Race Highlights and Early Challenges
The Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo commenced on a slightly damp track, leading to an early incident for Mike Conway. During his reconnaissance lap, the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans winner made contact with the pit wall, necessitating a change to the front bodywork of the #7 Toyota TR010 Hybrid Hypercar.
Early in the race, Will Stevens established a lead, creating an initial five-second gap. However, the #15 BMW M Team WRT entry, driven by Kevin Magnussen, made a decisive move on the front-row starting #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R of Earl Bamber. Magnussen initially reported a lack of power but later regained pace, running confidently in second position.
Stevens encountered a significant setback during his first pit stop when a front-right wheel nut appeared to become stuck, causing a delay of approximately 15 seconds. This issue cost the American Hypercar eight positions, requiring Stevens to undertake a recovery drive where he overtook several competitors, including the #8 Toyota of Brendon Hartley and the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P piloted by Antonio Giovinazzi. At the two-hour mark, the #12 car was running second behind the BMW driven by Magnussen.
Team Performances and Penalties
The #83 AF Corse Ferrari, with Yifei Ye at the wheel, was the highest-placed Ferrari. Ye had to recover from a five-second stop-and-go penalty incurred due to a starting infringement, eventually moving into third place ahead of the #94 Team Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 driven by Loïc Duval during the initial two stints. Giovinazzi’s #51 Ferrari was in fifth position after an eventful first two hours, having experienced multiple instances of contact, including one under investigation with the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 entry.
The #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R also faced delays during its first pit stop due to being out of position upon entry to the pits, but it managed to fight back into the top six. The #17 Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 was running seventh after a substantial clash with the #8 Toyota. The #8 Toyota later required repairs after contact with the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie of Marco Sørensen and the #19 Genesis of Daniel Juncadella, rejoining the race 13 laps behind the leader.
A brief Full Course Yellow was implemented after 70 minutes of racing due to debris on the track, but the race largely proceeded under green flag conditions.
LMGT3 Class Action and Local Interest
In the LMGT3 category, the Proton Competition pair of Ford Mustangs initially dominated, securing a one-two position early in the race. Stefano Gattuso in the #88 car overtook Petru Umbrărescu in the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus for the lead. Eric Powell in the sister #77 Mustang followed, placing both Fords at the front for the first 80 minutes.
Following the initial scheduled pit stops, the Akkodis ASP Team Lexus regained the lead. However, close intra-team racing between the Mustangs led to contact between Gattuso and Powell after 90 minutes, impacting Powell’s momentum. Despite this, the Proton pair later returned to a one-two position, though the net lead was held by the Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette, which moved to the front between pit stops thanks to a strong double stint by Salih Yoluç.
Local driver Pipo Derani, from São Paulo, expressed his delight at competing in his home round of the FIA World Endurance Championship after an 11-year wait. Driving the #17 Genesis GMR-001 alongside Andre Lotterer and Mathys Jaubert, Derani noted the team’s unexpected competitiveness in the car’s debut season. Qualifying proved challenging for Derani, with two of his flying laps deleted due to the car’s powertrain exceeding the prescribed limit, resulting in a 12th-place start.
Another Brazilian driver, Augusto Farfus, lined up ninth in the LMGT3 division in the #32 WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO, which featured a special livery incorporating the country’s flag. Farfus aimed for a strong result on home soil, following previous finishes of tenth and 12th in the past two years.
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Source: fiawec.com
Dominic Hayes is the Sports News Writer at NewsGB, covering rugby union, golf and boxing with five years of reporting experience. He started on a north-east sports desk. He holds a degree in Journalism from Teesside University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Middlesbrough, he follows pro golf and amateur boxing. “Fast and accurate is the only standard worth keeping.”
