IMSA Esports Global Championship

Team Redline takes it all

Dominant showing by Team Redline, winning in GTP and GTD.

Challenging tyre management in scorching sunshine.

Demanding traffic as 46 cars hit Watkins Glen.

For the second race of the IMSA Esports Global Championship, a total of 46 cars in the GTP & GTD classes headed to upstate New York to take on virtual Watkins Glen. The relentless sunshine proved to be a large factor, as teams had to adapt and find ways to preserve their tyres on a hot track. Under the watchful eye of three-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen, Team Redline was able to clinch a double victory, which has only happened once before in the history of the IMSA Esports Global Championship.

In the GTP class, BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION’s Niklas Beu had secured pole in qualifying but suffered a 10-second penalty for jumping the start. Diogo Pinto and Chris Lulham were able to bring a flawless performance to the track, finishing the race in dominant fashion. BMW M Team Redline improved on their P2 finish from the first round and have now taken the top spot in the GTP standings. Lulham commented on their approach to the race:

“I was definitely taking an extra step of caution here, with such a margin. We had the strategy under control. Also, when it’s so hot with 55°C on track, there’s no point really risking it going more aggressive in any way.”
Chris Lulham, BMW M Team Redline

In the GTD class, Team Redline drivers Ole Steinbraten and Gianni Vecchio were able to mirror their team-mates. After an intense but ultimately unsuccessful fight for the win in the first round of the season, Team Redline had some unfinished business to take care of. They quickly caught up to the pole sitters from Altus Esports and round 1 winners Mercedes-AMG E-Sports Team ART, taking the top spot in the GTD category. This is how Vecchio summarized their race:

“We are really confident, and I think that’s why I went super early for the move for P1. And then traffic management is key, we did that pretty good and that’s what gave us the gap of two to three seconds after the first wave.”
Gianni Vecchio, Team Redline

The second race of the season will take place at Sebring International Raceway on Sunday, 3^rd December (LIVE from 19:30 CET on twitch.tv/iracing and youtube.com/@imsaofficial).

You can rewatch the second race of the season here:

Sensational IMSA Esports Global Championship season-opener at Road Atlanta.

URANO eSports Datagroup takes home a surprise win in the GTP class.
Heavy traffic at Road Atlanta with a total of 46 cars on track.
GTD victory for Mercedes-AMG Apex Racing Team with a nail-biting finish.

The first race of the IMSA Esports Global Championship season saw 21 GTP and 25 GTD cars, with two drivers each, take on the legendary Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The teams had been eagerly awaiting the first of a total of four rounds in the season. Even though it was an intense race with a lot of traffic to handle due to the two different classes on track, the professional drivers managed to keep incidents to a minimum.

In the GTP class, URANO eSports Datagroup managed to come out on top thanks to a well-thought-out tactic and defensive driving. Jonas Wallmeier & Dominik Hofmann started in P13. They capitalised on penalties for BMW M Team Redline & Williams Esports and managed to claw their way through the field to take the win. Here’s the reaction from winner Jonas Wallmeier: “We stayed clean all race, so in the end we came out on top after a bad qualifying. The traffic was insane, it was super close sometimes. Sometimes you need to lift and stay patient, it’s not easy. So yeah, pretty good win, I would say.”

Mercedes-AMG Apex Racing Team took the top spot in the GTD class, converting their pole position from qualifying. Alejandro Sanchez & Luke McKeown maintained the lead in the beginning thanks to favourable traffic. In the final minutes of the race a nail-biting chase ensued with Team Redline’s Ole Steinbraten catching up to within a car’s length in the last lap. Alejandro Sanchez on the end of the race: “It got very tight at the end, but Luke did a superb job as he always does, and we managed to get the win.” Luke McKeown added: “I wasn’t getting too worried (…) because he was gaining a lot but not enough basically, so I kind of knew in my head that it’s going to be fine. But I definitely was feeling it when it got to about 1 to 1.5 seconds.”

The second race of the season will take place at Watkins Glen on Sunday, Nov 12^th.

Live from 19:30 CET on twitch.tv/iracing and youtube.com/@imsaofficial.

You can rewatch the first race of the season here:

IMSA Official YouTube: https://youtu.be/watch?v=L5tFNhB9Lkw

iRacing Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1969600071

About VCO

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