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NARS Virtual DTM Championship – Round 8 at Hockenheimring

The start at NARS VDTMC Hockenheimring

Race Report by Matthew Overton
Images by Jerry Chen
Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith

Another beautiful week and another weekend of off-and-on-again weather that is so typical of Europe in the spring. 21 drivers (11 PRO and 10 AM), including a late PRO series entry, Juan Salas Morales, assembled in the paddock for the race weekend, guaranteeing great action for the penultimate race of the season.

Qualifying

Spring delivered the required dose of rain during the final practice, but the generally warm weather and steady breezes meant that by the start of qualifying, the conditions were almost ideal, giving over to a number of PBs as the drivers jostled for their starting positions. Once again, PRO Ahmed Abdalla seized pole position with both hands, laying down a 1:31.849, over a half-second ahead of Daniel Kirby. In AM, Matthew Overton’s 1:33.499 placed him […]

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NARS Virtual DTM Championship – Round 7 at TT Assen

TT-Assen-NARS-VDTMC-1

Race Report by Matthew Overton
Images by Jerry Chen
Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith

March 25, 2021 – It was a thankfully short trip for the drivers and teams as they left Austria for the Nederlands and the city of Assen to prepare for the next round of the CMS NARS VDTM Championship. With only 3 races left and the series wins for both PRO and AM virtually locked, there was still much to race for in the battles for the remaining podium positions.

And so it was 19 drivers (9 PRO and 10 AM) enjoying the Dutch hospitality and working to further refine the tuning of their cars in preparation for their race at a venue more renowned for the MotoGP than motorcar racing. While during the week, the practice conditions were bright and dry, by the weekend itself, spring had reasserted herself with a […]

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NARS Virtual DTM Championship – Round 6 at Red Bull Ring

ROUND 6 Red Bull Ring - Rainy

Race Report by Matthew Overton
Images by Jerry Chen and Danny Corriveau
Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith

March 18, 2021 – Austria, in particular the lovely area of Styria, was the 6th of 9 stops for the drivers and crews of the NARS VDTMC. The Red Bull Ring was the venue and there was great anticipation for a high-speed contest along the long straights of this storied course.

21 drivers (10 PRO and 11 AM) completed the weekend of racing, much to the delight of the few fans permitted at the venue as well as the record crowd watching remotely. With periods of rain punctuating the practices, the odds were high that the drivers would be very lucky indeed to avoid a wet track for two weekends in a row.

A notable absence from the initial practices was PRO driver Ahmed […]

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NARS Modern Sportscar Championship – Round 3 at Sebring 1.2

Race Report by Matthew Overton
Image by Jerry Chen
Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith

NARS-Sebring-VMSC-1

March 11, 2021 – No rest for the drivers and teams of the VMSC as it was back to Sebring for the third round of the series. Like Daytona, the race would feature both day and night driving as the drivers fought the bone-shaking and suspension-breaking surface of this historic track. Despite some concerns over the weather in the lead-up to the race, the furrowed brows disappeared as quickly as the clouds with the drivers enjoying the cooler temperatures that stood in contrast to the very hot racing that they delivered.

22 drivers raced over the weekend (7 LMH and 15 GTE) with the biggest news being the entry of CMS CEO David Anderson in the GTE AM class, driving a Ferrari 488 that had been provided and prepped at short notice […]

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NARS Virtual DTM Championship – Round 4 at Zolder

NARS VIRTUAL DTM CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT - ROUND 4 Zolder

Race Report by Matthew Overton
Image by Jerry Chen
Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith

A wet week with plenty of rain provided real challenges for the drivers of the NARS VDTMC as they prepared for their next challenge at Zolder. Teams and drivers both struggled with the constantly changing conditions and the difficulties of managing undulating terrain and constant chicanes in addition to the sweeping high-speed curves of this iconic Belgian track. 22 drivers were present for the race weekend, including PRO newcomer Edgar Cruz as well as AM recruits Pedro Gomes and Morgan McCalister.

Qualifying

Come qualifying, a welcome relief from the rain allowed the drivers to put down some seriously fast times. PRO driver Ahmed Abdallah proved that he was the man to beat, setting a time that at 1:23.474 was .8s clear of JT Tami. PRO […]

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NARS Modern Sportscar Championship – Round 2 at Twin Ring Motegi

Race Report by Matthew Overton
Image by Jerry Chen
Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith

NARS Modern Sportscar Championship - Round 2 at Twin Ring Motegi

February 18, 2021 – For the second round of the Virtual Modern Sportscar Series, the drivers and their support teams made the round-world trip from Florida to meet the rising sun in Japan to test themselves against the Motegi circuit in the Tochigi Prefecture.

Conditions were almost ideal throughout the weekend, with all the visitors remarking on the excellent facilities and the support they received from the local organizing committee. Enjoying the weekend most fully was the Ferrari factory delegation, hosted to the event by their Nissan colleagues who were to be disappointed by the results of the race at their ‘home’ track.

While not every driver was able to make the long trip – with Daytona LMH AM winner Jose Florez and […]

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NARS – VTDMC Round 3 at Lausitzring

Race Report by Matthew Overton
Image by Jerry Chen
Broadcast by Ross “Tnadz” Smith

February 11, 2021 – This week, the drivers of the NARS VDTMC made the pilgrimage to the European center of automotive testing, the DEKRA facility at Lausitz, to show their manufacturers how well they could extract performance from their cars on a track the manufacturers themselves know so very well.

The weather, while generally overcast, in the end, provided excellent conditions for the race, which saw plenty of action from the 8 PRO and 11 AM drivers that lined up on the starting grid.

While a number of drivers opted to skip this stop, the field welcomed warmly four new drivers to grid – familiar face Tony Boynton and NARS newcomers John Maher, Chris Cox, and Cedric Collins, all in the AM category.

Qualifying

Qualifying was intense, with some great times being set during the […]

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NARS Modern Sportscar Championship – Round 1 at Daytona 2.4

Race Report by Matthew Overton
Photo by Jerry Chen
Broadcast by Ross Smith

January 21, 2021 – The thunder was heard loud and clear last night at Daytona as the Hypercars and GTEs of the VMSC took to the track for the first of twelve rounds of action.

LMH PRO

Weather conditions were almost perfect and provided a stunning backdrop for the landmark victory of Ferrari FXX driver George Angelidis, who scored his maiden win at CMS with a commanding performance in the LMH PRO class.

Lacking only the fastest lap and leadership of 5 race laps that fell to others while he was being serviced in the pits to complete a sweep of the race, it was nevertheless a long-held dream come true for the veteran CMS driver.

Against a strong field in the class that included Brian Hall (2nd), Norm Graf (3rd), JT Tami, and, in a […]

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Isle of Man Hot Lap Challenge

Special Event Report by Matthew Overton

So the CMS Isle of Man Hot Lap Challenge is now complete and time to reckon with the clock. All told, 16 drivers were successful in setting AT LEAST one timed lap, which was, as almost everyone pointed out, no mean feat!

Ahmad jumping at The Haven Country Inn Ahmad jumping at The Haven Country Inn

Before we get to all the winners, some notable facts and achievements from the month of time trialing.

Notable

  • First competitors on track: David Anderson and Matthew Overton (December 4th, 2020)
  • Last competitor on track: Thom Craine (January 3rd, 2020)
  • The most number of laps attempted as recorded by LiveRacers: 1333 by Ahmed Abdalla
  • The most number of laps completed as recorded by LiveRacers: 690 by Ahmed Abdalla
  • Highest completed laps by percent: 62% Thom Craine (5 of 8 laps!)
  • Highest clean laps by […]
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NARS 80 Minutes of Bahrain & Season End Report

Race Report by Matthew Overton

December 7, 2020 – A warm and very comfortable Bahrain late afternoon was the setting for the final round of the NARS VWSC Championship with almost ideal conditions for the 18 drivers and crews that made the trip to the Kingdom on the Persian Gulf.

And they wasted no time in getting down to business, with some scintillating qualifying laps to set the stage for the championship battles to come over the last 80 minutes of racing in the season.

LMP2

Within the LMP2 field of 7 cars, JT Tami took top honors with a blistering 1:46.411, .3s ahead of second-place Jason Whited with Colin Moore .2s further back.

Ahmed Abdalla continued his fine qualifying form, topping the GTE field with a 1:57.196, less than a tenth of a second ahead of Hank Sun with George Angelidis only slightly further back.

It was […]

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NARS BTCC Round 8 at Snetterton

Race Report and Photo by Matthew Overton

November 12, 2020 – At long last, the fabled English weather fulfilled its promise, providing a wet and dreary day for Round 8 of the NARS BTCC championship. Rather than dampening the racing spirit of the 14 drivers that made their way to Norfolk for the races, it inspired some additional sharpening to their racecraft as both races provided for some amazing close-quarter runs.

Rich Hibbs proved to be the strongest in qualifying with a magic lap that was fully 2s ahead of his nearest rival, Frank Radosti.

The magic had all but disappeared however by the time the first lap was complete with the polesitter dropping to P7. Eduardo Beninca and Colin Moore were the principal beneficiaries of errors in the opening lap that saw Radosti and JT Tami get caught up together with difficulties in the racing conditions. Hibbs continued to struggle – potentially […]

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NARS VWSC 1.2 Hrs of Sebring

Race Report by Matthew Overton
Photos by M Overton and J Chen

November 5, 2020 – Another clear and warm race day (thanks George!) greeted drivers for the NARS VWSC 1.2 Hrs of Sebring, producing some scintillating racing and more than a fair share of heartbreak.

The GTs battle at Sebring

LMP and GTE pole-sitters Ernest Dela Cruz and Jon Uyan delivered strong qualifying laps and led the field cleanly through the opening lap to set the table for an exciting race.

On race start, Cameron Sansano battled Dela Cruz for the race lead for much of the first stint, however, an off gave the race leader some much-appreciated breathing room, and then a fuel calculation error ended Sansano’s challenge permanently. From there, Dela Cruz ceded the lead only briefly during the final pitstop, taking the chequered flag for the overall race win. Colin Moore, Jason Whited, […]

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NARS VWSC Laguna Seca

Race Report by Matthew Overton

October 22, 2020 – The Weathertech Laguna Seca is always an exciting track with drivers constantly busy in their own races and then with the challenges presented by multi-class racing on a tight track. The warm and dry weather did not add to the difficulties of the day, but this did not mean that this race did not have its dramas, all of which contributed to some interesting developments in the series standings.

In total, 21 drivers (8 LMP and 13 GTE) took the green, though only 15 finished the race to see the chequered flag. Some aggressive racing, occasional driver error, and some unexpected difficulties in the pit lane all contributed to dashing the hopes of several championship contenders.

None of these difficulties affected JT Tami however, as he powered his way to yet another LMP2 and overall race […]

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NARS BTCC Croft

Race Report by Matthew Overton

October 15, 2020 – It was a surprisingly dry ‘weekend’ at Croft for the 7th stop on the NARS BTCC series.

Race 1 featured a strong battle between Eduardo Beninca and Rich Hibbs, with Hibbs overtaking the polesitter on Lap 8 and never looking back. One lap later, Jon Uyan lost 3rd to a charging George Angelidis, who held onto the final podium spot against a strong challenge by Colin Moore. For the AM class, Frank Radosti grabbed top spot followed by Guiherme Bencke and Matthew Overton.

Race 2 featured the ‘best’ of BTCC racing with incidents devastating the top end of the grid even before T1. The chaos played straight into the hands of R1 winner, who by the end of lap 1 was already P5. Benefitting from a consistent pace and some errors by those ahead of him, at the chequered flag Rich Hibbs was leading […]

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NARS VWSC Petit LeMans

Race Report by Matthew Overton

October 8, 2020 – While the forecast threatened menacingly, fortune smiled, or at least hold off the rain, for Round 6 of the NARS VWSC Series, back at Road Atlanta.

The race itself however was not so kind, with almost all the drivers having difficulties despite the clear weather. This, combined with LMPC and GTE AM leaders Matthew Overton and Don Fryman failing to grid, has made for some dramatic changes in the championship standings.

In LMP2, JT Tami took a P3 start on the grid to patiently track down Jason Whited, passing him mid-race and then leading 46 of 47 last laps of the race for his third win of the season. Norm Graf rounded out the podium in an LMP2 field that straggled through the final standings.

LMPC looked to be a close competition between Tom Aitken and Bob Robertson until a headlight error brought Bob’s race […]

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NARS Special Event – GP3 at Macau

Race Report by Matthew Overton

September 24, 2020 – Taking a break from the BTCC and VWSC schedules, 15 NARS drivers challenged themselves at the punishing Macau Guia circuit and the race did not fail to deliver excitement. With Sahil Mustac dominating both the qualification and race itself for his maiden win at CMS, there was tight racing to be found down the order. Jason Whited managed to keep himself ahead of squabbling midfield, with JT Tami, Jerry Chen, Jon Uyan, Brian Hall, and Ross Smith fighting over third to seventh for much of the race. While over half the field fell victim to the unforgiving nature of the track, all drivers were expressing their enjoyment of the race come the checkered flag.

Race Results

Photo credit: Jerry Chen Photo credit: Jerry Chen

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NARS GT3 at Zolder

October 31, 2019 – It was an all GT3 Halloween edition of NARS Autumn racing at Zolder. Imported McLaren Senna drivers from Group A decided to put on another hat and run with the Group B drivers in GT3 this time around. Sure enough, JT Tami took the win followed by the always fast GT3 drivers Jon Uyan and Jason Whited. Another meager-sized grid has to concern series admins as well as the faithful rFactor2 participants.

Results

NARS Autumn GT3's at Zolder

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NARS Summer Finale at Laguna Seca

September 26, 2019 – A 24 race sim racing season is adventuresome and the 2019 NARS Summer Series has now wound down to the final race with the GT3 cars at Laguna Seca.

In the 15-minute qualifying race JT Tami got home from work early and made the best of it with a pole and win in the race in Group A followed by Norm Graf in second and John Uyan in third. In Group B, Brian Hall continued his winning ways followed by Paul Ibbotson and Tom Nasella. Due to some technical problems, the feature race was a bit briefer than planned. Don Fryman took the win in Group A followed by Jon and JT. In Group B it was once again Brian Hall followed by Mark Cotherman then Frank Radosti.

Congratulations to the Group A podium of Greg Hall, Norm Graf, and Jon Uyan! Congratulations to the Group B […]

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NARS Summer Goes to Laguna Seca

September 19, 2019 – Winding down the long 24-race NARS Summer Series, the Flatsix survivors made the trek to Laguna Seca. Whicle one of the most famous of road racing venues, it is also one of the toughest for its elevation drops and sudden changes. Norm Graf made a huge charge to the front in qualifying with a 1:25.593. But after 60 minutes it was those Hall guys once again taking the win in Group A and Group B. Group A winner Greg Hall was followed by Norm Graf in second, and Ernest Dela Cruz took third. For Group B, Brian Hall added one more win to his belt with Frank Radosti taking the silver and Mark Cotherman pulling down the third spot on the podium. The final NARS Summer event is next week with the GT3 cars in their usual 15 / 45 minute format.

Results […]

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Brutal NARS GT3 Race at Crystal Palace

September 12, 2019 – Brutal. That’s the keyword for the NARS Summer Series racing Thursday night. Racing at the throwback track, Crystal Palace proved to be a ruckus with the majority of the grid encountering major repairs in the pits or an outright DNF from damage.

It started with the 15-minute qualifying race, won by Group A driver Don Fryman who ran out of gas at the finish and Group B first time winning driver, Paul Ibbotson. In the feature 45-minute race, it was very frequent podium finisher Greg Hall taking the win in Group A once again. Don Fryman looked to be the winner until an errant fuel calculation ran his Corvette dry. He commented to winner Greg Hall, “I knew I was in trouble when I saw you duck into the pits behind me.” Behind Greg was Norm Graf followed by Jon Uyan. Group B has a new series […]

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