Entertaining races, close calls and sim racing at the very highest level – the opening event in the Fall Cup of the Esports Racing League (ERL) by VCO had everything the racing heart could desire – with a deserving winner at the end, the Apex Racing Team.
On the iRacing platform, the team prevailed over Team Redline drivers. As well as scoring crucial points in the overall standings on the way to the Esports Racing World Cup 2023 (ERWC II), Peter Berryman, Jamie Fluke and Yohann Harth were delighted to receive prize money of 500 US dollars.
The vehicle of choice was a Formula iR-04 on the virtual Fuji Speedway. As usual, the VCO Track Vote gave the Twitter community the chance to choose the circuit in advance.
The heats suggested that the Apex Racing Team was most likely to emerge victorious from the evening’s events. The three preliminary races produced three podiums and Berryman, Fluke and Harth were a class apart in the quarter-final.
The spectators were then treated to the highlight of the evening in the semi-final, following the action on the livestream in four different languages.
While the Apex Racing Team dominated the race from the word go, a dramatic battle developed for the second spot in the finale between Team Redline and R8G Esports – including some crashes and numerous changes of position.
In the end, Team Redline won by a whisker, moving into the finale in the unusual role of the underdog.
Peter Berryman, Jamie Fluke and Yohann Harth lived up to their billing as favourites, coming out on top in two races against Enzo Bonito, Patrik Holzmann and Chris Lulham. This outstanding performance saw the Apex Racing Team put down a major marker in the ERL Fall Cup Masters and the Esports Racing World Cup (ERWC II).
It is anticipated that the ERWC II will take place in mid-February 2023, and it will be a live event in Germany for the first time. Further details, including the precise location, will be announced as the ERL Fall Cup progresses.
Reactions from the winners:
Peter Barryman (Apex Racing Team): “Our goal going into this was to win. We wanted to continue the form that we had but we did not expect to dominate the evening as well as we did. A ten out of ten from all the boys; it was a huge team effort. I guess there was a little bit of expectation, but I certainly did not feel pressure myself. All of us knew that we were dominant on iRacing so we sort of expected to be at the front.”
Jamie Fluke (Apex Racing Team): “I am delighted with the result today. You always want to test yourself against the best and Team Redline are right up there in any conversation for the best team. I think that we had slightly more pace than them today. It is so small margins, but that makes all the difference when things are so close and everyone is so competitive.”
Yohann Harth (Apex Racing Team): “Driving at Fuji Speedway was a lot of fun. When I saw after the qualifying that Peter and Jamie were in P1 and P2, it was my job to overtake the first Redline car and create a gap to Peter and Jamie. That worked out pretty well in the end. It was a bit messy but we got the job done.”
