With the latest pit stop for the #6 Audi (Winkelhock now aboard), the #8 Bentley cycled through and back to the lead with Andy Soucek at the wheel. The now fourth-placed #84 Mercedes also pitted: Buhk out, Jafaar in.
Both Bentleys were soon in the pits together, the #7 garaged (reason as-yet unknown), the #8 for a routine stop, with Maxime Soulet climbing aboard. Another full-course yellow came just before 8am, after Ezequiel Perez Companc hit the barrier in the #90 Ferrari.
That gave the leading #6 Audi (above) the opportunity to finally undertake its required five-minute technical stop. The #50 AF Corse Ferrari followed suit soon afterwards. Both had easily cleared pitlane before the green flag flew again after a 10-minute caution.
The #7 Bentley meanwhile spent around 18 minutes in the garage in total, with the team working to fix a power-steering issue. The second-place #8 Bentley meanwhile would be called for a drive-through for a driver stint infringement, Bentley’s third for the same car and the second for a driving-stint infringement! There was a drive-through too for the #50 AF Corse Ferrari for a pitstop infringement.
On track, Raymond Narac in the #76 Porsche (above) passed Henry Hassid for the Pro-Am lead, but immediately picked up a drive-through for pitlane speeding. All of that left the #99 BMW back in the overall lead, Philipp Eng at the wheel as we closed in on the end of the 16th hour.
Into hour 17 and a rare battle on track inside the top 10 emerged as Nick Catsburg (#98 BMW) looked for a way by Adam Christodoulou (#57 AMG) for fifth.
There was light rain reported in the paddock, steadily getting heavier for a while but then pausing. Heavier rain is due though before the race finish. By now there were four Mercedes in the top 10: the #57 in fifth and the #86, #88 and #84 in seventh, eighth and 10th.
A quick spin for the #333 Ferrari out of the Bus Stop and a slow-running and already heavily delayed #27 Sainteloc Audi punctuated the next few minutes with track conditions still manageable on slicks even where the rain had fallen.
The latest round of lead trio pitstops saw the #6 Audi briefly cycle into the lead and Maxime Martin climb aboard the #99 BMW, retaking the lead next time around as Winkelhock pitted and stayed aboard the #6. That car dropped back to third, with Soulet in the #8 Bentley now 37 seconds back from Martin.
Eventually there was minor drama as Jafaar, running 10th in the #84 AMG, looked up the inside of Buurman (a lap down in the #00 Black Falcon AMG, above) through Eau Rouge in what could only very benevolently be called anything other than a thoroughly ill-advised move. The pair touched, the #00 emerging unscathed, the #84 spinning up through Raidillon eventually making relatively light rear contact with the barrier before briefly stalling broadside across the track beyond the brow. After being avoided by several oncoming cars, the #84 rejoined.
Just as we entered the 18th hour, the #49 Kaspersky Ferrari was confirmed as a retirement. There was then a change, actually on track! for fifth as Dusseldorp got by Simonsen for fifth. The AMG driver pitted at the end of the lap and had trouble: the right-front brake being examined before it rejoined down in 11th.
That soon promoted the #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes (above) to sixth and highest-placed AMG, with Felix Rosenqvist at the wheel. Duncan Tappy, up to 27th in the #60 McLaren, was in the garage meanwhile with a damaged radiator after contact.
The Am Cup lead battle was separated by almost two laps: the #51 AF Corse Ferrari leading the #888 Kessel machine as the pair ran 32nd and 33rd overall.
As the hour ended, the #60 McLaren (above), recently released after its radiator repair, pitted again with Bruno Senna at the wheel. It was pushed back into the garage with more damage to the rear due to contact once again!
