Things Change Again As Audi Hit An Issue
- Nov 21, 2015
- 2 min read
It all potentially looked like it was too much for Porsche #17 to catch up before the end of the race but as the third hour came to a close Audi #8 dove into the pits after a plume of smoke poured from the front left tyre. It forced the second Audi to dive into the pits as it ran very wide going round the corner as something fails under braking. The Audi is stricken in the pit lane as the mechanics work fruitlessly to fix what appears to be a broken drive shaft, potential failed suspension and potential failed front left brake. This changes the game as now Porsche #17 is up ahead of the #8 in P5 and the #18 would only have to park up for a few laps to give #17 the forth position they need to win the championship. Alex Wurz is up in P3 in Toyota #2, looking to potentially get a podium on his final outing as a professional racer.
#26 pitted early and lost their position to #36, but it appeared to not matter. A few laps after returning to the track #26 let teammate #28 pass and #28 G-Drive car made quick work of passing the Signatech car, followed through by his teammate. #47 still leads the class and with #26 down in P3 they would still take the championship at the end of the race. However, with #28 chasing down #47 the challenge for second position in the championship may come to life. #31 had a left rear suspension failure at the end of the hour and did well to get the car back into the pits without loosing it. As a full course yellow came to clear debris off the track the #31 car came back out, fixed.
GTE Pro positions have stayed the same through the hour, with Ferrari still winning the championship as both Porsche and Ferrari will score thirty-three points if they end in this position and Ferrari have an advantage of five points. However, Porsche #91 will still take the driver’s title as, even with #71 finishing third not enough points will be made up to close the gap. It is clear that the focus is on the Constructor’s battle in the Pro class rather than the Driver’s title.
The Corvette leads the Am class still owing a pit stop as #83 has dropped back down the field. With #83 being so far down in the points now #72 would definitely take the title. It appears that #72 doesn’t seem to be very urgent or pressured in racing hard to get a higher position; it is almost as if they believe they have the championship in the bag. With the lead they came into the race with, this would be expected. The two Proton Porsches #77 and #88 are having their own battle as they race each other for the top places in class.
With the issues on the #8 Audi that could have given the advantage back to Porsche for the title. But with three hours left anything could happen. Remember to follow us on @InsideLineWEC for the latest updates on the WEC Championship.
(Image: @Audi__Sport)
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