Vince Peeters of Asetek Simsports Visceral has said that he is “cautiously dreaming” of success in this season’s HyperX Clubsport Series. A double podium finish for the team in the Cup category at the last race of 2022 in Interlagos will no doubt have helped, a result that has seen them take 2nd and 3rd in the standings.
It’s worth remembering that there is a long way to go. The drivers will be returning immediately in January for 700 kilometres at Imola to bring us to the halfway stage in the championship, before three more races to end the season.
Last season, they finished in 3rd after a slow start but sensational end to 2021/22, leaving them just 16 points short of the title. Peeters says that “(they) were left with an overwhelming feeling of what could have been”, as their troubled start to the season left them 146 points behind the leaders after two races.
Their second half of the season was much better, as they were regulars on the podium throughout this period. Peeters said that “this gave us the confidence that we could be contenders for the title this season”.
Contenders, they certainly are. A 4th and 1st place finish in the first two races has seen them jump to 2nd in the standings, only one point off Maniti Racing, and the #97’s 3rd place at Interlagos has gotten them into 3rd.
Going into the season, the target for Asetek Simsports Visceral was to win the title, and based on their performance at the end of last season, it’s clear they can achieve that. With the #97 in third right now, Peeters says they are “cautiously (dreaming) of a 1-2 in the standings”.
That would be a huge accomplishment, and nobody on the team will be getting ahead of themselves just yet, but it’s clear that confidence is sky high. Peeters also expects his team to perform even stronger at Imola, the next race of the season.
“(It’s) a track that our drivers like a lot. For me, it will be special to return to Imola, as the first ever IVRA race I did was here”. Peeters acknowledged that there have been some changes to the track since that IVRA Clubsport Summer Series race more than 2 years ago, including new track limits that will take some adapting to, but it’ll be the same for everyone.
Most of all Peeters is confident, and he believes the format and unpredictability of IVRA’s Safety Car periods can play into their hands. After two races, it’s them and Maniti Racing who have stepped up their game to lead the championship, and hopefully it’s a thrilling battle that will go down to the wire in this season.