Marciello Takes Craft-Bamboo Mercedes’ Lead Into Last Hour at Indy

The #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Raffaele Marciello, Daniel Juncadella, and Daniel Morad leads heading into the final hour of the third annual Indianapolis 8 Hour Race.

Their lead was the climax of a ferocious tail-to-nose battle for the overall lead between Marciello and his fellow Ferrari Driver Academy alumni, Antonio Fuoco, in the #71 AF Corse-Francorchamps Ferrari 488 GT3.

Fuoco had taken the lead from Marciello shortly after a Safety Car restart with less than two hours to go, taking advantage of Marciello being caught behind lapped cars and sending it up the inside of turn ten with a clean lunge.

But Marciello, who vowed to win today’s race from 15th on the grid after a disastrous setback in qualifying, never stopped applying pressure and he remained in Fuoco’s shadow. For several laps they battled, and in time, Marciello was trying to line up a move through the turn 12-13-14 complex, only for Fuoco to keep him at bay.

With 91 minutes left, Fuoco left enough of a gap for Marciello to slide through, up the inside of turn four, and grab the lead of the race. This time, the red and white Theodore Racing-liveried Mercedes would begin to pull away, as the sun set to the west over the main grandstands of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

With 285 laps completed, the #77 Craft-Bamboo Mercedes now leads by four seconds heading into the final hour, with Marciello still on board for a triple stint to bring the car home to the chequered flag – which would clinch the Intercontinental GT Challenge Manufacturers’ Championship for Mercedes-AMG.

But the #71 AF Corse Ferrari of Fuoco, Daniel Serra, and Ulysse De Pauw is still within striking distance if any misfortunes happen in the final hour – they’ve erased the mistake of De Pauw’s collision with his team mate Pierre Ragues, and the subsequent drive-through penalty.

Robby Foley is at the wheel of the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3. Foley, Michael Dinan, and John Edwards are running a lonely, but very strong third position overall, 47 seconds behind the leading Mercedes.

But they’re almost 27 seconds ahead of the #33 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Jules Gounon, whose individual IGTC winning streak is likely to come to an end in fourth place alongside Russell Ward and Philip Ellis.

The #75 SunEnergy1 by Akkodis ASP Mercedes is off sequence in fifth, and was yet to make its final scheduled pit stop at the time timing and scoring was captured.

When they pit, the #51 AF Corse-Francorchamps Ferrari of Miguel Molina is due to inherit fifth position overall, a remarkable effort in a spare chassis for he, Pierre Ragues, and Davide Rigon. They did lose ground after Molina missed his pit box on the final pit stop, but maintain position.

And it will move the #94 BimmerWorld M4, now in the hands of the ageless Bill Auberlen, into the Pro-Am class lead and sixth overall, after starting in the pit lane – with the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes of Dominik Baumann less than ten seconds behind him.

Nick Wittmer is currently in eighth overall aboard the sole Silver Cup #38 ST Racing BMW, hoping to bring Samantha Tan and Harry Gottsacker to an overall top ten.

The #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari has had to overcome chronic issues with their ABS system – and most recently a drive-through penalty for exceeding the maximum consecutive drive time of Daniel Mancinelli, but Alessandro Balzan is running ninth at the moment.

And the #3 K-PAX Racing Lamborghini Huracán has overcome an unusually subpar day from Misha Goikhberg, with Franck Perera and Jordan Pepper picking up their co-driver and running tenth overall – now, as K-PAX’s sole remaining runner in the race.

Just outside the overall top ten, Mario Farnbacher is running 11th in the #93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3, trying to bring the car home to a result which would win the GT World Challenge America Pro-Am Championship for he, co-driver Ashton Harrison, and the Florida-based team that finished runner-up in last year’s championship.

They have all but wrapped up the title at this stage, with the #45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R and #04 CrowdStrike Racing by Riley Motorsports Mercedes hampered by critical mechanical issues and crash damages, respectively, earlier in the race.

Meanwhile, down in 18th overall, the #88 Zelus Motorsports Lamborghini leads the Am class by 14 laps over its lone competitor, the #08 DXDT Racing Mercedes. Jason Harward is now trying to bring his brightly coloured “Bullnicorn” home to the class win.

Just past the halfway mark in the race, K-PAX Racing’s challenge for victory was thwarted in shocking fashion. While battling for fourth place – and just before Marco Mapelli was due to bring the all-black #1 K-PAX Lamborghini into the pits, he suffered a cut left rear tyre.

He brought the car back out onto track, but as he was about to complete the 179th lap, Mapelli lost control and hit the SAFER Barrier at the exit of turn 14 along the drivers side. His stricken car spun into the path of the #51 Ferrari of Pierre Ragues, narrowly avoiding a multi-car accident.

Mapelli was unhurt, and thankfully so. But the 2019 SRO “Triple Crown Champion” was left livid towards series tyre supplier Pirelli in his post race interview with Amanda Busick, saying: “Just like in Spa, just like it’s been doing all year, these new tyres…there’s no safety.” It was an unceremonious end to what was otherwise an amazing season for co-drivers Andrea Caldarelli and Michele Beretta.

The debris from Mapelli’s crash brought out a Full Course Yellow, and the #71 AF Corse Ferrari was able to come into the pits before the Safety Car was deployed. This effectively erased the 20 second gap between them and the #77 Craft-Bamboo Mercedes.

And, because it was an emergency situation as deemed by the Sporting Regulations, Race Control gave the call to wave by the cars trapped in front of the leaders. This in turn sent the #33 Winward Racing Mercedes, the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW, and the #38 ST Racing BMW around to the tail end of the lead lap in the process.

The #23 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari was running third in its class and within the overall top ten – but with less than two and a half hours to go, the #63 DXDT Racing Mercedes of Patrick Assenheimer – already several laps down due to recurring brake issues – appeared to lock up into turn one, spearing into the right front quarterpanel of Alessio Rovera in the #23 Ferrari.

Both cars went back to the garage, ending the hopes of Rovera, Charlie Scardina, and Onofrio Triarsi Jnr for a class podium.

Another Full Course Yellow and subsequent Safety Car was called with two hours, 12 minutes remaining, when a tyre bundle at the inside of turn ten was dislodged onto the racing line. Both the #77 and #71 pitted before the Safety Car was officially declared, with Fuoco taking over the Ferrari against his fellow Ferrari Driver Academy alum Marciello in the Mercedes.

Unfortunately, the #33 Winward Racing Mercedes’ Safety Car luck inverted when they were caught behind the Safety Car exiting the pits – and under this non-emergency situation, Gounon would not be waved around, putting him almost a lap down.

Images © Joe Skibinski, Matt Fraver, Travis Hinkle, Chris Jones / Penske Entertainment Group

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