The 3 Hours of Goiânia, sixth round of the 2019 Império Endurance Brasil season, had another demonstration of what the JLM Racing AJR can deliver, and although the main team let the victory go in the most dramatic way possible, NC Racing still delivered it with the No. 65 car of José Roberto Ribeiro and Nilson Ribeiro, proving that they are the force to beat now as they have three overall wins in 2019 with two being in a row.
The race was held on sunny day, but the dry track was the only good point in the ambient, as high temperatures and the usual low humidity made it another thing to deal with, as proper cooling and tire management was crucial. Also, a change in the qualifying system put all drivers in the spotlight, as the average time of two drivers per car would set from where they would start.
It was another JLM Racing AJR front row lockout that opened the race, but the No. 20 Ginetta tried to disturb this right away, going as high as third but losing a position to the No. 65 NC Racing AJR, all while the No. 43 JLM AJR was commanding the race and the No. 113 JLM AJR was holding position in second. The pace of the No. 65 was good from the go and getting the second place was simply a question of time, swiftly done on Lap 4.
One lap later, the No. 43 has the biggest of misfortunes as a brake disc failure compromised the area, destroying the left front tire and part of the body. The car went immediately to repairs, and although the car came back to track, the repair work took too much time and basically it became a race to at least get to the finish line.
Due to a spin from the No. 45 Stillux Ginetta GT4, the first Safety Car entry was called, conveniently during the first pit window, so most of the teams took advantage of this to go for service. The situation was even more convenient to the No. 65 NC Racing AJR, which took the lead of the race by leaving the No. 113 JLM AJR as both cars took the pit entry as late as they could, but with all stops done the No. 175 JLM AJR took the top spot.
The renewed No. 4 Sigma P1, now with a drag reduction system in the rear wing, was enjoying a dominating lead in the P2 class and being placed in seventh as its highest overall position, but an unscheduled stop handed the class lead to the No. 35 G-Stage Predador, placed in ninth overall before the final pit window.
The end of the final pit window was followed of another Safety Car entry, and this somehow gave a new life to the No. 65 NC Racing AJR, jumping from fifth to third and then to second by overtaking the No. 9 Scuderia 111 Mercedes, leader of the GT3 class with a good advantage. Before the start of the final, the No. 65 still had pace to quick leave the No. 175 JLM AJR behind, then going to the lead and also opening a decent gap as bonus.
Despite a Safety Car entry in the final hour, the No. 65 had a well managed gap even after the pit window, so the No. 175 had to count with a pace increase from Luiz Floss against star driver José Roberto Ribeiro, a thing that the JLM Racing driver was succeeding before Ribeiro decided to counter.
The final minutes were troubled for a number of cars, including the No. 3 Scuderia 111 Mercedes GT4, stopping on track and relinquishing the class lead, and the No. 4 Sigma with a left rear puncture, as well the No. 63 MC Tubarão Aston Martin and the No. 72 Motorcar MRX, but the biggest turnaround was an off track trip for the No. 175 JLM AJR, which knocked it out of the battle and left no threats for another triumph of the No. 65. The No. 5 MC Tubarão AJR was gifted with the second place while the No. 9 Scuderia 111 Mercedes completed the overall podium and got a well deserved GT3 class win.
The winners in the GT3 Light and GT4 classes, the No. 155 New Holland/Agrocete Ferrari and the No. 555 Stillux Ginetta GT4, still finished in the top-10 overall, the winners in the P3 and P3 classes, the stopped No. 72 Motorcar MRX and the No. 35 G-Stage Predador, finished just outside the best 10.
The No. 34 Motorcar MRX won the P4 class and the No. 14 IMPA Mercedes Cup won the GT4 Light class with a clean run on their side.
The title race became a literal family battle, as the Ribeiro duo has 535 points against 515 from the Negrão duo, with Ricardo Mauricio and Henry Visconde in third with 460 points being the immediate outsiders, while David Muffato and Pedro Queirolo sit in fourth with 440.
Nearly a month of wait is needed until the next race, as Santa Cruz do Sul will be host of another 3 hour race on November 2nd, being the first stop of the season ending trip in the southern region, with the 6 Hours of Curitiba replacing Interlagos as the finale on December 21st, a week after the 2019 12 Hours of Tarumã.
PHOTO - Endurance Brasil/MS2/Bruno Terena
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