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NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 4 – 60 Minutes of Zolder

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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.

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Qualifying

It was Maserati again at the top of the qualifying results, this time privateer Pedro […]

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

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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.

[…]

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NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 2 – 60 Minutes of Brno

NARS 60 minutes of Brno

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

May 27, 2021 – NARS made a long-overdue return to the rolling hills of the Brno circuit with the arrival of the Virtual GT1 Championship to the venue last week. 31 drivers, making up 7 teams and 17 independent drivers arrived in the Czech Republic to contest the second round of the 9 race championship. The weather cooperated to provide the drivers with consistent conditions for both learning the track and becoming more familiar again with their cars.

NARS 60 minutes of Brno

Qualifying

It was PRO driver Ahmed Abdallah that set the pace, laying down a 1:47.679 in a Maserati MC12, nosing ahead of Dan Kirby and Eduardo Beninca, both in Ford GTs. A 1:50:590 was the best that top AM […]

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NARS Virtual GT1 Championship Round 1 – 60 Minutes of Silverstone

Rainy Start

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 […]

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NARS Modern Sportscar Championship – Round 5 at Long Beach

NARS Long Beach hairpin

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

May 13, 2021 – It was back to the USA for the VMSC and the always demanding street circuit at Long Beach California. Beautiful skies greeted the 19 teams (10 LMH/9 GTE) on their arrival and the weekend carried on in the same manner, providing for some excellent racing conditions.

Qualifying

Qualifying was as ever, hotly contested, with Norm Graf setting the crowd abuzz, seizing his first pole position of the series with a 1:12.241 in his Ferrari FXX-K. Brian Hall and George Angelidis, also in Ferraris, completed a lock-out of the top spots in LMH PRO for that manufacturer, an indication of things to come in the race.

In LMH AM, Ross Smith and his Nissan G-TR were only slightly behind the top PROs, with a 1:12.603, which was only […]

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NARS Modern Sportscar Championship – Round 4 at Spa-Francorchamps

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

VMSC Spa1

April 22, 2021 – The VMSC carried on with the globe-hopping nature of the series, stopping this time at the renowned Spa-Francorchamps of Belgium, home to some of the most electrifying sprint and endurance racing to be found anywhere.

Since the last event at Sebring, the teams and drivers have been hard at work to optimize their cars for the high-speed racing that has been a hallmark of this iconic track, all the more difficult with the imposition of an updated LMH BoP by the series officials, raising hopes for even closer competition as a result.

While many other CMS series have been bitten by the ‘spring rain bug’ while in Europe, the VMSC benefitted from clear skies which provided plenty of time for fine-tuning of the setups before the serious work […]

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NARS VDTMC Final Report – Round 9 Spa-Francorchamps

VDTMC Spa 1

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

April 8, 2021 – It was 21 drivers and crews that arrived at the historic location of Spa-Francorchamps to contest the final round of the CMS NARS Virtual DTM Championship.  Anticipation was running high with a number of teams determined to show true racing colors and close out the season on a high note. It also marked the return to NARS racing for Guilherme Bencke and the first race of the season for Pedro Crulas Gomes – perhaps heralding a more regular attendance?

A glorious weekend, more like an early summer than spring, provided for some excellent racing conditions, even with bands of clouds regularly passing overhead.  The final practice provided hints of the close racing that was in store and the qualifying session was a great taster of the action […]

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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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