Lamborghini lord it at Spa!
Apex Racing League GT Trophy Round 1
In the contemporary sports car ecosystem, GT3 and GT4 machines enhance opportunities for drivers to compete in championships worldwide. Created by race promoter extraordinaire, Stephane Ratel, GT3/GT4 racers have been a resounding success for fans, drivers, and manufacturers alike. For major manufacturers like Audi and Porsche, the advent of GT3 and GT4 has contributed to a boom in revenue from customer focused motorsport.
In the sim racing world, these road car derived machines provide a relatable platform for sim racers of all abilities. Buoyed by the popularity of these GT racers, the Apex Racing League launched their brand-new GT trophy to a full grid at Spa on Tuesday the 23rd of February.
Spa’s annual 24-hour race is arguably the premiere GT3 race on the global calendar. Therefore, this classic Belgian venue provided a fitting arena to launch the Apex Racing League GT Trophy.
Qualifying
Gaeten Anger became the first polesitter in ARL GT Trophy history. Driving a Lamborghini Huracan, Anger eclipsed Jonas Bodin’s Ferrari by a quarter of a second. Julian Martinsen outpaced the GT3 AM class field and qualified sixteenth overall.
In the GT4 PRO ranks, Mergim Aliu eclipsed Philip Johansson for pole position. Daniel Markov was quickest of the GT4 AM contenders.
The Race
In the early laps of the sixty-minute encounter, Gaeten Anger led a Lamborghini duo with Will Orton. Despite starting from the front row, Jonas Bodin couldn’t run the pace of the front running Lamborghinis. Sadly, Bodin eventually retired his Ferrari on the Kemmel Straight with suspected technical issues.
By the midway pit stops, Gaeten Anger had constructed an ominous lead. Further back, Nick Madsen and Will Orton bickered over second place, allowing Anger to cruise to the win. With ten minutes to go, Jonathan Poulet joined the all-Lamborghini scuffle over the runner up spot. Following a titanic battle of multiple exchanges of position, Nick Madsen prevailed in second place. Will Orton hung on to claim the final spot on the podium.
Tom Bingham fought valiantly to the front of GT3 AM after the pit stops. Once into the lead, the Lamborghini ace was in fine form and marched on to the class victory by four seconds over Andrew Broome.
Top of the GT4 field, was Mergim Aliu. VLX eSports’ speedy Italian enjoyed a relatively serene race out front. However, Aliu’s pulse was raised when the Porsche driver was treated to a front row seat of the GT3 PRO battle tearing past on the Kemmel Straight!
GT4 Am class polesitter, Daniel Markov, faced stiff competition throughout the opening stint from Mark Silcock. Once the pit stop cycle shuffled the deck, Markov pressed home his advantage in the second half of the race and accumulated a thirty second lead from Mike Pollard.
On the 2nd of March, the Apex Racing League GT Trophy heads to Interlagos for round two of the championship. So far, Lamborghini and Porsche have dominated the GT3 and GT4 categories, respectively. Can they be caught in Brazil? Tune in to Apex Racing TV at 8pm GMT to find out!
