Round 4 of the American GT Championship is just about here. Last round at Rattlesnake Point incurred some unfortunate technical difficulties and the broadcast was blacked out. But luckily for us, the drivers were still able to get down to business and have at it, creating what was perhaps the most hectic and exciting leg of the championship thus far.
Unlike with the previous two events at Spa and Sebring, Rattlesnake Point featured two sprint races instead of 60 or 90 minute endurance rounds. This meant qualifying was more important than usual, with only 30 minutes to get the job down during the actual race.
But through practice it became clear only one man would really challenge for pole position, and that was none other than Portuguese sensation Francisco Villar. Unlike many of AGTC’s top pilots, Villar had the advantage of having no extra weight added to his car, which was largely due to the fact that Francisco had to miss round two at Sebring because he had real life racing obligations. But for Rattlesnake, Villar was back out on the sim track and was absolutely the man on form, taking pole, his second of the season.
Rounding out the front row was Dutchman Hugo Hekkenberg, who surprised everyone by missing out on Villar’s pole time by only 3 tenths. Third was Tyler Scurlock, despite having a 10 kilo weight penalty to contend with. Yuri Braham managed to find the pace that made him a major player in ATCC S3 to get 4th, and Reggie Blain continued his run of good form to round out the top five.
The three championship contending drivers, however, qualified in 6th (Dariusz Swiderski), 7th (Keith Barrick) and 8th (Jesper Taulborg) which meant the trio would have to fight directly with one another for vital championship points.
The race started in a fast haze of overtakes and lunges, which saw Hugo Hekkenberg quickly shoot down the grid to 4th. Keith Barrick also was on the wrong side of musical chairs, and quickly made his way down to 13th after he was nudged off track.
With his main competitor (speed wise) in Hugo Hekkenburg now shuffled down the grid, Villar checked out with the lead. None would challenge him the rest of the way through.
But back toward the midfield absolute chaos ensued. Not only did major title contender Barrick fall outside the top ten, but so did Dariusz Swiderski. It seemed that Taulborg had all the fixings to cement his championship as he smoothly ran along in 6th. But with a mere two laps to go, Taulborg inexplicably lost his pace. Soon, driver after driver stormed passed the AGTC points leader, including Keith Barrick. Media personnel were left puzzled as to what to make of Taulborg’s dramatic drop to 10th, where he finished.
Meanwhile, the biggest winners at the end of race 1 were Eric Nelson and Dino Paolini, who managed to finish 5th and 7th after starting 11th and 12th. Scurlock was able to secure his second podium finish in as many tries by taking home 2nd, and Hugo Hekeknberg recovered to finish 3rd, with Reggie Blain seizing 4th.
Francisco Villar took his first win of the season, and with the reversed grid for race two, would start 8th. Domingos Vaz was on pole for the second leg, with Paolini and Barrick occupying positions two and three.
The lights went out and the field was back underway. Vaz was able to hold his lead from Paolini and Barrick. But before long he had to worry about the charging Villar, who had little trouble picking his way through the slower cars in front of him. If it wasn't for the heroic defending by Barrick to stop Villar charge up the grid, there was little doubt the Portuguese would have assumed the lead at some point.
But as the field began their pitstops, Domingos Vaz was still in the lead, somehow managing to hold his gap to Barrick and Villar. He came out in front of those two rival drivers... unfortunately for him, he had lost his lead. A man that was assumed out of contention for the race resurrected not only his chance of winning, but his championship life as well. Dariuzs Swiderski had pulled what may be considered the greatest undercut in Touring Pro Series history, as the Britishman jumped from outside the top eight all the way up to 1st place after the pits cycled through. Dariusz later said after the race that taking only two right side tires and pitting very early was the key to his success.
In the end, Swiderski redefined what it means to steal the show, and he took home his first win of the season. Still, it wouldn’t be enough to assume control of the championship… well, at least it wasn’t going to be enough until Taulborg made another inexplicable drop down the grid…
Yes, with only a lap to go before the finish, championship leader and reigning ATCC champion Jesper Taulborg decided yet again to drop down the grid to 10th place.
Media personnel rushed to Taulborg’s pitbox after the round to discuss what on earth he was thinking. The Dane replied in his cool, ice-man like tone. “It’s my strategy.”
Speculations were soon about that Taulborg’s plan from the beginning was to cut down his weight penalty that was a staggering 50 kilos, which meant he could no longer contend for wins. With his two p10 finishes, however, Taulborg will now be at a more manageable 20 kilos for round 4 at Watkins Glen, where Taulborg is now very confident he’ll be able to retake the lead of the championship from his rival Swiderski, who now is the AGTC points leader by only 1 point.
Villar managed to overtake Barrick in the end, bagging him 2nd. Barrick finished 3rd, and Domingos Vaz was able to hang on to 4th. Yuri Braham took an impressive 5th.
Looking onward in the championship, it would seem AGTC is shaping into what ATCC was, and that's a three horse race. Swiderski has been class this season, not missing the mark, which is the reason he now tops the table. Taulborg is without question the best in race driver in the series , but questionable decision making at Rattlesnake sees him actually 'give' control of the title away, only time will tell if this was a brilliant move, or one of the biggest blunders he'll ever make in sim-racing. Keith Barrick has showed the speed and incredible racing skills that made him a former ATCC champion in his own right, but he still tries to recover after his costly mistake at eau rouge during round 1 at Spa. And Eric Nelson has managed to give himself atleast a chance in this title fight, but the American will have to step up his pace and do what he's failed to accomplish all season, and that's to compete for wins and to get on podium.
With drama this high, make sure to tune in for round 4 at Watkins Glen GP, brought to you live by Multi BC tonight at 01:00GMT, where Ryan Callan, Toby Davis, and Danny Asbury will be on commentary for what is shaping up to be one of the most intense rounds TPS has ever seen!
