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At first, pole sitter and #23 Porsche Coanda driver Joshua Rogers lined the within line aggressively all the way down to La Supply, holding off this season’s Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup champion Diogo Pinto within the #2 Workforce Redline entry.
This left a transparent outdoors line for Jernej Simončič within the championship-leading #four Floyd Vanwall-Burst to take second place within the early working.
In GTE, it was a BMW one-two on the grid, and after the rolling begin, it remained the identical producer order however not crew. Kevin Siggy nonetheless led, however Alen Terzic for BMW Workforce BS+Compeition slipped behind Mahle Racing’s Muhammed Patel.
Moritz Löhner within the #11 Venture 1 by Dörr Esports Porsche tried a daring effort across the outdoors of the primary nook however slipped down into fourth.
Simply two laps right into a six-hour race, via Eau Rouge and Raidillon, Terzic and Löhner collided. The BMW was impeded, shedding momentum, whereas the Porsche went for a dramatic spin in entrance of the chasing pack. By means of blind luck, an enormous shunt was averted. Nevertheless, the Porsche emerged from the melee in final.
As the primary hour progressed, in LMP, Pinto made a transfer on Simončič for second general, however within the course of made slight contact. It created a spot for Mitchell deJong to additionally squeeze via, the #20 Porsche Coanda driver would then overtake the Redline automobile to make it Stuttgart vehicles within the high two positions.
Former Components 1 driver and present IndyCar competitor Romain Grosjean accomplished a gentle stint within the #18 R8G Esports Oreca – unscathed after a fierce battle with ARC Bratislava driver Erik Vizi.
As midway approached, Porsche Coanda was nonetheless heading the sector, with Redline line astern in third and fourth. One of the best of the remaining was AMG Workforce Petronas following a stirring stint by Autosport Esports Driver of the Year nominee James Baldwin.
In GTE, it was BMW Redline domination, with Siggy and team-mates Chris Lulham and Enzo Bonito disappearing into the space. Behind sat the Aston Martin Vantage of Prodrive FYRA Esport, as soon as once more rising via the ranks right into a strong podium place – identical to at Monza.
Two-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen joined the sector with over three hours remaining, behind the wheel of the then fourth-placed #1 Workforce Redline entry.
In a dramatic stint, he first narrowly averted catastrophe, as forward, third-placed colleague Luke Bennett collided with the GTE BS+Competitors BMW of Ferris Stanley. The erstwhile second-placed squad copped a drivethrough penalty for the incident, which noticed them plummet to tenth. It additionally meant Verstappen was now on the rostrum.
Nevertheless, a lapped GTE Ferrari was a possible fly within the ointment. As Verstappen ran side-by-side via Eau Rouge, there was contact and the F1 champion speared off the monitor, making gentle contact with the barrier. He was capable of proceed, however Graham Carroll’s AMG Petronas machine was now in third.
With the GT-based class unfold out amongst the highest three, a lot of the main focus was on a battle for fifth between Alex Siebel within the Oracle Crimson Bull Racing Porsche and the R8G Esports Ferrari pushed by FIA Components three race winner Alexander Smolyar.
Risto Kappet and Dennis Jordan would resume the duel n the latter levels, the power drink producer prevailing over Grojean’s eponymous crew.
Heading into the ultimate hour, the #20 Porsche Coanda was nonetheless up entrance. However questions remained about its technique. The #1 Workforce Redline and #63 AMG Workforce Petronas Esports vehicles may full 19-20 lap stints, whereas each the #23 and #20 Porsche Coanda vehicles would drive flat-out for simply 18 laps.
With just below 40 minutes to go, the #63 and #1 vehicles made their closing stops. Coanda’s plan of working shorter, flat-out stints was seemingly the unsuitable one, however the main #23 automobile nonetheless had a sizeable 70s hole to the AMG Petronas of Baldwin in third.
With 26 minutes to go, the #23 pitted, rising 20s behind the AMG automobile and 10s behind the #1 Redline automobile. The #20 boxed with 20 minutes to go, gifting the AMG Petronas squad a lead they’d not relinquish.
On the chequered flag, the hole to the #1 Workforce Redline automobile was simply 7.8s, with Verstappen’s earlier GTE tangle doubtlessly costing the Dutchman and his crew victory. Nevertheless, it was the Coanda Porsche crew that was left ruing its technique, the Weissach-based producer falling in need of the win within the closing laps.
Because it turned out, Coanda would fail even to make the rostrum, as Erhan Jajovski within the #eight R8G Esports – preventing again after an earlier drivethrough penalty – prevailed in a bruising battle with Mack Bakkum.
The winners, Baldwin, Huis and Carrol, had pushed a faultless race, considerably bettering their eighth-place end from the previous round at Monza.
There was some comfort for the #1 Redline automobile ultimately, as they now snatch the lead within the general LMP standings as we head in direction of the fourth spherical of the 2022-23 Digital Le Mans Collection.
Its stablemate in GTE, the #71 BMW, additionally heads to the highest of the championship because of its race-winning efficiency – main from begin to end forward of Prodrive FYRA Esport and the #77 Proton Coanda Esports Porsche of Dayne Warren, Charlie Collins and Paschalis Gkergkis.
The subsequent spherical of the Le Mans Digital Collection is the four Hours of Sebring, third December 2022.
Le Mans Digital Collection, 6 Hours of Spa LMP Outcomes
- James Baldwin, Bono Huis, Graham Carroll – #63 AMG Workforce Petronas Esports – 171 laps
- Max Verstappen, Jeffrey Rietveld, Maximilian Benecke – #1 Workforce Redline +7.836s
- Jiri Toman, Erhan Jajovski, Marcell Csincsik – #eight R8G ESPORTS + 27.580s
- Joshua Rogers, Mack Bakkum, Martin Krönke – #23 Porsche Coand +27.709s
- Zac Campbell, Tommy Østgaard, Mitchell deJong – #20 Porsche Coanda +29.760s
Le Mans Digital Collection, 6 Hours of Spa GTE Outcomes
- Chris Lulham, Kevin Siggy, Enzo Bonito – #71 BMW Workforce Redline BMW M8 GTE -155 laps
- Lasse Sørensen, Lasse Bak, Mikkel Gade – #95 Prodrive FYRA Esport Aston Martin Vantage GTE +25.900s
- Dayne Warren, Charlie Collins, Paschalis Gkergkis – #77 Proton Coanda Esports Porsche 911 RSR GTE +1:07.444
- Nicklas Nielsen, Kasper Stoltze, Christian Michel – #5 SF Velas Esports Workforce Ferrari 488 GTE +1:20.088
- Michele D’Alessandro, Muhammed Patel, Eros Masciulli – #10 MAHLE Racing Workforce BMW M8 GTE +1:20.813
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