Urano Esports took the chequered flag in the iRacing Sebring 12hr Powered by VCO, F1 world champion Max Verstappen was a DNF.
With the iRacing Sebring 12hr Powered by VCO being one of the highlights in the sim racing calendar, Urano Esports reigned supreme, Max Verstappen of Team Redline had an unfortunate incident with another car and had to retire from the race and register a DNF.
Munich – The second VCO Grand Slam event of the year provided another display of top-class Esports racing on Saturday: the iRacing Sebring 12 powered by VCO saw the URANO eSports team celebrate its maiden special-event victory at the virtual Sebring International Raceway. Dominik Hofmann and Daniel Alves Lourenco dominated proceedings in the number 1 BMW M Hybrid V8, winning with a comfortable lead of 41.653 seconds. BMW SIM Team Redline and the number 192 URANO eSports car followed in second and third place. There were also dominant displays by the winners in the LMP2 and GTD classes. Apex Racing Team, with drivers Elvis Rankin and Michele Costantini, guided the number 199 LMP2 prototype home in first place, followed 32.529 seconds later by the Coffin Dancer team. Third place went to the second Apex car. The GTD class was won by Team Redline drivers Ole Steinbraten and Gianni Vecchio, who finished ahead of Arnage Competition and Altus Esports to claim their coveted VCO Grand Slam trophies.
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen also lined up for Team Redline in the GTD class, in which he shared a cockpit with former IndyCar champion Alex Palou. Having qualified second, Verstappen led the field in the early stages of the 12-hour race. However, he was then the innocent party in a collision with another car, and subsequently had to retire from the race. Reactions from the winners: Dominik Hofmann (URANO Esports): “Our qualifying was not good, but we were confident we had the speed needed to win the race. We had an incredible preparation with the BMW M Hybrid V8 at this circuit, as we started in the BMW M SIM Cup before this event.” Elvis Rankin (Apex Racing Team): “It was a long race and I am a bit tired, but the win feels awesome. I have had a lot of races in recent weeks, so it took me a while to get up to speed. It all worked out in the end though.” VCO iRacing Grand Slam Events 2023:21st/22nd January: 24h Daytona26th March: 12h Sebring18th June: 6h Watkins Glen8th October: Petit Le Mans
About iRacing iRacing is the world’s premier motorsport simulation. With hundreds of cars and tracks from nearly every major racing discipline, iRacing partners with some of the world’s premier manufacturers, drivers, and motorsport sanctioning bodies, to deliver an unparalleled driving experience. From World Championship and special event competitions to public, hosted, and league racing, there’s an iRacing event out there for users of all skill levels and racing backgrounds. Learn more about iRacing and join more than 200,000 active iRacers today at www.iRacing.com. About VCOVirtual Competition Organisation (VCO) brings together different stakeholders in Esports, from simulation or gaming platforms and interested partners to active teams, drivers and the community. In a rapidly growing sector, VCO stands for professionalism, focus and a broad media presence. With its international network, VCO provides solutions for the best possible conception and implementation of Esports projects of all kinds. The best teams in the world compete in such high-class competitions as the Esports Racing League (ERL), VCOINFINITY and the FLExTREME championship, which VCO implements on a wide range of gaming and simulation platforms.
