David Holzwarth
11-02-2009, 02:53 PM
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Sunday night was the iRSRL's first practice race getting the season of iRacing.com's Hosted racing under way. The iRacers Serious Racers League featured drivers from many different groups coming together for some great racing. Guys from leagues like Ron Costins CRSOL, Randy Tessars RSRL (RaceServers Race League), American Sim Racing League, HAL, and JRL just to name a few. The race had 20 drivers show to see how they would fair in one of the first newly formed series in the iRSRL.
Michael Johnson made the best of his qualifying effort putting his car on pole for the event. His car was so fast that it got impounded and didn't make it through technical inspection in time to make the race and he ended up starting at a dis-advantage from the pits. The eighty lap race was off and running lap one, lap two, no incidents. Entering T1 on lap three the car driven by David Kurey would drift up a bit and make slight contact with Mike Grandy. No harm no foul and everyone kept racing with out caution. The race would continue green and drivers started communicating with their crew chiefs around lap 27 to see how things were going. Terry McCuin brushed the wall while talking with his car chief and making plans for an early stop. By the time drivers got to lap 40 cars were strung out a bit due to differing pit strategy. It was around this time that Dan Williams made light contact with pole sitter Johnson. Lap 45 with the handle going away Kurey brushed the wall in T2 but as all sim racers know it very well may have been that his wife was distracting him. Closing in on lap 55 just about all drivers had completed a green flag pit stop. The caution would not wave until lap 63 when drivers drafting in a four car pack would get caught off guard and had a closing pace faster than expected. ASRL veterans would tangle and bring out the first caution. Oddly enough the same two that brought out the first caution would be involved in the second caution of the night on lap 69 when on a restart cars would be three wide as they got up to speed. With the green flag waving and the end of the race just over 10 laps away drivers knew the action would be wild and feverous. The give and take that was seen in the first half of the race was gone. Deals were being made, partners jockeying for position and just when you thought you made it though it all the caution would wave for the third and final time. Cars were three wide for two and three cars deep and the car of Steve Gottschalk would hook fenders with Randy Tessar. Mikell Coleman ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time and took a pretty hard hit. Drivers were unsure if they should race hard back to the line or not, being the first time together as a group it was pretty intense. Coming to the caution Patrick Skahill would sustain minimal damage taking a fender rub from Coleman.
In the end the race would finish under caution with Dangerous Dan Willis leading the pack and Mike Kelley and Rob Frieary rounding out the top three. The caution left guys like Holzwarth, Grandy, Costin, Bottolfson and Williams wondering maybe just maybe if the caution hadn't happened that they would be the one celebrating in victory lane. Congratulations to all the drivers for a successful race and we look forward to seeing you all next week at Daytona for the start of the official points season.
Sunday night was the iRSRL's first practice race getting the season of iRacing.com's Hosted racing under way. The iRacers Serious Racers League featured drivers from many different groups coming together for some great racing. Guys from leagues like Ron Costins CRSOL, Randy Tessars RSRL (RaceServers Race League), American Sim Racing League, HAL, and JRL just to name a few. The race had 20 drivers show to see how they would fair in one of the first newly formed series in the iRSRL.
Michael Johnson made the best of his qualifying effort putting his car on pole for the event. His car was so fast that it got impounded and didn't make it through technical inspection in time to make the race and he ended up starting at a dis-advantage from the pits. The eighty lap race was off and running lap one, lap two, no incidents. Entering T1 on lap three the car driven by David Kurey would drift up a bit and make slight contact with Mike Grandy. No harm no foul and everyone kept racing with out caution. The race would continue green and drivers started communicating with their crew chiefs around lap 27 to see how things were going. Terry McCuin brushed the wall while talking with his car chief and making plans for an early stop. By the time drivers got to lap 40 cars were strung out a bit due to differing pit strategy. It was around this time that Dan Williams made light contact with pole sitter Johnson. Lap 45 with the handle going away Kurey brushed the wall in T2 but as all sim racers know it very well may have been that his wife was distracting him. Closing in on lap 55 just about all drivers had completed a green flag pit stop. The caution would not wave until lap 63 when drivers drafting in a four car pack would get caught off guard and had a closing pace faster than expected. ASRL veterans would tangle and bring out the first caution. Oddly enough the same two that brought out the first caution would be involved in the second caution of the night on lap 69 when on a restart cars would be three wide as they got up to speed. With the green flag waving and the end of the race just over 10 laps away drivers knew the action would be wild and feverous. The give and take that was seen in the first half of the race was gone. Deals were being made, partners jockeying for position and just when you thought you made it though it all the caution would wave for the third and final time. Cars were three wide for two and three cars deep and the car of Steve Gottschalk would hook fenders with Randy Tessar. Mikell Coleman ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time and took a pretty hard hit. Drivers were unsure if they should race hard back to the line or not, being the first time together as a group it was pretty intense. Coming to the caution Patrick Skahill would sustain minimal damage taking a fender rub from Coleman.
In the end the race would finish under caution with Dangerous Dan Willis leading the pack and Mike Kelley and Rob Frieary rounding out the top three. The caution left guys like Holzwarth, Grandy, Costin, Bottolfson and Williams wondering maybe just maybe if the caution hadn't happened that they would be the one celebrating in victory lane. Congratulations to all the drivers for a successful race and we look forward to seeing you all next week at Daytona for the start of the official points season.