That is what you call a proper recovery drive. According to Motorsport.com Italia reports, Mattia Drudi turned what looked like a complete disaster with 58 minutes left on the clock into a stunning second-place finish at the 6h del Fuji.
Sharing the #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 machine with Ian James and Zacharie Robichon, Drudi crossed the finish line 1"062 behind the #32 BMW-WRT. It was a wild reversal of fortune after a fraught battle with the #58 Garage 59 McLaren 720s GT3 EVO driven by Finn Gehrsitz.
With 58 minutes remaining, Gehrsitz attempted to grab 11th position down the inside of the main straight, running side-by-side with the Aston Martin towards turn 1. The resulting contact sent the McLaren hurtling into the barriers while Drudi managed to press on with a left-rear puncture. Stewards later reviewed the incident and deemed it a racing accident.
The Safety Car was deployed immediately, closing the pit lane. Drudi limped back to the pits on a stripped tyre carcass for an emergency pit stop permitted under regulations to take on a fresh tyre and a small amount of energy. Rejoining the track after a 1'03"258 stop, the Vantage stayed on the leader's lap and avoided losing positions because José Maria Lopez was 12th and the first of the lapped runners.
Once the pit lane reopened, the team brought the #27 car back in for new Goodyear tyres. A 56"495 stop released Drudi back into the order in 8th place while other rivals still had to complete their stops.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, Drudi unleashed the machine. Weaving through traffic and staying clear of Hypercar chaos, he carved his way up to second place.
The strong results at Austin and Fuji elevate Drudi, Robichon, and James to second in the LMGT3 standings with 62 points. They trail the #33 Corvette-TF Sport, whose drivers Edgar, Catsburg, and Keating sit on 86, 82, and 64 points respectively.
