Number 41 comes up victorious following a hard fought battle with the two Satellite entries. Hyperion Esports go 2-for-2 in LMP2, new entry SimFreem eSports top GTE PRO
A clear sky welcomed the 43 cars visiting the Virginia International Raceway for round 2 of EES Season 5. The return of the series in the USA has not been as eventful as the first round in Spa, but the 6 hours of racing still reserved some twists and turns.
ARMS get maiden win of the season and heat up title fight
Martino closely followed by Pastorino
The start of the season for ARMS was quite traumatic, with #41 forced to do a comeback race in Spa-Francorchamps. Despite all the difficulties, they managed to climb the standings and claim a P3. A result that, combined with the first win of the season at VIR, gives them the lead in the LMHC standings. Luca Martino started the race and managed to conquer the lead. But his escape attempt was quickly stopped by the Satellite duo. While Lorenzo De Ciutiis started to struggle and fell behind, Nello Pastorino managed to steal the lead from Martino.
The extended stint by Pastorino did not end well, though. A misunderstanding with the Azz Tech Racing Porsche sent both cars spinning, with the Satellite Toyota reporting heavy damage to the right rear suspension. Long repairs and an impeccable stint by Marco Vinciullo made the comeback attempt by James Dziuba useless. In the end, it was the ARMS Cyrba #41 taking the flag in first, ahead of Satellite #12. MUGEN Simracing claimed P3, but this crew cannot catch a break. After a DNF in the inaugural round, at VIR a disconnection in the formation lap put them at the back of the field.
ARMS Cyrba now top the class standings, leading a close pack at the front. «Very complicated race from a physical point of view», Martino told us. «This is a track where no errors are allowed, especially with about 40 cars racing. All in all we are happy and satisfied with the result, we couldn’t do better than this».
Hyperion Esports get back to back wins, FUTUR continue to dominate PRO-AM
Hyperion Esports keep the win streak alive
Hyperion Esports are starting to become unstoppable in LMP2 PRO. Following the P4 in qualifying, it seemed like their lead could be under threat, but the Polish team had other plans for the race. While Satellite Racing, HG Esports BlueBolt and Wave Freem eSports Junior all hit trouble, the strongest rival for Hyperion has been VeM. Forced to navigate at the back of the field in the first round, in Virginia Michele Molle and Daniele Vella definitely clicked into gear. They could not stop Hyperion from getting their second win of the season, but they claim a well deserved P2, ahead of the other Hyperion entry.
FUTUR #5 once again dominated in PRO-AM
But once again, the LMP2 overall standings saw a PRO-AM team finishing in P2, FUTUR #5. With another brilliant win in PRO-AM the team is now looking for a promotion to the upper class for the remainder of the season. In P2 came the returning Panica Gaming entry, which missed the first race, but showed up in the second. Origin Racing came in third, getting another podium finish and staying alive in the championship standings.
SimFreem eSports close the gap to Caspian Motorsport, Carloni Racing Black get deserved first win of the season
The GTE field in the opening stages of the race. SimFreem eSports were already leading the way
First race, first win. SimFreem eSports bring a new entry to the GTE PRO class and does it in style. Christopher Kianek and Fabio Liuzzi started from pole, set the fastest lap and finished in first to round up a perfect Saturday afternoon. With this kind of performance, they are launching the challenge to current GTE leaders in the standings, Caspian Motorsport, that finished in P2. HG Esports BlueBolt took the flag close behind in P3.
Carloni Racing Black won in GTE AM and are now tied in P1 with Tomelli ERT
A Corvette C8R finishing in third in PRO, and another one winning in AM. Carloni Racing Black get maiden win of the season. Despite a scary moment for Marco Lodi Rizzini, who suffered another software issue in the final hour, the crew can finally celebrate after getting so close in Spa, where they had to settle for P3. Dozoff Blue Steel Racing finished in second, getting the first ever EES podium in GTE for the team. Tomelli ERT ended up in third and are now sharing the lead of the championship with Carloni Racing Black.
Next up: Istanbul
Following a quick trip in the States, the championship will shift back to Europe for round 3, the 6 Hours of Istanbul. The Turkish track will make its return on e-Racing Series and we certainly hope to see some good racing action. Make sure to not miss any of it, by tuning in on the Pitlane TV YouTube channel on Saturday the 19th of November at 16.00 CET. This race will be the first since the clock change, so make sure to double check your timezone!
The 6 hours of Virginia International Raceway on Pitlane TV