Interlagos

rSeat Sim Racing Teams Challenge Blue Cup 2013 - Round 2 Interlagos

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• published: 26 Apr 2013
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The rSeat 45 minutes of Interlagos, which took place on the 18th of April, was the second round of the SimRacing Team Challenge Blue Cup for 2013. Located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the fast and undulating circuit showcased the raw power of the twin turbo V8 McLaren MP4-12C, and provided a fantastic racing spectacle for competitors and viewers alike. In only the second ever STC event using the iRacing platform, Marcin Skrzypczak took pole position for Roaring Pipes Maniacs. Skrzypczak was joined on the front row of the grid by Teemu Iivonen, driving for the championship leading ineX Racing. The stage was set for a 45 minute showdown between the two leading teams in the championship, represented by Iivonen and Skrzypczak. Roaring Pipes Maniacs held the upper hand off the start, as Skrzypczak led the field away and set about opening a gap to Iivonen in the opening laps. Falcon GP pilot JB Massida held a strong third position in the early laps, and remained well in touch with the ineX and Roaring Pipes Maniacs entries throughout the race. With 20 minutes remaining, the top three were separated by just two tenths of a second, and Massida and Iivonen traded positions on two separate occasions. However, as soon as the battle for outright honors looked to be settled, Iivonen capitalized on a mistake by race-leader Skrzypczak and led the final four laps of the race for ineX Racing. However, Roaring Pipes Maniacs took the overall race win, as Skrzypczak's 2nd place finish was backed up by Rami Kaukola, who took 4th position. Falcon GP pilot JB Massida split the RPM entries after sowing up the final podium position. Rounding out the top 5 was Mikael Hellen for The Black Rebels. The race was headlined by spectacular battles through the field, most notably the fight between Anders Dahl, Pablo Lopez, Muhammed Patel and Mikael Hellen. Each representing a different team, the four drivers fought incredibly hard, and it inevitably ended in carnage. Walk Racing Driver Anders Dahl received a drive through penalty after running wide and consequently sending Radicals Online pilot Pablo Lopez into the wall. Twisters Racing's Mohammed Patel also received a drive through penalty after making contact with Anders Dahl, while Mikael Hellen took advantage for The Black Rebels and ended up 5th. Further down the field, Team Infalux put in a solid performance, with Bubicic and Prasnicki taking 11th and 12th respectively. The second ineX racing entry campaigned by Jason Lovett crossed the line 14th, while JB Massida's sister Falcon GP entry ended up 29th, piloted by Tomo Meglic. Positive SimRacing took 17th and 21st respectively, with Ivan Fernandez at the wheel of the no.33 car, and Daniel Andres piloting the no.24 machine. Teemu Iivonen (ineX Racing, Qualified 2nd, Finished 1st) "The three of us managed to pull away from the rest and we kept swapping positions during the race, after Marcins mistake in the last corner I just safed it home which felt good after having the pressure from Enzos and Daves awesome performance in the first race at Sebring. Unlucky for Jason as he didn't get in a good qualifying and wasn't able to advance that much. Great support from my teammates and I hope we can keep finishing with both cars rest of the season"! JB Massida (Falcon GP, Qualified 4th, Finished 3rd) "A very tense race, and not easy to overtake unless the other driver makes a mistake, which is how we swapped places. Had a hard fierce battle with Marcin in the end, it was intense. I loved that race". Reggie Blain (Movie Go, Qualified 27th, Finished 18th) "Made a good start and managed to survive the opening laps. Had a ok start to the race and was running in the 33s but over cooked my tyres and my pace dropped into the 34s. Happy with 18th. Unlucky to my team mate Rhys Gardiner. This was my first race in the STC using iRacing and i have to say i really enjoyed it and can't wait to be behind the wheel of the McLaren MP4 again". Retaining the championship lead is ineX Racing, having amassed 166 points from the first two rounds of the season. Walk Racing and Roaring Pipes Maniacs are tied for second place in the standings on 115 points, while Danielsson Motorsports Virtual is positioned a further 10 points behind. Rounding out the top 5 outfits following round 2 of the season is Radicals Online. You can find the full standings for the 2013 Blue Cup here. The teams travel north for the next round of the season, which will take place at Virginia International Raceway on the 3rd of May. Be sure to follow all of the action in the lead up to the next round, and partake in discussion with the competitors in our dedicated STC forums. Next stop, Virginia!