The Nürburgring 24 Hour race in iRacing is a highlight on the Special Events calendar year after year – but it is also an extremely difficult event. This was also very much obvious in its 2023 edition, with controversy surrounding the Williams Esports overall win in the top split.
Image Credit: VCO
With over 13 hours to go, the leading #55 Williams Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo came up behind the #10 MAHLE Racing Team car, which was leading the GT4 class at the time. As the faster Mercedes was trying to get past the Aston Martin Vantage GT4, it made contact with the rear of the lower-class vehicle at the Bellof-S, sending the Aston into the barriers at high speed.
It was not the only incident of this kind involving a Williams car, as their #77 Porsche Cup car took out the Grid-and-Go.com Esports Aston Martin that was in the lead in GT4 then, as well as themselves shortly before the halfway mark. The Porsche went on to finish in second place of its class, the Aston was retired.
Moritz Löhner, who is behind the virtual wheel for Mouz Esports in the RENNSPORT-based ESL R1, took to Twitter during the Nürburgring Special Event to share his thoughts on the multiclass race craft – or lack thereof – that was on display. Not referring to any incident in particular, the German criticized both the faster and slower class drivers, stating that "people don't know how to multiclass." His tweet sparked some discussion, but also received considerable amounts of positive feedback.
Meanwhile, Williams Esports was not in the middle of a top-split endurance racing controversy for the first time this year: At the 24 Hours of Daytona, also in iRacing, it was revealed that they had run their BMW M Hybrid V8 below the yellow line and on the apron of the track during qualifying to gain time. Later, it looked evident that one of their GT3 entries sacrificed their own race in order to help their sister car, even waiting to exit the pits to come out in front of direct rivals. Williams responded to this by issuing an apology after investigating the incidents, stating that "accountability, integrity and regulation are key to the continued growth and sustainability of sim racing, and of the wider esports industry and we are committed to driving that forward."
Image Credit: VCO
With over 13 hours to go, the leading #55 Williams Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo came up behind the #10 MAHLE Racing Team car, which was leading the GT4 class at the time. As the faster Mercedes was trying to get past the Aston Martin Vantage GT4, it made contact with the rear of the lower-class vehicle at the Bellof-S, sending the Aston into the barriers at high speed.
It was not the only incident of this kind involving a Williams car, as their #77 Porsche Cup car took out the Grid-and-Go.com Esports Aston Martin that was in the lead in GT4 then, as well as themselves shortly before the halfway mark. The Porsche went on to finish in second place of its class, the Aston was retired.
Classes Need to Work Together
The drama put the difficulties of mutliclass racing in the spotlight: Communication when lapping is key with slower classes involved, and patience of the faster classes is just as important – arguably, both incidents could have been avoided by waiting for a better opportunity for pulling off a safe overtake to present itself. On the other hand, the slower classes need to take care not to brake or lift off the throttle unexpectedly, especially on the racing line, in an overambitious try to make way for the faster cars. Both need to work together, especially if there are bigger speed deficits between classes like prototypes and GTs (as pictured above at Sebring).Moritz Löhner, who is behind the virtual wheel for Mouz Esports in the RENNSPORT-based ESL R1, took to Twitter during the Nürburgring Special Event to share his thoughts on the multiclass race craft – or lack thereof – that was on display. Not referring to any incident in particular, the German criticized both the faster and slower class drivers, stating that "people don't know how to multiclass." His tweet sparked some discussion, but also received considerable amounts of positive feedback.
Separate License as Solution?
How to combat these issues is a different, infinitely more difficult question, though. A separate multiclass safety rating has been among the suggestions, and it would likely help if iRacing could implement working indicators on cars that have them – GT3 and GT4 cars, for example, do race with them. This is represented in Assetto Corsa Competizione, althought multiclass events are not immune to these issues in ACC either.Meanwhile, Williams Esports was not in the middle of a top-split endurance racing controversy for the first time this year: At the 24 Hours of Daytona, also in iRacing, it was revealed that they had run their BMW M Hybrid V8 below the yellow line and on the apron of the track during qualifying to gain time. Later, it looked evident that one of their GT3 entries sacrificed their own race in order to help their sister car, even waiting to exit the pits to come out in front of direct rivals. Williams responded to this by issuing an apology after investigating the incidents, stating that "accountability, integrity and regulation are key to the continued growth and sustainability of sim racing, and of the wider esports industry and we are committed to driving that forward."
