Esports News | Team WRT secures GT Esports Pro Gold Title | GRR

With all three championships up for grabs, qualifying held extra significance, and two of the three championship leaders had positive results. 

Williams was looking good in second overall, behind only the Lamborghini of Fabrizio Crestani (GRT Grasser), with his nearest rival down in 17^th. Heinrich led the Pro qualifiers, in third overall, with his closest title contender back in 11^th. However Gazeau was only 14^th on the grid with three key rivals ahead.

A lap one incident just about put all three championships to bed. Pro outsider Sandy Mitchell (K-PAX) was involved in a turn two incident that also accounted for Gold contender Marius Zug (Winward) – all but ending those championships – and Silver hopeful Alex Aka (Tresor Attempto).

That left silver between Boutsen VDS – with Gazeau negotiating to hold third in class – and Madpanda, but only if Alexey Nesov could take the class win. However Nesov also found bad luck ten minutes later, as he was spun by the Pro class Lamborghini of Jordan Pepper (Iron Lynx) in turn five, promoting Gazeau into a championship-winning second.

As all three titles now hinged on a trouble-free race for the leaders, focus turned to the race itself and the pitstop window proved pivotal. 

Leader Crestani, over nine seconds clear at one point, received a 30-second stop-and-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane, while Heinrich committed the same offence and caught a drive-through. Both had a better time than Pepper who missed the window entirely and would end up disqualified.

With Williams gifted the lead he was clear to take the overall win, ahead of fellow Gold racer Adam Eteki (Boutsen VDS), with Daniel Harper (ROWE) claiming the Pro category win and Gazeau, in fourth, taking Silver victory. Amazingly Heinrich was still second in class after serving the penalty, but the championship was already safe.

Fanatec GT Esports Pro Round 5 Results

1. Calan Williams (Team WRT/Gold – BMW M4 GT3) – 34 laps
2. Adam Eteki (Boutsen VDS/Gold - Audi R8 GT3 Evo) +6.178
3. Daniel Harper (ROWE Racing/Pro - BMW M4 GT3) +14.090

It was the sim-racers’ turn next to show the pro-drivers how it was done, jumping into the same driving rigs at the Barcelona event.

BMW’s recent form continued, as Nils Naujoks placed the M4 onto pole position – some 0.7 seconds ahead of Crestani’s time in the pro race – but it was Chris Harteveld (Ferrari) that was the best-placed of the six title contenders in second, while championship-leading Tobias Gronewald (Unicorns of Love) was a lowly tenth.

Six pretty quickly became three after a massive accident at turn five. It was ultimately precipitated by the lightest of touches from Jordan Sherratt (Ferrari), which tagged the luckless David Tonizza (Lamborghini) into Daire McCormack (Williams-AMG), spinning both cars. Gronewald was also caught up in the ensuing carnage, resulting in a second successive DNF.

That more or less allowed Naujoks and Harteveld to do their own thing for 59 minutes, although in Harteveld’s case that included a five-second penalty for an inventive line through turn two on the opening lap. Having served that in the pit stop, he’d keep hold of his position, but Naujoks just disappeared down the road to take victory by almost 15 seconds.

With a first win of the season, the BMW team jumped up into second place in the championship, six points behind the title-winning Ferrari team – which didn’t win a race all year. A fine recovery drive from McCormack would see Williams-AMG pick up just enough points to claim third overall.

SIM Pro Series Round 5 Results

1. Nils Naujoks (BMW BS+Competition – BMW M4 GT) – 35 laps
2. Chris Harteveld (Ferrari Esports – Ferrari 296 GT3) +14.808
3. Dario Iemmulo (Lamborghini Squadra Corse – Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo) +15.213

Wisniewski wins at the Nürburgring in ESL R1

The fourth round of the ESL R1 Fall Season has seen a first-time winner, as Nikodem Wisniewski (Williams) took victory at the Nürburgring.

Wisniewski was in great form throughout, taking victory in his heat ahead of Bono Huis (AMG) and double round-winner Sebastian Job (G2). Other familiar races won in their knockout rounds, with Spring champion Marcell Csincsik (R8G) also victorious alongside Maximilian Benecke (Mouz) and Kevin Siggy (Redline), as all of the championship top ten progressed.

However there were some upsets on the cards in the semi-finals, as the usually reliable Daire McCormack (Williams) – second in the championship – was eliminated courtesy of a late-race overtake from Luke Bennett (Redline), as Jamie Fluke (ART) won for the first time in ESL R1. Job won the other semi-final, ahead of Wisniewski.

The Williams driver then secured pole position from Joshua Rogers (Porsche Coanda), but Rogers had to fend off attention from Benecke, Bennett, and Job, allowing Wisniewski the smallest amount of breathing room.

Benecke, looking to take his second win in a row, couldn’t find a way past without leaving himself open to Rogers behind, as Wisniewski took a lights-to-flag win for his maiden victory.

Job still leads the standings, but by just four points now from Benecke. Meanwhile, as the only team with three cars in the final, R8G extends its lead in the teams’ championship to 204 points.

ESL R1 Fall Season Round 4 Results

1. Nikodem Wisniewski (Williams – Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) – 8 laps
2. Maximilian Benecke (Mouz – Audi R8 GT3 Evo) +0.819
3. Joshua Rogers (Porsche Coanda – Porsche 911 GT3 R) +1.054