FIA GT - Spa 24 Hours - Hour 5

20:06 The battle for GT2 is really coming to the boil, as Cadei in the #51 has hauled in Patrick Long to the tune of half a second – that’s all that now separates first from second. It’s a hairy and somewhat lurid ride, however, with the chasing F430 clearly offering the Italian precious little room for error as the tail slides out through almost every corner. They’re also dicing through a dense pack of slower cars, adding to the challenge.

20:09 The #161 ProSpeed Porsche heads for the pitlane and then the garage, hauled in backwards by the crew and out of not only the rain, but most probably, the lead of G3 as well. Within moments, the #121 Matech racing Ford GT moves through to take the class lead.

20:11 Negotiating the #99 F430 has offered Patrick Long a breather, as it takes Cadei a little while longer to get around the slower blue Ferrari. He’s then back onto Long’s tail as they dip down through Eau Rouge at the start of the next lap, and Cadei gets his nose alongside on the run up towards Les Combes, but then has to back off through the right-left-right. Both have to suspend their duel for a few moments as Ramos comes through in the #2 Maserati.

20:14 There’s a similar battle for G3, which briefly reaches a head on the run through the Bus Stop, until the pressure is eased when the #123 pits from the lead, allowing the Ford GT #121 through to the top slot.

20:15 One of the fastest in GT2 at present is the #77, currently running 6th in GT2 and 13th overall. Paulo Ruberti is at the wheel of the Pirelli-shod Porsche and lapping quicker than Sarrazin in the overall lead, and almost ten seconds a lap faster than those battling for the top slot in GT2.

20:19. A number of the leading group have now pitted for fuel, including Menten in the #4 Corvette, and Longin in the #3. Jos Menten rejoins but drops a couple of places. Longin hands over the Selleslagh Corvette to Maxime Soulet.

20:20 Chris Niarchos pits in the #55 CRS Ferrari from 15th. The weather has finally cleared, and for the first time there is sunshine across the hillsides, as a number of hot air balloons start to rise above the trees. One makes a decidedly dangerous-looking ascent from the bottom of Eau Rouge, passing low over the circuit and between the control tower and the big wheel, before rising gently up the wooded hillside beyond and drifting away into the distance.

20:24 Miguel Ramos pits the #2 Vitaphone Maserati from third. He’s followed in by Darren Turner in the #35 Nissan GT-R.

20:30 Menten is up to second in the #4 Corvette, passing Carl Rosenblad, who’s taken over control of the #33 Vitaphone MC12. Others to have pitted include Basseng in the #111 Audi, which slips to 11th overall, but in no danger of relinquishing a four-lap lead in G2.

20:38 Soulet passes Eric van der Poele (#2 Maserati) for 4th into Les Combes, 101 laps completed, while Menten denies Sarrazin the lead. The drying track is evidently swinging back in favour of the Corvettes, with each lapping four or five seconds faster than their respective MC12 rivals.

20:41 A lap after Cadei pits the #51 Ferrari to hand over to Alvaro Barba Lopez, Long follows suit in the #70 from the lead in GT2, passing the Porsche on to Raymond Narac. Basseng in the #111 R8 benefits from both, and moves through to 7th, while Bruni, coming through from third in GT2, inherits second. Barba leads GT2. All, however, are being overhauled at a rate of knots by Manu Collard in the #60 ProSpeed car, which is lapping a consistent three or four seconds faster.

20:49 While a succession of brightly coloured balloons continue to rise sedately across the valley at Eau Rouge, the on-track battle for 4th intensified, as Eric van de Poele closes down on Carl Rosenblad. The pass takes place on the run between Les Combes and Rivage, and once through, van de Poele eases away.

20:50 Time for a quick catch-up in G3, where the #121 Matech Ford GT leads from the #123 Muethiner Porsche second and, for the first time in the race so far, the #174 Barwell Aston briefly third. It’s a brief moment of glory for the DBRS9, as the second Matech Ford GT #122 moves back through again minutes later.

20:53 Bruni gets the lead of GT2 for the #50 Ferrari as he and Barba enter Les Combes, demoting the second AF Corse Ferrari, #51, to second in class. Narac, meanwhile, watches from a few yards further down the track, where he’s just a second in arrears. It’s the tightest class-lead battle on the track at present. Collard, who had appeared to be closing on this leading group, has now dropped back and runs some 30 seconds adrift.

20:58 Menten’s lead in GT1 is now ten seconds over Sarrazin in second, but the gap to Soulet in third has grown to an enormous 64 seconds. Eric van de Poele is fourth by nine additional seconds.

Hour 5 Positions

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

1 4 MENTEN NED 1 Corvette Z06 109 4 41.319 2:22.578 2:17.144
2 1 SARRAZIN FRA 1 Maserati MC 12 109  4 10.248 10.248 40.590 2:23.144 2:17.340
3 3 SOULET BEL 1 Corvette Z06 108  4 1 Lap   40.738 1:06.229 2:25.785 2:17.011
4 2 POELE BEL 1 Maserati MC 12 108  4 1 Lap 8.489 41.852 1:05.300 2:26.068 2:18.427
5 33 ROSENBLAD SWE 1 Maserati MC 12 108  4 1 Lap 4.216 42.725 1:09.684 2:27.701 2:17.483
6 35 DAVIDSON GBR 1 Nissan GT-R 107  4 2 Laps 1:43.038 42.170 1:07.072 37.339 2:26.581 2:20.677
7 111 BASSENG GER 4 Audi R8 LMS 106  5 3 Laps 8.475 42.318 1:07.456 38.023 2:27.797 2:23.230
8 50 BRUNI ITA 2 Ferrari F430 105  4 4 Laps 1:09.795 42.939 2:29.530 2:24.182
9 51 BARBA ESP 2 Ferrari F430 105  4 4 Laps 1.098 43.145 2:28.859 2:22.603
10 70 NARAC FRA 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 105  4 4 Laps 1.136 42.907 2:28.875 2:23.358
11 60 COLLARD FRA 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 105  5 4 Laps 29.119 43.323
12 97 HOLZER GER 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 104  4 5 Laps 44.975 1:08.820 2:30.403 2:23.155
13 77 MALUCELLI ITA 2 Ferrari F430 104  7 5 Laps 26.273 42.907 1:09.313 2:28.734 2:22.014
14 59 ORTELLI MON 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 103  5 6 Laps 43.362 1:11.027   2:32.221 2:25.128
15 11 VAN DAM BEL 1 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo 103  7 6 Laps 28.909 40.622 1:06.772   2:25.537 2:21.265
16 56 KOX NED 2 Ferrari F430 103  5 6 Laps 31.868 43.487 2:34.868 2:24.607
17 61 MACHIELS BEL 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 102  4 7 Laps 44.931 2:36.451 2:28.229
18 121 HENNERICI GER 5 Ford GT 102  6 7 Laps 22.392 43.303 2:36.735 2:22.475
19 123 FORBES AUS 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 102  5 7 Laps 1:13.030 43.795 1:11.804 39.602 2:35.201 2:28.608
20 122 NEGRAO BRA 5 Ford GT 101  4 8 Laps 1:04.737 44.177 2:33.901 2:29.016
21 172 WAUTERS BEL 5 Aston Martin DBRS9 101  7 9 Laps 44.098 1:10.698 2:35.819 2:28.473
22 124 BOURDEAUX GER 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 101  4 9 Laps 29.483 46.224 2:37.222 2:31.084
23 120 CULLEN IRL 5 Ferrari 430 GT3 101  6 9 Laps 45.067 44.880 2:36.410 2:33.233
24 116 ECKERT AUT 4 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 100  4 10 Laps 3:30.795 3:08.465 2:33.117
25 145 HELARY FRA 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 100  4 10 Laps 3:01.871 43.569 2:35.545 2:31.628
26 55 GOODWIN GBR 2 Ferrari F430 99  4 11 Laps 44.474 1:10.470 2:37.040 2:25.179
27 161 PALTTALA FIN 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 99  5 11 Laps 16.552 43.380  4:30.556 2:28.956
28 99 KUTEMAN NED 2 Ferrari F430 98  5 12 Laps 7.044 46.938 4:11.806 2:34.701
29 174 LESOUDIER FRA 5 BMW Alpina B6 GT3 97  5 13 Laps   44.955 1:15.070 2:37.117 2:32.498
30 160 BROUARD FRA 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 97  5 13 Laps 16.609 47.021 2:49.218 2:32.599
31 117 KAUFMANN GER 4 Porsche 996 Bi-Turbo (GT2-R) 96 6 14 Laps 1:44.094 47.936 1:12.560 39.771 2:40.267 2:31.109
32 110 KENIS BEL 4 Mosler MT900 94  5 16 Laps 2.619 45.088  2:35.668 2:29.196
33 118 VILLENEUVE CAN 4 Mosler MT900 65  2 45 Laps 42.038 1:09.911 2:28.685 2:25.975 Retired
34 8 STREIT BRA 1 Corvette Z06 55  2 55 Laps   38.790 1:05.094 36.443 2:20.327 2:18.096 Retired
35 115 TREMBLAY FRA 4 Porsche 996 Bi-Turbo (GT2-R) 26  3 84 Laps   45.653 1:55.891   2:49.871 2:36.101
36 40 LEINDERS BEL 1 Ford GT (001 PT GT1) 13  1 97 Laps   40.338 1:05.761 53.641 2:39.740 2:20.711

Hour 5 Summary - A Rubber Hour

The race settled again, but it was an extremely strategic situation. This makes for a particularly nervous time for team managers. It’s all about making the correct tire choices.

For much of the hour the Maseratis have been running on slicks while the Corvettes have preferred inters. The decision seems to be favoring the Italian cars.

Some of the position changes during the hour seem to have revolved around the rotation of non-pros into the seat. Team owner Raymond Narac is slower than the others in No. 70 and the GT2 contest is, for the moment, an AF Corse Ferrari internecine issue.

We’ve had the first significant change of position in G3 with the No. 123 Mühlner Motorsport Porsche (Rodney Forbes) aboard splitting the two Fords. The Mosler meltdown has largely eliminated any contest in G2 as the Audi is all alone. However, Wolfgang Kaufmann was making some progress with the forlorn PMB Porsche [although it slowed just past the end of the hour].