Apex Racing League GT R7 presented by Colbek – Sebring

In the aftermath of a dramatic 12 hours of Sebring, the Apex Racing League GT championship presented by Colbek gathered at the exquisitely replicated virtual version of the legendary Floridian venue. Weathertech Racing and Porsche had stolen the show late in the day with their 911 RSR at the 12-hour classic, could BMW or Corvette strike back in the seventh round of the ARL GT series.

Championship leader Alexey Nesov’s absence presented an opportunity for a new cast of drivers to challenge for top spot in qualifying. Niclas Laubisch took up the mantle from his Urano eSports stablemate and sped to pole position. Less than a tenth of a second behind, was the Core Sim Racing Corvette of Sven Neumann.

Continuing Indy Autosport’s takeover of the AM class, Jentsen Adriaenssens qualified his #250 Porsche 911 RSR eighth overall and top of the class.

Despite consistent pressure from Daniel Lee, Niclas Laubisch looked comfortable out front in race one aboard his Porsche 911 RSR. A mistake free run produced a vital win and championship points for the German driver. In a distant third place but first of the Corvette’s, was Sven Neumann.

Unable to convert upon his strong qualifying performance, Jentsen Adriaenssens hit problems early on. Capitalising on Adriaenssens’ demise, Brent Cook charged through to finish twelfth overall and top of the AM class.

A partly reversed grid and baking hot track temperatures faced the ARL GT grid for the forty-minute feature race. Following a difficult race one, PRO class aces Dean Powell and Chris van de Nesse started on the front row of the grid. Race one winner, Niclas Laubisch, started seventeenth.

In the opening stages of the feature race, Powell and van de Nesse both took turns at the front. Joining the PRO class pair was Kevin Kittelmann, who gathered up a heart stopping moment at Sunset bend to stay in the fight for the lead. Meanwhile, Niclas Laubisch scythed immaculately through the pack. Would a double win be on the cards for the Urano eSports ace?

Approaching the halfway mark, Laubisch arrived at the front and engaged his final adversary, Chris van de Nesse. Charging side by side into the apparently one-line Tower Bend, Laubisch pulled off an extraordinary pass around the outside of his Dutch rival.

Once Laubisch hit the front, no one could lay a glove on the Porsche driver. Assisting Laubisch’s escape, various drivers faded from the podium battle. Eventually, Steven Brumfield and Sven Neumann secured the final spots on the podium.

Although Kevin Kittelmann couldn’t hang on to the podium fight, sixth overall was more than enough to secure a dominant AM class win for the Indy Autosport stalwart.

Following the action, several ARL GT stars joined the Apex Racing TV commentary team to share their thoughts:

Niclas Laubisch: “I had a great race. Finally, I got my first win in the series. Then it became two wins, which was even better!”

Steven Brumfield: “It’s good to be back and equal my best race result since season two! My pace was surprisingly good today, I had a little more practice this week which helped.”

Kevin Kittelmann: “I have been practicing a lot more. But maybe I’ve had a little bit more luck too!”

Matty Chambers: “The second race was so intense. There were about ten cars behind Brumfield, and we were always chopping and changing. There was some good racing in there.”

On the 4^th of April, the Apex Racing League GT Championship presented by Colbek reconvenes at the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tune in to Apex Racing TV at 7pm GMT to catch all the live action.

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