Six hours in the ‘Temple of Speed’. Not much time separates us from knowing who will be crowned champion of the Coach Dave 1000. There are just two teams left in title contention: Simware.Pro and YAS HEAT. But with the high competitiveness of the field, it is impossible to think about the final race as a duel: outsiders could be a key factor at Monza.
Simware.Pro start the race as favourites for the final win
Vyacheslav Abuladze, Mikhail Bykov and Egor Ogorodnikov are currently leading the standings, having collected 158 points throughout the season. They won the inaugural round in Barcelona before ending P3 in Imola and P5 at the Nurburgring. In Silverstone, they took the chequered flag in first, but the appeal presented by YAS HEAT post-race was successful putting Simware.Pro back in P2, right behind their championship rivals
Despite this missed chance of building a bigger margin, Ogorodnikov stays positive on the chances for his team to come out victorious in the season finale. “In Nurburgring, they won because we started the race from the back, while the second time they won because they got 5 seconds back and made a virtual overtake. There is no secret for us to hold them off, it has been just a coincidence”.
Simware.Pro does not lack confidence coming into the final round, both in themselves and in their car, the Bentley. “Due to our experience and skill, we made fewer mistakes than our rivals. Of course, luck and patience played a part too” Ogorodnikov told The SimGrid. “We will rely on the stability and good preservation of tires on the Bentley. I think that Porsche will be faster in qualifying, but in the race, we will catch up to them”.
Variable weather could be the key for YAS HEAT to recover eight points gap
Two wins in the last two races. Despite being eight points back, YAS HEAT has the momentum by their side.
With just an eight-point gap, it’s all to play for. In fact, the difference between P1 and P2 on the road is exactly 8 points: in case of a tie, due to the superior number of wins gathered, YAS HEAT would have the advantage. In this scenario, the race in Monza could basically become a ‘winner takes it all’ race.
“Throughout the season we tried to maximise the performance of our car, winning two races where we had a great car underneath us that suited the track”, Maciej Malinowski told us, who raced in the #82 alongside George Boothby and Jaroslav Honzik.
The Polish racer spent a few words on Imola, a tough track for the Porsche, where they managed to save what could be saved with a P10. “We had no real chance to be higher up against the field of BMWs and Bentleys. We still managed to finish around top 10 and score some good points”.
The win in Silverstone kept the championship alive coming into the final round. “We were hoping to gain a little bit more points on them in Silverstone where the weather was forecasted to be wet where Bentley would struggle. Unfortunately for us, the race was dry” added Malinowski. “Monza is not gonna be easy but if we can get some more variable weather and stay out of trouble we can fight for a good finish and hopefully outscore Simware.Pro”. The fight is on.
Not only the fight for P1: what’s at stake in Monza
While all eyes will be on the fight for P1, there is much more at stake in Monza considering the fact that the top 10 teams get a percentage of the prize pool. Williams Esports and the other Simware.Pro (#322) squad are in contention for third place, as they are separated by just 2 points (100 vs 98).
JAESA Junior might have a look at that final spot entering the final race with 88 points, but they must watch their backs as well: Prime eRacing #77 and T3 Motorsport follow close respectively at 80 and 79 points. Completing the top 10 are Wild Things Racing (69 points), West Competition Racing (64) and TF Racing (56).
On Saturday 6th of August, the last Coach Dave 1000 chequered flag will drop on Monza. Simware.Pro or YAS HEAT? Who will win the duel for the final win? Make sure to tune in on The Sim Grid Youtube channel to not miss any of the action from the iconic Italian track.
