Three Porsche 911 GT3 R fight for overall victory in the last quarter of the race
In the battle for overall victory in the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour classic, Porsche still has three irons in the fire at the start of the last racing quarter. Rowe Racing's number 98 Porsche 911 GT3 R finished second after 18 hours. The two reigning IMSA champions Earl Bamber from New Zealand and Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium share the car with their works driver colleague Nick Tandy. The Briton had meanwhile conquered the top during the night with strong stints.
GPX Racing, the winning team from last year, still has the best prospects of success in the Ardennes with the number 12 racing car in third place overall. The 911 from Dinamic Motorsport (# 54) is also still in the lead. The night in Belgium was dominated by several rain showers and numerous safety car phases after accidents. Many vehicles fell out of the decision to win in the dark, including the starting number 47 of the KCMG team from Hong Kong. The Porsche 911 GT3 R, shared by the 2019 winning trio Christensen / Estre / Lietz, fell back five laps after numerous laps in the lead with a defect in a wheel carrier.
Heavy rain is predicted for the final phase of the long-distance classic in the Belgian Ardennes. https://www.intercontinentalgtchallenge.com shows the 24-hour race in a free live stream as does the GT World YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/gt1world). Live timing is available at https://www.gt-world-challenge-europe.com.
Quotes on the course of the race so far
Sebastian Golz (Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R):“The night was extremely eventful. Numerous vehicles fell out of the top group due to accidents or technical defects. We brought many, but not all, Porsche 911 GT3 Rs through this difficult phase. Unfortunately, the number 47 from KCMG fell far behind due to a defect, and one Herberth Motorsport car is completely out of the race. But we're definitely still fighting for overall victory with three cars in the leading lap and another one in the top 10. "
Nick Tandy (Porsche 911 GT3 R # 98):“We survived the night without damage. First of all, that was very important. Many cars got involved in incidents in the dark, falling out of the top group. Luckily we don't. The rain made it complicated. There were several short showers - the question always arises whether rain tires are necessary or whether slicks are somehow sufficient on the damp road. Our team made perfect decisions in this regard. And our Porsche 911 GT3 R runs like clockwork. However, I still expect a hard-fought final race phase. "
Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 GT3 R # 12):“The conditions at night were sometimes really crazy - sometimes it rained slightly, then very heavily. Once the track stayed wet for a long time, another time it dried extremely quickly. It was difficult to always make the right strategic decisions at this stage. Our team succeeded in doing this very well, so we are in a good starting position before the final hours. ”