rFactor 2 DTM championship takes the stage in Germany for the VDTMC brought to you by CMS.
It was a return to Germany once again for the VDTMC teams with a pilgrimage to one of the most imposing and storied circuits of Europe – the Nurburgring. And while perhaps best known for the longer layouts, including those used for Formula 1 and the 24-hour endurance races, for the VDTMC it was to be the Sprint layout that would be waiting to test their composure and skill.
19 drivers (8 PRO and 11 AM) with their supporting teams gathered at the paddock for what turned out to be one of the most hotly contested races of the season to date. Qualifying set the pace as a number of drivers struggled with mechanical/electrical problems which limited their qualifying and led to some interesting placements. PRO class leader Ahmed Abdallah was one of the drivers that struggled but still managed to set the pace with a 1:16.631, .8s clear of a closed-up pack of drivers led by Jon Uyan. The AM pole was claimed by Matthew Overton with a 1:18.361, just .01s ahead of Danny Corriveau with John Maher and Paul Ibbotson close behind. Finding themselves uncharacteristically at the back of the field were AM drivers Ross Smith and Pedro Gomez, both of whom had car issues to blame for their poor gridding results.
From the drop of the green flag, fierce battles for position developed throughout the entire field, entertaining the fans worldwide with some first-class door-to-door action. While Abdallah streaked off in the lead, it was a tight and hard-racing group that followed. While Pro drivers Uyan, Kirby, Hall, Whited, Tami and AM leader Overton were able to put several seconds between themselves as a group and the rest of the field, the same was occurring elsewhere with several tight groups forming and reforming before and after the mandatory pit stop. At the same time, AM driver Pedro Gomez found his pace, undercutting the lead group on the pit cycle and positioning himself to be challenging for a podium position by lap 33. His protracted battle with Jon Uyan, much to the delight of the fans, produced some outstanding racing that ended abruptly with Gomez out braking himself at the hairpin onto the Schumacher straight. A strong recovery almost succeeded in his regaining position over Overton for the AM win, only to be denied by a drive-through penalty on the final lap due to track cuts.
The finishing order on the podium was PRO: Ahmed Adballah, Jon Uyan and JT Tami while for AM: Matthew Overton, Pedro Gomez and John Maher.
For full details, visit https://cmsracing.com/nars-virtual-dtm-championship-round-5-at-nurburgring/
After a break to allow the drives and their teams some time for both recovery and car tuning, the next VDTMC round will be 18 March at the Red Bull Ring.
Replay file
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zXsLRsIdAgC6RRYwJfYqIEHd1BQ6BaBa/view?usp=sharing
Broadcast replay (brought to you by Ross “Tnadz” Smith)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl7gg-ZP4oA
