Team Redline Wins Both Classes

Very last time out, Realteam Hydrogen Redline gained the 1st round in Monza from fifth on the grid, but for Spa, the staff wished to showcase its raw speed and experienced concentrated intensely on qualifying apply forward of the Spa event. 

It showed, with Jeffrey Rietveld snatching pole position, .069 forward of Marcell Csincsik in the GPX Revolt Williams entry. 

In GTE, Kevin Siggy experienced put the BMW Team Redline M8 at the front for the second race in succession, outpacing Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup 2021 winner Joshua Rogers by 1-and-a-50 %-tenths. Monza winners in the #ninety one Porsche lined up in fifth, with BMW and Porsche dominating the head of the grid.

As the clock strike two pm CEST, Rietveld led the field about La Supply with relative ease, while Formula Professional Sequence champion Bono Huis moved up to second. Just a few metres later on, and thoughts of a peaceful race had been dispelled, as contact concerning the #18 R8G Esports car or truck pushed by Risto Kappet and the #31 Team WRT SIMTAG Esports entry pushed by Arne Schoonvliet sent equally cars spinning forward of the pack through Raidillon. 

A lap later on and Naquib Azlan and Michele D’Alessandro arrived to blows at Les Combes, with Ibraheem Khan also associated making an attempt to steer clear of two spinning vehicles. 

The GTE race start out was also thrilling, as Charlie Colins went aspect-by-aspect with pole-sitter Kevin Siggy around Bruxelles, pulling off the outdoors move to take the course direct. The two Porsche Esports Team cars also steadily moved previous the Siggy to make it a Zuffenhausen one-two-a few.

Soon, targeted traffic arrived into play and the resultant imbroglio resulted in various heart-in-the-mouth moments for autos in equally fields. 

Dennis Zeťák span into the limitations immediately after making an attempt to steer clear of a GTE-course entrant and Michele D’Alessandro speared into the side of the TESLA R8G Esports GTE BMW after coming throughout a pack of slower cars. This resulted in a drivethrough penalty for the #10 MAHLE RACING Team entry. Later, the was a large crash concerning the #56 Porsche and #forty nine Yas Heat prototype car or truck. 

For the duration of this section, the top #70 car or truck dropped from 1st to third and was then overtaken by latest GT Problem Sequence chief Erhan Jajovski. While sitting down in fourth, Jeffrey Rietveld tried to lap the GTE SIMMSA Esports Ferrari and seemed to clip the kerb on the within of Blanchimont, spinning into the tyre barrier. The erstwhile championship leaders were out of contention after the left rear wheel departed the prototype.

All by the opening section of the race, R8G Esports’ Erhan Jajovski had been chasing down the leaders and was left out for close to the maximum allowed time for a driver for every car or truck, when those about him switched rivals. His pace was relentless and the staff pulled out a nutritious lead in the #eight machine. 

The aim was then on the combat for second between 2021 ELMS winner Yifei Ye for GPX Revolt Williams and IndyCar race winner Felix Rosenqvist for Team Redline. Many times, Rosenqvist tried to overtake, various times his initiatives arrived to nought. Eventually, immediately after a titanic scrap, the Swede dived down the within at La Supply with a thoroughly clean block pass. 

For the GTE course the Porsche-BMW lockout at the entrance was still in put, but the Ferrari Driver Academy 488 experienced labored its way up to fifth and in 35 seconds behind the top German car or truck.

Many incidents befell the mid-pack runners as the race progressed. Axle Sports LMP car or truck dropped its entrance suitable wheel and its GTE entry span rearwards into the wall at Raidillon just minutes later on – a calamitous period for the staff. 

The hapless Team WRT SIMTAG Esports staff, who suffered from a mechanical failure in the 1st round, ran broad at Les Combes and then was collected by Pink Bull Racing Esports GTE Corvette of Nestor Garcia, ensuing in a lacking rear wing for the LMP car or truck. 

At the head of the field, Gordon Mutch was being reeled in by Team Redline’s Atze Kerkhof, but the moment the hole experienced been reduced down to just over seven seconds, the R8G Esports race chief responded and looked to have quelled the attack.

In GTE, BMW Team Redline was enjoying an choice technique card, substantially like the 1st round. Its stints had been more time, its time in the pits differing to the top bunch. The polesitters might have dropped back again at the start out, but it was distinct now this was a deliberate approach – the only difficulty remaining that the hole to the direct was now nearly 1 moment. 

Disaster struck the GTE-top #88 Proton Level of competition Porsche 911 within the closing stretch. Possessing taken the direct on lap 1 and dominating 5 out of the six several hours, it was handed a drivethrough penalty when Dylan Pereira manufactured contact with a lapped GR Wolves Racing entry. It dropped them to third and handed the Porsche Esports entries relaxed 1st and second locations. 

Not only was Team Redline likely very long in GTE, but it experienced also pulled the exact same trick in the top course two, and with 35 minutes to go, it at last manufactured its final pit lane pay a visit to. Bono Huis was put in the car or truck and a set of new comfortable tyres. With just below thirty seconds left, the hole was just 12.seven seconds.

With 25 minutes left, Kevin Siggy had reached GTE class leader Mitchell deJong, but was driving in a fuel-saving type. The BMW then toyed the Porsche in its slipstream for various laps. 

Then with below ten minutes to go, the long-time race-chief Hany Alsabti in the #eight R8G Esports entry was required to visit the pit lane for a splash-and-sprint stop to reach the conclude. The aggressive strategy hadn’t worked and Team Redline strike the entrance. Just seconds later on, Kevin Siggy overtook deJong for the direct in GTE and Team Redline all of a sudden led equally lessons. The victory was there’s in emphatic style.

 

“It’s been these a very long planning, from building my sim here in Monaco earlier this 7 days and remaining a few seconds off. But we all set so lots of several hours into it and I’d like to thank the staff for an amazing technique,” stated race winner Felix Rosenqvist, who teamed up here with Atze Kerkhof and Bono Huis.

“That final stint was fascinating,” described GTE victor Siggy, who shared the get with Rudy van Buren and Enzo Bonito.

“We had been only arranging to do 26 laps [for every stint], but the rain never ever arrived so it was my career to do 27 laps. It all went easily, but it was so difficult. In the conclude, it still played out and we nailed the technique like we believed we would do. I completed with .four litres [of fuel] at the conclude.”

LMP Le Mans Virtual Sequence, Spherical two Spa, Final results

1. #123 Team Redline – 172 laps
2. #four Floyd ByKolles-Burst +13.045
3. #1 Revolt GPX Esports +13.473
4. #eight R8G ESPORTS +42.387
5. #22 GPX Rebellion Williams +fifty eight.838

GTE Le Mans Virtual Sequence, Spherical two Spa, Final results

1. #71 BMW Team Redline – 156 laps
2. #ninety one Porsche Esports Team +1.789
3. #92 Porsche Esports Team +forty six.a hundred thirty five
4. #88 Proton Level of competition +1 lap
5. #fifty five BMW Team GB +1 lap