Heading towards the end of a very interesting Barcelona 24H

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We are now heading towards the end of a very interesting Barcelona 24 Hours. There was much drama during the night including a penalty that caused the lead to change, some very fast lapping by key drivers and a number of problems for important teams.

The race has now moved into its morning phase. It is not yet hot and the lighting is very good. Quite a few cars have set their fastest laps in these conditions. There have even been changes among the fastest cars in the various classes. Markus Oestreich has for the second time reset the fast lap in the A2 class. His mark of 2:04.738 in the No. 46 Schirra Mini is the standard for the category. Similarly, Wubbe Herlaar found a good clear run to set a 2:12.734. His No. 55 SVDP Racing BMW 120d is the fastest car in the D2 class. Unfortunately, this will help the team little as they are very far back in the class standings. However, the SVDP squad should be very proud of this accomplishment as only a few hours ago most observers assumed that their troubled car would have to be retired.

In the overall contest the No. 3 McLaren has again established a strong lead, and second place is again occupied by the Ferrari. Thus in many ways the drama of the race is returning to the overture that was established in qualifying. After their disheartening penalty, the No. 7 ARC Bratislava Porsche has recovered to third overall and first in the 997 class.

The well-supported A2 class has many interesting battles yet to be decided as the race enters its last three hours. The No. 42 Besaplast Mini has a strong lead in the class but most of the other positions are still up for grabs. Positions 2-6 are all occupied by Renault Clios and the separation between them is only a few laps. The following Clio teams are all scrambling for podium spots; No. 37 Monlau Competicion, both of the Gloyna Motorsport entries (No. 38 & 39), No. 40 Eurec Racing, and No. 35 TBC Post. The Gloyna cars and Eurec have had a particularly good run in the dark and have moved up the ladder.

There remains a fight for the class victory in SP2 between the No. 17 Bonk / Guttroff Corvette and the No. 12 Las Moras Megane Trophy. A4 is the only class where the leaders can afford to relax a bit. Indeed the crew at Küpper Racing has begun to put a nice shine on the no. 26 BMW E46 M3 Coupe, as their opponents in the class have retired. Of course there is ample time left for new adventures to arise among the still very large fleet of cars on the challenging Catalunya Circuit.

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