Toyota and Ferrari Battle Intensifies at CoTA
Circuit of the Americas, Austin, TX – In a dramatic hour of racing at the Circuit of the Americas, Yifei Ye reclaimed the lead in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, concluding a fierce competition that saw Ryo Hirakawa in the lead for much of the hour in the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid.
Hirakawa, who capitalized on a slow pit stop by the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963, experienced a swift shift in momentum as Ye overtook him in the second Mulsanne Chicane. Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari and Raffaele Marciello in the #15 BMW M Team WRT M Hybrid V8 rounded out the top four, with Miguel Molina securing fifth for Ferrari.
With Matt Campbell now driving the #6 Porsche, the team slipped to sixth, narrowly leading Alex Lynn in the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R. In LMP2, Louis Delétraz returned to the #199 AO by TF ORECA, holding third overall and leading in the Pro-Am category, while the #43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA maintained the LMP2 lead.
In the LMGT3 category, the #92 Porsche 911 GT3R maintained its lead under Ryan Hardwick’s control, with Simon Mann’s #21 AF Corse Ferrari chasing in second. The #81 TF Sport Corvette, now piloted by Charlie Eastwood, remained competitive in third.
Despite some retirements, including the #101 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac due to engine troubles, the racing remains fierce. As dawn approaches, competitors are expected to intensify their strategies for the next hour.
“We’ve had a good run so far, with minimal mistakes. The safety car timing was fortunate for us,” stated Andrade of the #81 Corvette, emphasizing the careful management of their race pace. As the event nears its 15th hour, all eyes will be on who can maintain control amid increasing daylight.
