The Endurance Cup season 2 has been one of the most competitive and unpredictable series seen on The Sim Grid to date. The championship had it all, with proven series winners and new big names, all looking to prove their ability over the five-round series. The extremely high level of competition brought to the series meant reputations were on the line and no team was willing to let the title be won without a fight.
The championship covered five rounds of the most well-known GT racing circuits, providing variation in track types and styles from all over the globe. The round formats were familiar to the real racing world, with practice, qualifying and race day all taking part on the same weekend. This realism brought a level of intensity that meant only the teams and drivers performing at their absolute best would rise to the top and take the win at each round.
Championship Winners
The fight for the championship was one that went down to the last race. Throughout the whole season, there was never one team that ran away with the series. The top five spots changed race by race with the final spots being decided by the last race results. The top five results can be seen below.
| Position | Team | Points |
| 1st | #149 YAS HEAT | 361 |
| 2nd | #157 GTWR Simulator Giantruck | 352 |
| 3rd | #27 Jean Alesi Esports Academy | 345 |
| 4th | #39 Food Critics | 330 |
| 5th | #191 Racing Line Motorsport | 292 |
As can be seen, by the points, one small mistake and the whole standings could be different. The winners of the series, #149 YAS HEAT, proved that consistent points were the winning formula for the series, despite only winning a single race. Another standout performance was seen from the #27 Jean Alesi Esports Academy team, as this was their first attempt at the Endurance Cup series and definitely proved to us all they are a team to watch going into the future.
The Battles For The Top Spots
Barcelona
With the stage set and the teams and drivers hungry for the series win, the championship got off to an explosive start. All teams wanted to get the jump at the start of the season and get to the top of the series table right from the get-go.
The race win was taken by The Sim Grid regulars #157 GTWR Simulator Giantruck, who dominated the first round taking pole position and winning the race with a forty-three-second lead.
The rest of the podium is where the action got heated, with the #14 Odox Motorsport and #149 YAS HEAT teams battling hard for the next two spots. #149 YAS HEAT gave us all a glimpse at their blistering pace. Despite multiple penalties setting them back throughout the race in the final hour, the team was looking to take second place. Then the unexpected happened and disaster struck again and the team was struck with a penalty. This then gave the #14 Odox Motorsport team the second spot on the podium as the race came to a close. #14 Odox Motorsport gave us all a glimpse of their absolutely impeccable consistency and that keeping yourself out of trouble can sometimes be the best approach to bag those big points.
The biggest moment of the race was with the #27 Jean Alesi Esports Academy Team who were set to make a big splash in their first Endurance Series appearance. The team was looking good throughout the whole race with a near-perfect first few hours. However, in the final stint, a fight with the #39 FOOD CRITICS team for third place led to a collision, causing both teams to lose out.
Imola
From here, the series went to the classic Italian circuit, Imola, for its first endurance race at the newly added circuit. For many of the teams, this had been their first competitive run out on the circuit.
The race brought with it the second winner of the season with #999 Ambassador for Rennwelten team taking their first win of the season. The team had a great weekend as they not only won the race but also took a front-row start. #999 Ambassador for Rennwelten took every advantage from this, gapping the field and putting in clean and consistent laps. This finally led to the team having a twelve-second lead and taking their first win of the season. The remaining podium spots were occupied by the previous race winners #157 GTWR Simulator Giantruck in second and #39 Food Critics in third.
The #157 GTWR Simulator Giantruck team ran an almost faultless race, capitalizing on the first lap chaos pushing them towards the top spots of the field. It was much of the same throughout the race, but their final chance at the top spot was shut down by the #1 Rennwelten Pro Team putting in a hard defensive fight and slowing the team down.
#39 FOOD CRITICS certainly came back with a vengeance from the round one incident, starting the race in tenth place and finishing on the podium. The team had a monstrous start, making almost all of their positions in the first lap of the race. From there on out, the team held their place well and came home in the final podium spot.
Zolder
The third round brought the teams to Zolder, one of the most punishing circuits for any team or driver. The tough nature of the track shone through with teams and drivers battling door to door, leading to several dramatic excursions off track.
The team that took the crown was #149 YAS HEAT, who finally turned the podium results into their first race win, giving them a good grasp over the championship. However, it was not a simple win for the team, due to the ever-present #157 GTWR Simulator Giantruck team challenging for the lead. This battle in the first hours of the race led to a spin, dropping the #149 YAS HEAT team back out of the top spot. This incident didn’t dampen their mood as the team fought back towards the front of the pack. One more bump in the road led to a short penalty for the team, but as with the other setbacks, the #149 YAS HEAT team never gave up. In the closing minutes of the race, all their bad luck was paid back as the #191 Racingline Motorsport team made a mistake, handing the #149 YAS HEAT team the race victory.
The #191 Racingline Motorsport car came out of Zolder with a second-place finish, but a race they most likely would hope to forget. The team did everything right throughout the race to get them their best result of the season. From start to end, they capitalised on all their opponents’ mistakes and misfortunes, allowing them to hold onto a podium spot throughout the whole race. Then in the final half of the race, a heated battle with the #157 GTWR Simulator Giantruck team saw them come out triumphant, finally giving them the lead of the race. However, despite all their effort, a late-race collision with a backmarker ended their hopes of a win and dropped them down to second place.
The final spot on the podium was finally claimed by the #888 Coach Dave Academy team, after quietly managing their own race and staying out of trouble. The team never once made a drastic move or a rash decision; they played it cool throughout the race and focused on themselves. As Zolder began to punish others, the #888 Coach Dave Academy team were rewarded tenfold. In the final hour of the race, the #39 FOOD CRITICS team were handed a track limits penalty, handing over the coveted final podium spot.
Paul Ricard
The penultimate round of the series took the teams to the circuit of Paul Ricard, known for its high-speed nature and characteristic run-off areas. As with all the other rounds, the win here was one wide open for any of the teams to take, with rain being thrown in the mix to turn the race on its head.
The win was taken by the #27 Jean Alesi Esports Academy team. Their win was not a simple one, as the team started on the third-row, putting five cars between them and the race win. What came to fruition for the team was their ability to keep pace with the leaders, capitalise on their mistakes and the changeable conditions. They put on a great display of hard racing, fighting every car that came in their path tooth and nail, never giving up no matter the challenge. A big risk was taken as the #27 Jean Alesi Esports Academy team took an early pit stop, hoping the now falling rain would get worse and to their relief, it did just that. As well as this, the leaders of the race took a spin in the closing minutes of the race, giving the #27 Jean Alesi Esports Academy team the victory.
The drama didn’t only take place for the leaders but all the way down the podium. The team that took the second spot was the #149 YAS HEAT team, yet again adding to their ever-increasing series lead. The team put in a great qualifying result to start second, giving them the best shot at points for the series win. However, after a good start to the race taking the lead, due to an incident, the team was forced to hand back the place as contact was made in the process. However, others made mistakes and they were given back their second-place spot while the rain fell across the track.
The final podium spot was taken by the #62 G2 Esports team, who had been looking great all season and finally converted that pace they had shown into the results they needed. The start of the race was not a great one, getting caught in an incident and sending them out of the top ten. However, the team gathered their composure and took consistency to another level, and as others began to fall, they rose through the field. Then, as with many others, they took the rain falling as their chance, and upped their pace and capitalised on all opportunities, giving them the final spot on the podium.
Silverstone
The final round of the series was one of surprises, with none of the top series contenders finishing on the podium. Not only this, but the final round was twice the length of any of the other rounds, adding a new dynamic to the race. Drivers and teams not only had the pressure of this being their final chance to score points, but it would also be the most tiring race yet.
The race was won by the #23 Zansho Rocket Esports team, who came to Silverstone looking to finally prove they had race-winning capabilities. Their weekend got off to a slow start, qualifying only fifth. This result didn’t dampen their moods though, as within the first five minutes of the race, the team was up to third place. From this point onwards, the #23 Zansho Rocket Esports team never let up, staying in the podium spots throughout. Only their sister car and the #62 G2 Esports team ever mounted a challenge against them, but in the end, to no prevail.
The second spot was taken by #62 G2 Esports team, who coming from Paul Ricard, had plenty of momentum. The race for #62 G2 Esports team was one spent chasing the Zansho Rocket Esports cars, only ever slipping one place behind them both. It wasn’t until the final hours of the race when they really mounted a challenge for the lead. As the night fell and the temperatures cooled, the team came into their own, gaining seconds each lap of the race. However, it wasn’t quite enough, and they ended their race finishing 1.2 seconds behind the leaders.
The final spot on the podium was taken by the sister car to the winning team, the #24 Zansho Rocket Esports team. Their race was very similar to the winners, spending most of their time trading positions with the #23 car. In the end, as the #62 G2 Esports team gained pace in the latter stages of the race the team couldn’t keep up due to their excessive tyre wear. This resulted in a still mighty impressive third-place finish for the #24 Zansho Rocket Esports team.
Final statements
So, as the sun set over Silverstone and the season came to a close, it certainly had become one that wouldn’t be forgotten so soon. We started off with many unknowns, but one thing shone through more than anything and that was the skill and professionalism of all the teams.
Many times throughout the season there were difficult moments, whether that be with bad luck in the race or unfortunate penalties. However, no matter what was thrown at the teams, they continued to race hard and fair, putting on a show for everyone to enjoy. It has to be said that every race makes us all here at The Sim Grid just more and more impressed with the skills and professionality that everyone brings to the table.
Despite this season coming to a close, there are many more championships still to come that can be enjoyed over at The Sim Grid. If you want to see some more of your favourite teams from this seasons Endurance Cup compete again be sure to check out The Sim Grid x VCO World Cup where many drivers and teams will be competing again in the highest stakes series teams have seen to date.
