Spa after 4 hours: Ferrari top two in Hypercar; United Autosports McLaren heads LMGT3

Hypercar

Mid-portion of race begins under lengthy Safety Car but returns to green with No.99 Proton Competition Porsche of Neel Jani holding off the No.51 Ferrari AF Corse driven by James Calado.

Calado stays within striking distance of veteran Jani but is also tailed by Michael Christensen in the No.5 Porsche Penske 963 Hypercar.

But Christensen loses control at flat-out Blanchimont corner and slap the inside wall. The impact shutdown the hybrid system on the Porsche and rendered it a retirement immediately.

That promotes the No.50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P Hypercar of Miguel Molina in to third position. The Spaniard gives up the cockpit to Antonio Fuoco after 3hrs 20mins who runs third.

Calado ultimately claimed the lead from Jani with a move on the Kemmel Straight the lap before making the third scheduled pit-stop. The British ace then handed over to teammate Alessandro Pier Guidi who started to pull away in the lead.

Jani is caught by Fuoco in the No.50 Ferrari and the pair battle furiously with a close call entering the Bus Stop just before the fifth hour arrives.

Fuoco gets ahead shortly after to make it a Ferrari 1-2 at the four hour mark but the No.50 is placed under investigation for a potential technical infringement.

Earl Bamber pushed Cadillac back in to contention with two excellent overtakes to gain place fourth. The first is on Yifei Ye as race goes green after a Full Course Yellow and the second is on Andre Lotterer driven No.5 Porsche Penske 963 for fourth position.

Lotterer runs fifth ahead of the No.12 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche, which in turn runs just ahead of the No.83AF Corse Ferrari 499P in seventh position.

But the No.83 Ferrari gets a 5-second penalty for not respecting the race director’s instructions at Turns 5 and 6.

The rest of the Top 10 in Hypercar was made up of: No.8 Toyota Gazoo Racing; No.35 Alpine and No.36 Alpine.

Lamborghini Iron Lynx SC63 Hypercar retires from race after damage is inflicted via a damaged tyre.

LMGT3

Battle in LMGT3 intensifies through the mid-part of the six hours as the No.85 Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracan drive by Rahel Frey battles hard with the No.59 United Autosports McLaren driven by Nicolas Costa.

Frey puts move on Costa around the outside in to Les Combes but then loses lead at pit stop and starts chase all over again.

But the Manthey EMA Porsche comes to the fore in hands of young Dutch talent Morris Schuring, who takes the lead in the fourth hour.

He leads the No.59 McLaren and the No.85 Iron Dames Lamborghini as the trio circulate closely with just 6-seconds between them. But just as four mark arrives Schuring is put under investigation for gaining an advantage off track during an earlier overtaking manoeuvre.

The re-built No.92 Manthey PureRxcing Porsche 911 R. place fourth in hands of Joel Sturm. He heads the leading Proton Ford Mustang, the No.88 car which is driven by Mikkel Pedersen.

Completing the top six is the No.55 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 with Simon Mann at the wheel.

No.95 United Autosports McLaren spends long time in the pits with a suspected gearbox problem.

Difficult race for the TF Sport squad as No.81 Corvette pits with a gearbox issue and the No.82 car is forced to play catch up following a puncture.

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