The No.2 Audi R18 e-tron quattro of Allan McNish made the best possible start to the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo when it passed the pole-sitting No.1 at the start of the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
However, it wasn’t a good first hour for the No.8 Toyota TS030 as Stephane Sarrazin was involved in a collision with the No.32 Lotus 35 minutes into the race and crashed heavily at Turn 3, ending the Toyota’s race. The safety car was deployed for a lengthy period to repair the barriers, clear the car from trackside and the debris on the track.
The No.12 Rebellion Racing Lola Toyota now hold third place in the LMP1 category, and is one lap ahead of the first LMP2 car in the class. Mike Conway made a great start in the No.26 G-Drive Racing ORECA 03 Nissan, ahead of the No.49 Pecom Racing and No. 45 OAK Racing Morgan Nissan, the last of which has been one of the few which has not elected to make a pit stop under the safety car.
Ferrari has also made an excellent start to the Brazilian round of the WEC, the No.51 of Gianmaria Bruni charging through to the LMGTE Pro class lead from 5th on the grid. His AF Corse 458 Italia is ahead of the No.97 Aston Martin Vantage of Darren Turner and the No.71 AF Corse car. The No.92 Porsche AG Team Manthey of Marc Lieb had a worrying early part of the race when his right front wheel collapsed. He limped back to the pits for a new wheel/tyre and is now making up lost time.
In LMGTE Am the No.95 Aston Martin of the Dane Nicki Thiim was leading the class from the start until the first round of pit stops. The lead has now been taken by the No.96 Aston Martin entry, with Thiim in second ahead of the No.81 8Star Motorsport Ferrari 458 of Enzo Potolicchio. The No.50 of Brazilian Fernando Rees has been delayed by an electrical issue in the pits, while the No.57 Krohn Racing had to serve an expected 3-minute penalty in the pits for changing the car’s engine after qualifying.
RACE FACTS
12:55:42 Extensive repairs are being made to barriers at turn 1, where Lotus #32 and Toyota #8 left the circuit. Many competitors making pit stops under SC.
12:51:46 Rebellion Lola #12 now leads under SC.
12:50:10 Leader and 2nd place enter pit lane together. Fuel and tyres for both and rejoin in race order.
12:48:04 It looks like attempts to restart the #8 Toyota have been abandoned.
12:44:44 Pitlane opens in next lap of SC period
12:41:46 First round of pit stops for prototypes due soon.
12:40:13 Sarrazin out of Toyota #8 and pulling off broken parts of the nose of the car. Can he limp back to pitlane?
12:37:21 Incident for Toyota #8 Sarrazin - with #32 Lotus - Safety Car
12:35:27 Corvette #50 rejoins after long stay in pit garage.
12:34:06 Gap between leader McNish in Audi #2 and Fassler in #1 is up to 7.8 seconds
12:30:28 With high ambient and track temperatures, tyres will be important in the 6 hours. 27.4C / 21.7C
12:25:18 Darren Turner in Aston Martin #97 takes 4th place from Kobayashi in Ferrari #71
12:23:59 In GTE Pro, the two Ferraris of AF Corse 1st and 2nd. followed by Aston Martin #98. In Am, Aston Martin #95 still leads the Porsche #88 and Ferrari #81 !
12:20:45 Suspected gearbox problem reported for Corvette #50
12:19:50 In P1 the two Audis dominate, ahead of Toyota and Rebellion Lola. Oreca #26 leads P2 ahead of Oreca #49 and Morgan Oak #35
12:17:40 #50 Corvette in for an early pitstop.
12:14:58 McNish in #2 Audi leads overall by 3.5s after taking the advantage over team mates in #1 at the start.
12:13:21 3 minute penalty for #57 Krohn Racing Ferrari for changing engine after qualifying
12:07:27 no92 slow on track with collapsed front right tyre. Lieb trying to get back to pits
12:02:22 no32 makes great start and up two places.
12:00:30 Start - nr2 takes lead at first corner
11:57:00 Green flag for formation lap
11:50:00 Ten minutes to the formation lap
Photo: AUTODROMO JOSE CARLOS PACE (INTERLAGOS, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL), 6 HOURS OF SAO PAULO, SUNDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER 2013, RACE.
