Hour four began with an almost-immediate caution, as serial LMP2 spinner Lance Willsey lost control again in the sole #33 Ligier approaching Turn 6 and almost took out Colton Herta’s then second-placed #10 WTRA Acura.
Under the yellow, Dixon stayed out while Aitken pitted – giving himself a 30% energy advantage. They held a Caddy 1-2, with Yelloly best of the race after a forceful pass on Hartley’s #10 Acura at the Bus Stop.
Through the fifth hour, the Caddy pairing was pursued by the BMW duo, with Acura and Porsche seemingly happy to sit back with a watching brief, as teams opted to double-stint tyres to ensure fresh rubber is available for the later hours of the race tomorrow.
Two further yellows in that period, the first caused by the #33 Ligier again that ground to a halt, and a second when the #023 Triarsi Ferrari GTD car shed its rear bodywork and the #40 WTRA Acura of Jordan Taylor, which has been affected by a power steering issue, suffered a spin.
When the race finally got going again, Porsche’s Campbell took the race by the scruff of the neck, surging to lead – passing Maxime Martin’s BMW and Tom Blomqvist’s AXR Cadillac on successive laps.
Campbell bolted clear in perhaps the strongest challenge yet to Cadillac’s form around the 3.56-mile road course.
The Ganassi Cadillac’s strategy fell foul of the first yellow of Hour 5, the car requiring a longer stop than its rivals having lost its time advantage on track, so IndyCar champion Alex Palou’s P1 turned to P6 – leading to a steady climb back up the order.
Campbell led by 12s over Derani at the six-hour mark, ahead of van der Zande, who jumped in after Palou. The BMWs and Acuras are giving chase behind.
Source: Autosport