FIA GT - Spa 24 Hours - Hour 6

21:02 The outright leader, Jos Menten in the # Corvette, spins at Turn 19, the Bus Stop, and Sarrazin pounces. The #1 is back at the head of the field after a complete role-reversal; Sarrazin’s lead now being ten seconds over Menten.

21:05 The rain may have eased, but a light mist is starting to gather around the treetops, settling across the middle slopes of the valley. The light is also starting to fade.

21:07 The #117 Porsche with Wolfgang Kaufmann aboard is slowing on the track, while the #11 Saleen is into its garage, subsequently dropping several positions. The yo-yo’s on the way back down again.

21:11 After five hours or so in the garage, the #40 MarcVDS Racing Ford GT is finally eased out of its garage and rejoins the race having had a new engine fitted. There are emotional scenes in the garage as the resplendent GT1 Ford heads out onto the track.

21:12 Narac spins out in the #70 IMSA Porsche and hit the barriers at Pif-Paf, sustaining heavy damage to the front end and damaging the radiators. Trailing a stream of fluid, Narac gets the Porsche moving again, and heads slowly back towards the pits. Collard and the #60 ProSpeed Porsche moves through into GT2 third.

21:15 Car #40 is given a 30 second stop go penalty under “stewards decision 37”. Having only just got the car back out on track after a major rebuild, perhaps 30 seconds won’t make a great deal of difference.

21:20 With the front radiators needing replacement, as well as sections of bodywork, the #70 Porsche looks set for a lengthy pitstop.

21:26 Having recovered from his spin, Menten had started to close back down on Sarrazin once more, and the gap was standing at less than seven seconds when the Corvette took to the pitlane for a scheduled stop. He returns to the track in fourth.

21:32 Marc Basseng is pushing on well in the #111 Audi, not only fronting the entire GT2 pack and holding 7th overall, but setting a new fastest lap for the R8 of 2: 22.699. It’s a good indication that conditions are steadily improving, although it’s also likely that he’s now running a light fuel load and preparing for his next pitstop. Others pressing the rev-limiter include Eric van de Poele in the #2 Maserati and Carl Rosenblad in the #33. The only one among the top group yet to make a fifth stop is the current leader, Stephane Sarrazin in the #1 MC12.

21:36 Basseng makes his anticipated pitstop from 7th place overall. Two minutes later and Stephane Sarrazin repeats the exercise and drops out of the lead. It will take a short while to see where he ends up. It is now officially “night”.

21:41 Anthony Davidson is in the #35 and making the car’s sixth pitstop, having clambered up to 6th overall. It’s a closely-fought sector of the race, and holding stationary in the pitlane for a minute costs the Briton a stack of places. First to pass is the GT2  leader, Gianmaria Bruni, while Marc Besseng’s replacement, Alesandro Margaritis is close on his heels to follow through in the #111 R8. Others to benefit include Barba in the #51, Compano in the #51, and Holzer in the #97, leaving Davidson to resume in 11th.

21:50 Having plummeted to eleventh, Davidson rapidly regains two places to be back into 9th overall, but the next position may be longer in coming, with 48 seconds to make up.

21:53 The prospect of a renewed battle for the overall lead is starting to loom large, as Alexandre Negrao closes to within six seconds of Jos Menten in the leading #4 Corvette. Matters are equally close in GT2, where Louis Compano heads the class by a mere 4.5 seconds from Barba in the sister AF Corse Ferrari #51. Third is Marco Holzer in the #97 Porsche, but he’s 42 seconds in arrears and under some pressure from Daryl O’Young in the #60 ProSpeed Porsche.

Hour 6 Positions

1 4 MENTEN NED 1 Corvette Z06 133  5   39.357 1:04.829 35.491 2:19.677 2:17.144
2 1 NEGRAO BRA 1 Maserati MC 12 133  5 8.902 8.902 40.422 1:03.934 37.611 2:21.967 2:17.340
3 3 SOULET BEL 1 Corvette Z06 132  5 1 Lap   39.180 1:04.462 :18.367 2:17.011
4 2 MULLER GER 1 Maserati MC 12 132  5 1 Lap 1:01.413 39.986 2:22.533 2:18.079
5 33 VOSSE BEL 1 Maserati MC 12 131  5 2 Laps   40.262 1:04.725 2:20.390 2:17.483
6 111 MARGARITIS GRE 4 Audi R8 LMS 129  6 4 Laps 2:00.716 40.985 1:06.337 37.059 2:24.381 2:22.677
7 50 COMPANC ARG 2 Ferrari F430 128  5 5 Laps 1:59.433 42.825 1:09.003 37.968 2:29.796 2:24.182
8 51 BARBA ESP 2 Ferrari F430 128  5 5 Laps 1.125 41.909 1:06.579 37.834 2:26.322 2:22.603
9 35 DAVIDSON GBR 1 Nissan GT-R 127  6 6 Laps   40.530 1:05.643 2:23.238 2:20.677
10 97 HOLZER GER 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 127  5 6 Laps 36.843 41.653 2:26.951 2:23.155
11 60 O'YOUNG CHN 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 127  6 6 Laps 2.033 43.180 2:28.232 2:25.610
12 77 MALUCELLI ITA 2 Ferrari F430 127  8 6 Laps 1:02.579 41.416 1:08.200 37.631 2:27.247 2:22.014
13 59 ORTELLI MON 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 126  6 7 Laps 11.968 43.444 1:07.608 41.158 2:32.210 2:25.128
13 59 ORTELLI MON 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 126  6 7 Laps 11.968 43.444 1:07.608 41.158 2:32.210 2:25.128
14 56 GARCIA ESP 2 Ferrari F430 125  6 8 Laps   42.167 1:07.715   2:28.069 2:24.607
15 121 MUTSCH GER 5 Ford GT 124  7 9 Laps   3:18.076     2:40.014 2:22.475
16 61 MACHIELS BEL 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 124  5 9 Laps 52.305 44.082 1:10.880 50.580 2:45.542 2:28.229 17 123 FORBES AUS 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 124  6 9 Laps 1:07.507 44.351 1:10.600 45.899 2:40.850 2:28.608
18 122 NEGRAO BRA 5 Ford GT 124  4 9 Laps 8.615 43.228     2:30.673 2:29.016
19 172 RENARD BEL 5 Aston Martin DBRS9 122  8 11 Laps   2:52.105 1:17.933   2:39.971 2:28.473
20 124 BOURDEAUX GER 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 122  5 11 Laps 1:44.721 44.466 1:11.900 47.728 2:44.094 2:29.853
21 145 HELARY FRA 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 122  4 11 Laps 1:53.687 42.719 2:31.784 2:28.498
22 161 PALTTALA FIN 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 122  5 11 Laps 45.817 42.036 1:07.631 37.754 2:27.421 2:25.952
23 11 VAN DAM BEL 1 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo 121  8 12 Laps 0.271 40.426 1:06.854 37.188 2:24.468 2:21.088
24 55 QUAIFE GBR 2 Ferrari F430 120  5 13 Laps 31.683 43.260 1:08.185 4:22.020 2:25.179
25 120 CULLEN IRL 5 Ferrari 430 GT3 119  8 14 Laps 49.727 44.630 1:14.816 51.447 2:50.893 2:33.233
26 116 ECKERT AUT 4 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 119  4 14 Laps 4:51.752 45.922 2:50.867 2:33.117
27 160 BROUARD FRA 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 118  5 15 Laps 1:02.143 44.680 2:38.948 2:32.599
28 99 BASSO SUI 2 Ferrari F430 118  6 15 Laps 6.461 45.394 1:13.716 41.223 2:40.333 2:34.701
29 174 LESOUDIER FRA 5 BMW Alpina B6 GT3 117  6 16 Laps 1:57.180 42.983 2:30.857 2:30.857
30 110 SMETS BEL 4 Mosler MT900 114  6 19 Laps 1:03.017 45.303 1:17.282 42.986 2:45.571 2:29.196
31 117 HIRSCHI SUI 4 Porsche 996 Bi-Turbo (GT2-R) 112  8 21 Laps   44.952 2:36.369 2:30.178
32 70 NARAC FRA 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 111  5 22 Laps 4.863 42.179 1:38.893 1:01.046 3:22.118 2:23.358
33 118 VILLENEUVE CAN 4 Mosler MT900 65  2 68 Laps   42.038 1:09.911 2:28.685 2:25.975 Rtd
34 8 STREIT BRA 1 Corvette Z06 55  2 78 Laps   38.790 1:05.094 36.443 2:20.327 2:18.096 Rtd
35 40 KUPPENS BEL 1 Ford GT (001 PT GT1) 29  3 104 Laps   42.421 1:06.967 38.734 2:28.122 2:20.711
36 115 TREMBLAY FRA 4 Porsche 996 Bi-Turbo (GT2-R) 26  3 107 Laps 45.653 1:55.891   2:49.871 2:36.101 Rtd

Hour 6 Summary

The hour began with a smidge of light and ended in complete darkness. Some fog appears to be descending onto the surroundings hills but the track is clear if just a tiny bit damp. Slicks are now the order of the day (night).

There is much fanfare as the No. 40 Ford “unretired.” The engine had been replaced. An engine replaced on an endurance racer, you ask? Yes, it is something of a rules violation and for their troubles the team was assessed a 30-second stop-and-go. The hand slap was administered once they completed their 5-hour pit stop. One imagines that little short of delivering a new car by balloon would have been disallowed by the organizers, desperate to appease the rare and avowed 2010 entrants.

The two main developments of the hour was the regaining of speed and tempo by the No. 4 PK Corvette over arch-rivals, the No. 1 Maserati. Jos Menten gradually eroded Stephane Sarrazin’s lead and then continued the pace against the next Vitaphone driver, Alexandre Negrao.

The very impressive Audi has now edged into 6th place overall. Behind it (Alexander Margaritis driving) came the GT2 leaders. There Gimi Bruni began to steadily pull away from Alvaro Barba, now in the No. 51 Ferrari. The erstwhile class leading No. 70 Porsche has gone from slow to worse, suffering a puncture and body damage.