche. Meanwhile, Ryan Briscoe is chasing down the BMW M6 GT of Dirk Werner. Oswaldo Negri Jr. in the Ligier isholding these blokes up. Werner will; go on defense. Briscoe is in need of prize money with a new baby that needs shoes. This is the second daughter for Ryan Briscoe and his wife Nicole. Pigot makes a move for the race lead! He didn't get the job done. NJot yet anyway. Fittipaldi hangs on to the race lead. Pigot had no choice but to give way. Spencer Pigot times the run for the pass perfectly, and Christian Fittipaldi takes the braking in deep, and shuts the door.
The #33 SRT Viper pits. Christian Fittipaldi still leads. But Spencer Pigot is not giving up, nor is Eric Curran. The finish of this race, will be a shootout. Scott Sharp runs fifth. Pippo Derani will finish the race. Christian Fittipaldi and Spencer Pigot clear the #911 Porsche. Pardon, #912, Dirk Werner leads Ryan Briscoe, and Alessandro Pier Guidi in GTLM. In GTD, the #22 WeatherTech Porsche leads with Gunnar Jeanette, ahead of Alessandro Balzan in the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari. The Risi Competizione Ferrari pits. Joey Hand is now at the controls of the #66 Ford. Eric Curran runs wide.
In endurance racing, keep fine tuning the car. Get the tire pressures right, or go to a different compound if you are in GTLM on the Michelin tires. GTLM, BMW is in the lane. Full service stop. Dirk Werner will stay in the car. A fresh set of scrubbed tires go on the car. There will be one final stop for those boys to get to the finish. Dirk Werner has dropped into the 1:41 range for fastest lap. The drivers in #25 are swapping fast laps with a healthy rivalry. #55 hits the lane, and Jonathan Bomarito will take over the car. Great driving by Spencer Pigot during his stint. They have cleaned the car's windshield, too.
Christian Fittipaldi still leads. If a yellow comes out, pit lane is closed. So, Fittipaldi best pit soon. Cooper MacNeil could not race at Le Mans due to a food borne illness. But, he says he wants to be back at Le Mans, next year. Pit stop time for the #100 BMW with John Edwards at the wheel. He stays in the car, getting new tires and fuel. Eric Curran pits from the lead in car #31. Dane Cameron will take over the car. ESM is also in the lane. A battle for position, between the two Action Express cars. Barbosa has a run. Barbosa has to attack, now. He looks inside. Cameron defneds inside and gets by Barbosa. #10 is now pitting. Box, box, box. Goossens in the #90 spins and causes a local yellow.
Little visible damage to the #90. But, he needs to try and see if he can get back on track. Gooosens runs wide in turn eight. He couldn't rotate the back end of the car, and is now stuck. Goossens can't find reverse. Ricky Taylor is now in the #10 car. Race control has to call a full course yellow for Goossens' stricken Prototype, as the #67 Ford pits just in the nick of time. We are ready for a grandstand finish. We willn do a complete reset. The cars are now stopping on course. What's going on here? Ah. The DeltaWing, stopped. Katherine Legge at the controls. Renger van der Zande now leads Prototype Challenge.
We are still thinking of Katie Crawford, and hoping she gets well. Daniel Serra, Toni Vilander, and Jonathan Edwards, they lead GT Daytona. Mike Shank Racing sends their Ligier to the lane for fuel. Ford, BMW, and Ferrari lead GTLM. Correction. Drivers are: Ford = Westbrook, BMW = Werner, and Ferrari = Serra, and Vilander, for their respective squads. Leh Keen takes over the #22 Porsche. The Porsche's may have short filled. Mario Farnbacher has perhaps taken over car #23. Olivier Pla is now at the wheel of the #60 Ligier. Everyone out there in all four classes needs one last stop before we end this race.
Lights out on the safety car, so, we'll go back to green, with Dane Cameron at the controls. Pippo Derani passes Ricky Taylor. Pippo Derani cannot be stymied by Tom Long in the #70 Mazda. The GT cars are stacked up! Can John Edwards fight around the Ferrari? He tries outside of the Risi Ferrari as Joey Hand follows through in the Ford. A couple other cars run wide. The Corvette's are in the fight, too. The Corvette of Milner/Garcia gets a run on Joey Hand, while Alessandro Balzan has to take evasive action. Oivier Pla has gone off the road, scrambling for grip! Pla made the right move, but got way out in the dirt! On the gas, on the brake, release the brake.
Edwards and Hand continue to scuffle. Lawson Aschenbach is running well, but has his hands full with Alessandro Balzan's Ferrari. Aschenbach has less fuel than others in GTD. Balzan runs inside. The #55 Mazda with Jonathan Bomarito driving, he's doing very well. #2 of Pippo Derani, is stopped on course. A big plume of smoke. They were trying for their third endurance race victory of the year. But, they won't get it today. Toni Vilander was the Scuderia Corsa car that made a move. But, for Derani, he has to be crushed that he's out of this race. No three-peat in the enduros for ESM. Based on earlier pace, he was close. Very disappointing for ESM. He was hoping for a great last stint.
We could get back to green, very, very soon, as we close in on the final hour of this race. Mechanical failure ends ESM's day at The Glen. Electronic issues, more specifically. No indication of a failure, vias the telemetry. They led at the halfway mark at least. We are back to green! Dane Cameron rolls into the throttle. Bomarito will apply the blowtorch to Barbosa. Corvette has struggled, opening the door for Ford to capitalize. The repaving has made this speed palace, very quick. We will soon be into the final hour of this race. Lawson Aschenbach leads GT Daytona over a fellow Audi and the Ferrari.
6 Hours of Watkins Glen: Hour 4
ESM, Performance Tech, BMW RLL, and Stevenson Motorsports all get bonus points as halfway leaders. #2 is in the lane from the lead. Scott Sharp, takes over from Pippo Derani, for his driving stint. Eric Curran takes over the #31 Whelen/Action Express Corvette Prototype. The #10 car for WTR is also in. Derani was looking for the wide line around Barbosa, goes left, and then, Barbosa fakes, gets in the dirt, and fakes to the outside, slamming on the brakes, to make the pass, as Joao Barbosa comes into pit lane for a scheduled stop. Christian Fittipaldi is going to take over the car. The Mazda and the Honda are still running very well. John Pew is in the #60 Ligier Honda right now.
One point separates Chevrolet from HPD in the manufacturer's championship. Eric Curran had a run on John Pew and couldn'[t get through the gap! Car #90 is in pit lane. Marc Goossens is in the car. These guys want to run well, win the championship, and get to Le Mans, next year. John Pew was nearly taken by Eric Curran in the esses. Spencer Pigot brings the '91 Le Mans win tribute livery Mazda inton the lane. How will this race back time to the six hour mark? Pigot stays in the car. The #55 Mazda passes the #25 BMW M6 GT of Bill Auberlen. Car #70 is in the pits. Mazda are ticking the boxes with car #55. Pigot was the Indy Lights champion in 2015, and debuted at the Indianapolis 500.
Pigot has won a championship in every step of the Mazda Road To Indy ladder. He is also running well in sports cars. Scott Sharp runs sixth in class and in the overall after the slow stop. The #9 Stevenson Motorsport Audi R8 continues to lead GT Daytona with Matt Bell at the controls. Bill Auberlen pits the #25 BMW M6 GT. Oh dear. The #73 Park Place Porsche 911 GT3 has a left rear tire cut down, with Patrick Lindsey at the wheel. Plus, Earl Bamber cut down a left front tire on the factory Porsche 911 RSR in GTLM, as Fred Makowiecki gets into the car. The #70 Mazda is in for another tire issue. The curbs on the back side, in the Inner Loop, are really sharp, cutting down tires.
Lucas Luhr will pit the BMW very soon. The #5 car is seven and a half seconds behind Spencer Pigot, while Jordan Taylor runs third. Fourth is the #90 machine. Eric Curran was closing on Marc Goossens a little while ago. We are under a full course yellow for a track cleanup right now. Anyone trapped between the leader and the safety car, gets pointed by. No tires for the #5 or #31 cars as work continues on the #2 entry for ESM. The GTLM and GTD cars make their way to the pit lane. Fuel, tires, and driver changes, for the Corvettes. Antonio Garcia takes over for Jan Magnussen. Oliver Gavin takes over for Tommy Milner. BMW is on a different fuel strategy as John Edwards and Dirk Werner, stayed out.
The lights are out on the safety car. Check that. They are back on, for the time being. Lights are out on the safety car, and now, we will get back to racing, officially. We are three hours, and 40 minutes, into the race. Marc Goossens accelerates as there's big lockup from the Mazda! Spencer Pigot is still at the wheel. Jordan Taylor and Eric Curran are still running hard, too. Side by side between Jordan Taylor and Eric Curran! These guys do not like each other as Kenton Koch locks the brakes on the #38 Prototype Challenge racer. Argy bargy all over the shop here, boys. Ricky Taylor and Spencer Pigot follow Christian Fittipaldi and Marc Goossens.
Spencer Pigot is good friends with the Taylor boys, but he is only running for Mazda in the endurance races. Taylor protects the line on Pigot. Two hours and fifteen minutes remain in this event. Jordan Taylor was completely committed to the outside through the laces of The Boot. Give competitors leeway if need be. The intensity is ramping up even though we have a good chunk of time left in this race. If this was the last half hour, everyone would go for it. But there's still time before that happens.
Matt Bell in the #9 Audi R8 leads GT Daytona at this point. Gunnar Jeanette is doing well in the #22 WeatherTech Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 in GT Daytona. Andy Lally is driving the #44 Magnus Racing Audi R8. Lots of racing left. Matt McMurry was supposed to do double duty and also drive the #20 Prototype Challenge car that had the heavy smash with JohnnyMowlem at the wheel, earlier. Jeroen Bleekemolen is running very well and is a go to racer. He runs 30-40 races a years. Alessandro Balzan is running extremely well, too. He is sixth in class. It's great to see so many manufacturer's represented in GT Daytona.
All these guys are running in the 1:45 bracket, tightly bunched together. Fastest lap is 1:45.1. The #540 Porsche 911 GT3 with Andy Pilgrim at the controls. Dave "Beaky" Sims was here with Lotus in 1968, for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. In 1969, Mario Andretti got his first F1 pole nat The Glen. Lots of memories come back from the Formula 1 days. "Beaky" Sims, is a gem. Uh oh. Colin Braun is off the road in the #54 Prototype Challenge Oreca. The Flexi Box machine has spun into the tires in turn eight. Meanwhile, John Pew pits the #60 Ligier for a routine stop and a driver change. Marc Goossens still leads Watkins Glen, overall.
One point separates Chevrolet from HPD in the manufacturer's championship. Eric Curran had a run on John Pew and couldn'[t get through the gap! Car #90 is in pit lane. Marc Goossens is in the car. These guys want to run well, win the championship, and get to Le Mans, next year. John Pew was nearly taken by Eric Curran in the esses. Spencer Pigot brings the '91 Le Mans win tribute livery Mazda inton the lane. How will this race back time to the six hour mark? Pigot stays in the car. The #55 Mazda passes the #25 BMW M6 GT of Bill Auberlen. Car #70 is in the pits. Mazda are ticking the boxes with car #55. Pigot was the Indy Lights champion in 2015, and debuted at the Indianapolis 500.
Pigot has won a championship in every step of the Mazda Road To Indy ladder. He is also running well in sports cars. Scott Sharp runs sixth in class and in the overall after the slow stop. The #9 Stevenson Motorsport Audi R8 continues to lead GT Daytona with Matt Bell at the controls. Bill Auberlen pits the #25 BMW M6 GT. Oh dear. The #73 Park Place Porsche 911 GT3 has a left rear tire cut down, with Patrick Lindsey at the wheel. Plus, Earl Bamber cut down a left front tire on the factory Porsche 911 RSR in GTLM, as Fred Makowiecki gets into the car. The #70 Mazda is in for another tire issue. The curbs on the back side, in the Inner Loop, are really sharp, cutting down tires.
Lucas Luhr will pit the BMW very soon. The #5 car is seven and a half seconds behind Spencer Pigot, while Jordan Taylor runs third. Fourth is the #90 machine. Eric Curran was closing on Marc Goossens a little while ago. We are under a full course yellow for a track cleanup right now. Anyone trapped between the leader and the safety car, gets pointed by. No tires for the #5 or #31 cars as work continues on the #2 entry for ESM. The GTLM and GTD cars make their way to the pit lane. Fuel, tires, and driver changes, for the Corvettes. Antonio Garcia takes over for Jan Magnussen. Oliver Gavin takes over for Tommy Milner. BMW is on a different fuel strategy as John Edwards and Dirk Werner, stayed out.
The lights are out on the safety car. Check that. They are back on, for the time being. Lights are out on the safety car, and now, we will get back to racing, officially. We are three hours, and 40 minutes, into the race. Marc Goossens accelerates as there's big lockup from the Mazda! Spencer Pigot is still at the wheel. Jordan Taylor and Eric Curran are still running hard, too. Side by side between Jordan Taylor and Eric Curran! These guys do not like each other as Kenton Koch locks the brakes on the #38 Prototype Challenge racer. Argy bargy all over the shop here, boys. Ricky Taylor and Spencer Pigot follow Christian Fittipaldi and Marc Goossens.
Spencer Pigot is good friends with the Taylor boys, but he is only running for Mazda in the endurance races. Taylor protects the line on Pigot. Two hours and fifteen minutes remain in this event. Jordan Taylor was completely committed to the outside through the laces of The Boot. Give competitors leeway if need be. The intensity is ramping up even though we have a good chunk of time left in this race. If this was the last half hour, everyone would go for it. But there's still time before that happens.
Matt Bell in the #9 Audi R8 leads GT Daytona at this point. Gunnar Jeanette is doing well in the #22 WeatherTech Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 in GT Daytona. Andy Lally is driving the #44 Magnus Racing Audi R8. Lots of racing left. Matt McMurry was supposed to do double duty and also drive the #20 Prototype Challenge car that had the heavy smash with JohnnyMowlem at the wheel, earlier. Jeroen Bleekemolen is running very well and is a go to racer. He runs 30-40 races a years. Alessandro Balzan is running extremely well, too. He is sixth in class. It's great to see so many manufacturer's represented in GT Daytona.
All these guys are running in the 1:45 bracket, tightly bunched together. Fastest lap is 1:45.1. The #540 Porsche 911 GT3 with Andy Pilgrim at the controls. Dave "Beaky" Sims was here with Lotus in 1968, for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. In 1969, Mario Andretti got his first F1 pole nat The Glen. Lots of memories come back from the Formula 1 days. "Beaky" Sims, is a gem. Uh oh. Colin Braun is off the road in the #54 Prototype Challenge Oreca. The Flexi Box machine has spun into the tires in turn eight. Meanwhile, John Pew pits the #60 Ligier for a routine stop and a driver change. Marc Goossens still leads Watkins Glen, overall.
6 Hours of Watkins Glen: Hour 3
We are going to be at the halfway mark in this race, soon. BMW not running at Le Mans, may have hurt them a bit. But, they also tested, and have been improving their car. Performance, is a moving target. But, they were also helped, by being able to test. Next week's race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, will be different, with an old surface. There have been reports of overheating in the power steering systems. Downforce and power are key at CTMP. You will hear about that race, in short order. We continue to focus on this race, as the Corvette and the Mazda continue to battle. Barbosa and Nunez continue to scrap for the race lead. This is a fascinating battle. Andrew Davis just had to bring the #6 Audi back to pit lane for another cut down tire. The sharp curbs on the side of the track are causing the tires to be cut down. Stay off the curbs to make it to the end. Do not exceed track limits.
Oliver Gavin runs seventh in GT Le Mans, and have been as high as third in class. The two yellow Corvette's currently run nose to tail. You just need to hang tough during these endurance races. Ford has been showing pace. The #31 Corvette Prototype pits. Dane Cameron is back underway. Max Angelelli is struggling with his drink bottle in car #10 at the moment. To get the downforce on the Mazda, you have to maximize downforce. You can't do that on a rough surface. But, you can, here at Watkins Glen with the repave. Jeff Segal is in the lane with the #63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GTE. They could have had a turbo clamp problem. They have a problem with the engine here, trying to help team mates Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen, to a win.
The #63 was warned about over boost. Pippo Derani has stopped from seventh in the Tequila Patron ESM Ligier Honda. Joao Barbosa continues to lead overall as we work through the third of six hours, here at Watkins Glen. We have a battle royal shaping nup aftr pit stops. #55, #5, and #60 battle. Spencer Pigot takes over the car, and he has fresh tires as well. Pigot had a top ten in IndyCar competition at Road America, last weekend. Corvette runs wide, and makes a monster pass on Pigot with hot tires and great line into turn nine. Joel Miller in the sister #70 Mazda Prototype didn't make a stop. He is stretching the mileage, sharing with Tom Long and Ben Devlin. Jordan Taylor has also taken over the #10 car after their most recent pit stop.
The #63 Ferrari lost power because of a loose sensor that has to be zip tied down. The AER built Mazda powerplant is running well, but the #70 car has a fuel spill, due to the fuel hose being stuck in the car, and the fuel spilled, as there was a signal for the car to accelerate, after the fuel probe was stuck in the vent. #55 is now in the lane. The #70 gets a penalty. Ben Devlin is driving. Joao Barbosa stretches his lead over Spencer Pigot. Dane Cameron runs in third place. We are two and a half hours into this race. Oliver Gavin chases down Bill Auberlen in one of the BMW's that just made a pit stop. Alex Popow is second in Prototype Challenge, with Mark Wilkins behind. But, Wilkins spun, and the CORE Autosport racer, is off the pace. Kenton Koch is leading in the #38 machine.
Robert Alon has also retired the #52 PR1/Mathiasen car, with alternator problems. Alon had been sharing the car, with Robert Alon, Jose Guttierez, and Tom Kimber-Smith on the driver's strength. Mark Wilkins is an effective enduro driver, and he partners with Bennett and Braun. A good battle for fifth between Marc Goossens and Olivier Pla, while the BMW makes a pit stop for fuel and tires. Olivier Pla in the Ligier Honda, chases down Marc Gooossens through the final corner at turn 11. Ben Devlin, meanwhile, works his way down through The Boot, including the laces, the heel, and the toe. Our GTD leader is in the lane. Matt Bell stays at the wheel of the #9 Audi R8. Bell sharing with Lawson Aschenbach.
The #911 Porsche pits. Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy, have had a fraught race and haven't had the pacethey wanted. The #54 PC car has had to change an upright, and Mario Farnbacher was blocked in the pits by that car getting repaired. Leh Keen has also passed and they are into the thick of it for GT Daytona honors. Action at The Glen, is hot and heavy. The lead battle is starting to simmer. Can Pippo Derani catch Joao Barbosa. Ryan Briscoe pits and so does the sister car. Ford runs 1-2 in GT Le Mans. Pippo Derani slices inside Spencer Pigot through the Inner Loop. The #54 car is back on track after having the upright changed on the right front corner of the car.
Pippo Derani and Joao Barbosa chase Brtiscoe. Derani is trying to get by Barbosa and can't quite do it. The #48 Lamborghini is trying to recover. Bryce Miller is at the controls now. Dane Cameron is now fourth. Ten minutes now remain before bonus points are awarded and we get to the end of hour three. Joao Barbosa leads Pippo Derani and Spencer Pigot as the #48 Lamborghini continues to have a fraught race. The drive line may be out on the Lamborghini. Tire issues have caused a drive line issue. The engine speed is flaring, but the car isn't driving.
Bonus points will be awarded in a couple minutes. We watch Marc Goossens running in sixth place. Troy Flis from VisitFlorida Racing, went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and they might just go to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, next June. VisitFlorida could partner with a European team, and try to get the funding to make it work. Starworks will also likely go back. We are just past halfway here at the 6 Hours of the Glen.
We're at the three hour mark and Pippo Derani passes for the lead!
Oliver Gavin runs seventh in GT Le Mans, and have been as high as third in class. The two yellow Corvette's currently run nose to tail. You just need to hang tough during these endurance races. Ford has been showing pace. The #31 Corvette Prototype pits. Dane Cameron is back underway. Max Angelelli is struggling with his drink bottle in car #10 at the moment. To get the downforce on the Mazda, you have to maximize downforce. You can't do that on a rough surface. But, you can, here at Watkins Glen with the repave. Jeff Segal is in the lane with the #63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GTE. They could have had a turbo clamp problem. They have a problem with the engine here, trying to help team mates Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen, to a win.
The #63 was warned about over boost. Pippo Derani has stopped from seventh in the Tequila Patron ESM Ligier Honda. Joao Barbosa continues to lead overall as we work through the third of six hours, here at Watkins Glen. We have a battle royal shaping nup aftr pit stops. #55, #5, and #60 battle. Spencer Pigot takes over the car, and he has fresh tires as well. Pigot had a top ten in IndyCar competition at Road America, last weekend. Corvette runs wide, and makes a monster pass on Pigot with hot tires and great line into turn nine. Joel Miller in the sister #70 Mazda Prototype didn't make a stop. He is stretching the mileage, sharing with Tom Long and Ben Devlin. Jordan Taylor has also taken over the #10 car after their most recent pit stop.
The #63 Ferrari lost power because of a loose sensor that has to be zip tied down. The AER built Mazda powerplant is running well, but the #70 car has a fuel spill, due to the fuel hose being stuck in the car, and the fuel spilled, as there was a signal for the car to accelerate, after the fuel probe was stuck in the vent. #55 is now in the lane. The #70 gets a penalty. Ben Devlin is driving. Joao Barbosa stretches his lead over Spencer Pigot. Dane Cameron runs in third place. We are two and a half hours into this race. Oliver Gavin chases down Bill Auberlen in one of the BMW's that just made a pit stop. Alex Popow is second in Prototype Challenge, with Mark Wilkins behind. But, Wilkins spun, and the CORE Autosport racer, is off the pace. Kenton Koch is leading in the #38 machine.
Robert Alon has also retired the #52 PR1/Mathiasen car, with alternator problems. Alon had been sharing the car, with Robert Alon, Jose Guttierez, and Tom Kimber-Smith on the driver's strength. Mark Wilkins is an effective enduro driver, and he partners with Bennett and Braun. A good battle for fifth between Marc Goossens and Olivier Pla, while the BMW makes a pit stop for fuel and tires. Olivier Pla in the Ligier Honda, chases down Marc Gooossens through the final corner at turn 11. Ben Devlin, meanwhile, works his way down through The Boot, including the laces, the heel, and the toe. Our GTD leader is in the lane. Matt Bell stays at the wheel of the #9 Audi R8. Bell sharing with Lawson Aschenbach.
The #911 Porsche pits. Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy, have had a fraught race and haven't had the pacethey wanted. The #54 PC car has had to change an upright, and Mario Farnbacher was blocked in the pits by that car getting repaired. Leh Keen has also passed and they are into the thick of it for GT Daytona honors. Action at The Glen, is hot and heavy. The lead battle is starting to simmer. Can Pippo Derani catch Joao Barbosa. Ryan Briscoe pits and so does the sister car. Ford runs 1-2 in GT Le Mans. Pippo Derani slices inside Spencer Pigot through the Inner Loop. The #54 car is back on track after having the upright changed on the right front corner of the car.
Pippo Derani and Joao Barbosa chase Brtiscoe. Derani is trying to get by Barbosa and can't quite do it. The #48 Lamborghini is trying to recover. Bryce Miller is at the controls now. Dane Cameron is now fourth. Ten minutes now remain before bonus points are awarded and we get to the end of hour three. Joao Barbosa leads Pippo Derani and Spencer Pigot as the #48 Lamborghini continues to have a fraught race. The drive line may be out on the Lamborghini. Tire issues have caused a drive line issue. The engine speed is flaring, but the car isn't driving.
Bonus points will be awarded in a couple minutes. We watch Marc Goossens running in sixth place. Troy Flis from VisitFlorida Racing, went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and they might just go to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, next June. VisitFlorida could partner with a European team, and try to get the funding to make it work. Starworks will also likely go back. We are just past halfway here at the 6 Hours of the Glen.
We're at the three hour mark and Pippo Derani passes for the lead!
6 Hours of Watkins Glen: Hour 2
Bret Curtis and Mario Farnbacher battle for GTD honors and Matt McMurry in the Park Place Porsche as well as Christina Nielsen, are second and third in class. Farnbacher inside Curtis.n Here comes Liddell! Don't play dodge 'em cars here! "Super Mario", defends. Spencer Pumpelly takes over the #16 Change Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3. Liddell tries to fight back into the heel of The Boot. Robin Liddell has to show patience and Aschenbach is trying to come back. Curtis is coming back, but he can't quite get there. Jens Klingman, a wickedly quick BMW factory ace driver, is next in the driver rotation. Dirk Werner leads GT Le Mans, and Renger van der Zande leads Prototype Challenge, while Christian Fittipaldi continues to lead overall.
Fittipaldi shares his Action Express Corvette Prototype with Filipe Albuquerque and Joao Barbosa. Bret Curtis continues to lead GT Daytona. Fittipaldi, Taylor, Dalziel, Curran, the top four. The #6 Audi has some damage to the left front fender. Robin Liddell tries for a run on Bret Curtis and gets the class lead. Mario Farnbacher tries to pass, but can't do it. Ryan Dalziel is third in the #90 Corvette Prototype. Watkins Glen is a great track for the Audi's. Christina Nielsen is rtunning well as she and her team have the lead in GT Daytona points. Renger van der Zande has the points lead with Alex Popow after winning Prototype Challenge at Detroit, last time out. Stay tuned for a report on that race.
Ben Keating brings the #33 SRT Viper up a few positions in GT Daytona. Cooper MacNeil and John Potter in a Porsche and an Audi follow. The gap is also closing in Prototype Challenge between Renger van der Zande, and James French. This is intense racing right now. Dirk Werner leads GT Le Mans by four seconds, with the Prototype Technology Group BMW M3 retro color scheme. Problems once more for the Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini. Another flat tire for the #48 Lamborghini Huracan. Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, and Bryce Miller, share that Lamborghini. Jon Bennett eases his way past Mario Farnbacher. The Audi R8 has a bit more drag, with very few widgets and dive planes on the front of the car.
Christian Fittipaldi leads Ricky Taylor and Ryan Dalziel. Tristan Nunez goes past Eric Curran to fourth, spoiling the Corvette Prototypes' party. Curran though, is really aggressive into the inner loop. He passes the Prototype Challenge racer of Mikhail Goikhberg, as we have four and a half hours left to race. Christian Fittipaldi still leads this race overall along with Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque. Traffic is hard to negotiate with cars in packs instead of being spread out, according to Joao Barbosa. Turner Motorsports with their BMW M6 GT is in the lane. Ricky Taylor, moves past the sister car.
When you go underneath a car, the car you are passing, can stay farther to the outside with the new asphalt at The Glen. The battle for second continues to rage between Ricky Taylor, Ryan Dalziel, and Tristan Nunez. The #31 Corvette (sister car to #5), pits. Dane Cameron takes over the car. Great to see Visit Florida doing well, as they've won this race for the past couple years. Tristan Nunez continues to hound Ryan Dalziel. Tire degradation is a major factor, as we watch Robin Liddell continuing to lead GT Daytona. Oliver Gavin nudges John Potter. Corvette vs. Audi. Giancarlo Fisichella almost passes Oliver Gavin in the Corvette. We are an hour and 33 minutes into this race. Christian Fittipaldi hits pit lane and so does Johannes van Overbeek in the #2 Ligier Honda. van Overbeek out, and Pippo Derani, in.
Joao Barbosa is now in the #5 Corvette. The #10 Corvette Prototype pits and locks the brakes on pit entry. The #70 Mazda pits, with Ben Devlin at the controls. Jordan Taylor gets into the #10 car. Scott Sharp is the third driver for ESM this weekend. More issues for the #96 BMW M6. They have a turbo boost issue. Both GT Daytona Audi's are in the lane and one has an issue. Andrew Davis is now in the car. They had a flat left rear tire and also, severe body damage. We are just past an hour and 45 minutes into this race and Dion von Moltke, he is now in the #44 Magnus Racing Audi R8. Mario Farnbacher brings the #23 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3. Ian James returns to the fold for this endurance event to join Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas.
The Corvette's and Porsche's make their stops in GT Le Mans. Max Angelelli is being chased by Dane Cameron,. Richard Westbrook brings in car #66 and Joey Hand brings in #67. Dirk Mueller and Ryan Briscoe take over for Ford. Watkins Glen is a very high speed track as we continue to watch Barbosa and Nunez battle through the Inner Loop, the Outer Loop, and, The Boot. Tristan Nunez is 1.6 seconds quicker than Joao Barbosa. 1:35 flat for the Mazda. 1:36.6 for the Corvette. But the Corvette V8 has torque. The lead battle is heating up. Nunez vs.Barbosa.
Tommy Kendall had a huge wreck in 1991 in the Chevrolet Intrepid GTP. 25 years ago. He went on to some amazing things in his racing career.
Fittipaldi shares his Action Express Corvette Prototype with Filipe Albuquerque and Joao Barbosa. Bret Curtis continues to lead GT Daytona. Fittipaldi, Taylor, Dalziel, Curran, the top four. The #6 Audi has some damage to the left front fender. Robin Liddell tries for a run on Bret Curtis and gets the class lead. Mario Farnbacher tries to pass, but can't do it. Ryan Dalziel is third in the #90 Corvette Prototype. Watkins Glen is a great track for the Audi's. Christina Nielsen is rtunning well as she and her team have the lead in GT Daytona points. Renger van der Zande has the points lead with Alex Popow after winning Prototype Challenge at Detroit, last time out. Stay tuned for a report on that race.
Ben Keating brings the #33 SRT Viper up a few positions in GT Daytona. Cooper MacNeil and John Potter in a Porsche and an Audi follow. The gap is also closing in Prototype Challenge between Renger van der Zande, and James French. This is intense racing right now. Dirk Werner leads GT Le Mans by four seconds, with the Prototype Technology Group BMW M3 retro color scheme. Problems once more for the Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini. Another flat tire for the #48 Lamborghini Huracan. Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, and Bryce Miller, share that Lamborghini. Jon Bennett eases his way past Mario Farnbacher. The Audi R8 has a bit more drag, with very few widgets and dive planes on the front of the car.
Christian Fittipaldi leads Ricky Taylor and Ryan Dalziel. Tristan Nunez goes past Eric Curran to fourth, spoiling the Corvette Prototypes' party. Curran though, is really aggressive into the inner loop. He passes the Prototype Challenge racer of Mikhail Goikhberg, as we have four and a half hours left to race. Christian Fittipaldi still leads this race overall along with Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque. Traffic is hard to negotiate with cars in packs instead of being spread out, according to Joao Barbosa. Turner Motorsports with their BMW M6 GT is in the lane. Ricky Taylor, moves past the sister car.
When you go underneath a car, the car you are passing, can stay farther to the outside with the new asphalt at The Glen. The battle for second continues to rage between Ricky Taylor, Ryan Dalziel, and Tristan Nunez. The #31 Corvette (sister car to #5), pits. Dane Cameron takes over the car. Great to see Visit Florida doing well, as they've won this race for the past couple years. Tristan Nunez continues to hound Ryan Dalziel. Tire degradation is a major factor, as we watch Robin Liddell continuing to lead GT Daytona. Oliver Gavin nudges John Potter. Corvette vs. Audi. Giancarlo Fisichella almost passes Oliver Gavin in the Corvette. We are an hour and 33 minutes into this race. Christian Fittipaldi hits pit lane and so does Johannes van Overbeek in the #2 Ligier Honda. van Overbeek out, and Pippo Derani, in.
Joao Barbosa is now in the #5 Corvette. The #10 Corvette Prototype pits and locks the brakes on pit entry. The #70 Mazda pits, with Ben Devlin at the controls. Jordan Taylor gets into the #10 car. Scott Sharp is the third driver for ESM this weekend. More issues for the #96 BMW M6. They have a turbo boost issue. Both GT Daytona Audi's are in the lane and one has an issue. Andrew Davis is now in the car. They had a flat left rear tire and also, severe body damage. We are just past an hour and 45 minutes into this race and Dion von Moltke, he is now in the #44 Magnus Racing Audi R8. Mario Farnbacher brings the #23 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3. Ian James returns to the fold for this endurance event to join Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas.
The Corvette's and Porsche's make their stops in GT Le Mans. Max Angelelli is being chased by Dane Cameron,. Richard Westbrook brings in car #66 and Joey Hand brings in #67. Dirk Mueller and Ryan Briscoe take over for Ford. Watkins Glen is a very high speed track as we continue to watch Barbosa and Nunez battle through the Inner Loop, the Outer Loop, and, The Boot. Tristan Nunez is 1.6 seconds quicker than Joao Barbosa. 1:35 flat for the Mazda. 1:36.6 for the Corvette. But the Corvette V8 has torque. The lead battle is heating up. Nunez vs.Barbosa.
Tommy Kendall had a huge wreck in 1991 in the Chevrolet Intrepid GTP. 25 years ago. He went on to some amazing things in his racing career.
6 Hours of Watkins Glen: Hour 1
It is Independence Day weekend, and records have been shattered as we are ready for the legendary Shalen's Six Hours of The Glen. The greatest of all-time have tested themselves here. The IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, makes a stop in western New York. Many drivers are returning from success at the 24 HYours of Le Mans, as we start this race. This is a crown jewel race of the endurance sports car racing calendar. This is a prestigious event, and the third of four Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup race. Watkins Glen, has been completely repaved. This should make the racing as fast as ever.
Since the late 1940s, Watkins Glen has been a mecca of road racing. First through the streets of downtown. The track has been around since the 1950s and the first 6 Hours of Watkins Glen came in 1968. Pipo Derani, will be one of the drivers at Tequila Patron ESM who has already won with the team at Daytona and Sebring. Ford needs to win. They were good at Laguna Seca (a race that you will hear about, coming soon). The #67 team car has pole in GT Le Mans. Prototype Challenge has had an amazing margin for new track records. We are green! Pipo Derani leads as Ricky Taylor tries to push to the front already.
The field for the GT cars now race. John Edwards in the BMW M6 GT passes Joey Hand for the GTLM lead! Be careful, boys. The Ferrari 488's and Porsche 911's are up there, too. Nick Tandy pilots the factory RSR. Christian Fittipaldi has now moved up to third place. Johannes van Overbeek and Tristan Nunez battle for the lead. Honda vs. Mazda. Climbing through the esses, and into the inner loop again. The curbing in the inner loop was changed. Prototypes have to stay off the curbs. But, there's loads of grip. Patriotic liveries for many cars for Independence Day. Mazda has the Le Mans 1991 win tribute paint scheme. Remember, Toyota almost pulled off the Le Mans win but couldn't quite do it.
Spin for Michael Marsal in turn eight, the heel of The Boot, with Michael Marsal at the controls of the Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT. Correction, it's Bret Curtis in car #96. He was battling with Cory Lewis in the Lamborghini. Richard Westbrook continues to maintain momentum for Ford early on here at the Glen. With the success at Le Mans, for Ford, it's going to be a tough challenge for them, to stay on top as BMW, Chevrolet, and Ferrari, want to catch them. BMW who did not go to Le Mans, they tested the new Michelin GTLM spec tire. Oswaldo Negri Jr. in the Ligier Honda for Mike Shank Racing, has run into some issues. Mario Farnbacher in the #23 Alex Job Porsche 911 GT3 is battling the pole winning #6 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8.
They had a ride height infraction, that was an error. The car was too low. Robin Liddell is moving up through the field. No action taken on the Bret Curtis/Cory Lewis incident as we have just started here at the Glen. 41 cars starting on this 3.4 mile track, means an average of 12 cars per mile, in traffic, during the six hour race. 3.4 miles with 11 turns. The layout is unchanged, but the new pavement is billiard table smooth. The temperatures are climbing. Low 80s for temperature, and high humidity. Know your limits with the repaving. Keep drivers fresh, with two drivers. Four hours maximum drive time. Get creative with passing, too. The grip loads and G forces are majorly huge.
The DeltaWing has no power steering. So, a third driver, Gabby Chaves was brought in to help Katherine Legge and Sean Rayhall. Driver and car fatigue are key factors. Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas, have Ian James helping them out. The new Mazda has the Renown livery, of orange and green, which was a clothing/sock company. Oswaldo Negri Jr. fights his way through the field. Wayne Taylor Racing was very fast in qualifying, but the Corvette Prototype had a lot of fuel consumption during qualifying. This race won't go green the whole way. Prototypes will run 44 minutes, or 26 laps, on a tank.
Max Angelelli is the third driver along with the Taylor brothers. The new pavement has not slowed Angelelli down. Ryan Dalziel is in the #90 VisitFlorida Racing Corvette Prototype. That team has won the last two 6 Hours of Watkins Glen races in 2014 and 2015. DeltaWing has a telemetry issue. Tom Long makes a pass on Ryan Dalziel and now the Mazda will try to move in on Ricky Taylor. Taylor and Dalziel were scrapping, and Long moves in. The Mazda will be quicker than the Chevrolet Corvette Prototypes. Mazda is going for it early on here at Watkins Glen. Wow! Turn ten is very quick, too.
There is much more grip with the new asphalt. The GTLM and GTD cars will have grip, even off line. But, there will be tire marbles later on as the tires wear off. This track, other than Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, has the most European like surface of any track, and is billiard table smooth. The cars are on their optimum setups. You are re-learning the course. The radius of the corners has not changed, but the pavement hjas new grip. Richard Westbrook takes the GTLM lead from BMW. Ryan Briscoe had the birth of his second daughter, and he is here, to drive in the second half of the race.
Overall, Johannes van Overbeek still leads Tristan Nunez. The #70 Mazda is reeling in Christian Fittipaldi, with Tom Long at the controls. The #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan of Madison Snow is in pit lane. He had a delaminated tire. He almost crashed! He was going through the inner loop. The DeltaWing pits. They are struggling and are two laps down, as they develop this car with crew chief Tim Keane. This was a drive through penalty for car #0. Renger van der Zande qualified on pole in Prototype Challenge. But, their rival, with the #52 PR1/Matthiasen car, of Robert Alon, has trouble on a pit stop, for changing a battery, dropping the car too early, and spinning the tires, incurring a penalty.
The #68 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 4888 GTE is also in the lane with Daniel Serra at the wheel, while we've had a huge crash in the Inner Loop. One car has crashed, hard. It's the #20 BAR1 Prototype CHallenge car of Johnny Mowlem, who thankfully, is OK. Mowlem defended to the right hand side of the road, and he touched James French in another PC car and got spun, smashing the barrier. The damage is extensive and Mowlem's car is used up. We will wait for the pits to open, for pit stops, and get the track cleaned up so there are no cut tires as Michael Marsal, takes his #97 BMW M6 GT to the garage.
Marsal shares with Finn Markus Palttala. Johnny Mowlem, shares his crashed PC car #20 with Don Yount and Matthew McMurry. The #66 Ford GT is not running the way they want to at the moment, with Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller, sharing the car. One of the Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT's goes really wide through turn 11 and couldn't get the car turned. Pits will open for Prototypes and their first pit stops. One lane of the track has to be clear of debris as the marshals clean up under this yellow flag.
Andy Lally, Leh Keen, and Robin Liddell have lots of wins here. Scott Pruett has six wins here. Jim Clark and Graham Hill, have the most Formula 1 wins here. Pits are open for the Prototypes. Who executes the best? Everyone will take four tires. Johannes van Overbeek gets new tires and has had a sterling drive so far. #5 and #31 for Action Express have great stops. But #2 stalled the motor in the lane and Mazda also got hung up. One of the Prototype Challenge cars pitted, and came into the pit lane. In IMSA, you keep the engine running, unlike at Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Ozz Negri Jr. had a good pit stop, and Olivier Pla is the endurance driver for the team, along with John Pew as we watch Cooper MacNeil takingh the #22 WeatherTech Racing Porsche. There is an hour and 45 minute drive time for silver rated amateur drivers in Prototype Challenge and GT Daytona. #67 is in the lane along with the Corvette's and the GT Daytona Porsche's. The #67 Ford beats it's team car out as Mario Farnbacher stays in the #23 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in GT Daytona. Huge swings in the GT classes after pit stops.
Ricky Taylor is second overall and in Prototype. We are back to green as Daniel Serra leads overall in GT Le Mans. Christian Fittipaldi is the new leader. The Mazda was applying the pressure into the braking zone. Ricky Taylor couldn't quite make the pass. There are points on the line for the overall places and also, for the endurance championship at the three hour mark. The Mazda is really coming alive on cold tires because Nunez's car is lighter. But, Ricky Taylor didn't want to give up his line and Tristan Nunez, spins, and loses track position. He wasn't quite far enough on the inside. Yikes! The apex speed through the corner with the new pavement is very high.
It was Ricky Taylor's corner. How are the Continental tires on the Mazda? Are they flat spotted? There's a discussion at Ford between the two teams on how to work together in pit lane. Richard Westbrook and Joey Hand, are both going for it. John Edwards in the BMW has lost loads of positions. The Mazda's tires are going to be OK after that lurid slide. Nick Tandy holds seventh in GT Le Mans, while Giancarlo Fisichella in the Ferrari, wants it. What an amazing battle between Ford and the Risi Ferrari, at Le Mans two weeks ago.
Oliver Gavin sets GTLM fast lap at 1:43.646 on the previous lap. 1:42.256 is fastest from Westbrook.
Since the late 1940s, Watkins Glen has been a mecca of road racing. First through the streets of downtown. The track has been around since the 1950s and the first 6 Hours of Watkins Glen came in 1968. Pipo Derani, will be one of the drivers at Tequila Patron ESM who has already won with the team at Daytona and Sebring. Ford needs to win. They were good at Laguna Seca (a race that you will hear about, coming soon). The #67 team car has pole in GT Le Mans. Prototype Challenge has had an amazing margin for new track records. We are green! Pipo Derani leads as Ricky Taylor tries to push to the front already.
The field for the GT cars now race. John Edwards in the BMW M6 GT passes Joey Hand for the GTLM lead! Be careful, boys. The Ferrari 488's and Porsche 911's are up there, too. Nick Tandy pilots the factory RSR. Christian Fittipaldi has now moved up to third place. Johannes van Overbeek and Tristan Nunez battle for the lead. Honda vs. Mazda. Climbing through the esses, and into the inner loop again. The curbing in the inner loop was changed. Prototypes have to stay off the curbs. But, there's loads of grip. Patriotic liveries for many cars for Independence Day. Mazda has the Le Mans 1991 win tribute paint scheme. Remember, Toyota almost pulled off the Le Mans win but couldn't quite do it.
Spin for Michael Marsal in turn eight, the heel of The Boot, with Michael Marsal at the controls of the Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT. Correction, it's Bret Curtis in car #96. He was battling with Cory Lewis in the Lamborghini. Richard Westbrook continues to maintain momentum for Ford early on here at the Glen. With the success at Le Mans, for Ford, it's going to be a tough challenge for them, to stay on top as BMW, Chevrolet, and Ferrari, want to catch them. BMW who did not go to Le Mans, they tested the new Michelin GTLM spec tire. Oswaldo Negri Jr. in the Ligier Honda for Mike Shank Racing, has run into some issues. Mario Farnbacher in the #23 Alex Job Porsche 911 GT3 is battling the pole winning #6 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8.
They had a ride height infraction, that was an error. The car was too low. Robin Liddell is moving up through the field. No action taken on the Bret Curtis/Cory Lewis incident as we have just started here at the Glen. 41 cars starting on this 3.4 mile track, means an average of 12 cars per mile, in traffic, during the six hour race. 3.4 miles with 11 turns. The layout is unchanged, but the new pavement is billiard table smooth. The temperatures are climbing. Low 80s for temperature, and high humidity. Know your limits with the repaving. Keep drivers fresh, with two drivers. Four hours maximum drive time. Get creative with passing, too. The grip loads and G forces are majorly huge.
The DeltaWing has no power steering. So, a third driver, Gabby Chaves was brought in to help Katherine Legge and Sean Rayhall. Driver and car fatigue are key factors. Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas, have Ian James helping them out. The new Mazda has the Renown livery, of orange and green, which was a clothing/sock company. Oswaldo Negri Jr. fights his way through the field. Wayne Taylor Racing was very fast in qualifying, but the Corvette Prototype had a lot of fuel consumption during qualifying. This race won't go green the whole way. Prototypes will run 44 minutes, or 26 laps, on a tank.
Max Angelelli is the third driver along with the Taylor brothers. The new pavement has not slowed Angelelli down. Ryan Dalziel is in the #90 VisitFlorida Racing Corvette Prototype. That team has won the last two 6 Hours of Watkins Glen races in 2014 and 2015. DeltaWing has a telemetry issue. Tom Long makes a pass on Ryan Dalziel and now the Mazda will try to move in on Ricky Taylor. Taylor and Dalziel were scrapping, and Long moves in. The Mazda will be quicker than the Chevrolet Corvette Prototypes. Mazda is going for it early on here at Watkins Glen. Wow! Turn ten is very quick, too.
There is much more grip with the new asphalt. The GTLM and GTD cars will have grip, even off line. But, there will be tire marbles later on as the tires wear off. This track, other than Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, has the most European like surface of any track, and is billiard table smooth. The cars are on their optimum setups. You are re-learning the course. The radius of the corners has not changed, but the pavement hjas new grip. Richard Westbrook takes the GTLM lead from BMW. Ryan Briscoe had the birth of his second daughter, and he is here, to drive in the second half of the race.
Overall, Johannes van Overbeek still leads Tristan Nunez. The #70 Mazda is reeling in Christian Fittipaldi, with Tom Long at the controls. The #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan of Madison Snow is in pit lane. He had a delaminated tire. He almost crashed! He was going through the inner loop. The DeltaWing pits. They are struggling and are two laps down, as they develop this car with crew chief Tim Keane. This was a drive through penalty for car #0. Renger van der Zande qualified on pole in Prototype Challenge. But, their rival, with the #52 PR1/Matthiasen car, of Robert Alon, has trouble on a pit stop, for changing a battery, dropping the car too early, and spinning the tires, incurring a penalty.
The #68 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 4888 GTE is also in the lane with Daniel Serra at the wheel, while we've had a huge crash in the Inner Loop. One car has crashed, hard. It's the #20 BAR1 Prototype CHallenge car of Johnny Mowlem, who thankfully, is OK. Mowlem defended to the right hand side of the road, and he touched James French in another PC car and got spun, smashing the barrier. The damage is extensive and Mowlem's car is used up. We will wait for the pits to open, for pit stops, and get the track cleaned up so there are no cut tires as Michael Marsal, takes his #97 BMW M6 GT to the garage.
Marsal shares with Finn Markus Palttala. Johnny Mowlem, shares his crashed PC car #20 with Don Yount and Matthew McMurry. The #66 Ford GT is not running the way they want to at the moment, with Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller, sharing the car. One of the Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT's goes really wide through turn 11 and couldn't get the car turned. Pits will open for Prototypes and their first pit stops. One lane of the track has to be clear of debris as the marshals clean up under this yellow flag.
Andy Lally, Leh Keen, and Robin Liddell have lots of wins here. Scott Pruett has six wins here. Jim Clark and Graham Hill, have the most Formula 1 wins here. Pits are open for the Prototypes. Who executes the best? Everyone will take four tires. Johannes van Overbeek gets new tires and has had a sterling drive so far. #5 and #31 for Action Express have great stops. But #2 stalled the motor in the lane and Mazda also got hung up. One of the Prototype Challenge cars pitted, and came into the pit lane. In IMSA, you keep the engine running, unlike at Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Ozz Negri Jr. had a good pit stop, and Olivier Pla is the endurance driver for the team, along with John Pew as we watch Cooper MacNeil takingh the #22 WeatherTech Racing Porsche. There is an hour and 45 minute drive time for silver rated amateur drivers in Prototype Challenge and GT Daytona. #67 is in the lane along with the Corvette's and the GT Daytona Porsche's. The #67 Ford beats it's team car out as Mario Farnbacher stays in the #23 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in GT Daytona. Huge swings in the GT classes after pit stops.
Ricky Taylor is second overall and in Prototype. We are back to green as Daniel Serra leads overall in GT Le Mans. Christian Fittipaldi is the new leader. The Mazda was applying the pressure into the braking zone. Ricky Taylor couldn't quite make the pass. There are points on the line for the overall places and also, for the endurance championship at the three hour mark. The Mazda is really coming alive on cold tires because Nunez's car is lighter. But, Ricky Taylor didn't want to give up his line and Tristan Nunez, spins, and loses track position. He wasn't quite far enough on the inside. Yikes! The apex speed through the corner with the new pavement is very high.
It was Ricky Taylor's corner. How are the Continental tires on the Mazda? Are they flat spotted? There's a discussion at Ford between the two teams on how to work together in pit lane. Richard Westbrook and Joey Hand, are both going for it. John Edwards in the BMW has lost loads of positions. The Mazda's tires are going to be OK after that lurid slide. Nick Tandy holds seventh in GT Le Mans, while Giancarlo Fisichella in the Ferrari, wants it. What an amazing battle between Ford and the Risi Ferrari, at Le Mans two weeks ago.
Oliver Gavin sets GTLM fast lap at 1:43.646 on the previous lap. 1:42.256 is fastest from Westbrook.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Stevenson Audi Loses Watkins Glen GTD Pole
Late breaking news. Due to a ride height infraction, the #6 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 of Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell, will start from the back of the grid for the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen tomorrow.
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/stevenson-audi-loses-watkins-glen-gtd-pole/
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/stevenson-audi-loses-watkins-glen-gtd-pole/
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