The Road to Le Mans began last week for simRACE247 drivers getting a first taste of the daunting but spectacular iRacing Porsche 919 at Circuit de Catalunya at virtual Barcelona.
John Henri-Vaughan is one of the simRACE247 drivers prepping for the iRacing Le Mans 24 Hours and thereafter a sustained campaign of endurance racing with the team.
The 14-year-old summed up his early impressions of the car: “I had my first outing in the Porsche 919 car on Wednesday, at Barcelona, and I didn’t realize how much I could push the car around the corners. It had much more grip than I expected.
“I managed to get to a 1.29 but wasn’t able to go much faster as I didn’t understand the full 919 hybrid system.
“My first official race of the Le Mans series was on Sunday 24 May and I had the best race of my life. I finished seventh and it was really an amazing experience. I learnt so much about my driving and how the car works during that one hour race.
“I also experienced a full field and working through the traffic was awesome. I managed to get my lap times down to a 1.27 and was cruising with consistent 1.28’s. I am looking forward to this journey on the Road to Le Mans with the team and can’t wait to see how far we can go with this.”
This week the simRACE247 drivers will hit the track with their posse of iconic Porsche 919s to establish who brings what to the team in terms of pace and consistency,
Currently, Troy Dolinschek, the team’s other 14-year-old, has set the benchmark pace with lap times in the 1:23 to 1:24 zone. He also impressed with two wins and a second place in the car this past weekend – the team clearly has a good benchmark to work towards with the youngster in the car.
More Porsche 919 testing is scheduled for this week where the likes of Max Bunevich, Elliot Simpson, Vladislav Zenkov, Kewyn Snyman will join Troy, John-Henri and Chase Herholdt in the campaign, which can be split into two cars if need be.
