After 3 rounds of scintillating action it's time to welcome a new member to the “tracks of the pro series” club. 

Picturesque Circuito de Jerez is located in the wine growing region of Jerez de la Frontera in the South West corner of Spain. Situated halfway between Gibraltar and Seville this mountainous area of Spain is a beautiful summer getaway location just off the Atlantic Ocean.

Temperatures this time of year start to build in the last days of Spring as the venue gets ready to host its round of the Logitech Pro Invitational Series. A Hot destination for hot racing, and a key moment during the series.

Speedcafe Lobs Esports driver Dylan Rudd has just assumed the lead of the championship, after Robbie Gibbs led the opening two rounds, and now has an 8 point margin back to Ric Kuznetsov’s Vermillion Motorsports machine.

However, the pack is coming, and coming fast.

The big key here is the changing Margins and I’ll highlight 8 drivers to really set the tone:

If the entirety of the Lobs Esports outfit have another strong race from Jerez it's very likely that they draw level with the Trans Tasman Drivers of Madison Down and Brady Meyers. That could be critical at this early juncture in the championship and gives them some leeway to have another off round.

On to the track!

It's a tricky little circuit! It has flow, corners that double back on themselves and the critical aspect of setup is the mid corner rotation. The corners are extremely long, and the load on the tire is immense. 

13 corners over a 4.42km lap, 8 to the right and 5 to the left.

Lots of run-off areas means the chances of a safety car go down, and we could end up with 3 races on the trot without one. 

250km of racing across 57 laps. Fuel tank range without saving is going to be 31 Laps, with some saving you could easily extend that out to 33 or beyond. It's a long stint, and it's not likely to happen.

Even stint length is 19 laps, expect undercuts to start from lap 15. If you’re in a big pack and you can’t make ground as the tires wear off (particularly if you’ve been able to look after the tires well).

Keep in the back of your mind whilst watching any car that hangs onto its tires. Why? Better long run pace gives you options. If you fall off on lap time by 0.2s per lap less than another car you can undercut them and not be punished by it.

Whilst on the topic of pit lane, pit entry here is difficult. Going over the white lines on the way in is one of the easier ways to kill a strong result. It's very tight, and on the surface looks simple… Until you get suckered in and have to serve a penalty. I’d expect at least 2 pit entry penalties, could easily be more.

Setup and driving style are basically a flat Phillip Island. Longer corners means setting the car in the mid corner is the focus and trying to drive as straight on the exit as possible on the exit. Drivers are looking to preserve tire in the curved acceleration zones out of the corners and that might be critical.

Corner entries to prioritise lap speed are actually wider than you might expect, that's an invitation to slice down the inside and get a move done. Could this result in a busy night for the stewards? We always hope not, but it is relevant to the racing regardless.

I’ve got Luke Rosella down to finally finish a race cleanly. He has a rear of grid start for multiple driving infringements from Red Bull Ring. Tough season surrounded by a new team and a huge opportunity. I’ll follow his night because driving from the back of the field proves a driver’s mettle. I want to see him tame it down a little, get things back on track and then press forwards again.

Brenton Hobson sits 10th in the points, but has run quiet races. The difficulty for Hobson is he relies on experience and staying clean to finish well. A newer track requires a bulk amount of laps he’s not capable of and I expect a worse finish as a result. Outside 20th, is my call, but if chaos breaks out expect Hobson to be the driver that comes out the other side.

Will Jerez be where we see Brenton Hobson fall down the standings?

Ethan Grigg-Gault is a tricky driver to evaluate. When he’s good he’s winning races. When he’s average he fills out the top 10. Something about this track is just crying out at me that he is on for two podiums in a row. Where he is on the podium I am very unsure about.

James Scott and Jarrad Filsell should be talked about as a compare and contrast situation. Scott is Mr Qualifying at the moment and his races reflect his outright speed, but also a free track around him. We are yet to see him in a cluster of cars and making his way through. How he handles that will define his season.

Filsell on the other hand is Mr Race Pace. Rear of the field to front at Sebring before the race exploded, P2 at Phillip Island from pole (arguably his worst drive of the season), and
Red Bull Ring he was on a charge, fastest stint pace in the field whilst making overtakes. Supremely impressive, honestly at this stage I have him down to win the title, but boy is it going to be tight!

Do they round out the podium? Maybe. Trans Tasman’s pace at Phillip Island was better and that's our best judge for pace. One of this pair on the podium, the other inside the top 5.

Andrew Gilliam is my pick to be the outside threat. His strategy gamble at Red Bull Ring paid off and he improved his race at the cost of middle stint pace. He’ll do something different again for sure! I’d love to see another Gilliam podium, but that's a brave call. I’ll back him in this week though, 3rd it is!

Who are your driver’s you want to watch? Is there someone I haven’t mentioned?

Hit up the comments, I’ll be keeping an eye on this one and will keep a closer eye on your picks!

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by Scott Rankin

As the qualifying series draws to a close the field is slowly bringing itself into a more consistent lineup. Funny that. The law of averages eventually has the cream rising to the top, whilst those that snatched a result will continue their slide downwards.

With Emily Jones, Kody Deith and Dylan Birse all locked in via their wins, we also have 2 drivers that are locked in on points and don’t even require points from the final race. Jacob O’Reilly and Brenton Hobson are more than 190 points ahead of 21st place Tao Soerono. Now a win is normally worth 200 points, but with a win guaranteeing your spot you can only make up 2nd place worth of points, or 190.

So now we move to the analysis of the battle for the bubble. Who is in, who is out?

This is where the focus is going to be tomorrow night. The margins on the bubble itself are actually fairly large for 3 rounds, and that reflects the up and down nature of the series thus far.

Once you get over the bubble the points actually close up. 24 points covers 6 drivers from 22nd to 27th. So should Ben Faulkner and Tao Soerono both have bad nights, that 20th Points spot becomes exceptionally spicy! Anyone from the top 20 gets the final win, and that pushes the pressure point from being on Faulkner to Soerono. Expect the win to be a critical factor to this battle for the bubble!

Drivers that have the pace to be in and aren’t are plenty. Richie Stanaway sits 26th after missing a round, Michael Talijancich was a recipient of a Golden Ticket for 2024’s pro series and he’s on the outside looking in. Add to these names Dylan Perera (retirement in Race 1), Jobe Stewart (only made 1 race thus far), and Tom Freer (pedal failure at Hockenheim) and there’s actually a lot of drivers not going to make the series.

The win and in changes that script though. Realistically its only going to be the top 25 who are a feasible chance of pointing their way in, and anyone else is a mathematical and race result oddity. Can you imagine a world where Stanaway is able to make the final race and wins it? Who else can take that win from nowhere?

Well its Winton that plays host to the final round. If you had said to me this was the case in Gen2 chassis, I’d say we’re in for a snooze fest. Marbles, low aero and a car that moves around a lot more changes that significantly.

Chatting to Tyson Broad (18th in points) from Orbit Drop Bear and he’s been on struggle street this week with prep work for Winton. Early work on setups was a struggle for front end bite and he generally struggles at Winton in general. Could this be a driver that moves from inside the bubble to out?

Tyson Broad will be amongst the drivers desperate to stay inside the top 20 in points

Strategy and undercuts are going to be supremely important to this track where the tires never get a break. Clear air on that undercut will also be critical. With so much run off (albeit grass run off) and we might finally get our first race without a Safety Car… Then again, the tight nature is absolutely going to trend towards more paint traded.

The big key for the guys in the top 15 will be “get a clean result on the board and we’re good to go” whilst everyone else is going to scrap for their lives.

See it all play out tomorrow night from 7.45pm AEDT.

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by Scott Rankin

As we head to Austria at the Red Bull Ring for Round 3 of the Championship the drivers return to the wide open spaces and away from the ultra technical Winton Raceway. It's the first look at a "Grand Prix" circuit for the teams this season and that alone provides it's own set of challenges when driving the Supercar. We spoke to Jake Burton and asked him for 5 things that he thinks are vital to success in Round 3.

1. Braking

One of the unique factors of this track is the lack of complex corners. Just about every corner here is a long straight, followed by a tight corner and another long straight. As a result, every meter you can shorten your braking zone is worth so much here. You approach each zone with such a high speed that the initial brake application has to be super aggressive, and ensure you trail off before you make the tight turn-ins.

2. Defensive Racecraft

Being a wide track with long straights leading into long braking zones, your opponents have so many opportunities to use the draft and put a high percentage move on you.
Something to also consider, is the majority of passing spots here have a corner turning the same direction immediately afterwards. A proper defense here involves timing your shift to a defensive line, ensuring you don’t make the next corner too tight, and then parking the bus as hard as you can to ensure they don’t get an over-under on you.

3. Fuel Saving

This track is really easy to fuel save on. It has an extremely high full throttle percentage, and many long straights with powerful draft. As a result, if you aren’t fuel saving in traffic, you’re guaranteed to lose time in the pits.

4. The exit of Turn 1

Turn 1 is probably one of the most difficult corners to get right that I have ever driven in the Supercar. It’s tight, uphill, and leads onto the tracks longest straight. It’s the ultimate balance between picking the right brake marker, timing your turn in, using just the right amount of curb, and running just wide enough to not invalidate your lap time. Cut the curb too much, you lose drive on corner exit. Don’t cut the curb enough, you end up pushing wide and praying the outside curb will be the berm that keeps you on the road. When you get it right, it feels phenomenal.

5. The pit lane entry

Without question one of the hardest pit lane entries of any track we visit. On the way in, it’s a right hand entry parked right in the middle of two high speed right handers. The risk level is high, as you’ve got to cross the track and brake from the racing line. If you’ve got a car right up your backside, it can really affect when you choose to pit.

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With the 2023 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup underway, the series turns its focus to Europe for the first time this season, as we journey across the seas to one of the most formidable circuits in the world, Spa-Francorchamps.

Located in Stavelot, Belgium, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit was first opened in August of 1921, establishing a 14.982 25 turn circuit consisting of public roads through the local townships of Francorchamps, Malmedy & Stavelot creating an incredibly fast, exhilarating experience for all drivers who were willing to conquer it. The circuit has undergone considerable changes in the post war era, now established as a permanent 7.004 kilometre circuit consisting of 20 corners including the famous Eau Rouge, Raidillon & Blanchimont corners.

This week, championship leader and TTR stalwart Jake Burton takes us through what it takes to master one of the most demanding circuits on the 2023 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup calendar.

1. Setting a valid Qualifying Lap

Across a lap at Spa there are so many places where you’re penalized for exceeding track limits. There are sizable gains at La Source, Eau Rouge, No Name, Pouhon, Stavelot and Blanchimont in opening the steering and exceeding the track limits, but doing so in qualifying will invalidate your lap. Such a long lap means you won’t get many opportunities to set a time, so ensuring you do a fast lap but importantly, a clean lap, will prevent a disaster in qualifying.

2. Striking a balance with wing angle

Across the last 12 months, we’ve seen many drivers and teams starting to play with rear wing angle to develop a straight line advantage in their setup. Spa has many long straights where you could certainly benefit from running a low-drag setup, but also has many high load corners such as Eau Rouge, Pouhon and Blanchimont where you want maximum downforce. Finding the ‘sweet spot’ between drag and downforce will be critical to developing a fast but agile racecar around this track.

3. Using the draft

There is a huge gain to be found at Spa in tow. Up to 0.5 seconds in qualifying, which can mean the difference between mid pack and the front. It’s difficult to balance however, as in some of the faster corners later in the lap, being too close to the car in front creates huge aero-wash. The drivers who maximize the use of the tow, will be the ones who leave enough gap to not catch the car in front, but also not too far so there is no tow benefit. You also need to depend on the car you’re following being fast enough to pull you along and not make any mistakes - this will benefit larger teams.

4. Fuel saving

With so many long straights and braking zones, accompanied with a strong tow from the draft, fuel saving will play a big element in this race. Don’t be surprised if you see drivers not wanting to lead early in the race, as the draft is too powerful to drive away, and punching a hole for everyone else will just leave you swamped when it’s time to pit. It’s also critical that if you save fuel the whole race, you take enough to drive home from your last stop at full tilt. This is an easy way to get caught out and one that I’ve learned the hard way.

5. Defense

When it gets to the last few laps of the race, the draft is so strong that it’s pretty easy to pass even if you’ve got worse tyres and less pace. If you’re leading the train you’ve got to be ready to put your car in the right place and pull other people up at the apex and stop them from getting an overlap on the inside. It’s so easy to lose 2-3 spots in one corner by getting freight trained due to the long corners at this track, so not letting anyone get past will be key in the dying stages.

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After a action packed round in Sebring, Florida, The Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup returns to Australia for the Watercraft Performance Centre Phillip Island Super Sprint set to be held on the 19th of April.

The 4.5 Kilometre precinct is located in Victoria, roughly two hours south of Melbourne. It is one of the premier racing circuits in Australia, notably known for its presence on the Moto GP calendar.

This week, Sebring podium finisher & Synergy Sim Racing stalwart James Scott, takes us through his key points of interest around the Phillip Island circuit ahead of the Watercraft Performance Centre Phillip Island super sprint.

1. Tyre degradation

With Phillip Island known for its extreme tyre wear, it will be imperative to ensure your car is well balanced for the entire race so you don't fall back through the pack late in the race.

2. Qualifying

With there being 2 sprint races, there is a greater emphasis on securing a good qualifying position for both races as passing can prove difficult at Phillip Island.

3. Strategy

With tyre degradation quite high, that comes with the undercut becoming very powerful. Ensuring that you time your pitstop correctly to gain time on your competitors will be crucial but pit to early and you could leave yourself exposed on old tyres in the later stages of the races.

4. Lap 1 Miller Corner

With Phillip Islans being a fast and flowing circuit and high speed, it can lead to a chaotic first few laps of the race at the 2 slowest corners on the track being miller corner and MG. Whilst you can't win the race at either of these corners in the first few laps, you can certainly lose it.

5. Draft

Phillip Island has in recent times become a very draft dependent circuit with it being easy to keep up with the cars in front even if your outright pace is slightly off your competitors. Whilst the draft is very powerful, it doesn't always lead to easy overtaking as the aero wash behind other cars can affect your exits onto the straights. Being authoritive and precise with your passes is key.

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Hockenheim marks the sixth destination on the 2022 Supercars Pro Invitational calendar and is also the last stop for the series before commencing the Enduro Cup. Subsequently it is a critical opportunity for drivers to score points and we talked to TTR / Team Cooldrive Racing driver Josh Anderson about some of the key factors for succeeding at one of the most historic venues of the season.

Driver Finesse:

Hockenheim is an interesting circuit and to win a race there, I think there a several key factors that you must consider. It's a track that is extremely technical and requires the driver to finesse the car to be fast around here, both on one lap and over a longer run. 

Aero:

Like many of the Grand Prix circuits on the iRacing platform, the long radius corners require the driver to utilise the downforce that the car generates. It is often beneficial to run a bit of extra wing here in race trim to help look after the rear tyres in those corners.

Braking:

Braking is also a critical element that must be mastered in order to win at Hockenheim.
Both hairpins requires you to be aggressive on the initial application, and then very precise trail braking so you don’t pinch the unloaded front tyre. Precision is critical as even a variance of 5% can turn a good lap into a poor one with a lockup.

Turn 1:

Sector 1 consists of the fast turn 1 heading into a short straight and an acute right handed into a fast left hander leading onto the back straight. At turn 1, the V8 you can take a bit of the inside kerb to help rotate the car, as there is a nasty off track on the exit.

Throttle Control:

Turn 2-3 require the driver to slow the car down efficiently, with smooth throttle control critical to hold the slide on the direction change exiting Turn 2. This is a very important sector of the lap and one that’s critical to get right in order to do a fast lap time.

All in all, Hockenheim is a difficult track, but one that is satisfying when you put it together. I’m looking forward to racing there in the Logitech G Supercar Pro Invitational series.

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The Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup will head back to Europe as we turn the corner for the run home in the 2023 championship. On the 19th of July, we go racing for round 6 of the Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup at Red Bull Ring.

Having featured on the calendar in 2022, Red Bull Ring makes a return in 2023 with drivers set to tackle the 10 corner 4.318km circuit on the 19th of July for 60 laps of close quarters racing.

Originally founded as Österreichring, it was built as a replacement for the Zeltweg Airfield Circuit in 1969. Situated in the Styrian Mountains, The Österreichring Circuit visually was one of the most spectacular & challenging circuits for drivers, providing fast flowing sweeping corners, consisting of elevation changes throughout the lap.

Österreichring would host the Austrian Gran Prix from 1970 through to 1987, before being shorted, rebuilt & re named to the A1-Ring, hosting the Austrian Grand Prix from 1997 to 2003.

When Formula One outgrew the Österreichring circuit, plans where drawn up to extend the layout. Multiple Parts of the circuit, including the pit lane section & main grandstand, were demolished. Construction work was eventually halted & the circuit remained unusable for several years before it was purchased by Red Bull's Dietrich Mateschitz, rebuilt and reopened on 15 May 2011 before re establishing itself on the Formula One calendar in 2014.

2022 Red Bull Ring Broadcast Replay

With V8 thunder set to light up the Red Bull Ring virtually for a second consecutive year, all eyes will be fixed on the championship battle that has evolved over the course of the 2023 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup.

Trans Tasman Racing’s Jake Burton is the man drivers are chasing, currently leading the championship after an entertaining victory at the Watkins Glen Sprint. Burton’s emphatic victory sees him 24 points in the clear of James Scott heading into the 6th round of the championship.

For James Scott, a strategy blunder for Synergy Sim Racing at Watkins Glen saw the driver of the #088 Commodore forced to salvage a top 10 result after dominating the early stages of the race. With this in mind, Synergy Sim Racing & James Scott will look for a mistake free race with hopes of standing on the top step at the conclusion of the 60 lap event.

It won’t come easy for either driver though, as you can never discount Madison Down. Only 38 points back, Down has been on the claw back since a difficult round or Phillip Island, which saw the Trans Tasman Racing stalwart off the circuit through turn 12, ending what looked like a positive night for the #77 Commodore. Now back on track with strong results, Madison will definitely be looking to make a dent in the points deficit at the Red Bull Ring.

Although these 3 drivers are leading the title fight, it’s hard to discount Jarrad Filsell. A season of what could of been, Filsell has nothing to loose for the remainder of the championship, a podium in 2022 at this very event firmly putting him in the conversation for top honours in 2023.

It’s fair to note a number of drivers who are showing a turn of speed at the currently, drivers such as Bradley Rattew, Thomas Freeman & Dylan Rudd all showing they have the potential to get amongst the action at the front of the field.

Another talking point is the form of Jordan Ross. The SSR driver suffering from difficulties throughout his 2023 campaign to date. Ross will look to turn things around at Red Bull Ring, the same circuit he scored his only podium in the 2022 championship.

Jordan Ross will be looking to return to form at Red Bull Ring

It’s fair to say, July 19 will provide another action packed round of racing as drivers search for results as the season begins to take shape.

Who will come out on top at Red Bull Ring? Will it be Jake Burton? James Scott? Or will the likes of Madison Down or Jarrad Filsell deliver a blow to the championship fight?

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I know I probably say and sound like it every single time, but, this next race has got some real potential to it.

A couple of key points heading into Watkins were kerb changes and the new damage model. They’re both still here, relevant, and everywhere you look in sim racing at the moment, however, the big kicker is the team shuffling.

When you rewind back to the start of the year, the thought I kept coming to was “this isn’t done yet”.

Someone’s dealt out a new hand in the driver shuffle and it's going to take another few months to settle down and resolve itself again.

Well, enough about that we’re off to Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin!

You only have to look back to the tail end of last year to see how this place really changed the outcome of the championship. Great rulebook and strategy awareness of the Trans Tasman Racing outfit hammered home a super strong result that put Madison Down into a nearly unassailable position. There was so much more drama that bubbled under the surface on that night, and it led to the formation of the Lobs Esports drivers that now are driving out of their skins.

Trans Tasman Racing mastered the strategy here in 2023

Road America as a venue though has been so critical to deciding championships over the long history of Australian V8 Supercar Sim Racing. Historically it plays host to our Grand Final and is thought of by the drivers with the same amount of significance.

The best part about this circuit is the fact you cannot have a car that is great in all areas. You’re either going to run a bit more wing and stability and look for long run speed, as well as consistency through the carousel and the kink and lose that little bit of an edge in a straight line, or you are going to trim the car right out and look for the straight line edge yet again.

If you look at the difference in our biggest teams and the way they approach their car setups, there’s some divergent takes on best balance. Lobs Esports have tended to take the “go fast and pass em on the straights” approach, Trans Tasman are phenomenal in the high downforce sections, and Synergy Sim Racing handle the bumps and mechanical grip sections really well. Keep all those tips in mind as you watch the progression.

This race has a bit of overtaking, a large amount of strategy, a little bit of safety car potential to just change something somewhere. One of the better parts of the Formula 1 race from over the weekend was the change to bring gravel and consequences back into play, well Road America only has run off room in two places, and not a lot of room for error anywhere else. Touch the grass at the kink on the back straight and all of a sudden it's just about keeping the car out of the fence.

Lobs Esports drivers were very quick in qualifying last year, Filsell took pole by two tenths of a second on a very cold track. Grip was super high for both qualifying and the start, and similar conditions are on the cards for this year. I expect the track to be a touch higher to start and continue to climb throughout the race. Drivers who have a good cold track car and are going to potentially struggle to hold onto their tires and striking a balance is going to be key.

I’m going to predict that the New Damage Model’s effects haven’t settled as yet and everyone is still adjusting, bringing the Safety Car into play. Fuel burn is going to be right around a 23 lap tank, and with saving could see this extended to 25 at the most, further than that and you are really going to struggle for the lap time and to hold position.

Expect tire fall off and wear to be around one second for every 10 laps, and another key point in the strategy game is if we end up with a long run to the end of your race the Safety Car chance drops off as everyone moves into conservation mode and stops racing as hard.

Zachary Rattray-White now leads the way for Vermillion Esports

Form guide suggests again to pick a Lobs driver to win, but I think this is going to be a lot closer than people think. Timing of the strategy and the smartest heads in the room could be a bigger factor, and this race comes down to having a fast car and the best race brains to match!

I’m also a bit worried about the Evolution Racing Team driver Ethan Grigg-Gault. If this was a game of tennis he’d have lost the match by now just on his amount of unforced errors. Its extremely out of character for him and I just wonder if something else isn’t going on. He’s now got two DNF’s combined with a finish with a damaged car back at Sebring. He sits 19th in points and still in contention for an automatic qualifying spot for next year, but I don’t think he can get away with another error of his own making. For me he’s just got to take points this week, and probably every week to the end of the championship, but Ethan’s also not the kind of driver to just have a quiet finish if he can have a win instead.

Righto, Voodoo magic time! We’ve cursed people just about every race this series and this could be another one.

Well who did we curse this time? Who are your predictions for Road America?

Feel free to hit me up on social media or discord, I want to hear from our fans!!!

See you all Wednesday night!

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by Scott Rankin

How it all stacks up leading into Round 1. Who is in the best form and who might be capable of a surprise upset result on the bumpy streets of Sebring.

Leading into the first round of a new championship there are always a lot of unknowns to contend with. But thankfully, the grid of drivers who are set to tackle the streets of Sebring in only a couple of weeks time have largely been active throughout various other leagues and competitions which allows us to get a pretty good form guide coming in.

Jarrad Filsell #94

Madison Down #77

Ethan Grigg Gault #177

Andrew Gilliam #201

Josh Anderson #36

Brodie Kostecki #99

Jackson Souslin-Harlow #15

Jake Burton #8

Richard Hamstead #28

Wayne Bourke #89

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One thousand kilometres. One thousand opportunities to throw it all away. One thousand points of difference.

One winner. Or is that two?

We all know what happens when we get to Bathurst. All this puff and bravado about the spirituality of the place. This is about the only time I ever feel a sense of a higher power.

Before we get into the rest of the article I want to take an opportunity to take a look at all the series has achieved, but focus in on the last two years. Logitech V8 Pro Series have now made Bathurst week a celebration of sim racing.

We had Wednesday night’s Co-Driver Clash. We’ve had the Paddock Podcast including the first ever Hall of Fame. We’ve had the championship finale of the Gamesmen GTPro Series, and tonight we get into the real deal in Qualifying and the Shootout, with support from the Porsche Cup series from iRacing World Challenge.

Think back across your memory of the simulated 1000’s. I’ve not been a Supercars nuffy on the sim for long enough to have ever encountered this much of a celebration of what we love as much as this. And whilst I do write for the series, this isn’t me just beating the chest of all involved, this is a thank you for everything! Heck, one day I might even get to participate in one! Until then I’ll be rambling away from a commentary box whilst I enjoy delusions of grandeur.

Wenesday Night's Co-Driver Clash was an action packed start to "Bathurst Week"

That illusion of grandeur is what drives so many of us to strive for the highest of peaks. 174 metres of elevation from bottom to top, then falling away that same distance just so you can go and turn another 6.2 kilometre circle. 

Some would call us mad. “It’s just turning circles” they say. “It’s the same thing 161 times over, how boring”. We know better.

The Race

Last year we were treated to an epic. 5 cars crossed the line in less than 1.5 seconds as Madison Down chased Griffin Gardiner whilst he covered for Luke Rosella. All whilst Down was being hunted by Andrew Gilliam and James Scott. Rosella would hang on for his first 1000 win of the series, but in the process secured a legacy of success in the Enduro’s.

This year the form guide is Jarrad Filsell’s dominance. Combine that with the engineering nous and speed of Brodie Kostecki and the rest of the field is hoping there’s a catastrophic error. Then again, with a championship on the line and the ability to wrap it up at the mountain there is every opportunity they elect to just finish the race smoothly. All Jarrad needs to be crowned champion is 21st or better. I’ve never known Filsell to back down from a fight and a passive Filsell is a vulnerable one, so I expect them to try winning the race.

Out of the Co-Driver clash Ryan O’Sullivan and Thomas McMillan also showed impressive speed and are worthy of note. O’Sullivan partners with Ethan Grigg-Gault for Evolution Racing Team’s #7, and McMillan with Luke Rosella’s #55 Lobs Esports cars. Rosella and McMillan will have to come from the back as their penalty for indiscretions at Sandown. Given they also drove through at Phillip Island and Sandown from the rear, they’re kind of used to it at this point.

Thomas McMillan took victory on Wednesday Night

I expect Qualifying to be shuffled up a touch, the Shootout always tends to get a few drivers out of sequence on their overall race pace. To me the most likely candidate to either nail the lap or make a mistake is Josh Anderson. He’s been overcritical of himself at times and talked about his Qualifying being a point of weakness, but I do believe he is capable of the magic lap. Putting it together with only a singular lap is the critical point.

Strategy has us on for 7 stints to put the race together. 6 pit stops with no more than 80 consecutive laps before drivers must be swapped. This means a minimum of 2 driver changes must be done within the race. Strategy is likely to be the main driver start, get the co-driver to run a triple stint and then the main driver to the end. As usual though, the closer the delta between the drivers the better your flexibility.

This strategy puts a lot of load on drivers and challenges their abilities to be consistent across long periods of time. There are more restrictions placed on drivers during the actual Bathurst 1000 to manage this and prevent drivers being in the car for excessive periods of time. Fatigue management will be a big part of this strategy and may see some teams with high workloads opt down a shorter stint path to assist. The old advertising for driver fatigue reigns true here as well, beyond two hours your focus level drops off.

My pick for Sunday? Filsell and Kostecki. They’re in a purple patch and currently you cannot go past them on form. Long run, short run, overall car speed and tire deg, fuel management, skill level. Yeah the list is hefty of what they have over the others.

But….

One
Thousand
Kilometres

One thousand reasons for it to be someone else’s.

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by Scott Rankin

Located North of Braselton, Georgia, sits the exciting 4.088 kilometre circuit of Road Atlanta, which will play host to the 2023 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup season finale for the first time.

Opened in 1970, the 12 corner precinct has played host to a number of national categories, including the Nascar Xfiniity Series, Can-Am & SCCA runoffs with series like IMSA & Trans Am America racing their in more recent times.

As we cross the pond to finish 2023, we can not think of a better setting to crown our champion.

The picture is simple, Madison Down of Trans Tasman Racing leads the overall championship, with a 67 point lead over Synergy Sim Racing’s James Scott. With An excellent season to date, Down has put together a consistency masterclass, giving himself the advantage heading into Road Atlanta. For Scott, he will be hoping to put his best foot forward in the final round of the 2023 season, with the hopes he can claw back the deficit on Wednesday night.

Don’t forget about Brady Meyers either, only 136 points away from the championship lead. He well and truely can still be in contention at the conclusion of this championship to steal the crown.

45 of the best Australian Drivers will be faced with a gruelling 43 lap event consisting of 2 compulsory pit stops to be served over the race distance. With plenty of action still to come to round out 2023, who do you think will steal the crown?

Can Madison Down hang on and convert his epic championship campaign into a title? Or can James Scott pull off the great escape and win the championship? Or will the dark horse Brady Meyers shock the system and run away with the chocolates?

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The Logitech G Supercars Pro Invitational Series officially kicked into gear for 2023 last night as the first official practice sessions ahead of the Qualifying Series got under way.

Over 70 cars took to the track as preparation for drivers and teams has well and truly begun with the Qualifying Series for this year looming. The Pre Qualifying process is slated to happen this week where almost 100 cars will be narrowed down to just 45 who will take part in the Qualifying Series itself which is set to take place throughout February. 

Sessions last night spanned across both the Hungaroring and Winton circuits which are the tracks that are both scheduled to set the stage for the Pre Qualification process this week. With so many teams and drivers taking the opportunity to set lap times it gives everyone an early form guide and interesting insight into what to expect late in the week. 

The initial impression is that the field will extremely competitive with the top 30 cars at Hungaroring covered by under 1.5 seconds and less 1 second separating the top 20 at Winton. 

It was no surprise to see some familiar names amongst those leading the way early on with returning Pro Invitational Series drivers from last season like Ric Kuznetsov, Dylan Rudd and Sebastian Flock in the mix. 

Also evident was the intent of some familiar teams like Evolution Racing Team who also had Robert Gibbs and Matthew Bowler factoring at the pointy end of the timesheets. 

The depth of the competition is compelling and other teams are also well represented with Jobe Stewart (Pursuit Sim Racing), Josh Muggleton (Trans Tasman Racing), Thomas Freeman (Fishy Motorsport) and Adam Briggs (Synergy Sim Racing) all setting fast times last night.

Other names to watch out for include the likes of Rehan Liyanage (Phoenix Racing), Shawn McNamara (9INE5IVE SimSport), Andrew Dyson (Simrigs.com DPR) and Zachary Hanlin (Altus Esports) who also set times but may holding their cards close to their chest at this early stage. 

With a number of the most anticipated names registered not in attendance last night we know that the competition will only get tougher as the Qualification process gets under way later this week. 

With entries now closed you can see the full list of nominated drivers here:

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2025. A year that is about change, shiny new cars and an influx of new drivers. Over the last 3 years Qualifying has set us up to get into the season, but we’ve gone into the Q-Series generally knowing who to keep our eyes on and where the pace is going to come from.

Not this year.

Pace was absolutely rapid over the 3 nights of qualifying and it would be Synergy Sim Racing’s Brenton Hobson who would land the first blows on the overall timesheet.

Hobson would take the fastest lap for Barber Motorsports Park on night 1 with a 1.24.749, but the Zolder times would be led by the new kid on the V8 Block Kody Deith of Eclipse Simsports.

Deith and the Eclipse Simsports team will be worth keeping an eye on across the entirety of the season, and barring any issues in the short Qualifying season, will be among my top picks to make the Pro Series.

Night 2 of Pre-Qualifying would see not only the pace improve, but a big shakeup at the front of the standings.

Brenton Hobson set the early pace on Night 1

Only one driver would better the times from the first night of Pre-Qualifying from Zolder, Matthew Bowler from Evolution Racing Team would set the new benchmark of 1.30.684, but Kody Deiths mark of a 1.30.735 from the previous night would stand as the 2nd best time.

However, Barber Motorsports Park would be where the real action would pickup. The previous best would be “Eclipsed” (and yes, prepare for me to use that pun liberally this year) by nearly 3 tenths of a second. 6 total drivers would also improve on Hobson’s marker, and with all 6 coming from different teams. Dylan Birse (Eclipse Simsports), Emily Jones (Trans Tasman Racing), Matthew Bowler (Evolution Racing Team), Andrew Dyson (DPR Racing), Greg Favelle (Xcelerate Sim Racing) and Dylan Perera (Synergy Sim Racing) would put their times down ahead of Hobson’s.

This would move the Eclipse Simsport duo of Dylan Birse and Kody Deith to the top of the pile heading into the final night of action, and sitting more than comfortably enough to relax and begin focus on the Qualifying series if they chose.

Andrew Dyson was among the cars showing good speed in Pre Qualifying

I think it's quite critical at this point in time to mention how important to the health of the car and the series to have 6 teams able to put times to the top of Pre-Qualifying. In years gone by we’ve seen the same teams and drivers dominate. If one driver of a team is doing well, they’ve got their setup locked in and the rest of the team will follow. The new package appears to be leaning towards a more driver centric car, at least in qualifying trim!

Final night of qualifying would not see the electric times from the previous night from Barber.

Fastest from Barber on the final night of qualifying would be Emily Jones who would improve fractionally on her night 2 time. Setting a 1.24.516 she would be 5 hundredths faster than Damon Woods final time.

Zolder appeared to be where the focus was placed. Matthew Bowler’s time of 1.30.684 would be bettered by two drivers from the Eclipse Simsports crew. Dylan Birse would lay down the fastest lap across all 3 nights to top the sessions with a 1.30.483, but Damon Woods would be only 9 thousandths of a second behind with a 1.30.492.

The Eclipse Simsports trio of Dylan Birse, Damon Woods and Kody Deith would clinch the top 3 spots from Pre-Qualifying and show the electric pace that has seen them be targeted for high level drives in the world of multiclass and open wheel racing.

Eclipse Simsports claimed the top 3 spots in Pre Qualifying

Emily Jones would stand up to place herself strongly in contention for a main game drive. After being one of the most reliable co-drivers on the grid over the last few seasons, Trans Tasman Racing are likely going to be looking for new talent to be in a supporting role come endurance time.

With a podium to his name in 2024, Jobe Stewart would be the best placed of the Supercars and Super2 entries in 19th, with Andre Heimgartner (30th) and Richie Stanaway (38th) both managing to make the cut. Stanaway has spent a lot of time enjoying the Gen3 on iRacing and was offering a lot of open lobbies to drivers during the week the cars launched back in December. This just goes to show how intense and compact the sim racing field has become.

Well with the overall times across the field of 45 being 1.3 seconds, and the gap from 11th to 45th being 0.6 seconds its very clear we have our closest qualifying field ever.

Hayden Veld made big gains on Night 3 to secure his spot in the Qualifying Series

With February comes the Qualifying series. 4 short weeks, 4 opportunities to book an automatic ticket into the big dance. We saw last year that one mistake was enough to eliminate a driver and shuffle them back down the order.

Will anyone among the 45 get desperate in a pursuit for glory? Can you afford to miss the Qualifying Series?

Racing kicks off from February 5th and the track that farewelled the Gen 2 from official series racing.
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is fast, flowing and requires discipline. The grass and the fence come up way too quick should you get in deep!

See you all in a few weeks!

Check out the full results from Pre Qualifying by clicking the botton below:

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by Scott Rankin

Round 7 of the 2023 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup takes us back to the USA for another thrilling ride around the Belle Isle park circuit.

The temporary street circuit, built on the Detroit River, Belle Isle, has hosted numerous racing series since opening for the first time in 1992. Series such as the IMSA sportscar championship & Indycar series have regularly featured on the 2.35 mile, 13-turn circuit through the years.

located on the picturesque island minutes from downtown Detroit, The digital replica created by iRacing of the 2.35 mile ( 3.782km) racing precinct highlights the surrounding landscape, most notably turns 9 through 10, featuring the all famous James Scott Memorial Fountain.

The racing surface at Belle Isle has a relatively unique layout, featuring a smooth concrete surface, along with new and old asphalt making up the 13 turn precinct. The multiple surface types challenges drivers as they discover where they can push the limits, push to hard & it’s easy to find one of the many concrete barriers that line the circuit.

Multiple surface types challenges drivers

Returning to Belle Isle for the first time since November 2022, drivers are set to tackle the 2.35 mile ( 3.782km) circuit on Wednesday the 9th of August for 2 x 28 lap sprint races featuring a compulsory pit stop in each race.

The grid will be determined by a 20 minute qualifying session, with progressive grids setting the grid for the second race of the evening.

Join us on the Australian Sim Racing Group YouTube channel from 7:30pm on the 9th of August to catch all the action from Round 7 of the Motorsports Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup at Belle Isle. Who will reign supreme?

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As we near the conclusion of the 2023 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup, teams and drivers are set to journey to Road America for the penultimate round of the championship.

Road America is a 6.515km circuit opened in September of 1955. The circuit consists of 14 high & low speed corners, providing the ultimate driving challenge for the Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup drivers.

One of the only permanent racing precincts retaining its original 14 corner configuration, Road America features many elevation changes, including the famous corner on the back stretch known as “the kink”.

Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup Drivers will tackle Road America for the first time in series history on the 25th of October with a 43 lap sprint race deciding the round winner. Qualifying will commence from 8pm AEST for a 20 minute qualification session setting the grid for the main event. Drivers are also expected to complete 2 compulsory pit stops over the 43 lap race distance.

Madison Down is your championship leader heading into Road America, 7 points clear of Synergy Sim Racing Driver James Scott, who will look to continue his strong form after his Bathurst 1000 win alongside Shane Van Gisbergen a month ago.

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As we near the halfway point of the 2023 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup, teams and drivers are set to journey to Road America for the first of back to back rounds set to be held in the United States.

Road America is a 6.515km circuit opened in September of 1955. The circuit consists of 14 high & low speed corners, providing the ultimate driving challenge for the Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup drivers.

One of the only permanent racing precincts retaining its original 14 corner configuration, Road America features many elevation changes, including the famous corner on the back stretch known as “the kink”.

Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup Drivers will tackle Road America for the first time in series history on the 7th of June in a 43 lap sprint race deciding the round winner. Qualifying will commence from 8pm AEST for a 20 minute qualification session setting the grid for the main event. Drivers are also expected to complete 2 compulsory pit stops over the 43 lap race distance.

James Scott is the championship leader heading into Road America, a career first race win at Spa-Francorchamps in round 3 setting the driver of the #088 Synergy Sim Racing Commodore up as a favourite to continue his winning ways at Road America.

Jake Burton sits only 16 points away from the championship lead, with Trans Tasman Racing stablemate Madison Down also hot on his heels in the race for the championship.

Jake Burton sits only 16 points away from the championship lead, with Trans Tasman Racing stablemate Madison Down also hot on his heels in the race for the championship.

Tune in on the 7th of June on the Australian Sim Racing Group YouTube channel as Australia’s best battle it out for supremacy in the 2023 Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup from Road America.
 
Full race details and Round 4 information can be found on the Road America Event Info page below:

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We said after Sebring that no one can recall a year that's started this way ever. I get a certain feeling deep in the pit of my stomach at the moment when I hear people mentioning the word’s “Race Control”, “Steward” and “penalty” currently and it's not why you might think.

Who can ever forget famous sporting moments that have ended in the hands of the officials? I think of the Aussie Cricket Team on the Ashes tour burning through reviews to dismiss a rampant Ben Stokes, only to have no reviews left when they had an opportunity. On field umpiring throughout the NRL season is an easy topic to get your footy fans talking. Then there’s the VAR and its both over and under usage in Premier League football in England.

There’s even the Lowndes v Murphy incident from Winton in 2003. Neil Crompton openly voiced his displeasure in the penalty given to Murphy. An interesting, iconic and important point in motor racing at the time.

Phillip Island brought up another race that ended in its own points of drama. Penalties to Brady Meyers and Jake Burton took away from what was a battle on track that saw Jarred Filsell handed race victory on the night, before that was overturned later in the week. There’s a lot that wasn’t seen by the viewer, nor the commentators on the night (yeah I got this one wrong). The angles we saw on broadcast didn’t tell the entire picture, nor did they show the relevant pieces of information to the stewards that lead to the penalties. That's commentary, that’s life, and I wanted to pass on a sincere apology for leading you all astray.

Jake Burton picked up the Round 2 victory

As someone who has done an appreciable amount of stewarding within the sim racing platform over the last 4 years the educational discussions that go on about stewarding are amazing. Last week I sat down with Peter Baxter and Mike Koroleff and we went over Rule sets, Stewarding Process and Procedures and a fair chunk more. The most important part of that discussion was the growth of the rules, context to why certain rulings have come about and the level of changes they have gone through to arrive at their current iteration. Its been immense, there’s a lot of minor changes to cover off holes done over such a long time that we are now at a level of the rules that are very consistent, reasonable to drive to and give us a high product of racing.

If you have 2 hours its an amazing chat and I rate it as the best discussion I’ve had about the sport ever. 

But Scott, if that's the case how come we have ended up in a situation where we’ve seen race impacting penalties at the finish 2/2 rounds this season?

If you find yourself asking something close to this question at this point then that's awesome. You’re a fan, you’re passionate and you care about a good outcome for the sport that supports an extremely high level of racing with a good product to the viewer.

The reason we’ve landed in this position is because we’re in a sport governed by millimetres across hundreds of kilometres. The Sebring accident was a mixture of a small amount of netcode meets the slightest amount of mistakes. It was a line ball incident.

The aftermath of the huge accident at the season opener in Sebring

Phillip Island was much the same. Meyers made contact in the entry of the corner when space wasn’t required to be left. Burton got further through the corner and the rulings changed from entry space to apex and exit. Rules change slightly at this point.

The racing was so close and hotly contested that contact was made. Mild contact that ran Filsell wide in both cases, but not enough to be off the track. Meyer’s wasn’t entitled to the room, hence a 5s penalty for not being far enough up at turn in. Burton was entitled to room and it was a line ball incident.

If this was NRL we’d be debating if there was downward controlled pressure on the ball. Was there a blade of white line grass touching the ball in the in-goal area. How long do you want to review it for?

If this was cricket, its easy, it was 100% an Umpire’s Call on the “struck in front of the stumps” and the “going on to hit stumps” sections of the DRS review. What was the call on field as its going to have to go to that. The entire cricketing world has opinions on the Umpire’s Call decision, but thats for another day and a different sporting world.

In the meantime I’ll be over here trying to come up with my best siren impression and see if I can get a few referee’s tricked into calling the game before the end.

COME ON REF, HE WAS HOLDING HIM SIR. THAT’S A CARD SURELY!!! IN THE BIN!!!

Whoops… Uh yeah… See you Wednesday night, hopefully this time the toes remain on the right side of the line!

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By Scott Rankin

I’ve had to do a little digging, and the reasoning might raise eyebrows a fraction. 

Road Atlanta is our next pitstop on the journey to crowning the first champion of the Gen 3 era, but this round marks only the circuit’s second main game race on the Logitech G Pro Invitational calendar from the four years of the series. A track with this much attitude nearly races like a mini Bathurst, and it feels like we should have raced here more!

Road Atlanta boasts a short circuit length at 4.08km and lap times just under 80 seconds! Packed into this are intensely loaded corners, narrow approaches, massive elevation change and the constant pivots in direction that make this circuit so special.

To give you a true picture of the amount of elevation change, the total for the lap is 236 meters. Bathurst has 174 meters in change from bottom to top, doubling that for 348 meters over the lap. This roughly means 56 meters of elevation change per kilometer at Bathurst, and 59 meters per kilometer at Road Atlanta. All of a sudden Darrell Waltrip's 2011 quip naming the mountain a “geological oddity” meant he must not have turned many laps of this adrenaline thrilled Hall County-based circuit!

The winding rollercoaster second sector of the lap at Road Atlanta

This one is about challenges. It’s a challenge to get the thing to settle, to stop, to pivot and to settle again. We’ve got a low-grip roller coaster on our hands where passing opportunities come at a premium.

How about that Super Sprint format? It's back, baby! Two races, two starts and twice the mayhem! Similar in style to the format from Detroit Belle Isle, pit stops will be required on fuel for the second race, with the amount required being almost equal to the time stationary for a tire stop! Fuel saving makes your race position worse in Race 2, not better!

The last visit to this circuit for the main championship was our season decider in 2023, which required James Scott to overcome a mountain of points to beat Madison Down to the title. His hopes would go out the window on Lap 1 with a mega start and dive to take the lead at the first corner, only to lose everything at the top of the hill with contact, banging doors with Ethan Grigg-Gault and skating wide.

Since then, Scott’s trajectory has been much the same as the elevation change from this circuit, bit of up, bit of down. Can this be the opportunity he needs to recapture a bit of that speed he’s been missing of late? Unfortunately for the Chiefs Esports Club, it’s an overall lack of pace in the car which seems to be their detriment

With this second iteration of the Super Sprint format in 2025, we will get our opportunity to decide if it's been a success or failure. 

Detroit gives me hope, however, that race required a little bit of assistance to become what it was. Could we see another Safety Car in this one?

Could the Logitech G Safety Car make an appearance again at Road Atlanta?

Split qualifying is back! With the lap not boasting a whole lot of room, especially to get out of the way, the grid orders for this round will be set with a 25 minute qualifying session prior to each race. These will be divided up by Race Control to ensure each half of the grid gets 10 minutes to set a lap time with — hopefully — minimal interruption.

Points for the round will be split across the two races, with 1/3 place points on offer in Race 1 and 2/3 in Race 2.

The fuel window to get home is going to open at the end of Lap 5, but in earnest from Lap 6. With a short fire, lap deg will be minimal at best and clear air will dominate the strategy. Lobs Esports have shown on multiple occasions their desire to stay out long, but it could be their downfall this week; overtaking opportunities at Detroit earlier in the season required Filsell to up the tempo against the aggressively defensive Down, and Road Atlanta feels like there is more chum in the water than that.

My predictions for the Georgian hills are that we don’t get a Safety Car, which triggers some in the mid pack to get into pitlane right on the window I discussed before. You’re just not going to get a better opportunity to overtake.

Gear up race fans, it’s going to be feisty in Georgia! Elbows out racing could lead to huge accidents at multiple points across the narrow and twisting circuit. See you all Wednesday!

Catch all the action live on Simspeed TV

Watch Here

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We’re back on the saddle! Just three weeks after Spa, and with Jerez to come before we see out July, it's the highest density point of the season. 10 weeks covered the first four rounds of the championship, but between the end of June to the end of July we get three races in five weeks.

Also of note is the critical juncture in the season; Road America marks the 6th round of the championship and the halfway mark in terms of race counts. With the True Force Endurance Cup covering Rounds 9 to 11, there is still plenty more action ahead when considering the remaining race distance too.

Road America marked the conclusion of the first half of last year's championship, but the headline on that occasion was a new lineup for Lobs Esports. Griffin Gardiner stood up on debut for the team and landed the car on pole position, but struggled to get the car rolling off the line before heavy contact with Marcello Rivera massively hampered both cars.

This year is going to be massively different, so let's get into the format and I can show you why.

Once again, Filsell dominates the stat charts here, and I wouldn’t doubt that to continue with the current mechanical prowess the Lobs Esports team continues to display. But – and this one’s a doozy – there’s a strong chance we see the wet tire at some point this time around.

This is the rain forecast for the afternoon of the race. Practice and qualifying don’t offer anything in the way of precipitation, but as the race commences in the afternoon, the chance of rain builds to a peak of 65% about two and a half hours into the race.

Importantly, this rain chance builds aggressively 15 minutes prior to the start of the race and maintains from there. Testing sessions appear to be showing moderate to heavy rain intensity.

After the extreme fuel limitations failed to generate a convincing split strategy at Spa, we return to the previous tank size of 93 Litres for this round. The tricky thing about the fuel is going to be the changeable conditions; reduced throttle percentage and progressive application as drivers deal with the puddles is going to swing that fuel number wildly! 

Speaking to some drivers, we’re seeing differences of up to 0.4 Litres per lap. That could mean stints are extended up to two laps longer in heavy wet conditions.

There’s also a chance some of the drivers may opt to leave a wet tire on and not go for a tyre change. This will be based on three factors:

1. Rain Intensity – Fresh tread blocks clear more water and bite harder into the track surface. With light rain, the outright challenge is reduced lap to lap, and there’s less of a concern for things like standing water and ridiculous amounts of spray. 
2. Upcoming strategy – Could we see a short stint before rain clears and see a transition to a dry tyre? If so, there might be a window to maximise the warmer tyre.
3. Cold tyre warmup phase – During initial testing on the iRacing Gen3 wet tyre, the car felt horrid before getting into its temperature window. If there is enough of a time loss in reaching that window, and it matches a hole in the weather and fuel, you might just take a quicker launch in a stint.

Could wet weather finally impact a V8PRO Race at Road America?

Primarily though, this all boils down to what the clouds have in store for us. Fuel range on full burn is looking like 16-17 laps, just shy of the halfway mark; with two compulsory pit stops in effect, drivers can’t just pit from here and get to the end. 

My thoughts are that drivers will opt to go light-on with fuel in the first pit stop to not only try and gain track position, but also have an easier-to-stop car. Alternatively, weight over the rear of the car can also help in generating traction, so it will be interesting to see if this is a consideration for race strategy.

Visibility is going to be a huge issue as well. Good thing we’ve got a lot more vision than the drivers to call it through in the commentary box!

Get set for the Logitech V8 Pro Invitational from the rain soaked Elkhart Lake this Wednesday night from 7.45pm AEST - see you there!

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by Scott Rankin

After the excitement of the opening round at Sebring the Logotech G Pro Invitational Series heads to Benalla in North Eastern Victoria where the teams will line up on the grid at Winton Raceway.

Winton has a rich history with Supercars, recently holding the latest round of the Recpo Supercars Series. The 12 turn, three kilometer layout will be the most difficult track of the season to make passes, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be action. A new track to the iRacing service, this will be the first major test of the circuit where the leading 40 drivers in Australia will tackle the challenge head on.

Round one race winner, Brady Meyers only led the Sebring race for about 100 metres, but it was the most important 100 metres of the series so far. From the 44-lap thriller at Sebring, we this time have two 32 lap sprint races ahead, both with a compulsory pitstop.

The shorter lap time and tighter layout makes the timing of the pitstop even more vital. The undercut is significant here for track position. Do it too early, and you will be held up in the pack, stop too late, and you could drop positions to those that may have stayed out of traffic. Tyre life is crucial. They should hang in there in weather that is expected to be a cool, but mostly sunny 18 degrees.

It is a track where qualifying is king, and who would be better prepared to qualify at the front than Boost Mobile Racings Jarrad Fillsell. Pole winner in race one, Jarrad and Jake Burton were the class of the field. However through their tight battling they allowed the TTR cars back into the fight where they were able to capitalise on the fuel drama of Burton and late mistake by the number 94.

But do you want to lead? Do you want to be the pioneer where the pack stays with you and pits first to get the undercut, does the leader take that risk or does he react to what the chasing pack are doing.

Also watch for Madison Down, a non starter in race one due to technical reasons, Madison will be keen to establish himself in the series by maxmising every race from here on to somehow get himself back into the championship.

There are so many drivers in this field that have raced here in their race cars, notably Madison, Jake and Jackson Sousin Harlow have had real life experience in a Supercar in testing whilst ERT’s Ethan Grigg Gault had recent success with a dominant win in his Hyundai Excel in a strong field last month. As recent as the past weekend, Josh Anderson was heavily involved in the Aussie Racing cars series.

And of course, Brodie Kosteki fresh of his run in the Erebus Motorsport ZB.

What about the local driver, Blake Worboys. Our driver of the day winner from Round one used to live just up the Hume Highway from the track where he has been many times.

Could there be a winner from elsewhere? Could there a surprise on the podium?

One thing we know, the pressure will be intense, and the action will come thick and fast.

A safety car will be a real chance here. Remarkably, after 44 laps of no safety car racing the top five finished within half a second of each other. Whilst it is unlikely to happen again, you can be sure that the winning margin will be close.

Who will come out on top, who will assert their dominance, who will be the winner of the Winton Super Sprints?

Be here from 7:40 AEST on the 1st of June to get front row seats in what is already the most exciting championship in the country.

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