Impact SimSport May Recap

The team had their hands full during May, preparing for the numerous events that were scheduled to take place throughout the month.  From battling for a podium spot in the final round of the Majors Endurance Series (MEC), continuing the fight in the second round of the European Sports Car Championship (ESCC), competing in Yes2Motorsports 100 minutes of off-road endurance, to hitting the circuit IRL in Round 2 of the 750 Motor Club Formula Vee Championship. 

 

Majors Endurance Championship - Round 5 - Spa Francorchamps

With four rounds in the books, the Impact team arrived at the Belgian circuit with the objective to hoist themselves as high as possible for the final race of the season, and with the #349 of the Impact Blue within touchin distance of the a top-3 finish in their division, it was all to play for in the final round.

Results Summary

• Impact Simsport Blue #349 GT3 - P1, Split 2
• Impact Simsport White GTP - DNF P20, Split 1

Race Highlight - Impact Simport Blue #349 GT3 - P1, P5 in Championship

The #349 GT3, driven by Dexter Castro and Liam Kilton, arrived at the final round of the Majors Endurance Championship to try and push themselves into the podium places for the division championship.  Arriving at the track in 7th overall, the team needed a mega race week to jump 4 places in the standings to achieve the last spot on the podium.  After a challenging pre-qualifying session that left the team at the cut-off between the top split, the #349 would eventually be bumped down into the 2nd split, potentially jeopardizing their efforts to reach the top 3.  With the qualifying in the books, all that was left for the team to do was fight to the front of the field to keep the hopes alive for a podium finish, maximizing their championship points from the second split.  

 

With an 8-hour race ahead of the team, and a concern regarding driver availability leading up to the race, Dexter Castro put the team on his back and pushed through an Ironman stint totaling 6 Hours and 52 Minutes.  During his stint, he was able to bring the #349 Porsche to the front of the GT3 field, pushing through inclement weather, faster classes, and fatigue for hours on end.  After his massive performance, Liam Kilton would eventually relieve Dexter from the driver's seat with just over an hour left in the race.  Shortly after rejoining the race, the circuit was neutralized under a Safety Car, and with each time performing their final pitstop under the Safety Car, all strategy advantages that were accumulated during the previous 7 hours were wiped out from play.  With just over 45 minutes remaining at the waving of the green flag, the results of the previous 7 hours would essentially be settled in a sprint race to the finish.   As the GT3 field entered the bus stop chicane for the final restart of the race, Liam was able to build a small gap to the cars behind as they crossed the start/finish line.  As the first racing lap progressed, Liam was able to grow the lead to just over a second, which was enough to break the slipstream of the group of cars behind.  As the cars behind continued to battle for the remaining podium places, Liam was able to extend the lead of the #349 to over 6 seconds before taking the chequered flag after the 8th hour.  When the dust had settled and the series organizers had the time to tally the points for the remaining race, the #349 finished in P5 overall, a mere 2 points behind P3.  While the team was disappointed in missing the podium by a thin margin, they knew that they had put on a great fight throughout the season, and winning both races in which they were placed in the second split, the team would conclude the season with a little hardware to show off for their hard work.

 

European Sports Car Championship - Round #2, Nürburgring GP 

After claiming the first win of the season in the LMP2 PRO class, Impact Simsport arrived at the classic German circut looking to repeat their performance in the second round of the European Sports Car Championship (ESCC), and with the LMP2 PRO/AM and LMGT3 teams looking to make an improvement on their last race, all teams were ready for the fight ahead.  

Results Summary

• Impact SimSport #6 - LMP2 PRO - P7
• Impact SimSport #7 LMP2 PRO/AM - P1
• Impact SimSport #16 - LMGT3 - DSQ

Impact SimSport #7 - LMP2 PRO/AM - P1

After their first race troubles in Barcelona, Dorian Lelievre and Brandon Mosby were able to come back swinging in for the second round of the ESCC and bring themselves back into contention for the PRO/AM Championship battle.  With a tricky start that backed the team into a difficult beginning to their race, the French-American duo was able to put their heads down to log away the laps, overtaking the rest of their field throughout the race.  And with a combination of strong pace, clean racing, and a well-executed strategy - the team was able to bring their Dallarah P217 across the finish ahead of P2 with a 12-second gap between them, handing the #7 team their first win and brining them to 5th in the PRO/AM championship fight at the conclusion of the second round.  Well done, Dorian and Brandon!

 

Impact SimSport #6 - LMP2 PRO - P7

With a first-round win in the bag for the #6, the team looked to double their hardware for the season and finish on the top step once again, and with fastest laps being set in FP2, the team was confident in their ability to repeat their success.  Unfortunately, the team would begin the race with an early spin, which sent their team to the back of the pack, leaving them with an uphill battle to overcome over the next 4 hours.  After fighting back and bringing the #6 back into the podium positions, the team would suffer from penalties due to incidents on the race track, and would eventually be dropped down to P7 after race penalties had been applied after the session had concluded - putting the team at P2 in the overall championship.  The team is already looking forward to the next round to show what they’re capable of and continue their fight for the championship.

 

Impact SimSport #16 - LMGT3 - DSQ

After a tough race in the first round, the team was ready to execute their game plan to rebound their way back into the championship fight.  With the #16 setting the fastest times in FP1 and FP2, the team was looking forward to race day to show their pace and hoist themselves back into the championship contention.  After a solid qualifying, the team was confident that they could advance up the field and find themselves onto a podium position.  Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding of some regulations, #16 would have an early black flag, which, while trying to speak to the stewards about the penalty, would become an early DSQ, leaving the team in heartbreak early on in the race.  While extremely disappointed, the team is already testing for the next round at Imola, trying to give themselves the best chance to get back in the championship fight.  With two rocky finished in the books, the #16 GT3 squad is still eager to fight for the championship and is confident that they can make some magic happen in the remaining rounds. 

 

Richie Chauhan takes P4 at Round 2 of the 750 Motor Club Formula VEE UK Championship

In his second race of the Formula VEE UK season, Impact Simsport Driver Richie Chauhan arrived to Castle Combs circuit to continue his fight in the 750 Motor Club championship - and armed with his white #12 VEE, Richie was ready to put down the laps at the Chippenham-based circuit. 

With a solid qualifying result for his inaugural race at Castle Combe, Richie was able to park his VEE in P12 out of 21, setting the foundation for the exciting weekend that it would become.  

At the conclusion of the qualifying session, Richie and the AHS motorsports crew would begin to make the final adjustments to the #12 before hitting the grid for the first race of the weekend. “The car felt more alive,” Richie said regarding the setup changes made pre-race.  This was evident in his performance in the first race as well.  The young Englishman was able to take the fight to the competition ahead of him, making brilliant overtakes and using his racecraft to bring his VEE into P7 as the chequered flag fell at the conclusion of the first race of the weekend.  His result, while incredibly impressive for an inaugural race weekend at Castle Comb, would also set up up incredibly well for the second and final race of the weekend, as he would start in P7 for the final time out. 

Before the lights had even went out, the second race was shaping up to be a challenge for all of the drivers that would be competing as racings greatest equalizer, a heavy rainfall, would soak the circuit, leaving the drivers with inclement conditions for their final time on track.  After completing their formation lap, the drivers knew the conditions that they would be dealing with for the duration of the race.  As the lights went out for the final racing session of the weekend, Richie #12 would experience a slight setback at the start, as first gear had dislodged itself, essentially stalling the VEE in place as the rest of the field began to pull away.  Richie was quick to get his machine moving however, minimizing the damage and beginning to make his recovery drive.  During his first few laps, Richie mentioned that “I [He] was nervous as it was my first race in the wet.  But as the race went on, I started to make up positions after feeling settled in with the car.”  During his second race, Richie would put on a wet-racing clinic on the rest of the field, making his way to P4 from P18 with another masterclass demonstration of his racecraft and ability to handle the light racecar in the difficult conditions.  Richie would come across the finish line just a mere 0.3 seconds behind P3, just barely missing out on his first podium.  With the experience and skill demonstrated during his weekend, we look forward to seeing Richie eventually take a spot on the podium to celebrate his hard work and dedication to the sport.  Congratulations, Richie, we look forward to watching you race in the 4th round of the Formula VEE UK championship at Trac Môn Anglesey Circuit!  

Impact Simsport Tems with Chanel199 to bring home Pro 2 Class Win at Yes2Motorsport Great Lakes 100

Impact SimpSport, in partnership with Chanel199 Simracing, were able to deliver a class victory at the Yes2Motorsports Great Lakes 100, in the Pro 2 class.  After qualifying 2nd in class and 7th overall.  The team, consisting of two-time Iracing off-road World Champion Connor Barry and Impact SimpSport driver Drake Mittag were able to keep their noses clean throughout the entire event, the duo putting down consistent laps and staying out of trouble.  This, in addition to their strong pace, awarded the team the Pro 2 class victory, and allowing them to finish P7 overall.  We would like to thank Channel199, Racecraft Group, and all of our racing partners who allow our team to gain experience in the many different disciplines of racing. You all help us become the team we wish to be, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate for more events in the future!

And most importantly, Congratulations to Drake and Connor for your stellar performance!

With the team having a great month of May, June will be chock-full of news with a busy month of special events! 

Written by - Liam Kilton