The 8 Hours of Nürburgring, the third round in the Le Mans Virtual Series, saw Team Redline and drivers Felix Rosenqvist, Bono Huis and Collin Spork top the podium once again and continue its surge up the championship rankings after technical issues saw the race brought to a premature conclusion. Floyd ByKolles-Burst and Team Fordzilla came second and third respectively.
Alex Smolyar, Timotej Andonovski and Martin Hemmingsen from TESLA R8G Esports took first place in the LMGTE category after an extremely close battle with Red Bull Racing Esports over the 25km/16-mile-long track.
The drama of the race was amped up even further with red flag periods and blistering restarts on the infamously challenging circuit.
Amid red flags spicing up the action, it was a gripping contest throughout on the notoriously gruelling layout, and the event featured:
- A back and forth battle between Team Redline and Floyd ByKolles-Burst with the drama cranked up as the two teams exchanged blows on the red flag restarts, culminating in a Team Redline P1 finish.
- As always, an incredibly close contest in LMGTE before GTE championship leaders Porsche Esports Team struck the barriers at the half distance, paving the way for a pulse-racing battle between TESLA R8G Esports and Red Bull Racing Esports. The third-placed Proton Competition also narrowly avoided disaster after the MAHLE RACING TEAM vehicle spun out.
- Jeffrey Rietveld for Realteam Hydrogen Redline secured the fastest lap with a blistering time of 7:05.361
We’re sharing the highlights of the race for news interest–you can see the full post-race report below. You can also watch the official highlights video here.
Le Mans Virtual Series, 8 Hours of Nürburgring – Post Race Report
- 8 Hours of Nürburgring, the third of five rounds of the Le Mans Virtual Series, kicked off Saturday 13th November with over 100 drivers across the LMP2 and GTE classes taking to the start line. Star drivers such as ex-F1 driver Felix Rosenqvist, Williams F1 reserve driver Jack Aitken and FIA F2 star Liam Lawson all competed in one of the most hotly anticipated sim racing events of the year.
- Conditions were dry at Nordschleife, meaning drivers were able to push the pace on the soft tyre compounds and created lots of early drama with corners aplenty to take advantage of. The Norschleife saw plenty of action as the gruelling circuit’s 150-plus corners, blind crests and little run off took its toll. Packed traffic made for some hair-raising encounters, one of the most significant of which occurred with an hour completed, as Race Clutch Alpine’s Tom Lartilleux made contact with Team Project 1’s Pero Stoyanov Peev and careened into the barriers.
- In the LMP2 Classification, the championship-leading #4 Floyd- ByKolles-Burst started on pole position with Jesper Pedersen at the helm, and though the #22 GPX Rebellion Williams quickly snatched a lead at the start, Pedersen regained his position at the beginning of the second lap with some dominant driving. After thirty minutes and every car having pitted, Pedersen remained ahead but a surging Bono Huis behind the wheel of Team Redline’s #123, who started fifth on the grid, eventually took first in an incredible duel with Pedersen. As more cars pitted again, Team Redline maintained its strong lead, and finished ahead over five seconds ahead of Floyd ByKolles-Burst in the 17th lap, and Team Fordzilla in third before the race was abandoned.
- In the LMGTE Classification, an incredible qualifying lap by Porsche Esports Team’s Joshua Rogers saw him take pole position for the opening battles. The race was hair-raising from the start, with the pair of Porsche Esports Team cars managing to secure a one-two position early on at the start, while traffic further down in the pack fell foul of the notorious corners on turn one. The race continued its chaotic pace despite the red flags, where the leading Proton Competition Porsche narrowly avoided disaster after Muhammed Patel in the #10 MAHLE RACING TEAM LMP spun out. Near the half distance mark, championship-leading #91 Porsche Esports Team driven by Mack Bakkum hit the barriers and paved the way for TESLA R8G ESPORTS and Red Bull Racing Esports to capitalise and leapfrog into first and second place ahead of third-placed Proton Competition Porsche before the final red flag.
- Jeffrey Rietveld for Realteam Hydrogen Redline recorded the fastest lap time in the LMP2 Classification, with a blistering 7:05.361 on the 12th lap, nearly two seconds better than the next best. Over in the LMGTE Classification, Dayne Warren for Proton Competition secured the fastest lap, recording an impressive 7:57.583 in the fourth lap.
- This weekend’s race saw server issues cut the race short at just over half distance to prevent potential disruption to competitors and viewers. A full investigation into the cause of the server problems has already been launched to prevent it from reoccurring, while half points were awarded to all teams.
- After the race Gerard Neveu,Motorsport Advisor to Motorsport Games commented, “Seeing the Le Mans Virtual Series cars take the start on the Nürburgring Nordschleife was a great reward for our competitors’ and partners’ trust and enthusiasm for endurance esports. It was therefore even more disappointing when technical server issues caused the 8-hour race to be cut short. We sincerely apologise to everyone involved that they didn’t have the race we expected, and want to reassure everyone that we are fully investigating why this happened in order to make sure it doesn’t reoccur.”
Just one more race remains in 2021, before the finale to the Le Mans Virtual Series season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual race on January 15/16, 2022 which will be held live at the Autosport International Show at the NEC in Birmingham, UK.
- Round 4 500 Miles of Sebring, USA December 18, 2021
- Round 5 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual January 15/16, 2022
For further media information contact Fiona Miller, Miller Media & Communications, on +44 7770 371332 or miller.media10@btinternet.com
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