Written By Liam Kilton 

After weeks of preparation, hours of practice, hundreds of laps logged, and multiple team coordination meetings, the boys at Worx Sim Racing descended on Road Atlanta feeling well-prepared to get their elbows out and battle around the tight American circuit. With a strong showing of five teams, Worx Sim Racing made its presence known at this year’s Petit Le Mans special event, the last IMSA special event of the year. While the team faced a few moments of misfortune—something any team could expect from a circuit this narrow and from an event of this magnitude—every team that competed in Petit Le Mans finished in the top 10. Two finished in the top 5, one claimed a podium at P3, and one team found their way to the top step for a spectacular P1 finish, bringing home another #WORXWIN for the team, their first iRacing special event win since the Sebring 12-Hour earlier this year!

 

Results Summary:

#16 GT3 - P1

#61 LMP2 - P3

#48 LMP2 - P4

#16 Nitro Circus X Worx Sim Racing LMP2 - P5

#49 GTP - P8

 

WorxSimRacing.Com #33 - GT3 Class - P1
BMW M4 GT3 - Kevin van den Oetelaar - Marius Marz - Liam Kilton

After a well-coordinated preparation for the #33 car, the task ahead was placed in the capable hands of Worx Sim Racing’s only GT3 team competing in this year’s Petit Le Mans. Competing in a SOF of 2800, Kevin, Marius, and Liam were in the thick of a very competitive field. Despite the stiff competition, the #33 team arrived with a car that was dialed in for the race, along with a strategy that would give them a competitive advantage if executed to perfection.

After a tricky qualifying session that saw mostly dry track conditions, Marius Marz was able to put the BMW on the second row in P4 of P20 in the GT3 class—a fantastic result that would help the #33 stay out of early race trouble. As the green flag fell over the sun-soaked Georgia track, Marius kept the car out of trouble during the first stint, climbing the field as the laps ticked by. In addition to maintaining a competitive pace, Marius executed the team’s fuel-saving strategy as planned, extending the BMW’s fuel tank by an extra few laps before bringing the car in for its second planned pit stop and the first driver change, which saw Kevin van den Oetelaar take the wheel. As the team continued to save fuel to minimize the amount needed to finish the race, Kevin and Marius also pushed the car to the front of the field, overtaking the leaders and claiming P1 relatively early in the race. As the two Dutch drivers continued to alternate after double stints, they clicked away laps from a comfortable and competitive position while managing the faster LMP2 and GTP classes and avoiding contact.

Unfortunately, the #33 experienced a stroke of bad luck when encountering a GT3 car that was a lap down. The lapped traffic made contact with the #33, causing aero damage as well as wheel damage that forced the team to relinquish first place and slowly repair the car during a scheduled pit stop. Despite this setback, Kevin and Marius managed to get the car back into P2 after completing four stints. By the time Kevin brought the car into the pits after his final stint, the #33 was 54 seconds behind the leader with just under three hours to go in the race.

For the remaining stints, Liam Kilton relieved the two drivers and finished with a set of double stints, plus a shorter third stint, allowing him to cross the finish line without needing a splash-and-go stop, thanks to the hard work and fuel-saving efforts of Marius and Kevin. Upon exiting the pits, Liam was 54 seconds behind the class leaders, who had pitted a few laps before the #33. With enough fuel saved to push hard, the #33 slowly began to cut down the gap to the leaders. During his first stint, Liam was able to push the BMW to a comfortable limit, keeping the car in control and logging laps that were 1-1.5 seconds faster than the class leaders. With minimal sketchy encounters with faster traffic, the #33 was able to push for a full 44 laps, and by the time Liam came in for his first pit stop, the team was only eight seconds behind the leaders. After a full service and a clean exit, the #33 pushed again during the out lap in an attempt to catch the leaders.

Two laps after the #33 pitted, the class leaders also completed a full-service stop and driver change. Upon re-entering the track, the WorxSimRacing.com #33 was right on the rear bumper of the leading Corvette, applying pressure as soon as they rejoined. Liam planned to wait for a clear opportunity to pass the leaders, hesitant to make an early move for fear of contact that could set the team out of reach for a win. However, after tailing the leaders for two laps, #33 had a much better exit out of Turn 7 and was able to go side by side down the back straight. As the two GT3s barreled down to Turn 10a, #33 was half a car length ahead of the class leaders. With a late braking maneuver to block the inside line, Liam managed to maneuver the #33 ahead of the leaders and regain P1 with just over an hour and a half left in the race. After passing the leaders, Liam continued to push the #33 to extend the lead, putting the team in a more comfortable position where they didn’t have to push all the way to the finish. When Liam came in for his second and final pit stop, the gap to the team behind had been extended to 15 seconds.

Upon exiting the pits, Liam was 30 seconds ahead of the team behind, who had offset their pit-stop strategy and were able to run at a more relaxed pace, knowing he had enough fuel on board to make it to the end of the race. When the team behind came into the pits, they put in their fastest driver, who was close to 4K iRating, in an attempt to catch the #33. Upon rejoining, they were only 12 seconds behind. Liam knew he had to increase his pace to fend off the team behind, as their driver was closing the gap by almost half a second each lap. With a mixture of push and fuel-saving laps, along with staying out of the way of faster classes, Liam maintained the lead, keeping it around seven seconds ahead of the car behind. With just under 20 minutes left in the race, the win was practically sealed for the #33, as the team behind would have to make another stop before the race finished, allowing Liam to run at a more relaxed pace, focusing on keeping the car out of trouble and bringing it over the line.

As the checkered flag fell in Georgia, the WorxSimRacing.Com #33 crossed the line 36 seconds ahead of P2 and laps ahead of the rest of the field—an achievement that was the result of all the preparation and practice the team had done for this event. As the BMW circled the track one more time for the cooldown lap, the team congratulated each other for their exceptional performance, and at the end of the day, Kevin, Marius, and Liam secured their first P1 finish in an iRacing special event. While the team felt a great sense of satisfaction from their performance, they look forward to the next special event to flex their muscles yet again.

 

Nitro Circus x WorxSimRacing.Com #16 - LMP2 Class - P5
Dallara P217 - Corbin Lenaway - Sam Miller - Mikey Billon - Matt Bisceglia

In the inaugural partnership with Nitro Circus, the #16 Nitro Circus-Worx Sim Racing team combined forces to tackle the last IMSA special event of the year. For this first chapter of a newfound partnership, the team arrived feeling well-equipped with the tools needed for a dominant performance.

With a difficult qualifying session that saw a mostly wet track, the team struggled to get their prototype up to temperature, making the task of setting a competitive lap increasingly difficult. Qualifying in P8 put the #16 in the middle of the pack and amidst the chaos, which the team would soon encounter after the green flag fell over the Southern circuit. After the first lap, Mikey Billon was able to claim a handful of positions, giving the #16 an early advantage and distancing the team from any trouble unfolding in the midfield. Unfortunately, a few laps into his opening stint, Mikey had to evade a spun LMP2, which sent him off the track and cost him multiple positions, dropping the team down to P12. Mikey continued to log laps and remained consistent for the remainder of his triple-stint itinerary, keeping the #16 out of trouble and recuperating what he could after being sent off the track. With a mix of a competitive pace and a solid fuel-saving strategy, Mikey not only set the fastest laps in his class but also banked the team an additional two laps of fuel, providing a growing advantage over their competitors. By the time Mikey brought the #16 in for a full service and a driver swap, he had clawed the team back up to P6, showcasing what the joint venture had in store for the remainder of the race. After handing the car over to Sam Miller, the #16 continued to log more trouble-free laps. Throughout Sam’s three stints behind the wheel, he maintained the fuel-saving strategy, bringing the team to a total of ten laps saved over the competition. With Sam’s additional savings, the team was making great progress in their mission to eliminate a final stop at the end of the race, which could yield them a position or two if timed properly. “This was our strategy for the whole race,” said team captain Corbin Lenaway after the race. “We knew it would be crucial to cut out a pit stop and shorten the final stint as much as possible.” After completing three stints, Sam Miller brought the car back into the pits in one piece, as well as one position ahead of where he started, handing the #16 to Corbin Lenaway in P5.

Once in the car, Corbin knew the mission was clear for his time behind the wheel: “Save fuel, go fast, and catch the other teams by surprise with the amount of fuel we had saved throughout the race,” he said after the race. Upon rejoining the track to begin his double stints, Corbin recognized his opportunity to continue the fuel-saving efforts as the track conditions were mixed and traffic was congesting faster-paced laps. Traffic eventually worked to the #16’s benefit, allowing Corbin to save an additional three laps of fuel while setting the fastest laps on the track for the LMP2 class. During his stint, Corbin found his way into the podium positions, getting the #16 up to P3 before bringing the car in for his first and only full-service stop. Continuing with his second stint, Corbin maintained a competitive pace and pushed the #16 toward the front of the pack. Unfortunately, the team faced an unlucky blow that hindered their podium finish, as Corbin experienced technical issues that left him disconnected from the race, requiring the #16 to be towed and putting the team two laps behind the leaders by the time they got back on track. After finishing his final stint, Corbin handed the car over to Matt Bisceglia, who rejoined the race in ninth place. Once Matt was in the car, he was able to maintain the pace that Corbin had set, allowing the team to make up some ground from the devastating setback. After driving two clean stints, Matt brought the team closer to the top 5, all while continuing the fuel-saving strategy. Throughout the rest of the race, Matt and Corbin continued to hand the #16 to each other, and with just 30 laps to go, the team chased P5, setting purple laps each time around the track. The team caught a break as the window to get into the top 5 was almost closed, when a team ahead of them found themselves in trouble and eventually faced a DNF, allowing the #16 to slot into P5, where they would finish as the checkered flag was waved.

The team left knowing they had the potential to podium, and potentially even win the race, feeling that the result didn’t fully reflect what they were capable of. Despite the hardships, the team was content with a top 5 finish and remains determined to climb to the top step to solidify the success of the partnership between the two great programs.

WorxSimRacing.Com #48 - LMP2 Class - P4
Dallara P217 - Dino Vela - Brandon Mosby

With a solid foundation built in preparation for the 2024 Petit Le Mans, the WorxSimRacing.com #48 LMP2, piloted by Dino Vela and Brandon Mosby, felt well-vetted and ready to rumble for the final IMSA special event of the year.

After qualifying P2, the team utilized a strong fuel-saving strategy to decrease the fuel needed to finish the race, limiting the possibility of a final splash-and-go, which could cost the team valuable positions toward the end of the race and leave them little time to recover. After gaining an extra four laps of fuel on the team ahead, they were well on their way to achieving the planned 35 laps in savings, which would eliminate a final stop from their schedule and give them a massive time advantage over their competitors. Due to some unfortunate interactions with slower GT3 classes, the team crossed the finish line in P4—a great result, but one that left them wanting more, as they knew the strategy was in place that could have yielded a potential win in their class. The duo looks forward to their next opportunity to compete together, hoping to climb onto the top step of the podium and bring home a win.

WorxSimRacing.Com #49 - GTP Class - P8
Cadillac V-Series.R GTP - Eric Biggs - Antti Tominen

As the lone GTP team representing Worx Sim Racing at Petit Le Mans, Eric Biggs, and Antti Tominen were in a league of their own when it came to race preparation—something both drivers had put a great amount of effort into. Both drivers arrived feeling ready and hopeful that they could make some magic happen around the 2.54-mile circuit, a track that a GTP could circle in just over a minute.

After qualifying P6, the team encountered a stroke of bad luck right as the green flag was shown. During the opening lap, the #49 found itself in a three-wide situation; after having the door shut on them, the Cadillac was sent into a spin along with the two other cars involved. The team collected over 13 minutes of repairs, putting them over 13 laps behind the leaders—all before crossing the start-finish line during the opening lap.

During their fourth stint, a GT3 lost control and spun in front of the #49 as they were exiting Turn 5, an incident that collected Antti and sent the #49 into the wall, bringing out the meatball flag and requiring the team to stop for another 12 minutes of repairs before rejoining the track. After repairing all of the damage, the #49 rejoined the race 25 laps down on the leaders. Despite all the carnage, the team managed to find their rhythm and keep their noses clean for the remainder of the race, eventually bringing the Cadillac across the finish line in P8.

While it wasn’t the result they had hoped for, the team continues to look forward to their next opportunity to compete in GTP, with hopes of better luck and an improved result.

WorxSimRacing.Com #61 - LMP2 Class - P3
Dallara P217 - Dexter Castro - Dorian Lelievre