For the second week in a row, and third time in the first five races, R8G Esports’ Maarten van Loozenoord took the checkered flag in Force Dynamics Dallara iRacing Grand Prix Championship action from by pacing the field at Silverstone Circuit on Thursday. Starting third on the grid, van Loozenoord led 11 of the race’s 40 laps, including the final five, to take the checkered flag by more than two seconds over Apex Racing Team drivers Peter Berryman and Ben Fuller in the largest margin of victory of the year. The win also enabled him to climb to second in points, just nine behind Berryman for the top spot in the standings.
Tire strategy came into play immediately on the abrasive British circuit, as Aurys Esports’ Marcos Nuñez took pole by electing to start the race on soft tires as everyone else went with the hard compound. Fuller and Berryman would quickly find their way around him, while behind them, mid-pack carnage would yet again impact numerous drivers on the first lap. Brian Lockwood, Sam Kuitert, and Kane Halliburton were among those who saw their days end early.
By the end of the first pit cycle, the lead pack was down to five cars, with Fuller leading the early part of the first two stints and Berryman later taking the top spot; Nuñez’s alternate strategy wouldn’t pay off as he would retire just past the halfway point, but van Loozenoord would pit later than anyone else and manage to spend a handful of laps up front. Finally, when the last pit stops cycled through, it was Berryman, Fuller, van Loozenoord, and Matteo Ugolotti in the lead pack with seven laps to go.
Fresher tires proved to be the deciding factor from there. van Loozenoord would take the Apex duo three wide for the lead and secure the spot for good with five laps to go. Shortly after, Ugolotti would spin from contact while battling Fuller for third. Ugolotti would hang on for fourth as Berryman preserved his points lead by staying in front of Fuller for second.
Force Dynamics Dallara iRacing Grand Prix Championship results from Silverstone Circuit were as follows:
Fin. |
St. |
No. |
Driver |
Laps |
Interval |
Led |
Best |
Pts. |
| 1 | 3 | 69 | Maarten van Loozenoord | 40 | 11 | 1:26.601 | 25 | |
| 2 | 4 | 50 | Peter Berryman | 40 | -2.074 | 11 | 1:27.174 | 21 |
| 3 | 2 | 55 | Ben Fuller3 | 40 | -2.253 | 18 | 1:27.216 | 18 |
| 4 | 7 | 98 | Matteo Ugolotti | 40 | -11.439 | 0 | 1:26.955 | 15 |
| 5 | 5 | 90 | Yohann Harth | 40 | -16.119 | 0 | 1:27.022 | 12 |
| 6 | 14 | 9 | Tamas Simon | 40 | -20.553 | 0 | 1:27.233 | 10 |
| 7 | 13 | 6 | Jarl Teien | 40 | -25.029 | 0 | 1:26.867 | 9 |
| 8 | 15 | 16 | Peter Zuba | 40 | -33.510 | 0 | 1:27.745 | 8 |
| 9 | 25 | 7 | Gio Cortese | 40 | -34.294 | 0 | 1:27.525 | 7 |
| 10 | 19 | 5 | Omar Baha | 40 | -44.991 | 0 | 1:27.841 | 6 |
| 11 | 6 | 66 | Michele Costantini | 40 | -47.811 | 0 | 1:26.494 | 6 |
| 12 | 12 | 2 | Florian Lebigre2 | 40 | -49.462 | 0 | 1:27.056 | 4 |
| 13 | 9 | 8 | David Toth | 40 | -49.480 | 0 | 1:27.190 | 3 |
| 14 | 23 | 21 | Alejandro del Campo | 40 | -1:07.435 | 0 | 1:28.083 | 2 |
| 15 | 22 | 32 | Jorge Marquinez | 40 | -1:14.596 | 0 | 1:28.215 | 1 |
| 16 | 8 | 11 | Przemyslaw Marek Lemanek | 40 | -1:21.369 | 0 | 1:26.619 | 0 |
| 17 | 21 | 77 | Cédric BYLL | 40 | -1:50.041 | 0 | 1:28.482 | 0 |
| 18 | 18 | 86 | James J Pinsker | 38 | -2 L | 0 | 1:26.553 | 0 |
| 19 | 10 | 46 | Valentin Mandernach | 36 | -4 L | 0 | 1:27.217 | 0 |
| 20 | 1 | 23 | Marcos Núñez | 22 | -18 L | 0 | 1:27.281 | 0 |
| 21 | 11 | 12 | Marcus Jensen | 11 | -29 L | 0 | 1:26.803 | 0 |
| 22 | 24 | 25 | José I. Soria | 5 | -35 L | 0 | 0 | |
| 23 | 20 | 43 | Brian Lockwood | 1 | -39 L | 0 | 0 | |
| 24 | 16 | 28 | Sam Kuitert | 1 | -39 L | 0 | 0 | |
| 25 | 17 | 94 | Kane Halliburton | 1 | -39 L | 0 | 0 |
Force Dynamics Dallara iRacing Grand Prix Championship points through five rounds are as follows:
- Peter Berryman, 99
- Maarten van Loozenoord, 90
- Yohann Harth, 87
- Michele Costantini, 68
- Ben Fuller, 64
- Tamas Simon, 41
- Matteo Ugolotti, 32
- Jarl Teien, 31
- David Toth, 31
- 2 drivers tied, 30
The Force Dynamics Dallara iRacing Grand Prix Championship season continues next Thursday at the HockenheimRing. Coverage begins at 3PM ET/19:00 GMT on iRacing.com/live and across iRacing social media channels. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iRacing.com.
Images via Justin Melillo
