At the 6 hour mark, the rain had returned with the Safety Car about to release the field after the field was neutralised to allow the recovery of the stricken #26 Sainteloc Audi, but it would be double drama for Audi as the then best place Audi stopped at the top of Raidillon, Kelvin van der Linde out of the race with the #31 WRT Audi steaming.
It was the end of a torrid period for Audi who also lost the sister #32 WRT R8 LMS of newly crowned Sprint Cup Champion Charles Weerts after the car was hit hard from behind by Nik Catsburg’s Walkenhorst BMW as the pair duelling in traffic coming into Bruxelles corner, the impact breaking the Audi’s rear suspension, the car stranded. The BMW too was in trouble and has been in the garage ever since.
Aside from that, and the confirmed retirement of the #74 RAM Racing AMG after contact with the barrier for Remon Vos at La Source, the major story was a battling gaggle of cars at the head of the field, with several stumbles of the drive through penalty fashion for the major players. The #4 HRT AMG, #22 Frikadelli Porsche, #31 Audi and #47 KCMG Porsche (as Michael Christensen was shaping up to contest the lead) all penalised for track limits whilst in top ten slots.
There was still plenty of duelling within the top ten with the Team Honda Racing NSX GT3 Evo and the #51 AF Corse Ferrari having trouble-free runs into the top five, both looking ominously strong.
The lead of the race was held by three different cars in the period, Andrea Caldarelli the dominant force at the 3-hour mark, the #3 Bentley leading a lap in the hands of Jules Gounon before the scrap got underway for the lead between the Lamborghini, still in the hands of Caldarelli was left to fend off the renewed charge of the early leader, the #88 AKKA ASP, now in the hands of Felipe Fraga, the pass was finally made in traffic just before the rapid fire Audi retirements with the AMG leading at the top of the hour.
There was a new leader in the Pro-Am category through the second three hours after an issue for the #77 Barwell Lamborghini dropped them back. To the fore came the #188 Garage 59 Aston Martin, into the top 20 and with a healthy gap to the second in class #23 Ferrari.
In Silver Cup, the #78 Barwell Lamborghini still held sway with the #5 HRT AMG in second place.
The Raton Racing Lamborghini was still leading the Am class, their chase made a little easier after drama of the barrier kissing kind from the second in class #91 Herberth Porsche.
