Becker breaks out at Spa!
Apex Racing League iRacing GT Championship with Colbek – R10 Spa
With three rounds to go, the Apex Racing League GT Championship presented by Colbek looks impossible to call. As the paddock arrives at Spa-Francorchamps for round ten of the championship, a cast of drivers can claim the title in both PRO and AM classes. Once again, Alexey Nesov was absent and therefore opens up another opportunity for a new star to emerge in ARL GT.
Race 1
Metronomic Mattia Fuligni eclipsed James Crouch by less than a tenth of a second, claiming pole position for the sprint race. AM championship leader, Jentsen Adriaenssens, asserted his authority by topping the class in ninth.
From pole position, Mattia Fuligni held firm in the lead for the majority of the spint race. However, James Crouch stalked intently and with five minutes to go, the Evo SR Ferrari man pounced at Les Combes. Once Crouch hit the front, Fuligni couldn’t respond, and the Briton clinched the win. Fuligni’s immediate concern shifted to defending from Niclas Laubisch. At the final corner, a half-baked manoeuvre from Laubisch resulted in contact. Laubisch survived and finished second. A furious Fuligni was third.
Indy Autosport Porsche star, Jentsen Adrianssens, improved sixth place and top of the AM class once again.
Feature Race
A reverse grid shake up placed AM championship contender, Steve Burke, on pole position. Although Burke led initially, the BMW driver faced an immediate challenge from Drew Becker. Keen to make his presence felt, Becker swooped into the lead on lap two in his Indy Autosport Porsche 911 RSR.
While his rivals bickered behind, Becker built a six second advantage over Brian Kroon and Danny Lee by the halfway mark. As an overall championship contender, Lee posed a potential threat. Lee soon broke clear of Kroon’s Corvette and began to chase down Becker. However, the American ace had already checked out to an overall victory. A highly commendable achievement for any AM class driver.
Following the race, a few of the ARL GT aces shared their thoughts on the tenth round of the season:
Drew Becker: “I’m stoked! I didn’t expect to be up here if I’m totally honest!”
Danny Lee: “I couldn’t believe the speed I was able to get to third in race two and then eventually catch Brian Kroon. I was very lucky with the way the cars were placed.”
Niclas Laubisch: “The qualifying was really bad for me. I wasn’t able to good a lap. I had to fight a lot through the field and push very hard to catch Fuligni. The last lap was a bit unfortunate, but I can’t really say much about that.”
Driver Of The Day
Championship protagonists in the Apex Racing League GT Championship presented by Colbek will be hoping for a vintage day in California wine country on the 2nd of May. Tune in to all the action of the penultimate round of the championship from Sonoma at 7pm GMT on Apex Racing TV.
