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Miyazono retaliated at the Michelin Chicane before Yamanaka pulled a spectacular Hail Mary around the outside of the entrance to Indianapolis. He was hoping for drama between the Japanese top three with Yamanaka making the first claim for victory before the PlayStation Chicane. López meanwhile was laughing, now up in fourth position. The writing was on the wall for Gallo and Serrano who fed back out into the midfield warzone upon pit exit. Incredibly, the young man leading into the pits didn’t even net-lead on exit as both Miyazono and Yamanaka raced on through albeit with older tyres. Kobayashi would retake the lead before being joined by Bonelli in the pit lane leaving just Gallo, Serrano and Sasaki left to stop. The Italian led out of Mulsanne.Īgainst what was expected, these five would go round another lap. Speaking of the leading pack, Gallo had called time on chasing.
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López had, seemingly, only gained two places at most. Unfortunately, despite a manic battle for eighth place unfolding, many responded to this throw of the dice with only the top four and Takuma Sasaki remaining out and on course for their preferred strategies. If the tyre degradation could be managed, clean air (in theory) was a big advantage for the Spaniard. Mired in the midfield, López chose to be bold by heading in at the end of the first lap. With a mandatory pitstop on the cards, the predicted strategy for most was to split the race into two equal halves. Thankfully for the Spaniard, the huge straights on the way to Mulsanne saved his grace due to the slipstream. As he and Gallo endeavoured to break away early, third-placed Serrano was placed under the microscope of Bonelli. With the young Kobayashi on pole position, the field got away cleanly for six laps of Le Mans. The American just about held on as did Kobayashi to win. The final rotation of the Red Bull Ring was intense with Pounder and Beauvois exchanging paint plenty of times. Beauvois had been chipping away at the timesheets and, lying in 10th with Kevin Pounder just one second ahead in eighth, he launched an outrageous move around the outside of a similarly struggling Andres Inostroza at Turn 4. However, the battle for the final qualification spot eventually heated up. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that the entertainment value up to the ninth lap was remarkably low. Jose Serrano helped ease that pressure significantly with a bold lunge into Schlossgold on Lap 1. Rikuto Kobayashi had a tall order off the line with 2020 double champion Takuma Miyazono in his wing mirrors. The Frenchman was expected to make it through to the Finals and would have to work for it from P11. His countryman would pick up a late-game penalty for his transgression and lose two positions in the slowing down process.Īn all-Japanese front row in Semi-Final B was rather apt for the Toyota GR GT Cup, though a bigger story developed at the back of the grid where Baptiste Beavois lay. It would also aid Gallo, who had much less to worry about cruising home to first. The resulting congestion really left Yamanaka out to dry with Bonelli benefitting hugely up to second. The following tour would be a little messier as Mangano missed his braking point. The Italian showed his hand on the eighth lap, diving up the inside at Remus. Gallo looked like he had pace in reserve the majority of his time sitting behind Yamanaka. Nevertheless, gaining positions here and now was essential the higher you placed, the higher you would start at Le Mans. The Spaniard, by the fourth lap, occupied sixth with the top eight finishers securing their places in the evening’s final race. The battle for the final podium spot was highlighted early on as Giorgio Mangano, Luca Bonelli, Igor Fraga and Coque López vied for position. Behind lay Olympic Virtual champion Valerio Gallo who has been in searing Nations Cup form of late. Conditions were miserable at the Red Bull Ring for the first group of pilots though Tomoaki Yamanaka was happy enough to be leading through Niki Lauda Kurve after securing pole position.