Evolution Sim Racing: Insanity At The Spa 1hr Special Event...

It's been a wild old month.

Since July 27th, my life has gone a little bit... haywire.

Thursday July 27th, 2023

After 2 enthralling races at Silverstone and Brands Hatch, Round 3 of the Evolution Sim Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Challenge League...Series headed to Spa for a very Special 1-Hour night-race.

It was a star-studded cast: The Kabort Duo of Robin Truswell and Richard Fleuty, the other Robin of Robin Aston and special guest William Hunt all present and racing - but which of the three would make out of the dark forest alive?

Qualifying

With the 45-minute practice session done and dusted - qualifying kicked off - this was where it really mattered - qualify well and you might escape the "meat-grinder" of the mid-pack - qualify poorly? You've got a long night ahead of you.

By the end of the 30-minute session, the grid had been set for 1 hour of chaos.

Rhys Saunders had put it on pole with a 2:17.371. Joining him on the front row was Aurimas Zilinskas with a 2:17.712

William Hunt would be the fastest of "our group" putting in an impressive 2:19.035 to qualify 16th. (8th row)

I'd be next, a fair few rows behind in 21st (2:19.521) (11th row)

Coincidentally, Fleuty and Aston would round up our little group, sharing the 13th row in 25th and 26th out of a 36-strong field

The Race 36 cars. Eau Rouge/Radillion as Turn 1. Complete darkness. A WIDE variety in skill-level - What could possibly go wrong?

Surprisingly little, it turned out! Aside from one driver jumping the start, 34/36 managed to get around the first two corners safely - two cars in the mid-pack (predictably) coming together half way up Radillion - half a field of cars doing a phenomenal job to avoid them both as they spun sideways up Radillion.

I personally (accidentally) ran deep into Radillion - which kept me out of harm's way anyway.

Despite getting a slow-down - I was back up to racing-speed by the end of the Kemmel straight - although Fleuty did manage to nip past.

Through all the start chaos, I only lost one position from Fleuty - losing three positions off the line, but regaining two from the spinners up Radillion, and a further one from a driver directly behind these two.

Later on in the lap, the two drivers directly ahead of Hunt tangled on the exit of Bruxelles - William having nowhere to go but into the side of the spinning car ahead - losing him 12 positions - he had a long night ahead of him. Myself, Fleuty and Aston were among those 12.

Not a corner later, the two cars ahead of myself and Fleuty touched, giving us a further position.

Will wasn't hanging around though - and already dropped this down to 10 positions lost as he overtook the car that spun ahead of him - and car that spun at Speakers (ahead of myself and Fleuty)

Heading into Blanchimont, it was:

Fleuty - 18th

Truswell - 19th

Sarackardesler - 20th

Aston - 21st

Hunt - 25th

Sarackardesler tried to get around the outside of me at Blanchimont -

being so early in the race, I let him have it - Aston flew past too, although he flew off wide before Kostric behind shot through the gap between myself and Aston -

Heading into the Bus Stop Chicane, myself and Aston were side by side - but both made two positions as two further cars went off at the Bus-Stop Chicane.

By the start of the second lap, it was

FLE - 16th (Sarackardesler)

(Kostric)

AST - 19th

TRU - 20th

HUN - 21st

I had no clue we would all be this close together.

William would make quick work of me heading into Les Coombes as Sarackardesler and Kostric would do the same up ahead.

As Fleuty and Kostric dissapeared up ahead - Sarackardesler, Hunt, Aston and myself would all get deep in an intense fight.

Hunt would spend countless laps fighting Aston, I'd get stuck behind Sarackardesler.

By the end of lap 3, Fleuty and Kostric would catch the gaggle up ahead (10th - 16th) and would start making positions on them - less than a lap later, Will and Robin (Aston) would also catch this gaggle, (by this point 12th - 19th) Aston sadly spinning at the end of Lap 4 at the exit of bus stop.

Starting Lap 5, our positions were:

FLE - 14th (From 25th)

HUN - 19th (From 27th after spin)

TRU - 22nd (From 21st)

AST - DNF (From 26th)

The following lap, Fleuty had a bit of a nightmare and lost four positions from faster cars - Hunt being the last of this, picking up 17th from Fleuty.

On Lap 5, I made two positions on drivers serving slow-down penalties, but (ironically) got caught out in the braking zone by Sarackardesler (driving slowly), went deep into Les Coombes and Sarackardesler slipped by - I had to try to pass Sarackardesler all over again.

Lap 6 was a good one - returning to my start position (21st), and passing Sarackardesler down the Kemmel straight using a great run out of Radillion.

This was undone by the end of the lap as Sarackardesler "Sent it" at the Bus Stop chicane and got the move done.

Finally, on Lap 9, I got the move on the exit of Stavelot, heading down the straight towards Blanchimont and made it stick through Bus Stop.

Elsewhere on track, Will was making some great progress, jumping from 17th to 14th between laps 8 & 9 (with the help of two drivers going off at Pouhon and La Source).

Behind Will, Fleuty was keeping things consistent - briefly losing two positions after going deep at the Bus Stop, but making one up from another driver at La Source.

7 Seconds behind Fleuty, was myself sitting in 20th after managing to "nail" Sarackardesler.

By Lap 11, the retirements were:

36th - Charles (L3)

35th - Coleman (L7)

34th - Pallot (L7) - (Only 6 Laps Completed)

33rd - Mcconachie (L11)

32nd - Aston (L14)

On Lap 11, the leader at the time, Harper, dived into the pits - officially opening the pit-window, Glass in 7th and Parkinson in 16th following him in.

Fleuty would be the first of our group to pit - diving in on Lap 12 - I still had a few more laps of fuel left in my tank.

William would dive in on Lap 13 - myself following him not too far behind - from 8th, Will's strategy would put him 2nd as he crossed the start/finish line in the pit-lane, I'd cross the line in 6th (was in a cluster of 3rd/4th/5th on my in-lap).

With the pit-stop cycle complete, here's where we all lined up:

HUN - 15th (From 16th)

TRU - 18th (From 21st)

FLE - 31st (From 25th) Speeding In Pits - Drive Through

From here, there wouldn't be all too much progress from us - in the last half of the race (14-ish laps), myself and Will would only gain one further position - Will finishing 14th, myself 17th, and Fleuty remaining 31st, unfortunately also being lapped. Fleuty would finish last of the runners ahead of Aston.

It was a wild old race and in the end, I finished 5th in class - my best result of the season - I don't quite know where I lined up in the championship post-Spa, but I had a blast and that was the main important thing!