IVRA competition is back. Two races this weekend as two championships begin the second half of their seasons, and begin to narrow down those who can still take the title.
First up, it’s the return of the GSI Endurance Series on Saturday. After the 12 hour extravaganza at Daytona, it’s time for the shortest race of the season so far at Monza.
Before Christmas, we had two 1000 mile races, and at 1500 kilometres, this race is slightly shorter distance wise, but could be much shorter time wise as the average speed at Monza will be very high. That is, if Safety Car periods don’t interrupt the race too much.
It will be a very important race for new GTP championship leaders, SRC Mivano Corse. Their win at Daytona has earnt them a 44 point lead but the top 4 are only separated by 60 points.
Pre-season favourites Urano eSports are only 150 points back despite two DNFs, and with 450 points available in the remainder of the season, they’re definitely still involved in the fight. Elsewhere, their teammates in GT3 Pro are taking the fight to everyone else, as they have won all three races so far, only dropping 18 points along the way.
As for who is going to chase them, it’s anyone’s guess. Impulse Racing and Obsidian Racing are closest, but Phoenix Racing eSport and Asetek Simsports Visceral have both managed a 2nd place finish this season too.
It’s very hard to predict, although maybe not as much as GT3. Maniti Racing have two wins but lost out at Daytona, allowing Satellite Racing to close within 100 points.
Meanwhile, reigning champions Archer Brothers Esports have a lot of work to do down in 5th. All of this is set to change at Monza, as the temple of speed becomes the playground of choice for Round 4.
The first question will come immediately, how can everyone get through the first chicane cleanly? From there, the usual questions around traffic and strategy will be asked, and a race winner will emerge, but throughout the roughly 8 hour race, the GSI Endurance Series will entertain and enthrall us as it always does.
There won’t be much time to recover as the IVRA GT Sprint Series by Heusinkveld continues on Sunday. Sean Campbell’s dominance so far in Division 1 has been well documented, but it’s worth noting that Team Fordzilla have finished second to him in the last two races.
Their battle will surely continue, previous champions Team Heusinkveld will try not to get left behind in third, while reigning champions Maniti Racing try to revive their season from 5th. The closest championship of them all, Division 2, could well get even closer on Sunday as 2nd placed GermanSimRacing continue to show that they might have the edge over leaders Prestanda NOMAD.
The gap is only 23 points, and GSR have the momentum after winning at Belle Isle last time out. There are race-winning teams in 3rd, 4th and 5th in the standings too, so it’s set to be very unpredictable.
There’s also been a lot of talk around Prestanda NOMAD and their dream start to the season in IVRA, and for good reason. They also lead Division 3, this time by 73 points, with the nearest team to have won a race in 5th place.
Suzuka is the location for the next round of the series. Notoriously difficult to overtake, twists and turns that make the circuit tricky for a solo driver too, it may be a very tactical race as the pitstops shape the race.
It’s expected to be an exciting weekend of racing, and with IVRA competition now in full-swing for 2023, action will be coming thick and fast over the next three months.