All hail Hyman at the Nurburgring!
Apex Racing Academy F3 VRS Super Series R1 Nurburgring
Back by popular demand, the Apex Racing Academy F3 VRS Super Series returns for a brand-new season. Embarking upon the modern Nurburgring GP circuit, drivers attempted to negotiate through the perilous heat racing format and reach the feature race.
Last season’s championship contender, Raoul Hyman, started on pole position for the opening race of the season. Hyman’s real world single seater credentials were clear for all to see as the South African star bolted to an easy heat win and pole position for the feature race. Less than five seconds behind the unstoppable Hyman, Steven Westerhof stunned the paddock with a second-place finish overall and dominant win in the AM class.
Paulo Draeta and Jordan Kelly started on the front row of the grid for the second heat. Although Draeta reached turn one ahead of Kelly, a mistake under braking from the Brazilian allowed the Irishman to swoop through into the lead.
Unable to escape, Kelly faced the threat of attack from Will Redford and Daniel Sivi-Szabo. Once Redford and Sivi-Szabo began bickering, Kelly made his escape. However, a mistake sent the young Irish star onto the grass, allowing Sivi-Szabo and Redford through. A subsequent technical failure dropped Kelly into the perilous consolation race.
Despite Redford’s best efforts to overhaul him, Sivi-Szabo took the heat win and a spot on the front row of the feature race grid. Florian Beer finished ahead of his AM class rivals in fourth overall.
For those who failed to reach the top twelve in their heat, the dreaded consolation loomed ahead. Aaron Smith and Ismael Arreffag enjoyed a clear view to turn one from the front row of the grid. However, a sector one spin sent Arreffag down the order while Smith led the field out of the Mercedes arena.
Keen to recover from his heat race disappointment, Jordan Kelly charged to the front of the pack on the opening lap. Once into clean air, the Emerald isle ace was in unstoppable form. Smith, Punkari, Colander, Mauro and Holland followed behind Kelly to the feature race. The rest were done for the day.
Following a dominant heat race, Raoul Hyman sat on pole position for the feature race. Last season, Hyman’s heat race pace was unparralled. However, a string of mistakes thwarted his challenge in the crucial feature races. Could he put these demons to bed at the Nurburgring?
While Hyman ruthlessly accumulated a lead out front, AM class sensation Steven Westerhof held second place overall. Heat two winner, Daniel Sivi-Szabo, couldn’t lay a glove on the Dutchman and settled for third.
By the flag, a flawless drive gave Hyman the opening win of the season. However, Westerhof crossed the line only 3.5 seconds behind. An extraordinary performance from the standout AM class driver.
Recovering from a trip via the consolation race, Jordan Kelly dug deep to finish seventh overall. A fantastic display of damage limitation.
On Saturday the 17th of April, the Apex Racing Academy F3 VRS Super Series reconvenes for round two of the championship. Mirroring the F1 paddocks visit to the real world Imola circuit, the ARA F3 paddock heads to the virtual version of this notorious circuit. Tune in to Apex Racing TV at 7pm GMT to catch all the live action.
