FIA GT - Spa 24 Hours - Hour Two

(includes some late first hour GT2 and G2/G3 action)

16:44 A much better lap from Tim Mullen, who has got back ahead of Radermeke for 16th. Several cars have pulled in for wets or intermediates, including van Dam in the #11 Saleen. With a host of other cars heading for the pitlane there are many other changes throughout the field – those braving the wet on slicks and able to cope are building up generous leads. The IMSA #70 GT2 class-leader, with Pilet in the cockpit, has 22 seconds over Bruni in the chasing Ferrari, with Fassler in between.

16:45 Of the leading 20 cars, only Malucelli in the #77 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari has pitted for tyres, and he’s returned to the track in 17th overall.

16:50 van Splunteren in the #61 ProSpeed Porsche takes Radermeker for 16th. The #118 Gravity Racing Mosler is still second in G2, but the gap to Fassler, leading in the Audi R8 #111, is more than two minutes.

16:52 Ragginger is making the most of conditions that he clearly relishes, and has moved through into fourth in GT2, taking Manu Collard in the #60 ProSpeed Porsche for 12th overall.

16:54 Oliveira is now the leader in G3, the #123 Ford GT, having taken the lead of the class from Lanik in the #161 ProSpeed Porsche, with the #123 Muehlner Porsche third, 15th overall.

16:54 Malucelli back into the pits again. Possibly to revert to slicks as the rain has eased.

16:58 Change again in G3 as Lanik regains the class lead from Oliveira.

16:59 Fassler pits from the lead of G2, and is just the first of a string of cars to head for the pitlane for their first scheduled pitstops – fuel and, in some cases, tyres. Pilet is the only one of the GT2/G2 runners to stay out, with 25 laps completed.

17:01 The first of the GT1 cars begin to make their pitstops – Bernoldi the first, and then Guidi in the #33. Oliver Gavin continues to lead overall from Muller second and Bertolini third.

17:04 Pierre Kaffer pits from second in GT2. There’s a steady stream of cars now entering and leaving the pitlane.

17:05 Muller and Betolini pit from second and third respectively, leaving Gavin out there on his own, the best part of half a minute clear of the pack and leading comfortably. Hazemens follows the Maseratis into the pitlane. Others yet to pit include Pilet, still leading GT2, and Collard, who’s moved through to second in class as others have pitted.

17:07 Pilet pits from the GT2 lead. Collard leads, for the time being, but the Frenchman is into the pits himself on the next lap. With the exception of the G3 leaders, all the top 20 cars (except the lead G3 #161 Porsche) have now pitted.

17:11 The pitstops have sorted themselves out now, and the order stabilised for the time being. Pilet is back out and leading GT2, now by a fairly generous margin from Jaimie Melo in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari.

17:12 Fassler has stayed aboard the G2 leading Audi R8 and has picked up where he left off – at pace. He’s just recovered 9th overall from Jaimie Melo to split the GT2 leaders.

17:16 Lefort pits in the #123 G3 car, laving Lanik the only runner in the top 20 left yet to pit.

17:16 Mike Hazemans moves through to 4th, passing Pedro Lamy in the #2 Maserati. Oliver Gavin, leading now by 27 seconds, is significantly the quickest on track.

Jacques Villeneuve is now in the #118 Mosler, 23rd overall and third in G2.

17:19 Lanik in the class-leading #161 ProSpeed Porsche has just set the car’s fastest lap with a best of 2:28.956. He still hasn’t yet pitted.

17:20 Mike Hazeman’s continues his ascent towards the sharp end of the race, claiming third overall from Bernoldi.

17:20 Andrew Kirkaldy’s difficult stint continues as the CRS Ferrari returns to the pits.

17:23 GT1 order now Gavin leading by 26 seconds from Bertolini second and Hazemans third.

The battle for GT2 is still split by Fassler’s R8, but Pilet heads Melo by fifteen seconds, with Russo, now at the wheel of the #51 AF Corse F430 in third.

Second in G2 is now Villeneuve in the #118 Mosler, 21st overall. With almost an hour and a half of the race completed, Lanik finally pits the #161 G3 leader from 13th overall.

17:27 Confirmation that the #55 CRS Ferrari has had tyre pressure problems. With that resolved, Tim Mullen is now making up ground once more, and has just passed the in-pits Lanik and inherited 14th. Everyone else also moves up a place. The #56 CRS F430 made that earlier pitstop to replace a faulty ECU – the car “lacking grunt”.

17:30 Thomas Mutsch now leads G3 in the #121 Ford GT from 15th overall.

17:32 Villeneuve through to 20th overall, second in G2. The margin between the Canadian and Fassler, still leading in the R8, is more than a lap.

17:33 Car #77 is given a warning for failure to “respect the track” at Turn 4; Radillon.

17:35 The race has settled down into a steady rhythm, but there are still some tight battles taking place throughout the field. Pedro Lamy is just one second behind Bernoldi for 4th, and closing. Pilet’s grip on the lead in GT2 may be secure, but his hold on 8th overall is looking tenuous as Marcel Fassler has narrowed the gap to one and a half seconds.

17:38 Car #115, the PMB G2 Porsche Turbo has eased to a halt just before the pit entry.

17:39 The #11 Saleen has resumed its rise back though the middle regions of GT2, having made an early pitstop for a driver change, With Arjan van der Zwaan now at the wheel, the S7-R is now up to 16th overall, having just passed Tim Sugden in the #59 Trackspeed Porsche. The Yorkshireman is 8h in GT2 after taking over from David Ashburn, who only completed a short first stint.

17:43 As predicted, Fassler moves through to 8th and soon begins to pull away from Patrick Pilet, the GT2 class leader, who remains 13 seconds clear of Melo second.

17:47 Lamy continues to close on Bernoldi and the gap between the two is less than half a second now, with the Maserati visibly challenging for fourth. Elsewhere, the top 20 is looking pretty settled.

17:50 Arjan van der Zwaan pits the #11 Saleen from 14th. It’s the fourth pitstop for the Full Speed Racing S7-R, which promptly loses all the ground he’d gained.

17:52 The Trackspeed Porsche #59 is “slow on track”, but is soon up and running once again.

17:53 Despite having overtaken the GT2 leader with apparent ease, Fassler remains just two seconds clear of Pilet.

17:54 Tim Sugden pits the #59 Trackspeed Porsche from 17th. It’s a lengthy pitstop and the ca slips down the order, allowing Villeneuve through to 18th overall, 9 seconds behind Hommerson in the #61 GT2 ProSpeed Porsche.

17:58 The push from Pedro Lamy appears to be spurring Bernoldi forwards, and he’s closed to within four seconds now of Hazemans in the fourth-placed Corvette.

18:00 The second round of pitstops is beginning, and Krumm (#35 Nissan GT-R, 7th overall) is among the first to head for the pitlane.

Positions Just after the end of the 2nd Hour

Pos  No  Name  Nat  Class  Car  Laps  Stops  Gap  Diff  S1  S2  S3  Last Lap  Best Lap

1 3 GAVIN GBR 1 Corvette Z06 51  1     38.856 1:05.918   2:19.992 2:17.011
2 1 BERTOLINI ITA 1 Maserati MC 12 51  1 29.527 29.527 39.156     2:19.874 2:17.340
3 4 HEZEMANS NED 1 Corvette Z06 51  1 47.414 17.887 39.504     2:20.151 2:17.144
4 2 LAMY POR 1 Maserati MC 12 51  1 50.759 3.345 39.039     2:18.895 2:18.427
5 8 BERNOLDI BRA 1 Corvette Z06 51  1 54.770 4.011 39.028     2:20.604 2:18.096
6 33 GUIDI ITA 1 Maserati MC 12 51  1 59.329 4.559 39.239     2:18.478 2:17.483
7 70 PILET FRA 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 49  1 2 Laps   41.285     2:26.531 2:23.358
8 111 FASSLER SUI 4 Audi R8 LMS 49  2 2 Laps   40.948 1:07.935 44.678 2:33.561 2:23.230
9 50 MELO BRA 2 Ferrari F430 49  1 2 Laps   41.596     2:26.519 2:24.182
10 51 RUSSO ARG 2 Ferrari F430 49  1 2 Laps   41.649     2:26.098 2:22.603
11 35 TURNER GBR 1 Nissan GT-R 49  2 2 Laps   2:21.545 1:06.771 36.257 4:04.573 2:20.677
12 97 HOLZER GER 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 49  1 2 Laps   41.382 1:07.523 37.559 2:26.464 2:23.155
13 60 WESTBROOK GBR 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 49  1 2 Laps   41.787 1:07.389 37.419 2:26.595 2:25.718
14 55 MULLEN GBR 2 Ferrari F430 48  1 3 Laps   42.232     2:28.678 2:25.179
15 77 MALUCELLI ITA 2 Ferrari F430 48  3 3 Laps   41.729 1:08.869 47.508 2:38.106 2:22.014
16 121 MUTSCH GER 5 Ford GT 48  3 3 Laps   41.040 1:08.233 45.121 2:34.394 2:22.475
17 61 HOMMERSON NED 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 47  1 4 Laps   43.361 1:10.491   2:30.752 2:28.229
18 118 VILLENEUVE CAN 4 Mosler MT900 47  1 4 Laps   41.073 1:09.936   2:25.975 2:25.975
19 56 BELL GBR 2 Ferrari F430 47  2 4 Laps   41.861     2:27.896 2:26.059
20 161 LOIX BEL 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 47  1 4 Laps   42.256 1:09.270 38.580 2:30.106 2:28.956
21 122 NEGRAO BRA 5 Ford GT 47  1 4 Laps   43.037     2:31.610 2:29.016
22 11 DIERICK BEL 1 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo 47  4 4 Laps   41.514 1:08.268 37.352 2:27.134 2:21.265
23 59 BERGMEISTER GER 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 47  2 4 Laps   41.847 1:08.491 37.869 2:28.207 2:26.260
24 123 VERBIST BEL 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 47  1 4 Laps   42.906 1:08.856 38.631 2:30.393 2:29.027
25 124 KONSTANTINOU GRE 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 46  1 5 Laps   42.763     2:33.083 2:31.084
26 145 GREISCH BEL 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 46  1 5 Laps   43.485     2:33.694 2:31.628
27 116 RICH GBR 4 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 46  1 5 Laps   43.484 1:12.706 39.469 2:35.659 2:33.117
28 172 HOOYDONCK BEL 5 Aston Martin DBRS9 45  3 6 Laps   42.233 1:08.117   2:31.516 2:28.473
29 160 KERKHOVE BEL 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 45  2 6 Laps   43.715     2:34.324 2:32.599
30 174 BRANDELA FRA 5 BMW Alpina B6 GT3 45  3 6 Laps   43.609 1:13.101 51.758 2:48.468 2:32.498
31 120 PATTERSON USA 5 Ferrari 430 GT3 45  3 6 Laps   45.006 1:12.353 40.098 2:37.457 2:33.233
32 110 SMETS BEL 4 Mosler MT900 44  2 7 Laps   42.076 1:15.087   2:35.578 2:29.196
33 99 BASSO SUI 2 Ferrari F430 44  1 7 Laps   44.164 1:11.007   2:35.673 2:35.445
34 117 ULLMANN FRA 4 Porsche 996 Bi-Turbo (GT2-R) 42  2 9 Laps   44.165     2:41.353 2:31.109
35 115 TREMBLAY FRA 4 Porsche 996 Bi-Turbo (GT2-R) 26  3 25 Laps   45.653 1:55.891   2:49.871 2:36.101
36 40 LEINDERS BEL 1 Ford GT (001 PT GT1) 13  1 38 Laps   40.338 1:05.761 53.641 2:39.740 2:20.711

Hour 2 Review - Exhaling

Twenty-four hour races often exhibit a 3-hour or so “Grand Prix” after which they settle. Unusually, this race has settled rather quickly. Perhaps the pace of the first hour could simply not be maintained.

Ollie Gavin padded the lead gradually and persistently. The SRT team kept the lead through the pit stop sequence and No. 3’s edge expanded to about 25 seconds. Among the GT1 leaders, only the No. 2 Maserati had a driver change with Pedro Lamy relieving Müller.  Somewhat later, Roberto Streit stepped into the No. 8 Corvette [only to hit great woes in the following hour].

The No. 35 Nissan now assumed the GT1-2010 mantle, although out of the overall picture (at the moment). The Ford GT is suffering from chronic gearbox woes. Indeed the neo-GT1s have been embarrassed by the pace of the GT2 leading IMSA Performance Porsche which Patrick Pilet has put ahead of the Nissan and well clear of second in GT2 Richard Westbrook (No. 60 Prospeed Porsche). At the close of the hour this gap did close somewhat.

There of course remains no contest in G2. Of note in this class was the early performance of Wolfgang Kaufmann. The revived Piranha took a car that had not turned a wheel all week and moved it up some 15 spots before handing over to Philippe Ullmann. G3 remained an inter-team issue between the Matech Fords.