It’s IMSA’s own championship Saturday, with the traditional season finale in Atlanta set to serve up a stormer over the next 10 hours of action as we say farewell to Lamborghini’s SC63, set to be retired after this race.

A change for the LMP2 lead occurred at the top of the hour, as Hunter McElrea’s #11 took the class lead during the pit stops as Di Resta stepped aside for Rasmus Lindh who took control of the #22.

By now the race had settled into a rythm, with each class leader consolidating their advantage over the field as proceedings stabilised properly for the first time all race. Aitken indeed had nearly five seconds of a lead over Colin Braun, and Braun 10 seconds over Phillip Eng who was now aboard the #24. More LMP2 pit stops then occurred as ex-F1 driver Logan Sargeant briefly led in the troubled #52 for PR1/Matheson motorsports before Lindh took it back after the pit cycle.

In the meantime the #43 copped its second drive through penalty of the race for failing to adhere to operational requirements.

The #25 BMW had struggled all day and then received a drive through penalty for running over equipment as it left the pits at the top of the hour.

More problems then hit LMP2, as the class leading #11 of Hunter McElrea spun out at the chicane after contact with the Riley #74 LMP2 before pitting. The good news for them though was that despite the time loss they still weren’t too far behind the #52 of PR1/Matheson due to the large gaps in the class. The #74 picked up a drive through penalty, deemed to have caused the strife for TDS.

TDS themselves would get a drive through though for failing to adhere to operational requirements just minutes later, allowing the #22 of United Autosports back into the lead.

In GTP the lead was also closing up too, as Laurens Vanthoor – now aboard the #6 – had just seven seconds of an advantage over the chasing #31 of Fred Vesti, while the Dane himself was also only mere seconds ahead of the #24 and Heart of Racing’s #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie. GTD Pro was likewise slimming its gaps, as the top three were now covered by just over two seconds. Leading was the #48 of Max Hesse ahead of the championship contending #3 Corvette and its sister #4 machine. The #81 meanwhile was fifth in class, Giacomo Altoe pedalling hard to get back in touch with the Corvette.

But all gaps would close just minutes before the hour after contact between the Paul Miller Racing #9 of Connor Di Phillippi and Cetilar Racing’s #47 of Miguel Molina who collided at turn seven, bringing out the FCY.

So with the field neutralised, the order is as follows. GTP is still led by the #6 of Laurens Vanthoor while Fred Vesti’s #31 Cadillac gives chase. Phillip Eng’s #24 BMW is third and Roman De Angelis is now fourth in the #23 Aston Martin.

LMP2 is in the hands once again of Paul Di Resta and the #22 United Autosports crew, with Mikkel Jensen’s #11 TDS holding second place. Third is that of Benjamin Pederson’s #52 PR1/Matheson machine and Ollie Jarvis is currently fourth with the Era Motorsports #18.

GTD Pro and GTD are as mentioned previously, with Max Hesse’s lead being cut down completely in the #48. It gives Dani Juncadella’s #3 Corvette a great chance at stamping its intentions right into the heart of the #81, while the #4 sister car will back it up when we return to green flag racing. GTD meanwhile has been dominated by Ferrari thus far, and in this case it’s the #21 AF Corse of Lilou Wadoux ahead of James Calado’s #023 Triarsi Competition.

thumbnail credit – Osajus Photography from Oconee, SC, United States, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons