After a crazy opening two races to The Sim Grid Sprint Cup’s third season of action, the drivers headed to one of the most historic and popular circuits on the calendar, Imola. Along with a tricky track and the changes in success ballast, the race was set to be a close one, and close it certainly was.

The top three teams

After a tough race at Misano, it was G2 Esports drivers Nils Naujoks and Arthur Kammerer who returned to the same level of dominance that we saw at Snetterton. In qualifying, it was Naujoks who took the BMW M6 GT3 to pole, and as the lights went out, he retained first place. Throughout the first stint, he held his lead convincingly, and when he handed over to Arthur Kammerer, he too raced in the same convincingly fast fashion. Right from the outset, they were in control, and as their rivals battled it out behind, their lead only increased, as they took win number two of the championship and with it, the championship lead.

Taking second position was Send It Racing’s Charlie Crossland and James Parker. The duo, along with Unicorns of Love and Jardier Community, were in a tight battle all race long for second, as the G2 drivers were out of reach but the gap behind was massive. Crossland and Parker came out on top as they passed Unicorns of Love driver, Lars Kisser, with just fifteen minutes to go after being jumped by them in the pits. The battle was intense, but Send It Racing coming out on top, launching themselves back into second place in the championship.

Coming home just behind Crossland and Parker was the pink Unicorns of Love Mercedes, driven by Lars Kisser and Tobias Gronewald. They qualified third on the grid, but into turn one were passed by Jaroslav Honzik, putting them down to fourth but right in the podium hunt. Gronewald did brilliantly to keep Honzik under pressure, but as the pitstops came around, they jumped both the Jardier Community and Send It Racing cars. This left Kisser in second, with the task of holding off Parker until the end, but a small mistake cost him dearly, as Parker slipped by in the final corner. Nevertheless, this was their first appearance in the series and certainly hit the ground running.

Imola’s standout drives

Imola was full of action, both at the front of the field and further behind. This was partially caused by the tight nature of Imola, where overtaking opportunities are scarce so teams have to get creative, but also due to the very small field spread. 

Finishing in P10 was the #111 Elferspot.com Porsche, driven by Florian Becker and Richard Lindhorst. Tenth place may not seem incredible, however, they started the race all the way down in twenty-sixth place. 

Becker took to the track first, gaining eleven positions in just ten minutes, as he scythed through the pack, keeping out of trouble and making moves. After a clean rest of the stint, Becker handed over the Porsche 911 GT3R to Richard Lindhorst, who would take it to the end of the race. Under the pitstops, the team gained a further few places, coming back out in twelfth. Lindhorst was right in the middle of a four-car fight for tenth, which he emerged victorious from, picking up crucial points for the team as he came home in tenth place. This finish propels the Elferspot duo into third in the championship, proving that their consistency is key. 

Another of the best drives has to have been from Unicorns of Love drivers, Lars Kisser and Tobias Gronewald. Imola is certainly not one of the easiest tracks to make your Sprint Cup debut at, however, they didn’t let that hurt their performance. After a strong qualifying, the game was on for them, and they certainly made the most of it, finishing P3 after a long battle with Send It Racing.

Imola’s Championship Implications

Imola was a big race for the championship, as we saw G2 Esports and Send It Racing launch themselves back into contention, whilst teams such as H3 Racing and Excel Racing by RennWelten fell away from the top. 

Snetterton saw G2 Esports and Send It Racing hit the ground running, as they finished first and second to take an early championship lead, however, at Misano, the points table was flipped on its head, as both had poor races, and the likes of H3 Racing, Tauro and UKOG47 took advantage. However, this race, the championship table took another turn.

As G2 Esports and Send It Racing triumphed, H3 Racing and Tauro both retired. H3 Racing qualified poorly, and as a consequence, had the tough task of fighting back through the pack. This would be a tough task considering the track, and indeed, it didn’t end well for them, as they tangled with Excel Racing by RennWelten, sending their Ferrari into the wall and eventually into retirement.

For Tauro, they tangled with the Carbon Simsport McLaren, sending them into the wall at high speed, destroying their car in the process. After a Sprint Cup victory last round, Imola was not so kind.

What to expect from Hungary 

Next round, the Sprint Cup circus is heading to the Hungaroring, one of the most difficult and technical tracks on the calendar. After such great action from the first three races, it is set to be unmissable. Make sure you tune in to The Sim Grid’s YouTube channel to watch live.