[FIA GT Race] 2017 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

[gert]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

90 exits pits with 2:12:08 on the clock.

65 minutes from now means a pit stop at 1:07 at best. That gives it around 65 minutes to the finish after the stop, plus the last lap. I think they're going to miss it by about a minute.

I think you're right about that.

I think the #1 may now be good to go.

[Mountain Man]

Originally Posted by J Jay

#1 with a problem in the pits. #90 exits well ahead.

#90 will need to extend its last stop by a few seconds to make the stints work out.

But that will stuff them. They don't have margin for a longer stop. Audi are just behind and Bentley will have a shorter stop

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I don't think the #1 had a problem. I think it was holding itself up because they knew they were going to run out of time.

You could be onto something there... it does put the Bentley ahead for now though.

[Akrapovic]

I think people who worked out that the Mercedes could make it were assuming it could run a full 65 minutes. But if you're approaching the pit lane with 64 minutes into a stint, you have to pit otherwise you'll do 66 minutes. So you lose that 1 minute. Do that 3-4 times and you lose 3-4 minutes.

Since the lap will never perfectly line up with the 65 minute time, you need that buffer there. So the Mercedes was knife edge if it ran to an impossible perfection. The #1 worked it out and held the car. The #90 will have to do it too, but the lead will be lost.

[gert]

So that means #25 looking good at this moment.
Winkelhock out, Haase in.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by gert

So that means #25 looking good at this moment.
Winkelhock out, Haase in.

Well, actually the 90 has pulled a considerable gap in the stop. So if they manage to hold it JUST long enough in the next stop it might work. hmmmm!

The 8 has leaped the 1 for what will become third. Waiting on the 117 and 2 pitting now.

Edit: 13 second gap. Probably not enough. 30 seconds over the Bentley...maybe.

[Mountain Man]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Well, actually the 90 has pulled a considerable gap in the stop. So if they manage to hold it JUST long enough in the next stop it might work. hmmmm!

The 8 has leaped the 1 for what will become third. Waiting on the 117 and 2 pitting now.

Edit: 13 second gap. Probably not enough. 30 seconds over the Bentley...maybe.

That gap has already shrunk significantly

[Akrapovic]

Here's one for you - can the Porsche do a shorter final stop because it's going to be pitting so late?

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Mountain Man

That gap has already shrunk significantly

Up 8 tenths this lap, bad middle stint for the 25 Audi.

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Here's one for you - can the Porsche do a shorter final stop because it's going to be pitting so late?

I don't think so, it should be in in the next ten minutes. Even if they could, that would mean keeping the tyres on and the Porsche suffers with stint-old tyres already.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by J Jay

I don't think so, it should be in in the next ten minutes. Even if they could, that would mean keeping the tyres on and the Porsche suffers with stint-old tyres already.

10 minutes would be 1:45. Then 65 minutes later is about 40 minutes to go. Do you take track position and try and get 40 minutes extra out of the tyres? Worth a shot if you can't win, right?

[Akrapovic]

90 actually used a pit stop joker last stop. So the #1 extended the stop to try and meet the time, whilst the #90 was quicker than the allowed time, making it worse for themselves.

[Mountain Man]

Gap at 10 seconds

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

10 minutes would be 1:45. Then 65 minutes later is about 40 minutes to go. Do you take track position and try and get 40 minutes extra out of the tyres? Worth a shot if you can't win, right?

Yeah, they may as well go for it and hope for an incident to help them. But tyre changing takes ~15 seconds, leaving just 50 for driver change + enough fuel to last more than half a stint.

It can be done, but I don't think it will work out.

Edit - #117 pits now, so it's moot.

[Articus]

How did 90 car pull a gap during the pits? Did they use a joker? Who has jokers left?

Also this is far from over. I would hesitate to predict such a simple path to victory for the #25 Audi.

[Mountain Man]

Originally Posted by Mountain Man

Gap at 10 seconds

Make that 7.5

[gert]

Originally Posted by Articus

How did 90 car pull a gap during the pits? Did they use a joker?

yes.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Articus

How did 90 car pull a gap during the pits? Did they use a joker? Who has jokers left?

They did use a joker, but it was a good in and out lap too.

I haven't kept track of who has jokers left.

[gert]

Haase got back to within 6 seconds

[J Jay]

Haase is reeling Marciello in, gap down to ~5 seconds already.

[gert]

Does anyone remember when Marciello got in?
They may (or may not) also get in trouble with driver stint time.
Both total time (14 hours?) and combined stint time (3H15)

[Mountain Man]

The Bentley gap is tumbling too.

[Akrapovic]

Maxime Soulet has taken 3 seconds out of the lead in 2 laps.

[J Jay]

The #90 is slow, for whatever reason (no Watson, it isn't fuel). They can't be timing the stint, can they?

This might be the best shot for the #25 to overtake on track.

[Mountain Man]

Originally Posted by J Jay

The #90 is slow, for whatever reason (no Watson, it isn't fuel). They can't be timing the stint, can they?

This might be the best shot for the #25 to overtake on track.

If they are, they are on time to finish 3rd