The third season of The Sim Grid Sprint Cup is reaching its climax, and the teams are very much aware that each point dropped at this stage could be costly. Heading into Zolder, one of the toughest tracks in Assetto Corsa Competizione due to its punishing layout, we are hitting a “do or die” moment in the championship, so nobody would be leaving an extra inch for each other out on track. But, we aren’t done yet with the enhancing factors, as it was raining at Zolder, forcing a mixed-up grid in qualifying and a drying track towards the final third. Let’s see how everyone got one.
George Boothby and Niels van de Koekelt emerge on top
A lineup we saw a lot of back at Misano, George Boothby and Niels van de Koekelt in the UKOG47 McLaren were seeking redemption at Zolder after the Round 2 win slipped out of their hands. They showed killer pace there, and after qualifying, saw themselves taking to the grid third – a prime location to swoop to victory.
Due to the tight nature of the Zolder circuit, Koekelt saw himself stuck in a train extending all the way from the first place car in the hands of Sidemax Motortworks driver Harry Spiers to the latter portion of the top ten. However, it is in moments like these where great separate themselves from the good, as Koekelt slipped around and passed Robbie Stapleford for second, allowing him to switch focus to chasing Spiers. The hunt was successful, as he opportunistically put on an incredible move around the outside of Spiers to claim the lead. From then on, it was about stint extension to hit the marks on the strategic front.
After the mandatory pitstop, Boothby took over on the dry tyres, despite a still damp track, allowing Alex Buncombe behind to close in on wets, however, they needn’t worry, as Buncombe dropped away as the stint went on and the track swung in favour of the dry runners. With a victory under their belt, they have propelled themselves to fourth in the championship, as they look to gain further at the finale in two week’s time.
The top five’s weather woes
No conditions in ACC are quite as tough as some when you can’t even figure out which conditions you are driving in. For the Sprint Cup teams, this was exactly what they had to fight their way through, as the last third of the race saw the track dry out. With the mandatory pit window sitting at the mid-way point, the drivers had to make a crucial decision; do they take wet tyres and hope the track doesn’t dry too fast or do they take dry tyres and gamble the rain slows quickly?
Winners Boothby and Koeklt chose the latter, as did second-place teams G2 Esports and surprise third-place driver Manos Gerardis. However, a couple of the highly placed teams took wets, those being Rocket Simsport and ex-championship leaders H3 Racing.
Rocket Simsport were on for their best finish in the championship so far, lying second for a solid chunk of the race after undercutting those around them in the pits, and H3 Racing was on course for a brilliant fifth-place finish after starting all the way back in twenty-sixth. Sadly, neither teams’ dreams would become reality, as the wet tyres hit the cliff in the closing stages, forcing both into the pits and dropping them to twenty-first and twenty-second respectively – a massive shame for the pairings.
Solo driver? No problem.
The Sim Grid Sprint Cup has a mandatory pitstop in place between the forty and fifty-minute mark, where you must take fuel, tyres and a driver swap. However, if you can’t complete the driver swap due to your teammate being unavailable, you will be faced with a ten-second time penalty, setting you back as a penalty for not meeting the requirements. This would usually really hurt a driver who wants any chance of a solid result – especially when the field is as closely packed as ours. However, Zolder seemed to give its blessing to the pack’s solo teams, as three solo runners came home inside the top seven.
The highest placed of these drivers was Manos Gerardis from TF Racing. After running in the latter top ten for most of the first stint, his ten second time penalty dropped him back to tenth place from seventh, but as the tyre strategy unfolded, his Ferrari came to life. By the end of the race, he was all over the back of championship contenders Excel Racing by RennWelten and made a great move around the outside of turn three to snatch his first Sprint Cup podium.
Arguably the most impressive of the three solo driver was Jaroslav Honzik, from Jardier Community. Coming from outside of the top twenty, he had brilliant pace throughout, bounding through the pack and picking up pieces from his rivals’ errors, taking the flag in an amazing fourth place after a last-gasp move on Maximilian Wohlmuth. The final of the solo drivers was Jan Willem Van Ommen, from Dalking Community, who finished seventh. Starting thirteenth, he gently crept through the field, picking up from the same mistakes as Honzik, and making his fair share of moves along the way.
How is the championship fight looking before the finale?
To round out a brilliant season of racing, the Sprint Cup is off to the land of the rising sun – Suzuka. However, Zolder was crucial in setting the stage for battle, as championship leaders H3 Racing fell away, G2 Esports reclaimed the lead and Excel Racing by RennWelten snuck into contention.
Right from the outset, the pressure was on H3 Racing to come back from a dreadful qualifying session in a race where they were looking to keep G2 at bay. Unfortunately for them, a tyre strategy blunder put them all the way back to where they started, after fighting through the field impeccably to a provisional fifth place. This puts them back to fifth in the championship, and quite possibly out of championship reach. Meanwhile, their struggle only promotes those around them, as G2 Esports driver Nils Naujoks and Arthur Kammerer drove a patient race to second – exactly what they needed to do.
Behind them, it’s now Excel Racing by RennWelten drivers Felix Ruppert and Maximilian Wohlmuth who pose the biggest threat to G2 Esports. They have had a very strong showing this season, being far more consistent than other teams on the grid. They are only eighteen points behind G2 – a gap very much closeable, especially when considering G2’s rollercoaster season.
Suzuka is set to be a brilliant race and is a finale you must be crazy to miss. On May 20th at 8 PM CEST, we will be live to bring you the race on The Sim Grid YouTube channel. For the full championship standings, head to The Sim Grid website and for previous rounds’ reports, The Sim Grid pits is the place for you.
