iRTES Red Bull Ring FP1 Recap: GermanPitbullzRacing and Quokka Set the Early Benchmarks

Official preparation for Round 2 of the Champion Motorsports iRacing Team Endurance Series began at the Red Bull Ring, where GermanPitbullzRacing Alpha led the opening GTP running and John Marjoribanks placed Quokka Racing at the top of a closely matched GT3 field.

The first free practice session produced 310 completed laps across the two classes. Eight GT3 drivers recorded times, while two GTP entries completed timed laps. Championship leader PCA Sim Racing 963 appeared in the session but did not record a lap.

As always, an opening practice session provides only an early snapshot. Several championship contenders were absent from the results, teams were running different practice programs, and some drivers focused more heavily on setup development or long-run mileage than outright lap time.

Even so, FP1 offered the first meaningful indication of how the iRTES field is adapting to the short, fast, and highly technical Red Bull Ring ahead of Free Practice 2, the Sprint Race, and the five-hour feature.

GTP: GermanPitbullzRacing Establishes the First Target

Christopher Kindler put GermanPitbullzRacing Alpha at the top of the GTP order with a best lap of 1:21.020 in the Porsche 963.

Kindler completed 25 laps, setting his quickest time on lap 13. The GermanPitbullzRacing entry also accumulated only five incidents during its running, giving the team a productive opening session as it begins preparing for the five-hour feature.

The performance continues a strong start to the season for GermanPitbullzRacing Alpha. At Homestead, Kindler and Leon Friedrisczyk started from pole, set the fastest GTP race lap, led 118 laps, and finished second after a race-long battle with PCA Sim Racing 963.

GermanPitbullzRacing enters Round 2 only three points behind PCA in the championship and once again appears capable of setting the outright pace.

Kevin Ayers recorded the first timed running of the season for cmsracing.com Titanium. The Cadillac completed four laps, with a best time of 1:23.809.

That limited sample should not be treated as a direct indication of the team’s full potential. Titanium was unable to start at Homestead because of a last-minute technical issue, so getting the Cadillac onto the circuit represented the beginning of the team’s actual race preparation.

PCA Sim Racing 963 was present in the session results but did not complete a timed lap. The Homestead-winning team therefore leaves the opening practice without revealing its Red Bull Ring pace.

Free Practice 1 — GTP Times

GT3: Marjoribanks Leads a Tight Front Group

The closest competition of FP1 came in GT3, where the first three drivers finished within 0.367 seconds and four drivers broke into the 1:30 range or better.

John Marjoribanks set the GT3 benchmark for Quokka Racing with a 1:29.803 in the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO. Marjoribanks completed 34 laps and set his quickest time on lap 25.

The result gives Quokka another positive early-season signal. Marjoribanks and Christian Youngwall finished second at Homestead, placing Quokka only three points behind Moradness Squad in the GT3 championship.

Moradness did not appear in the attached FP1 results, leaving Quokka with the first on-track statement of the Red Bull Ring weekend.

Lance Williams placed cmsracing.com AM second in GT3 with a 1:30.086. Williams found his fastest lap near the end of his run, setting it on lap 45 of 47.

Williams also recorded the fastest GT3 average lap time shown in the session export at 1:31.300, narrowly ahead of Marjoribanks’ 1:31.539. Average practice times can be affected by pit cycles, resets, fuel loads, and different setup programs, but the figure suggests Williams combined competitive single-lap speed with sustained pace.

Brian Blanchette placed Team Brake Fade third with a 1:30.170, only 0.367 seconds behind Marjoribanks. Blanchette completed 39 laps and accumulated 14 incidents, the lowest incident total among the GT3 drivers who completed at least 30 laps.

Team Brake Fade entered Round 2 fourth in the championship after charging from 13th in class to fourth at Homestead. Its opening Red Bull Ring pace suggests that result was not simply the product of attrition.

Brandon Ogle completed the most running of the session for PCA Sim Racing GT3. Ogle recorded 62 laps in the Porsche 911 GT3 R and finished fourth with a 1:30.729.

His best time came on lap 46, showing that PCA continued to find pace well into its program. That mileage could prove valuable when the team begins comparing tire behavior, fuel loads, and longer-run balance before the five-hour feature.

Volker Krebs was fifth for Schadenfreude Fodder at 1:31.402. The team enters Round 2 sixth in the adjusted GT3 standings following the post-race Homestead review.

cmsracing.com AM had three drivers complete timed running during FP1. In addition to Williams’ second-fastest GT3 time, David Nelson completed 48 laps and recorded a 1:31.641, while Drew Lidkea posted a 1:32.031 across 11 laps.

The three-driver participation gave cmsracing.com AM one of the broader practice programs in the GT3 field and provided useful data after the team’s early retirement at Homestead.

Matthew Overton completed the GT3 order for Dark Thunder Racing with a 1:32.136 in the Lamborghini. Overton completed 22 laps as Dark Thunder began its preparation for a race that could produce very different conditions from the season opener.

Free Practice 1 — GT3 Times

Practice incident totals may include off-track exploration, setup testing, contact, resets, and other activity. They should not be interpreted in the same way as race incident totals.

What We Learned from FP1

Quokka Racing Carried Its Homestead Form into Austria

Quokka finished second in the opening race and immediately topped the first Red Bull Ring GT3 session. Marjoribanks’ 1:29.803 puts the championship challenger in a strong early position, although Moradness Squad and SOELPEC Precision Racing have yet to show their pace in the attached practice results.

GermanPitbullzRacing Remains the GTP Pace Threat

GermanPitbullzRacing Alpha was the fastest GTP team at Homestead and has now established the first serious prototype reference in Austria. PCA still owns the championship lead, but GermanPitbullzRacing continues to look like the team most likely to challenge it on raw speed.

cmsracing.com AM Showed Improved Depth

After its early retirement at Homestead, cmsracing.com AM opened its Red Bull Ring preparation with three drivers recording times.

Lance Williams placed second in GT3 and finished only 0.283 seconds behind the class benchmark. David Nelson completed 48 laps, while Drew Lidkea added another 11. The combination of speed and multi-driver participation provided an encouraging opening session ahead of FP2.

The GT3 Front Is Already Compressed

Marjoribanks, Williams, and Blanchette were covered by just 0.367 seconds. Ogle was also less than one second from the class benchmark. That is an encouraging early sign for a competitive Sprint Race and a potentially close five-hour feature.

PCA GT3 Prioritized Mileage

No driver completed more laps than Brandon Ogle. Sixty-two laps gives PCA Sim Racing GT3 a substantial opening data set, and the fact that Ogle’s best lap arrived well into the session suggests the team continued improving during the run.

Porsche Had the Numbers, but Not the Fastest Lap

Five of the eight timed GT3 drivers used the Porsche 911 GT3 R. However, the fastest lap belonged to Quokka Racing’s Lamborghini, while Team Brake Fade’s McLaren finished third.

The manufacturer picture remains broader than the entry count alone might suggest.

Track Limits and Consistency Will Require Attention

The incident totals across several entries indicate that teams were testing the boundaries of the circuit. Red Bull Ring rewards aggressive use of its curbs and exits, but over five hours, repeated off-tracks and small mistakes can become a significant competitive problem.

Championship Context

The opening session featured both teams currently second in their respective championships.

In GTP, PCA Sim Racing 963 leads GermanPitbullzRacing Alpha by only three points, 35 to 32. PCA did not record a timed lap in FP1, while GermanPitbullzRacing established the early benchmark.

In GT3, Moradness Squad leads Quokka Racing by the same three-point margin. Moradness was absent from the attached results, while Quokka placed itself at the top of the opening practice order.

That does not change the championship standings, but it creates an intriguing early storyline: both second-place teams were the first class leaders of the Red Bull Ring weekend.

Next Up: FP2 and the Sprint Race

The field returns on August 8 for Free Practice 2, followed by the Sprint Race.

FP2 should provide a clearer picture than the opening session. More championship teams are expected to participate, multi-driver entries will have another opportunity to compare setup preferences, and teams should begin moving closer to their planned race configurations.

The Sprint Race will then offer the final opportunity to test starts, braking under pressure, traffic positioning, and close-quarters racecraft before the feature.

At Homestead, the Sprint Race provided useful information even though the four-hour feature presented a very different endurance challenge. The same will be true in Austria: sprint speed will matter, but it will not guarantee five-hour success.

The Revised Code 60 Procedure

Round 2 will also be the first feature conducted under the simplified Code 60 procedure introduced following feedback from Homestead.

Cars will remain rolling on the pit limiter, the pits will remain open unless an incident blocks pit entry or exit, and Race Control will use a radio-only five-second countdown.

Once the field is controlled, GTP cars will form behind the overall GTP leader before the GT3 line catches the field while maintaining the required class gap.

There will be no stopping, wave-bys, or extended sorting on the racing surface. Teams will need to understand the updated procedure before the feature, and FP2 or the Sprint Race may provide an opportunity to reinforce those expectations.

Feature Race Outlook

The five-hour Round 2 feature takes place on August 9. Race-day activities begin at 15:30 GMT, with the green flag scheduled for 17:00 GMT.

The Red Bull Ring’s short lap should create frequent interaction between GTP and GT3 traffic. The heavy braking zones provide overtaking opportunities, but the elevation changes and faster final sector will punish poorly timed moves.

Possible rain remains another strategic variable. It is not guaranteed, but teams must prepare for the possibility that grip, visibility, braking distances, and tire choices could change during the five-hour race.

After FP1, GermanPitbullzRacing Alpha and Quokka Racing hold the early class benchmarks. Team Brake Fade showed competitive and relatively clean GT3 speed. PCA Sim Racing GT3 completed the most mileage. Lance Williams placed cmsracing.com AM near the front while teammates David Nelson and Drew Lidkea added valuable running.

Meanwhile, several of the championship’s leading teams have yet to reveal their Red Bull Ring form.

The first data is now in. The more representative test arrives with FP2, and the intensity increases immediately afterward in the Sprint Race. Then the championship contenders will face the five-hour test that could determine who reaches St. Petersburg with control of the title fight.