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American LeMans
SPA24: Drama For GT2, GT3 Leaders
No. 2 AF Corse Ferrari and No. 50 Phoenix Audi retire after Hour 14 accident
John Dagys  |  Posted August 01, 2010   Francorchamps, (BEL)
The battle for GT2 and GT3 honors turned upside down in the overnight hours. (DPPI/FIA GT2)
While the No. 79 BMW Motorsport M3 of Dirk Muller, Dirk Werner and Dirk Adorf continues to lead the 63rd Spa 24 Hours, the complexion of the race for GT2 and GT3 class honors has changed significantly overnight.

The biggest incident came in the 14th hour when the GT2 class-leading AF Corse Ferrari of Eric Van de Poele and Anthony Kumpen in the GT3 pace-setting Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS collided while attempting to overtake a GT4 Porsche.

It marked the end of the road for both cars and also brought out the fourth safety car period of the race. While Van de Poele and Kumpen have slightly different accounts of the coming together, the bottom line is that both team’s chances of victory are now over.

“It was quite a big shunt,” Van de Poele said. “Anthony (Kumpen) was in front of me and there was a GT4 Porsche in front at Stavelot. Anthony passed him at the exit of Stavelot, he passed him on the right, the Porsche thought that he was on the left. I was on the left so I passed them both easy, with no problem. But the Porsche hit the back of the Audi and the Audi crossed the track and hit me.

“I was just cruising; so I didn’t see him coming. It was a big shunt. Both our car and the Audi are not very good. It's finished, it's over. We bent the wheels and the suspension. I think that the two cars hit exactly on the wheels and both corners are broken.”

Kumpen said: “Something crashed into the back of me, what can I say? Nothing much.  At that stage we were the fastest car on the track, I'd just took a lap back from the BMW and from the leading Ferrari, and then, apparently, it's a Porsche that hit me in the back and then Eric van de Poele crashed into me and that was it.”

The No. 2 Ferrari had climbed back up into the class lead following an early race incident by Toni Vilander and a Lamborghini. But an impressive overnight stint by Gimmi Bruni put the Prancing Horse back in contention and inside the top-three overall by midnight.

As typical in a 24-hour race, traffic can make or break one’s race and no doubt played a significant factor in Van de Poele and Kumpen's coming together.

“Some of those drivers, I overtook them during the night, and there is weird moments,” Vilander said. “They don’t know where the real line is. I think it was a misunderstanding or something. Somebody ran into someone. I was sleeping when I heard the news that we were not racing anymore. We were quick, so it was quite unfortunate.”

The demise of the two class leading machines has given the No. 23 BMS Scuderia Italia Porsche of Romain Dumas, Jorg Bergmeister, Wolf Henzler and Martin Ragginger the GT2 lead, one lap behind the No. 79 BMW, which has had a relatively trouble-free night.

The No. 16 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche of Patrick Long, Patrick Pilet, Richard Lietz and Ramond Narac runs in third overall and on the same lap as BMS machine.

Local squad WRT now paces GT3 with its No. 73 Audi R8 LMS in fourth overall, ahead of the No. 78 BMW, which was further delayed overnight with starter motor issues after overcoming a misfire in the sixth hour.

Other overnight incidents included a crash for the No. 13 Prospeed Porsche of Richard Westbrook, which ended in a retirement after the repaired car was later stranded on track after suffering mechanical issues.

In Hour 10, the No. 67 United Autosports Audi of Mark Patterson was pushed off at La Source, bringing out a safety car. While a subsequent puncture further delayed the car once it rejoined, the team’s No. 68 machine of Zak Brown, Richard Dean, Eddie Cheever and Mark Blundell has enjoyed a trouble-free race, now running in eighth overall and third in class.

With just over eight hours remaining, it now appears to be BMW's race to lose.

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