American Le Mans Series

Sebring 12 Hours - Ninth and Tenth Hour Report

© American Le Mans Series

As we move into the dark hours the action continues at Sebring. It is a neck to neck race between the number 1 Audi and the top Porsches of the LMP2 field after the issues suffered by the other Audi and the Peugeot. Corvette dominates GT1 easily while Porsche has a 1-2-3 in the GT2 class. How will those positions be after another 2 gruelling hours? Find out by staying with us at Planetlemans.

18:05- The Audi number 2 rejoins the race while number 1 comes in. Mc Nish on the cockpit and new brake discs are mounted on the LMP1 leader.

18:07- It’s not such an easy operation, the Audi is losing precious time at the moment….

18:09- race leader into the pits, the Audi number 1 crew is still at it… Looks like Sebring could go to an LMP2 car but we still have time aplenty ahead of us…

18:10- The top 6 overall are LMP2 cars!!

18:12- 3 laps lost and the Audi number 1 rejoins in 7th overall while Lamy gets fastest lap on the Peugeot at 1.44.718

18:13- LMp2 (and overall) racing order: 16 Dyson, 7 Penske (2 secs behind), 20 Dyson (1 lap), 9 Highcroft (8 secs), 15 Fernández (6 secs), 26 Andretti Green (1 lap), Mc Nish is 2 laps behind the AGR car

18:15-Fellows still leads GT1 with the 3 Corvette 9 laps ahead of Beretta on the 4 Corvette while Highcroft has a routine stop

18:17- In GT2 it is 45 Lizard, 44 Lizard, 5 VICI, 61 Krohn-Risi and 73 Tafel on the top 5

18:19- Mc Nish lapping in 1.46 on an all-out charge to get the LMP2 cars which are lapping around 1.48, 1.49. As temperature drops times will get quicker

18:24- Slow pace from Lammers in the Horag Porsche on 1.55, was that traffic related?

18:25- Does not look like it, he has just been lapped by Smith on the lead car after doing a 1.56

18:26- The 20 Dyson Porsche and the Fernández Acura enter the pits

18:27-Pit stop also for race leader #16 Dyson Porsche

18:29- Timo Bernhard comfortably in the overall lead now with the #7 Penske Porsche, 1.27 minutes ahead of the #16 Dyson Porsche. Marco Andretti pushing hard on 3rd position 1 lap behind Dyson

18:32- 1.44.536 is the new fastest lap set again by Peugeot’s Pedro Lamy

18:34- Nic Jonsson in 2.04 is the fastest GT2 car with the Krohn-Risi Ferrari but he’s 4 laps behind the class leader the 45 Lizard and 1 lap behind 3rd placed VICI Porsche which is running 2.07s

18:37- The Audi pace is now comparable to the cars ahead of it, McNish might not be able to make it back to the top and this might indeed be the first Sebring 12 Hours that is won by an LMP2 car….

18:38- The Andretti Acura back in the pits…

18:42- The AGR car rejoined but the Audi is still 1 lap behind it. The race is starting to stabilize as the sun starts coming down and drivers look for consistency in their pace now that distances are bigger between competitors. Only Díaz on the Fernánde Acura runs close (11 secs) to the car ahead him, the Franchitti Dyson Porsche #20

18:45- race order 7 Penske, 16 Dyson(1 lap), 20 Dyson(1 lap), 15 Fernández(8 secs),9 Highcroft(8 secs), 26 AGR (1 lap)

18:47- The Robertson Ford is into the tyres and we get a full course yellow again… this will make the chances of any catch-up by the Audi even slimmer….

18:49-(SC) GT2 running order 45 Lizard, 44 Lizard, 5 VICI, 61 Krohn Risi, 73 Tafel, 11 Primetime, 71 Tafel, 46 Lizard

18:50-(SC) Retirements: 6 Penske, 007 Aston, 32 Barazi, 28 LG Corvette, 87 Farnbacher, 62 Risi, 77 ARC Bratislava

18:52-(SC) Andretti Green’s Acura is back in the pits with Fittipaldi while Timo Bernhard brings the leader to the pits as well….

18:53-(SC) A stop as well for Highcroft while Robertson steps out of the car which will be a retirement

18:54-(SC) Manu Collard took over the Penske car from Bernhard while the AGR Acura rejoins behind the Audi of McNish

18:56-(SC) Dyson number 16 gets in the pits and rejoins very quickly

19:00-(SC) The top 5 still all LMP2….

19:02-(SC) As the shadows grow much longer the safety car has picked up race leader #7 Penske Porsche to prepare the return to green flag racing

19:04-(SC) In the meantime the AGR Acura is in the pits again, seems they ahve recurring water pressure problems that cannot be solved, Audi number 2 also gets a pit stop and rejoins as do the Tafel 73 Ferrari and the GT2 leader, the 45 Lizard Porsche

19:06-(SC) The 008 Bell Aston (26 laps behind GT1 class leader #3 Corvette), The 61 Krohn Ferrari and the 37 Intersport Lola all execute normal pit stops under yellow

19:07- Back to green flag while the AGR Acura rejoins and the Highcroft Acura serves a stop and go penalty for pitlane speeding….

19:09- The 61 Krohn-Risi is up to 3rd in GT2 behind the two Lizard cars 45 and 44

19:12- The LMP1 cars are 6th overall (Audi 1- 2 laps behind leader), 8th (Audi 2-13 laps), 11th (Intersport-17 laps),12th (Peugeot-22 laps) and 23rd (Autocon, 61 laps)

19:14- The VICI Porsche gets a flat rear left, it gets to the pits for repairs

19:15- Mc Nish is lapping in 1.47, the leader in 1.49, other LMP2s around 1.50 except Díaz who’s lapping in 1.49 and trying to get pass Franchitti for 3rd overall

19:20- Both Dyson cars and the Fernández Acura are running really close, we have a battle in our hands again!!

19:23- As the battle between Franchitti and Díaz continues, Collard is leading the race only 17 seconds ahead of them, Chris Dyson only 2 secs ahead of the battle in 2nd overall

19:28- The Acura just canot get past the Porsche but they are running really close now!

19:34- Amazing battle through traffic from both the Dyson Porsches and the Fernández Acura, Chapulín Díaz is on fire!!

19:37- Rockenfeller goes off and damages the rear left of his Audi, going back to the pits for repairs

19:39- Franchitti passes Chris Dyson so Díaz attacks the number 16 now!

19:40- Rockenfeller back in the pits so the Audo crew goes to work again… mistake during refuelling so that will be a penalty after their pit stop….

19:44- Díaz gets finally past Dyson and is 3rd overall with the Fernández Acura

19:45- Some grip issues from Collard? In the meantime Dominik Farnbacher recovers from a spin on the 71 Tafel Ferrari.

19:46- More issues for the #2 Audi…mechanics work on the bottom plates

19:47- Rockenfeller leaves with quite some difficulty, it’s not been Audi’s day. The Krohn-Risi Ferrari has spun again but Jonsson is able to rejoin

19:50- Franchitti has apparently built a bit of a buffer ahead of Díaz but the Mexican comes back within a second of the Scotsman

19:51- Rockenfeller serves his penalty while the 16 Dyson has a small off with no consequences except losing a few seconds to Díaz

19:55- It is now completely dark in Sebring, no chnge in the overall positions but the AGR car is again in the pits with serious problems, adding more water again.

19:57- GT2 running order: 45 Lizard, 44 Lizard, 61 Krohn, 5 VICI, 73 Tafel

19:58- Adrián Fernández takes over and with softer Michelins he will attack the last two hours of the race, Highcroft has a pit stop as well, Johansson on the cockpit.

20:00- Magnusen still comfortably in the GT1 lead, closes trivals are 9 laps behind

20:01- Romain Dumas takes over from Collard on the #7 Penske Porsche during a regular pit stop, Franchitti temporarily in the lead with the #20 Dyson.

20:04- Franchitti heads to the pits with exactly two hours to go…