#40: Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti, Acura ARX-06, GTP: Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Colton Herta – LAT Images, Jake Galstad
In the 12 Hours of Sebring, Colton Herta, the driver of the #40 Acura ARX-06, is currently in the lead with two hours remaining. The top competitors in the IMSA GTP category have adopted different pit strategies.
During the final four hours of the race, a full course yellow was initiated when the #55 Proton Ford Mustang GT3 lost a part of its undertray at Turn 1.
The position of the chasing pack leader changed approximately three and a half hours before the end of the race. Ricky Taylor in the #10 Acura ARX-06 overtook Mathieu Jaminet in the #6 Porsche 963.
Taylor quickly caught up to Martin in the #25 car, but there were concerns about smoke coming from the rear corner of the #10 Acura. However, the car continued to perform well.
Meanwhile, Colin Braun established a significant lead of almost 40 seconds in the LMP2 category. The battle for first and second place in GTD continued between Madison Snow in the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 and Alexander Sims in the #3 Corvette C8.R.
As the ninth hour progressed, Taylor seized the lead from Martin at Turn 10 amidst heavy traffic.
Despite the ongoing smoke issue, Taylor pitted to hand over the driving duties to Brendon Hartley. The #10 Acura successfully retained its lead after completing the pit stop cycle.
With nearly nine hours completed, another full course yellow was triggered when Katherine Legge in the #66 Acura NSX GT3 was pushed into the final corner wall by Fred Makowiecki in the #6 Porsche 963 GTP.
Legge managed to exit the Acura GT3 under her own power, but her race was over.
At the start of the 10th hour, Harltey led in the GTP and overall category. Connor Zilisch led in LMP2 with the #18 Era Motorsport Oreca, Sims led in GTD Pro with the #3 Corvette, and Anders Fjordbach led in GTD with the #86 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Shortly after, the prototype entries pitted. Except for the #6 and #5 Porsches, as well as the #63 Lamborghini, all the GTP cars chose to pit. The #10 Acura had its rear deck and engine cover removed to investigate the source of the smoke, which was determined to be excessive oil consumption.
Due to the pit stop for repairs, the Acura lost a lap and dropped to eighth place.
All the LMP2 cars also pitted simultaneously, and Ryan Dalziel took over the driving duties of the leading #18 car from Zilisch.
With the sun setting, the prototypes cleared pit road, and the caution continued. Most of the GTD Pro/GTD competitors then made their pit stops.
Makowiecki led the field back to green with two hours and 45 minutes remaining, having avoided punishment for his involvement in Legge’s retirement.
However, fate turned against Makowiecki as the #6 car spun off at Turn 7 with bodywork damage and a punctured rear left tire. Speculation suggested that the car was plagued by problems following its earlier contact with the #66 car.
As the #6 slowly made its way back to the pits, Matt Campbell in the #7 Porsche took the lead.
Campbell faced competition from Van der Zande in the #01 Cadillac, as well as Nick Yelloly and Augusto Farfus in the two BMWs. The top four cars navigated through traffic in close proximity.
Campbell and Van der Zande opted for early stops just before the 10-hour mark. Sebastien Bourdais took over driving duties from Van der Zande, allowing Colton Herta in the #40 Acura to take the lead by overtaking Yelloly in the #25 BMW.
Herta currently holds a lead of approximately six and a half seconds over Yelloly with two hours remaining. Farfus in the second BMW completes the top three overall.
In the LMP2 category, Nico Pino leads in the #2 United Autosports Oreca, followed by Hunter McElrea in the #11 TDS Racing entry and Toby Sowery in the #04 Crowdstrike car.
Ben Barnicoat leads in GTD Pro with the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, ahead of Franck Perera in the #19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 and Davide Rigon in the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3.
In GTD, Indy Dontje leads in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG-GT3, followed by Antonio Fuoco in the Cetilar Racing #47 Ferrari 296 GT3 and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli in the Conquest Racing #34 Ferrari.