FIA GT - Spa 24 Hours - Hours 21 & 22

12:01 Car #99 is reported as having lost a wheel at Turn 4, Eau Rouge. The car had been holding 20th position with John Hartshorne in the cockpit, but Peter Kuteman had recently taken over.

12:04 A sudden spate of pitstops in midfield, including #123, #161, #35 and #70.

12:07 The organisers are suggesting the leader may have a problem with the front right tyre, and are reporting a possible “fire”. Three minutes later Soulet arrives in the pitlane, so evidently a slow in-lap for the Corvette. No further details as yet, but the supposition is that it may have been spent rubber ignited by hot brakes. The car is soon back out and racing again with Oliver Gavin now aboard and, we’re told, planning a triple-stint – not a double as previously reported.

12:15 The pitstop for the #3 has allowed Hezemans through into the lead, but it gets worse still. Car #3 reported as having spun at the entrance to the Bus Stop and losing fluids. There are also reports of smoke. Gavin presses on nevertheless and begins another lap; the car’s 475th.

12:20 Oliver Gavin is back into the pitlane, reporting loss of fluid and smoke. The spin for Soulet on his in-lap, and then another for Gavin, suggests oil or brake fluid related problems for the Corvette.

Pilet has now been in the pits for several minutes after a very slow in-lap, suggesting problems for the #70 IMSA Porsche, which had been recovering well after delays due to an off and a resulting radiator replacement last night.

12:23 Car #60 is reported as trailing heavy smoke, Richard Westbrook in the ProSpeed Porsche, but he completes a rapid third sector. Could have been nothing more than a lock-up?

With the #3 Corvette static in the garage, now is the first time that the lead cars have not been on the same lap since the beginning of the race, nearly twenty-one hours ago.

12:28 - The #172 Barwell Aston has stopped at the first Stavelot corner with a puncture, while the screen informs us that the #99 JMB Ferrari is to “stay where it is” until the end of the race, having lost a wheel through Eau Rouge. The inference is that, even if the car could be made to move again, it would need to traverse almost the entire circuit on three wheels, and thereby pose a danger to other cars.

12:31 – Pier Guidi goes by the Audi and is back up into third place overall

12:35 – The delayed, then recovered #70 IMSA Performance Porsche is a retirement, the engine broken.

12:40 - Phil Quaife has been pit-bound for several minutes in the #55 F430 and has dropped the first of what could be several places if CRS can’t get the Ferrari moving again soon. They do, and the car rejoins in 11th position overall, 6th in GT2.

Leading the class is still the #50 AF Corse car with Vilander at the wheel, two laps ahead (still!) of Miller in the #97, and then Tim Sugden third in the TrackSpeed Porsche a further three laps down the road. With the #70 now officially retired with that broken engine, it’s position on the screens continues to tumble.

12:43 Hopes that the fiery problem for the #3 might be brake-fluid related seem misplaced and removal of the bonnet revealed plenty of oil on the outside of the engine – not the preferred option. If so, then the Corvette’s race may indeed be over, but we await further news. The #4 car has already eased out an eleven lap lead and Pier Guidi has moved ahead of the #111 Audi to lay claim to second, although the G2 car is likely to need perhaps one stop fewer and is only 23 seconds behind the Maserati.

12:53 Pier Guidi pits from third, allowing the Audi R8 to regain third. Four minutes later and Oliver Gavin returns to the track in the SRT Corvette, fourteen laps down now on the leader but with a lap on Fassler in third.

12:58 Miller into the pits from second in GT2. The #97 Porsche has a healthy advantage over third-placed Tim Sugden, and won’t lose position.

12:59 Oliver Gavin is back into the pits after a single exploratory lap, hopefully just to check that repairs, whatever they were, have been effective.

Hour 21 Positions

Pos  No  Name  Nat  Cls   Car  Laps  On Track  Stops  Gap  Diff  S1  S2  S3  Last Lap  Best Lap 
1  4   HEZEMANS NED 1 Corvette Z06 491  18     41.457     2:28.535 2:16.462
2  3   GAVIN GBR 1 Corvette Z06 477  20 14 Laps 2:15.151 40.452 1:06.685 44.965 2:32.102 2:15.423
3  111   FASSLER SUI 4 Audi R8 LMS 475  21 16 Laps   40.425 1:06.833   2:23.867 2:21.106
4  33   PIER GUIDI ITA 1 Maserati MC 12 475  18 16 Laps 1:07.607 39.521     2:21.088 2:16.297
5  50   VILANDER FIN 2 Ferrari F430 469  19 22 Laps   41.865     2:27.789 2:23.965
6  97   MILLER USA 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 466  20 25 Laps   42.147 1:08.513 44.724 2:35.384 2:23.155
7  59   SUGDEN GBR 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 463  22 28 Laps 1:28.420 42.797     2:29.706 2:23.593
8  56   GARCIA ESP 2 Ferrari F430 461  20 30 Laps 35.839 42.012 1:08.060 38.260 2:28.332 2:24.492
9  61   SPLUNTEREN NED 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 456  18 35 Laps 1:40.113 41.995     2:27.654 2:26.813
10  121   HENNERICI GER 5 Ford GT 455  20 36 Laps   43.166     2:29.738 2:22.475
11  55   QUAIFE GBR 2 Ferrari F430 454  19 37 Laps 7.352 42.646     2:29.023 2:25.179
12  60   WESTBROOK GBR 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 454  20 37 Laps 41.734 42.107     2:26.829 2:23.559
13  123   LEFORT BEL 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 449  16 42 Laps 41.720 42.961 1:09.036 38.725 2:30.722 2:28.608
14  161   LOIX BEL 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 446  17 45 Laps 1:30.151 41.711     2:28.534 2:24.896
15  35   KRUMM GER 1 Nissan GT-R 440  20 51 Laps   40.566 1:07.277   2:22.456 2:18.321
16  172   RENARD BEL 5 Aston Martin DBRS9 435  21 56 Laps 1:09.979 43.391     2:34.543 2:26.666
17  145   HELARY FRA 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 431  18 60 Laps   42.421 1:09.879   2:30.686 2:26.578
18  70   PILET FRA 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 425  18 66 Laps 16.716         2:22.658
19  116   RICH GBR 4 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 421  16 70 Laps 31:22.491 44.475     2:40.853 2:32.213
20  160   BROUARD FRA 5 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S 421 17 70 Laps 1:10.052 44.216 1:12.555 40.799 2:37.570 2:32.599
21  2   MULLER GER 1 Maserati MC 12 419  15     39.273     2:19.431 2:16.067
22  1   SARRAZIN FRA 1 Maserati MC 12 417  18 74 Laps   40.440 1:06.555 36.422 2:23.417 2:16.784
23  120   SHOVLIN IRL 5 Ferrari 430 GT3 415  27 76 Laps   46.194 1:12.091   2:39.907 2:30.688
24  99  HARTSHORNE GBR 2 Ferrari F430 406 18 85 Laps 45.235 1:12.543 50.714 2:48.492 2:27.720 Rtd - Lost Wheel
25  110   KENIS BEL 4 Mosler MT900 338  17 153 Laps   43.353 1:12.653 39.959 2:35.965 2:29.196
26  77   RUBERTI ITA 2 Ferrari F430 329  21 162 Laps 56.035 2:22.014
27  51   CADEI ITA 2 Ferrari F430 316  13 175 Laps 23.287 41.330 1:07.584 43.965 2:32.879 2:22.603
28  174   LESOUDIER FRA 5 BMW Alpina B6 GT3 288  13 203 Laps 1:26.320 46.603 1:19.169 1:07.668 3:13.440 2:27.122
29  122   LUNARDI BRA 5 Ford GT 272  13 219 Laps 1:30.071 3:19.343 1:31.475 1:08.353 5:59.171 2:29.016
30  40   LEINDERS BEL 1 Ford GT (001 PT GT1) 247  12 244 Laps   41.089 1:03.850 36.124 2:21.063 2:20.711

Hour 21 Summary

Familiar in Such a Strange Way

Smoke coming from the No. 3 Corvette.  Oh, oh. Too bad Ollie & Co. The car is in the box for a long stop while the crankshaft sensor is being sealed off. That seems to be the source of the smoke. The Pratt & Miller engineers seem to think that it can make it to the end that way. We’ll see.

Smoke is also coming from the No. 60 Prospeed Porsche—but that’s now a backmarker and the smoke disappears very quickly.

Pier Guidi is now only a few seconds behind the Audi and committed to catching Fässler. The only question is, which position will the No. 33 Maserati advance to?

Meanwhile, the No. 99 Ferrari has retired—another wheel having flown into the Ardennes.  The other GT1 bis car, the Nissan, has had much of its internals replaced. At least next year these wonderful machines won’t have to last long at all.

All the top GT2 cars have throttled well back as there is little expectation of changes in position. As for the weather, the forecast had called for clear skies but it has clouded up considerably. We should make it through to 16:00 in the dry, but then again, then again.

At the close of the hour Gavin goes back out, an astronomical 14 laps lost to the leader, but two laps clear of the Maserati. However, a lap later Gavin returns to the pits. With three hours to go, for the very first time Hezemans & Co. can relax, but it is a battle-worn car nonetheless.

Hour 22

13:04 Hezemans pits from the lead. Gavin is still stationary and has now been overtaken by Fassler in the Audi. More problems for the Barwell Aston, which is reported as running slowly through Les Combes, and then stops briefly at Rivages, before resuming.

13:06 Oliver Gavin is back out and moving again, completing a relatively speedy out-lap, but the additional delay has meant rejoining in fourth, more than a minute behind the #33 which, having been dismissed a long, long time ago, has steadily worked its way back up through the ranks to contend for the podium.

13:14 Marcel Fassler overtakes the leader to reduce his overall deficit to 13 laps.

13:17 Oliver Gavin is back into the pitlane once again. It’s not looking good.

13:22 Vilander and Sugden pit in GT2, and so does Fassler in the #111, elevating the Maserati #33 to second overall.

13:28 Oliver Gavin confirms that the #3 does indeed have engine failure, but the car is still sufficiently mobile that he recons they can manage a few more laps later in the race. Finishing here means points, and points mean prizes, so the Corvette will sit out the next two and a half hours and then return for the concluding minutes. It has been a brave and commendable run from the four drivers; Oliver Gavin, Bert Longin, Maxime Soulet and James Ruffier, but it’s effectively the end of a competitive race for SRT. While the drivers get some rest, the mechanics set to work under the car in attempts to ensure that it does indeed make it to the chequered flag.

13:33 Margaritis is back aboard the #111 Audi, and holding a comfortable third place, six laps clear of the GT2 leader; Gianmaria Bruni in the #50 AF Corse.

13:36 Tim Sugden arrives in the pitlane aboard the #59 TrackSpeed Porsche from third in GT2, but with such a narrow advantage over the #56 CRS Racing F430 that a change in position seems inevitable.

13:38 Car #121, the G3 leading Ford GT, has a spin at Blanchimont, but rejoins almost immediately. Mutsch is in the cockpit and leading from Forbes in the Mainliner Porsche #123 by a full seven laps. Third is Palttala in the #161 ProSpeed Porsche.

13:40 Sugden is still in the pits with the team trying to address an issue with a slipping clutch, so Garcia moves through to third in GT2.

13:47 Tim Sugden returns the #59 Porsche to the circuit, into fourth position, but the clutch may not be 100% even now.

13:57 The #33 Maserati heads down the pitlane for a driver-change, Vincent Vosse taking over from Pier Guidi, and then fuel and tyres. Vosse returns with his second place secure.

There's an absolute storm of tutting in several European languages as SRO officials prevent the media from watching the Formula One on TV - Persoanlly I really couldn't give a tuppenny t*** but apparently someone, spomewhere does!

Circuit timing has frozen so no times at 22 hours I'm afraid

Hour 22 Review

Pier Guidi stops from second place, handing the spot—at least temporarily, to the Audi. The Maserati begins the next stint some 50 seconds down on Fässler.

The No. 3 Corvette has effectively been retired, although it will be taken back out to take the finish. The oil pressure is just too low to continue. This elevates the Maserati to second, the Audi back to third, and the GT2 leader to fourth.

With 2-1/2 hours to go there are 27 cars still running, although four of them are walking wounded. Those include No. 3, 35, 110, and 40. The No. 3 we know about, the No. 35 Nissan is another one to make several recent and long stops. The No. 110 Mosler has had most of its internals rebuilt. The No. 40 is effectively a different car from the one that started yesterday afternoon.

We do still have two battles for overall and class position. Hommerson (No. 61 Prospeed Porsche) has just passed the No. 59 Trackstop Porsche when the latter made a visit to the garage. That was for 4th in GT and 8th overall. A few spots further back Edwards (No. 60 Prospeed) is fighting hard to hold off Goodwin in the No. 55 Ferrari. The dsc editor has been dashing back and forth from the press room the pits to perform this double duty.