GT1 – Champion Motorsports

NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 9 – 2.4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

Race Report by Matthew Overton Images by Jerry Chen and Dan Kirby Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith September 9, 2021 - There was magic in the air and a real sense of anticipation as 16 drivers, representing 7 of the 8 teams in the series, gathered at the historic circuit of Spa-Francorchamps for the final and deciding race of the Virtual GT1 Championship. The weather was magnificent, promising the best possible conditions for racing over the day and night cycle that was to come. Qualifying With PROs Dan Kirby and Eduardo Beninca tied for the driver's championship, it was no surprise that they set the two fastest time in qualifying, with Kirby recording a 2:06.982 in his Ford GT, only a half-second ahead of Beninca in another Ford. Brian Hall in his Corvette C6.R broke up the “Ford party” to take third in front of another string of Fords. > more

Categories: Race Reports|Tags: GT1, NARS, rFactor2. rFactor 2, Spa|

NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 8 – 60 Minutes of Interlagos

Race Report by Matthew Overton Images by Jerry Chen and Dan Kirby Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith August 26, 2021 – With only two races left in the series calendar, it was a very business-like and focused set of teams and drivers that arrived in Buenos Aires for the penultimate round of the VGT1C. Tightening championship races and several of the contenders returning to form have meant venues packed to their COVID-restricted capacities and record viewership around the world - with the fans at Interlagos streaming into the venue to make sure that they were able to grab their part of the excitement firsthand. Qualifying The fast laps came…. fast and furious as the field attacked the qualifying. In PRO, it was Brian Hall in his Ford GT that threw down the gauntlet early with a 1:25.325, and while many came close, it was Cameron Sansano in his Maserati > more

Categories: Race Reports|Tags: GT1, Interlagos, NARS, rFactor2. rFactor 2|

NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 7 – 60 Minutes of Pergusa

Race Report by Matthew Overton Images by Jerry Chen Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith August 12, 2021 – From Portugal, the teams of the VGT1C made the short journey east across the Mediterranean to the island of Sicily and another circuit that gets scant attention - Enna Pergusa. With championship battles intensifying and only 3 races left, the absence of PRO Jon Uyan of V.I.C.E Racing, AM title contender Jimmy Regan of Gone Broke Racing made for serious openings in all three sets of standings, if the other teams and 22 drivers made the trip to Sicily were up to the challenge. Qualifying It was PRO Daniel Kirby that made the best of the course in his Ford GT to set the pole-claiming lap of 1:27.83, a full second ahead of championship leader Eduardo Beninca in his B&M Racing Ford. JT Tami, in the first non-Ford in the qualifying > more

Categories: Race Reports|Tags: GT1, NARS, rFactor2. rFactor 2|

NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 6 – 60 Minutes of Algarve

Race Report by Matthew Overton Images by Jerry Chen Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith August 5, 2021 - It was a fast and furious return for the drivers and teams of the CMS VGT1 Championship after more than a month’s break in the action. Portugal and the undulating Algarve circuit provided the ideal venue for a return to action with championship battles rejoined with enthusiasm. 22 drivers made the trip to Portimao for the weekend, with AM driver Danny Corriveau of Dark Thunder Racing a noticeable absence and a severe blow for both his championship chances and DTR’s hopes to get out of the team championship basement. Drivers and fans were very pleased to have almost ideal conditions for the race weekend with sunny skies and light breezes, meaning that drivers were able to extract the maximum from themselves and their cars as the track rubber matured. Qualifying While > more

Categories: Race Reports|Tags: GT1, NARS, rFactor2. rFactor 2|

NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 5 – 60 Minutes of the Sachsenring

Race Report by Matthew Overton Images by Jerry Chen Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith June 24, 2021 - It was with a sense of expectation and curiosity that the NARS VGT1 Championship teams and drivers arrived at the picturesque Saxony countryside for the Sachsenring racing weekend. With almost none of the drivers have had any experience on this tight, weaving ‘rollercoaster’ of a track more often used for motorcycle racing, chances were good for some upsets in the standings. With 24 drivers on the shortest track of the season, there was no concern in the paddock that drivers would be ‘losing focus’! The weather throughout the week was overcast with frequent bouts of rain that had every team scrambling to get the most out of the practice sessions to settle both car and driver on the optimum setups and lines for both dry and wet conditions. While the final > more

Categories: Race Reports|Tags: GT1, NARS, rFactor2. rFactor 2, Sachsenring|

NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 4 – 60 Minutes of Zolder

Race Report by Matthew Overton Images by Jerry Chen Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith June 10, 2021 - From the warming breezes of southern France, the GT1 teams and drivers packed up and made their way back north to Belgium and the guaranteed excitement that comes from a race at Zolder. With another BoP laid upon the Ford GTs as the championship technical advisors grappled with how to deliver level racing potential across the field, the teams focused on their preparations. The Belgian countryside and conditions proved as welcoming as the south of France, with dry and warm conditions from practice to race, giving the fans some great opportunities to see the drivers at their very best and very fastest on this demanding track. Qualifying It was Maserati again at the top of the qualifying results, this time privateer Pedro Gomes with a time of 1:22.962, a full second ahead > more

Categories: Race Reports|Tags: GT1, NARS, rFactor 2, rFactor2, Zolder|

NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 3 – 60 Minutes of Paul Ricard

Race Report by Matthew Overton Images by Jerry Chen Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith June 3, 2021 - Sunny southern France was the locale for Round 3, with the demanding Paul Ricard welcoming 30 drivers, including 8 teams of paired drivers for what turned out to be a thrilling race weekend. The flat and technically demanding track marked a dramatic change of pace from the Brno circuit with plenty of opportunities to pick different lines through the high and low-speed corners. Anticipation was high that the competition would become that much closer with the announcement of a BoP adjustment aimed principally at the Ford GT. In addition, there was speculation that the Nissan GT-R would be making a reappearance in the series after a period of intense negotiations between the manufacturer and race organizers that resulted in some demanded BoP adjustments to the Nissan. Qualifying Maserati claimed a second > more

Categories: Race Reports|Tags: GT1, NARS, Paul Ricard, rFactor 2, rFactor2|

NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 1 – 60 Minutes of Silverstone

Race Report by Matthew Overton Images by Jerry Chen Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith May 20, 2021 – Excitement was high as the racing teams, drivers and fans flocked to Silverstone on a dreary race weekend for the inaugural event of the NARS GT1 short series. 30 cars, including 6 teams of paired PRO and AM drivers ensured that the paddock was abuzz with activity as work was completed to get the cars and drivers ready for their first racing test. The weather throughout the week varied from cool, dry, and sunny to heavily overcast and steady rain, giving each team major headaches in tuning their cars for the track and conditions. Qualifying Good conditions under broken clouds allowed the drivers to get out and stretch their legs a bit, with PRO Ahmed Abdallah setting the fastest lap with his Nissan GT-R at 1:50.623. Close behind was Dan Kirby > more

Categories: Race Reports|Tags: GT1, NARS, rFactor 2, rFactor2, Silverstone|