A front row lockout was just what Audi required to gain an early advantage over what appeared to be –on – paper at least – a superior paced Porsche assault. It wasn’t long however before the number one 919 Hybrid of Timo Bernhard split the pair of Audi’s.
A dive from Bernhard almost saw him take the lead, but a smart piece of race-craft allowed Macel Fassler retain the advantage as Neel Jani misjudged his braking in the sister Porsche braking into
turn one. The number two car collided with the front of Harry Tincknell’s Ford GT, but both were able to resume relatively unscathed.
A quick turnaround in the first set of pit-stops enabled the number one 919 Hybrid to seize the lead but all eyes in pit lane were on the number 67 GT Ford of Andy Priaulx which had decided to impersonate a BBQ – a fuel fire being the culprit.
Rebellion had the LMP1 Privateer class all to themselves after the demise of the
number 4 CLM ByKolles entry expired with another engine fire just prior to the half way point – driver Oli Webb receiving a burnt hand in the process. The number thirteen R-One held sway over the sister car in seventh and eighth outright respectively.
Stefan Muecke led the GTE-Pro field in the number 66 Ford GT at the restart, but was yet to make its pit stop. Upon doing so, he handed the advantage to Gianmaria Bruni in the number 51 488 AF Corse
Ferrari despite Nicki Thiim keeping the number 95 Aston Martin Vantage in the fight over the first three hours.
Mathias Lauda lead GTE Am in the number 98 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8, ahead of the KCMG Porsche 911 RSR piloted by Christian Ried.
Meanwhile a slow puncture halted Brendon Hartley’s progress in the number one Porsche, allowing Audi to re-take the lead as one of the many full course yellows was brought out to retrieve the number 83 AF Corse Ferrari of Francois Perrodo.
In LMP2, G-Drive struck trouble with a broken gearbox, effectively wrecking Alex Brundle’s impressive return to the WEC. However, Brundle’s misfortune put the spotlight on Strakka’s new talent, Lewis Williamson, who was engaged in a titanic battle for the class lead with the number 36 Signatech Alpine entry.
The second full course yellow of the day was brought out to retrieve Toyota bodywork that had come adrift from the number 6 Toyota of Anthony Davidson. The timing however couldn’t have been more perfect for the number two Porsche who – in the hands of Romain Dumas – had just entered pit lane. The 80km/ph FCY meant Dumas had enough time to switch with Neel Jani and still maintain the lead in front of team mate Bernhard and - crucially both Audis.
Just over half way, the number six Toyota of Mike Conway came in for an early stop and was wheeled into the garage. The woes from Le Mans may have continued but more distressing was the apparent lack of pace compared to Spa and Le Mans.
Tyre choices might be one thing but it still didn’t explain the entire deficit to Audi and Porsche. If their new aero kit was to blame then it’s something they’ll have to wear for the remainder of the season. Engine cover issues were cited for number six’s stop, with Kamui Kobayashi being sent out again for what was now a glorified test session.
Race - 6 Hrs Nurburgring
Images: Adrenal Media