The 160-minute race got underway with Ross Gunn leading the GTD Pro field in the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3. He got away cleanly from Jack Hawksworth in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 and Antonio Garcia in the Corvette Racing C8.R.
Gunn remained firmly in control of the GTD Pro class as the first pit cycle began, but ended up behind both Hawksworth and Garcia. Many drivers took the opportunity to pit during the yellow-flag period, and Gunn regained control of the race. He then quickly pulled away, holding an advantage of over six seconds at one point.
Green-flag running resumed with 48 minutes to go, with Alex Riberas now behind the wheel of the No. 27 GTD Pro Aston. Back at the sharp end of the field, Riberas was being kept honest by Ben Barnicoat in the Vasser Sullivan Lexus, who remained within striking distance as the clock fell to under 30 minutes.
In the overall fight, a mistake from Barnicoat in Turn 1 finally gave Riberas some breathing room with five minutes to go.