What can be said about Le Mans that hasn’t been said before? A place as revered and historic as the Circuit de la Sarthe was a fitting choice for iRTES history to unfold. The spiritual home of sports car endurance racing challenged 58 teams with iRacing’s latest feature: rain.

The looming threat of rain sent teams scrambling. Testing sessions turned chaotic as drivers struggled to adapt to the evolving conditions. The second race of the season, a true wild card, put all teams on notice—what happened at Road America in Round 1 suddenly felt like a distant memory. Heading into the December 8, 2024 race, every team still had a shot at the 2025 iRTES Championship.

As garages opened and practice began under cloudy skies, rain lingered ominously in the forecast. It arrived at the worst possible moment—just before qualifying. Armed with cold, hard wet tires, drivers faced an unforgiving challenge.

Qualifying marked the start of a grueling three-hour test of survival, with at least two cars from each class failing to set a time in the treacherous conditions. Buckle up, hold on tight, and prepare for the most nerve-wracking race of the 2025 CMS iRacing Team Endurance Series.

The XBOX Game Pass Pole Awards for Le Mans*
GT3 AM
#323 BearPope | Mikko Kuitunen | 4:25.682
GT3 PRO
#44 Hyperion Racing | Luke A Wallace | 4:24.600
LMP2
#22 The Puncrew Pink | Adam Ashourzadeh | 3:58.434
LMDh
#213 Virtualdrivers by Thrustmaster | Mickael Costa | 3:49.001
*Each pole position gains one entry into the end of season drawing for a one year XBOX Game Pass Subscription

GREEN GREEN GREEN! The spotter gave the call and just as quickly all visibility vanished. Going into turn 1 at the start of the race was a sight to behold. Drivers were blinded by spray, with only spotters and audio cues from the cars around them they had to navigate by instinct. Only 2 hours 59minutes and 55 seconds to go.

Every competitor experienced maximum stress today. The track was cold and slick. The rain ceased for but a brief moment. Grip levels fluctuated forcing the drivers to process every inch of the track, lap after lap.

Mother Nature threw down the gauntlet today and would force many teams to serve penalties for incident limits. Keeping all four tires on the racing surface was a significant achievement. With traffic aplenty, alternative line choices would result in puddle jumping and sliding past the white line.

The checkered flag waived, the competitors caught their breath, and the results sent shockwaves throughout France. Le Mans paired with rain is the true test of endurance that creates separation and challenges each team to manage expectations—you must put the championship in perspective.

Watch a replay of the action here, on Apex Racing TV.

• • UNSTOPPABLE — Going start to finish in dominating fashion was #213 Virtualdrivers by Thrustmaster.
  • UNBELIEVABLE — Road America winners in LMDh, SOELPEC Precision Racing, would find themselves scrambling from the start. The #110 would retire the car after 11 laps completed, finishing in 17th.
  • SO CLOSE — HundredForce would crash with 1 lap remaining, falling from 3rd to 6th.

• • WIRE 2 WIRE — #22 The Puncrew would not look back. Running off on the field they would finish a lap ahead of all but one team, 2nd place Echelon Simsport.
  • TO FINISH 1ST, FIRST YOU MUST FINISH — Road America winners, The Puncrew #13, would crash out just past the halfway point.
  • PENALTY BOX — Post race penalties would swap 6th and 7th positions, placing DogBear behind INITIAL 3 Racing despite finishing ahead on track.

• • SHOCKING — SOELPEC Precision Racing #113 would see their victory disappear after incurring a post-race penalty of 25s. They would finish just off the podium in 4th.
  • GREAT RACING — GT3 Pro would have the closest podium battle of the race.
  • WRONG TURN — The podium from round 1 at Road America would finish at the bottom of the field. A true 180 degree turn.

• • DEJA VU — Le Mans would feature the same 3 race teams on the podium. 1st and 3rd would swap positions while 2nd would stay the same.
  • CHAMPIONSHIP — The top 3 teams are separated by a single point after 2 races.