BMW M Team Redline showcased their dominance by securing a stunning 1-2 finish in the grueling Falken Tyre 24 Hours of Spa on iRacing. The team, comprising Diogo Pinto, Chris Lulham, Florian Lebigre, and Max Verstappen, clinched victory after 24 hours and 594 laps of intense racing.

Team Redline #21, with Josh Thompson at the wheel, set the pace early by claiming pole position with a blistering lap time of 2:16.237. Thompson edged out teammate Diogo Pinto in car #20 by a mere 0.057 seconds, with Felix Quirmbach of MAHLE Racing Team just 0.079 seconds further back.

The green flag waved, and 49 drivers showcased exceptional driving skills, navigating the early laps without incident. The #99 Apex Racing Team, driven by Hugh Barter, was the first to incur a slowdown penalty, causing them to drop from 8th to 20th position. However, #6 Simspirit Racing (Miguel San Martin) and #69 Impulse Racing (Adrian Fruehwirth) were also not as fortunate, colliding at the bus stop. The contact caused #6 Simspirit Racing to spin, involving several other cars. Similarly, #124 Team PGZ (Pablo Araujo) faced early misfortune, getting entangled in an incident with Apex Racing Academy (Lorenzo Mangredotti) at Les Combes.

Both Team Redline cars executed a masterful team strategy, working together seamlessly. Instead of competing against each other, they focused on fuel strategy, frequently swapping positions.

EARLY STRATEGY 

After the first hour, #10 MAHLE Racing Team, #44 Falken Racing Team, and #89 BMW M Team BS+ Competition opted for a longer pit strategy, staying out an extra lap compared to their competitors. The #44 Falken Racing Team maintained their competitiveness, consistently staying in the top positions. They managed to pull a 3.5-second lead over both Team Redline cars and BS+ Competition.

MID-RACE DRAMA

Five hours into the race, the Falken Racing Team team saw their lead jeopardized by a backmarker, causing them to lose valuable time. This setback paved the way for Team Redline, who capitalized on their efficient pit cycle to gain significant time. 

During this time, Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen stepped into the #20 BMW M Team Redline car, completing an impressive 78 laps late into the night. His participation added a unique flair to the race, though his participation could not be longer due to his real-life career commitments, as he needed to focus on the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix just a few hours later.

IT IS RAINING

Thirteen hours into the race, rain appeared on the weather radar for the first time, adding a new layer of challenge to the competition.

One hour later, the rain began, testing the drivers' skills in wet conditions. The treacherous track led to several teams spinning out, including #44 Falken Racing Team, #76 SimRC, #315 Voracious Racing Team, #3 Simufy Esports, and #89 BS+ Competition, as they struggled to adapt to the slippery surface.

After the track dried out, Team Redline found themselves with a significant chance of winning the race. However, they couldn't afford to relax, as BS+ Competition consistently trailed by just 10-20 seconds in the final stints.

Diogo Pinto, who drove the #20 BMW M Team Redline for nearly half of the race, reflected on the team's challenges:

"Ideally, no driver does more than 8 or 9 hours in a team of four. But we had Florian with internet issues, Chris with a minor injury at the end, and Max at the F1 Grand Prix. The last three stints were challenging. Having the BS guys and our Ford teammates close helped me stay focused since any mistake or drop in pace could mean we would lose the race."

This victory marks Team Redline's third win at the 24 Hours of Spa, following their previous triumph in 2021. With this achievement, they now match Coanda Esports, who also secured victories in 2015, 2020, and 2022.

COMING NEXT

The next iRacing Special Event, the Martinsville MX-500, will take place on August 4th. This new event, starting in 2024, will see competitors racing in the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car for 500 laps at the tight confines of Martinsville Speedway.

 

Full Race Results

Pos	Team	#	Car	Start	Interval	Avg Lap Time	Best Lap	Laps
1	BMW M Team Redline 20	20	M4GT3	2	---	2:25.488	2:16.949 Lap 25	594L Led 378L
2	Team Redline 21	21	FMGT3	1	-0:13.910	2:25.511	2:17.027 Lap 24	594L Led 66L
3	BMW M Team BS+COMPETITION	89	M4GT3	7	-0:23.851	2:25.528	2:16.955 Lap 130	594L Led 9L
4	Williams Esports PitFit	150	M4GT3	10	-1 L	2:25.922	2:17.124 Lap 24	593L Led 0L
5	Williams Esports Racing Prodigy	1	M4GT3	5	-1 L	2:25.935	2:17.079 Lap 24	593L Led 0L
6	MAHLE RACING TEAM	10	M4GT3	3	-2 L	2:26.067	2:17.022 Lap 25	592L Led 27L
7	Team PGZ 11	114	M4GT3	18	-2 L	2:26.194	2:17.208 Lap 128	592L Led 0L
8	WSR Esports ButtKicker 2	23	M4GT3	21	-3 L	2:26.323	2:17.316 Lap 128	591L Led 0L
9	Falken Simracing Team Teal	44	M4GT3	4	-4 L	2:26.493	2:16.989 Lap 24	590L Led 109L
10	Team PGZ 119	119	M4GT3	26	-4 L	2:26.639	2:17.522 Lap 128	590L Led 0L
11	Maniti Racing	5	992R	19	-4 L	2:26.697	2:17.492 Lap 103	590L Led 0L
12	5Falken Simracing Team Blue	33	M4GT3	12	-5 L	2:26.742	2:17.325 Lap 104	589L Led 0L
13	Valkyrie Competition	777	F296	28	-5 L	2:26.922	2:17.809 Lap 21	589L Led 0L
14	SimRC	76	FMGT3	9	-5 L	2:26.948	2:17.285 Lap 181	589L Led 0L
15	BS+TURNER	96	M4GT3	13	-6 L	2:27.082	2:17.363 Lap 180	588L Led 0L
16	Deletraz Automotive by Majors Garag	8	F296	46	-7 L	2:27.255	2:17.996 Lap 302	587L Led 0L
17	Fiercely Forward Pink	12	M4GT3	35	-7 L	2:27.431	2:17.742 Lap 125	587L Led 0L
18	Zero7 Racing x SimRaceLab	7	F296	42	-8 L	2:27.676	2:18.019 Lap 166	586L Led 0L
19	Simufy eSports 11	3	992R	16	-9 L	2:27.747	2:17.439 Lap 129	585L Led 0L
20	Maniti Racing Green	78	992R	27	-9 L	2:27.787	2:17.989 Lap 228	585L Led 0L
21	Altitude Esports By Freem	111	CZ06	15	-9 L	2:27.906	2:17.430 Lap 30	585L Led 0L
22	BOUTSEN VDS by UNDERCUT #BLACK	11	MGT3E	47	-11 L	2:28.234	2:17.962 Lap 50	583L Led 0L
23	PROsport SimRacing | Red	17	MGT3E	39	-15 L	2:29.322	2:17.623 Lap 128	579L Led 0L
24	Impulse Racing 69	69	F296	33	-17 L	2:29.903	2:17.762 Lap 127	577L Led 0L
25	Energy Simsport #72	72	AEVO2	40	-19 L	2:30.401	2:17.990 Lap 104	575L Led 0L
26	Fiercely Forward Yellow	14	MGT3E	36	-88 L	2:38.648	2:17.648 Lap 327	506L Led 0L
27	Apex Racing Team #99	99	M4GT3	8	-117 L	2:28.598	2:17.138 Lap 128	477L Led 0L
28	Apex Racing Academy #97	97	M4GT3	30	-130 L	2:31.491	2:17.326 Lap 255	464L Led 0L
29	Voracious Racing Team	315	F296	41	-142 L	2:33.725	2:17.816 Lap 182	452L Led 0L
30	Team PGZ 12	124	MGT3E	23	-144 L	2:30.059	2:17.665 Lap 46	450L Led 0L
31	Virtualcoach.gg by GnG #001	1	M4GT3	6	-148 L	2:27.234	2:17.015 Lap 181	446L Led 5L
32	Virtualcoach.gg by GnG #00	3	M4GT3	17	-148 L	2:27.438	2:17.299 Lap 25	446L Led 0L
33	Apex One 101	21	LGT3	31	-151 L	2:31.530	2:17.523 Lap 24	443L Led 0L
34	Apex Racing Academy #98	98	M4GT3	20	-188 L	2:27.969	2:17.449 Lap 25	406L Led 0L
35	Virtualcoach.gg by GnG #002	2	M4GT3	14	-189 L	2:25.616	2:17.305 Lap 198	405L Led 0L
36	Team Heusinkveld #5	35	FMGT3	22	-193 L	2:27.199	2:17.509 Lap 23	401L Led 0L
37	Williams Gaming Club	2	M4GT3	11	-216 L	2:23.379	2:17.225 Lap 152	378L Led 0L
38	OnlyFrauds	4	AEVO2	32	-343 L	2:22.114	2:17.864 Lap 24	251L Led 0L
39	SCHERER eSPORT	88	MGT3E	25	-420 L	2:22.230	2:17.613 Lap 97	174L Led 0L
40	Gericke Motorsport GT #1	667	F296	45	-429 L	2:28.158	2:17.801 Lap 154	165L Led 0L
41	Fiercely Forward White	9	F296	44	-594 L	-	- Lap -	0L Led 0L
42	MAG-Performance #120	120	AEVO2	24	-594 L	-	- Lap -	0L Led 0L
43	5HydroRace Geodesic Racing	46	M4GT3	43	-594 L	-	- Lap -	0L Led 0L
44	Impulse Racing 66	66	F296	29	-594 LDQ/Scoring Invalidated	-	- Lap -	0L Led 0L
45	ZENNITH GASKNOCK GT	7	F296	38	-594 L	-	- Lap -	0L Led 0L
46	WSR Esports ButtKicker 12	16	F296	37	-594 L	-	- Lap -	0L Led 0L
47	1SimSpirit	6	M4GT3	34	-594 L	-	- Lap -	0L Led 0L
48	1Sprinters-Zadrots	955	M4GT3	48	-594 L	-	- Lap -	0L Led 0L
49	1MAG-Performance #121	121	F296	49	-594 L	-	- Lap -	0L Led 0L