The final five laps went against every instinct Sage Karam has developed in his career in the NTT IndyCar Series.
Less throttle, slower laps, pressing the clutch and watching lapped cars drive away. But it all paid off in the end. The Coanda Sim Sport driver managed an astonishing 28 laps on the final fuel stint and held off a hard-charging Adam Blocker to win the Minus 273 Grand Prix of Barber Thursday night. It was Karam’s league-leading third win of 2019 in the Lionheart Retro Series presented by ButtKicker. “I did 28 laps that last stint, I had to make up three or four laps,” Karam said. “I had to commit pretty early to push that fuel saving. Definitely a tough race, but we had to do what we had to do and thankfully I knew how to save fuel at the right times and got it done.” Karam paced Blocker, the defending series champion making his season debut, over the opening stint of what many expected to be a two stop race. That seemed even more true when Karam hit pit road coming to lap 26 in the 53 lap event. But it was soon evident Blocker would be able to make the race on one stop - especially after serving a drive-through penalty with no service allowed for avoidable contact, a penalty resulting from contact while lapping Cody Edlred in the final two corners on lap 20. When Blocker exited his fuel stop on lap 27 still within 20 seconds of Karam, despite making contact with the wall on pit entry, Karam knew he had to find a way to make it to the end or give up the win to the champion. Karam spent the final five laps pushing in the clutch in nearly every corner, gliding the car through the first section of the track and keeping an eye on Blocker as the Clemson student closed the gap to less than three seconds on the final lap. “You can make a lot of mistakes when you’re trying to fuel save,” Karam said. “I’ve never had to push in the clutch. There were a few times where I’d go down into turn three and let out the clutch and it would try to spin on me and that was difficult.” Karam ran out of fuel as the car crossed the finish line. Blocker was adamant he had the fuel to make it even without the penalty, pushing to the max over the final 5 laps to try and catch Karam or force a mistake. “That penalty didn’t help me at all,” Blocker said. “I was going to be able to go 26 laps no matter what...I thought I had a good shot at it. I actually saved too much fuel. Had I started pushing three or four laps earlier, maybe I could’ve got to him. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to pass him, but it was fun.” While Blocker didn’t disagree that his contact with Eldred was a bit forced, he did say he felt Eldred did a poor job of letting the leaders around in an already difficult section. “He did something really awkward,” Blocker said. “You either have to let someone go middle of the corner or on the straight. I got into him, but we both got out of it fine with no damage.” Series points leader Ryan Otis also found himself in an intense battle over the final 10 laps, battling a heavily damaged car - the result of also catching the wall during his sole pit stop - and holding off rookie George Sandman by .317 seconds at the stripe. “I had about 40 seconds of optional repairs that I didn’t take after that mistake,” Otis said. “I was struggling with the car after that. George was faster, but I knew it would be hard to pass. This is a difficult place to pass.” Aaron Morgan continued his strong run of late with a fifth place finish, passing an out of fuel J.P. Windschitl by inches at the finish. 25 of the 31 starters finished the race. Eight cars finished on the lead lap. James Paulson and David Altman both retired after big incidents, the only two major crashes in the event. Otis now leads Karam by 91 points. Dustin Wardlow, who finished 10th after needing a second fuel stop, is 24 points behind Karam in third. The Lionheart Retro Series presented by ButtKicker takes a month off to prepare for its biggest race of the season. The ButtKicker Indy 250 is scheduled for Thursday, August 29 at 10:35 p.m. EST. Defending race winner Alex Saunders and Blocker have both indicated their intentions of running, adding to the already strong field. The race can be seen live on the iRacing eSports Network with Global SimRacing Channel producing the action.
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New Hampshire Motor Speedway might as well be renamed Candyland. Dustin Wardlow took the lead with 20 laps to go and held off early race favorite Marc Cohn to win the Tower Rentals 175 Thursday night. It was the second consecutive win for Wardlow at NHMS in the Lionheart Retro Series presented by ButtKicker. “Cross your fingers and stay off the wall,” Wardlow joked when asked why he’s been so good at the Magic Mile. “I don’t know, but I’m liking it, whatever it is.” Known as the Candy Man - after his longtime sponsor Dewar’s Candy - the Bakersfield, Calif. driver spent most of the race chasing Cohn, who led a race-high 118 laps from the pole. But after green flag stops, and while battling back through off-strategy cars, Wardlow took advantage of Cohn’s mistake exiting turn two and rocketed past on lap 138. Wardlow inherited the lead when the caution flew with 21 laps remaining and the leaders hit pit lane for fuel. “That whole race was about trying to stay within half a second,” Wardlow said. “And then everything just kinda broke my way again with the traffic.” Cohn couldn’t help but feel dejected despite his second-place finish and strong points night. “I did everything I could with lapped traffic,” Cohn said. “I got held up for a while and it was costing me time, I made a mistake forcing the move and went high and that ultimately cost me the lead. Driver error.” Big Joe Hassert sliced his way through the field over the final 40 laps, moving up from outside the top five to the podium in the final 40 laps. “I got a little happy on the loud pedal (on the final restart),” Hassert said. “I tried to time out Dustin and swung and missed. All the sudden, there was Aaron. It was a good battle.” Aaron Morgan and Scott Holmes rounded out the top five. The race saw the caution flag fly seven times for 25 laps, including the final yellow with three laps remaining. The race-ending wreck had major championship implications. Ryan Otis, the points leader and on a run of seven consecutive top five finishes, went tumbling down the front straight after Holmes pushed up the track and into him in a battle for fifth. Otis finished 19th, his worst effort of the season. As a result, the championship battle tightened up. Otis leads Wardlow by 100 points. Sage Karam, who missed the event while racing in the NTT IndyCar Series event in Toronto, sits third, just four points behind Wardlow. Cohn jumped up to fourth, another five behind Karam. The Lionheart Retro Series presented by ButtKicker heads back to the road and a doubleheader week with its sister series, the Lionheart IndyCar Series presented by First Medical Equipment, in the rolling hills of Alabama. The Minus 273 Grand Prix of Barber is scheduled for Thursday, July 25 and can be seen live on the iRacing eSports Network at 10:35 p.m. EST, with Global SimRacing Channel on the call. After a gripping finish last time out at New Hampshire, the Lionheart Retro Series roars back into action this week for the Minus 273 Grand Prix of Barber. Minus 273 are the makers of some of the finest karting gloves. If you want to look as good as you drive, you are going to want a pair of Minus 273 gloves when you hit the track.
Last time out at New Hampshire, it was a new year, but a familiar result. 2 years in a row, a driver not named Dustin Wardlow lead the most laps, and, for a second year in a row, Dustin Wardlow took the lead in the waning moments of the race to steal a win. This year it was Marc Cohn who fell victim to Wardlow’s New Hampshire wizardry. Cohn, won the pole, lead the most laps, and had the fastest lap of the race, but ultimately had to settle for 2nd place. Big Joe Hassert finished 3rd, while Aaron Morgan and Scott Holmes has season high finishes in 4th and 5th respectively. With points leader Ryan Otis finishing 2 laps down in 19th and Sage Karam missing the race for real life driving duties, Dustin Wardlow improves to 2nd place in the championship exactly 100 points behind Ryan Otis, With Karam, Cohn and Travis Jegerlehner all within shouting distance of the Candyman. Now the league travels to Barber. A twisty, undulating road course near Birmingham Alabama, the Barber Motosports Park presents a tough challenge for the L79 drivers. With many of the corner exits off camber, the already difficult Cosworth power curve will present an even greater challenge for these drivers. A light tough and great car control could be what wins the day here. So far, the 2 cars to beat are Ryan Otis and Sage Karam on the road courses. They have dominated so far, but with Karam’s status for this week’s race uncertain with his continuing IndyCar commitments, Otis is the prohibitive favourite going into the race. If there is one driver who could potentially challenge Otis, it is Dave Oisin Walsh. Walsh was leading at the last road course at Imola before making a mistake and ceding the lead to Otis. George Sandman is another driver never to be counted out. While the oval tracks haven’t exactly been kind to Sandman so far this year, the road courses are where he can really stretch his legs and put up a good fight. On the rookie side of thinfs, 2 drivers making a run up the standings are Dean “Mardi-Gras” Moll and Paul Jenkins. Both have been quietly consistent over the last several races, and that consistency has been rewarded in the standings. In the team standings, there are no changes as Raven Motorsports Black continues to lead over NLR Sim Racing by 155 points. Tune in on Thursday, July 25th at 10:35pm eastern for the Minus 273 Grand Prix of Barber, only on the iRacing eSports Network presented by GSRC. The Lotus 79 is a revolutionary Formula 1 car the Lionheart Retro Series has been using to re-create the glories of 1980’s IndyCar action. For one night, however, the L79 is going back to it’s roots as the Lionheart Retro Series invades Italy for the Sam Maxwell Customs Grand Prix of Imola.
Last time out at Pocono it was George Sandman breaking through for his first Lionheart win in either series. That it came on the big oval at Pocono was a surprise to many, given Sandman’s road course prowess. But Sandman out-duel veteran Ryan Otis to win by a scant 0.03 seconds in a thrilling finish. Sage Karam shook off his recent heartbreaks with a bounce back 3rd place, while Lionel Calisto and Chris Lanini also had solid race to round out the top 5. In the points, Otis maintains is spot atop the points over Sandman and Karam, but, after 7 race, the points are still wide open. The Imola circuit has changed in the years since the L79 last ran in anger around the circuit. Tamburello and Villenueve has been replaced by chicanes, Aqua Minerale has been reconfigured and the Variente Bassa chicane has been straightened out. But the essence of the track remains. Fast straights, large elevation changes and tough breaking zones. This race will be a race of car control, where theer will be no room for error. For those expecting the results to look very different on the road course at Imola, you have not been watching the series this season. Sandman, Otis, and Karam have shown that they are bound to be at the top of any race on a road course. Other drivers to watch out for this week include Mac Cohn, Dustin Wardlow, and Chad Dalron, all 3 of which have shown speed on the road courses thus far. In the team standings Raven Motorsports Black maintained their lead over NLR sim racing. Firefly Racing moved into 3rd position over Raven Motorsports Silver, while Ridin’ Shotgun Motorsports moved up to 5th on the back of Calisto’s top 5. The rookie standings are a close match between Karam and Sandman who are separated by just 5 points. Marc Cohn is 40 points back of Karam with Paul Jenkins and Dean Moll close behind as well. Tune in on Thursday June 27th at 10:35pm eastern for all the action from the Sam Maxwell Customs Grand Prix of Imola, only on the iRacing eSports Network present by GSRC. Enter Sandman. The Lionheart Retro Series presented by ButtKicker rookie proved he’s not just a road course ace, leading the final six laps and surviving a green-white-checkers dash to the finish to win the Pocono 250 presented by the DMLC Racing Channel Thursday night Sandman held off series veteran Ryan Otis in a drag race to the finish, capturing his first win by .030 seconds. “This isn’t a true oval, it drives a lot like a road course,” said Sandman, who has shown his chops on tracks that turn both left and right this year. “I think that helped tonight.” Sandman got a great jump on Otis and IndyCar star Sage Karam on the final restart. Otis made a run into turn one on the final lap, nosing ahead on the outside. But Sandman held the prefered line down low and held off Otis until the duo came off the final corner. Otis tucked in and popped out at the last second, trying to draft past for the win, but ran out of track. “That was pretty fun,” Otis said. “I wanted to be on the high side and just barely came up short. That was good fun to the end.” Sandman enjoyed the final shootout. “I knew that if I could get out in clean air, I was much faster,” Sandman said. “I just wanted to hold the inside. If they could get me on the outside then so be it.” Karam had to settle for third, unable to get a run around either of the two leaders as the pair battled side-by-side. “I didn’t expect to finish to be honest with you,” said Karam, who battled from 29th to the podium. “My first lap on the track in this car was in qualifying. I was just happy to finish.” Lionel Calisto and Chris Lanini rounded out the top five. Otis, Sandman and Karam opened up a further gap in the standings and firmly established themselves as the trio to beat in Retro action. Otis leads Sandman by 52 points, with Karam in third, 57 out of the lead. Pocono pole winner and race sponsor Marc Cohn is fourth, another 40 back of Karam, after finishing 12th in the race following the final crash of the race. Chris Lanini moved up seven spots to fifth in the standings. The race was slowed by 9 cautions for 26 laps, including the final wreck on lap 94. Cohn and Dean Moll collided in turn one while battling for the lead. Cohn pushed up in front of Moll, who couldn’t lift in time. Moll’s car flipped to the infield, ending his race. Cohn limped his car home a disappointing 12th. The Lionheart Retro Series presented by ButtKicker hits the road for its next race, the Sam Maxwell Customs Grand Prix of Imola. The race can be seen live on the iRacing eSports Network with Global SimRacing Channel producing the action, at 10:35 p.m. EST on Thursday, June 27. Deep in the Lehigh lies the strangest oval in America. 3 unique turns form this triangular race track, and one of the trickiest cars the Lotus 79, takes on iRacing’s trickiest track as the Lionheart Retro Series roars into Pennsylvania for the Pocono 250 presented by the DMLC Racing Channel.
Last time out at Gateway, it was Marc Cohn snatching his 2nd Retro victory of the season, as he fended off Dustin Wardlow over the closing stages of the race. Justin Kirby had a strong showing in 3rd while Mike Rigney and Ryan Otis rounded out the top 5. Cohn’s victory saw him vault up 8 positions into 4th overall in the standings, announcing Cohn’s candidacy for not just rookie of the year honors, but a legitimate shot at the overall championship. Otis remains the point leader, stretching the gap over 2nd place Sage Karam to 50 points a third of the way through the season. George Sandman has had a quietly consistent season going to sit 3rd in the standings, 7 back of Karam. If there is one thing that this Retro season has taught us, it is to expect the unexpected. 32 different drivers have finished inside the top 10 at least once through the first 6 races. The only constant among those drivers…that’s right it is championship leader Ryan Otis, who has 5 top 5’s in 6 races. Otis has managed to avoid the carnage the best of all the drivers so far this season, and with a difficult race ahead, that ability to bring the car home will be key. Sage Karam has had back to back poor finishes with DNF’s at the egg shaped Motegi and Gateway Ovals. That stretch of the schedule is behind us however, so will Karam’s form also rebound? After a rough debut, Chad Dalton has strung together some strong finishes of late, finding himself 5th overall in points. Will Dalton be the next driver to step up and conquer a Lionheart series race? If consistency is what you are looking for, however, look no further then series veteran Travis Jegerlehner. Jegerlehner has finished no worse than 20th through 6 races, which is the best worst finish of anyone. Unfortunately, with a best finish of 9th, Travis is not as far up the standings as we are accustomed to seeing. One thing we do know, however is that Jegerlehner is fast, and it is only a matter of time before he is contesting for wins again. Will it be this Thursday at Pocono? In the team standings, Raven Motorsports Black extended their lead over NLR Sim Racing to 102. Interestingly, NLR has 3 of the 6 wins this season, but it is Raven with the consistent finishes putting them out front. In the rookie standings, Karam maintains a slim lead over Sandman, Cohn and Dalton. The Rookie of the Year title always produces great finishes, and this year is shaping up to be no different. Who will reign supreme at the trickiest triangle in America? Tune in on Thursday June 13th at 10:35pm eastern to find out, only on the iRacing eSports Network presented by GSRC. A new championship contender has officially arrived.
Two weeks after securing his first career victory in the Lionheart Retro Series presented by ButtKicker, Marc Cohn backed it up with a thrilling win over league veteran Dustin Wardlow in the Sinbad Vapors 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park. The pair were wheel-to-wheel when the final caution came out with two laps remaining, with Cohn roughly a half-car length ahead. “Oh my gosh, thank you to Dustin,” Cohn said after jumping out of the virtual Lotus L79. “That was some of the best racing I’ve had in a long time.” Cohn and Wardlow battled throughout the final stint in the event, swapping the lead on several occasions. “I have no idea how I got in front of him,” Cohn said. “I was struggling so much on the bottom. I thought it was going to end up being a photo finish to the line.” Wardlow appeared poised to break through for his first win of 2019, after being wrecked out of the top five in three consecutive events. But the Raven Motorsports driver had to settle for second as the final yellow flew for a wreck in turn four, when David Altman spun and collected two others. “After the season I’ve had thus far, I’m totally thrilled with this,” said Wardlow, who led a race-high 49 laps. “Marc ran a really good, clean, hard race and that’s all anyone is asking for.” Justin Kirby came home with a somewhat controversial third place finish, after contact with Joe Hassert on lap 141 sent the Motegi winner flying into the wall in turn two. “I feel terrible about that,” Kirby said. “I thought it was a racing deal but I still feel bad about it. “Hopefully we can keep running up front though. It was fun.” Kirby was not penalized after race control ruled the duo made corresponding moves towards each other. Points leader Ryan Otis came home fourth, with Mike Rigney completing the top five. The race was slowed by eleven cautions for 40 laps, and the action started early. Lionel Calisto didn’t make it out of turn two on the opening lap, after starting at the rear of the field. Calisto attempted to pass the slower Robert Blouin on the outside, but cut it too close and contact sent the man they call Little Train careening off the wall. Sage Karam entered the race looking to rebound from an early crash at Motegi and reclaim the points lead, but contact with the wall exiting turn two led to a spin and Ken Hacker could not miss the wreck. Both drivers retired after just 28 laps. Karam maintained second in points, 50 back of Otis. George Sandman sits third, with Cohn up eight spots to the fourth position in points, 73 out of the lead. The Lionheart Retro Series presented by ButtKicker now gets a month break, before gearing up for the first Triple Crown event of the year. The Pocono 250 presented by DMLC Racing Channel is scheduled for Thursday, June 13. The broadcast is set to begin at 10:35 p.m. EST on the iRacing eSports Network, with Global SimRacing Channel handling production. The drought is over. Big Joe Hassert returned to victory lane for the first time since 2017, edging Dean Moll to the finish in the SimXperience 175 at Twin Ring Motegi.
It was the first win for Hassert since the Lionheart Retro Series presented by ButtKicker season finale at Auto Club Speedway in November of 2017. “It’s been way too long,” Hassert said. “It was a tough one, holy cow. I was on the edge of my seat.” Hassert led a race-high 26 laps and recaptured the lead for the final time on a restart with six laps to go. “I hope I lived up to my name tonight,” said Hassert, whose self-appointed moniker ‘The Big Joe Show’ has long indicated moments of spectacular passing on oval tracks. “I was able to - I don’t know how, I was sideways a few times - I was able to get to the front in three and four. I made sure I had the lane I wanted in three. It was a tough one.” Moll had a career night, leading 18 laps. But he was unable to hold off the determined and experience Hassert on the final restart. “That was an intense race,” Moll said. “Congrats to Joe on the win. Hopefully we put on a good show. It was entertaining in the car. I had the situation I wanted. I wanted the inside in three and Joe just stuck it on the outside and made it work.” Taft Baldwin continued his stellar rookie campaign with a third place finish. Baldwin led 19 laps and dominated a stretch along with teammate Lionel Calisto, who wrecked out late in the race. “I was about half a car width from taking the lead and Joe took my line going into three,” Baldwin said. “Joe knew what I was doing and took the line from me. It was a lot of fun.” Points leader Ryan Otis and Paul Jenkins rounded out the top five. 10 drivers officially exchanged the lead 27 times, with numerous more passes up front throughout the race, in what turned into an action-packed battle. The lead pack routinely raced three and four wide down the back straight. Eight cautions slowed the race for 32 laps, and the calamity started early. Points leader Sage Karam caught the wall on lap six as the pack exited the final turn. Miraculously, only four other cars were involved. ISM Raceway winner Marc Cohn was unable to avoid Karam, ending the race for both drivers. Dustin Wardlow was turned around but somehow missed the wall. The spin, however, relegated a strong Wardlow to the back of the pack. Wardlow was able to battle all the way back to second, behind Stefan Schlacher - who used fuel strategy to get out front - but with two laps left in the tank, the light L79 caught went around entering turn three. Wardlow had nowhere to go, in a wreck mirroring one at ISM Raceway one week earlier. The multi-time Retro race winner was left to wonder what might have been for a second consecutive race. Joshua Gayman, Chris Lanini, Pat Dotson and others were also involved. The final caution came with eleven laps remaining, when David Altman drifted up into Calisto. Jorge Anzaldo was on the outside of a three-wide battle, and all three cars careened into the wall in turn three. Otis catapulted over Karam into the points lead. The pair are separated by 14 points. George Sandman is third, 38 points out of the lead. The Lionheart Retro Series presented by ButtKicker heads to Gateway Motorsports Park Thursday night for the Sinbad Vapors 200. The race can be seen live on the iRacing eSports Network with presentation by Global SimRacing Channel at 10:35 p.m. EST. The tracks may look very similar, but they couldn’t be more different in how they drive. Last week, the Lionheart Retro Series was at Motegi; an egg-shaped oval, where a thrilling finish saw Big Joe Hassert hold off a charging Dean Moll for the win. This week the are at the also egg-shaped Gateway Motorsports Park for the Sinbad Vapors 200.
The two tracks however, similar the track map might look, are very different. Gateway is smaller, narrower, tighter and bumpier. Where last week saw 3 for 4 and even 5 wide moments. This week anything more then 2 wide will be a crowd. The track is also flipped in comparison to Motegi. Turns 1 and 2 are the tight ones here, meaning that drivers have a long flat-out section between the exit of turn 2 and the finish line where they will be going flat out to try and beat their opponent to the line. The banking to is less pronounced, especially in turns 3 and 4. The driver who wins this one will be the driver who matches patience with aggression and opportunism. It won’t be easy. Last week Joe Hassert made the last few laps lot a lot easier than they were in reality. Dean Moll, Taft Baldwin, Ryan Otis and Paul Jenkins all tried, but none could get by the veteran Lionheart driver, as Hassert captured his first win in any Lionheart series since 2017. Moll made it close at the line, but ultimately had to settle for 2nd while Baldwin managed to get around Otis for 3rd. Both Hassert and Moll moved up 10 spots in the championship into 7th and 8th respectively, and both will be looking to continue that momentum. Despite missing the podium, Otis managed to take over the championship lead from Sage Karam as the Coanda SimSport driver had another rough race, this time of his own doing. Karam pushed wide coming out of 4 and caught the wall, spinning back into traffic and collecting a number of drivers including the previous rounds winner Marc Cohn. Dustin Wardlow was caught by a spinning car while running up front for the 2nd week in a row. All 3 drivers will be looking to bounce back at Gateway. George Sandman had a quietly consistent run at Motegi, and found himself 6th when all the dust settled. This performance saw the road course veteran tighten his hold on 3rd in the championship. With more consistent finishes like this on ovals, neither Otis nor Karam should discount Sandman’s push towards the championship. Newcomers Taft Baldwin and Chad Dalton are 2 rookies who have really shown some speed this season. Baldwin already has a poll, while Dalton has shown himself to be adept at driving through the field. These are 2 rookies to keep an eye on. Speaking of rookies, this season saw a record number of rookies take the grid, and it shows in the results column. 31 of 45 drivers have already recorded at least 1 top 10 this season through 5 races. These races are truly anybody’s to win, and although a few drivers have run consistently at the front, no one has finished consistently there yet. We have a long way to go, and everything still to race for this season. The Sinbad Vapours 200 will fire off this Thursday, May 16th, 2019 at 10:35pm eastern. Tune in to the iRacing eSports Network presented by GSRC to catch all the action. Timing was everything at ISM Raceway last Thursday for the Sam Maxwell Customs 175. When to push? When to lay back? When to pit? For Marc “the Watchman” Cohn, the timing was perfect, as the rookie scored his first Lionheart Retro Series win. Cohn even picked the perfect race to win, as his personal sponsor, Sam Maxwell Customs, was also the title sponsor of the event. The moment was not lost on Cohn: “To win at Sam’s race, when Sam has done so much for me, I’m just trying not to cry right now, because this is the pinnacle of my racing career.”
Cohn came steadily through the field from an 8th starting spot, and was in just the right position when leader Dylan McKenna spun on lap 146 entering turn 1. Collected McKenna’s wreck were 2 of the fastest cars on the day in Dustin Wardlow and Sage Karam. Cohn, running just behind the pair was able to squeak through and inherited the lead. “Honestly I don’t know (how I got through that wreck) because I had been trying for laps and laps to try and get by Dustin and Sage.” But get through he did, and from there it was a matter of playing defence as Cohn managed to keep the cars David Altman and Ryan Otis at bay. The win saw Cohn rise a whopping 15 spots in the championship standings to 7th place. Otis meanwhile cut Karam’s lead in half to just 20 points. Rounding out the top 5 were solid drivers from Dean Moll and Chad Dalton. Dalton especially had a solid drive from 23rd on the starting grid, and is the main reason the iRacing Today Motorports driver finds himself 4th in points behind Karam, Otis and George Sandman. In the team championship, Firefly Motorports, lead by strong finishes from David Altman and Frank Bieser carried the day with 117 points, 3 points better than NLR Sim Racing lead by race winner Marc Cohn. Overall, Raven Motorsports Black still leads the way by 85 points over NLR, but they can’t afford to many stumbles. This was a race of attrition as only 11 of 33 starters finished on the lead lap. It started off with an unfortunate netcode incident involving series founder Jorge Anzaldo and ended with a caution involving Joshua Gayman and George Sandman. Between those 2 events 11 cautions slowed the race for 43 laps. If the drivers are hoping for relief however, the schedule makers at Lionheart have other ideas, as the series travels to Japan for their annual visit to Twin Ring Motegi, which is famous for it’s 4-wide action down the straights at speeds approaching 180mph. Tune in this Thursday, May 9th, 2019 for the SimXperience 175 from Twin Ring Moteig, only on the iRacing eSports Network presented by GSRC. |
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