Roosens bosses Brands
iRacing Apex Racing League GT League Trophy – R6 Brands Hatch – iRacing GT League
Home to more than a few dramatic season finales, Brands Hatch circuit in Kent welcomed the ARL GT Trophy paddock for round six of the championship. Arriving at the historic British venue, defending champion Gaetan Anger held a nine-point advantage over Sven Neumann. Although Anger hasn’t boasted the ultimate one lap pace, his metronomic consistency has ensured his place at the top of the standings.
Once again, the star of qualifying was Valkryie Esports star, Kenny Roosens. Over a single hot lap or stint, the Belgian star has asserted himself as the top of the class in outright pace. However, fortune has not been kind to the BMW driver, who sits fifth in the points with a handful of rounds to go.
Mark Fletcher qualified second in his Lamborghini Huracan. Anger would start right behind in third place. Vivian Dabert topped the AM class in nineteenth place.
After a full tour behind the pace car, Roosens led the field towards Paddock Hill bend for the first time. A sluggish start from Fletcher allowed Anger to slip into second place, immediately behind Roosens.
During the opening laps, Roosens and Anger traded fast laps as both tried to suss one another’s pace. However, the two frontrunners wouldn’t enjoy exclusive occupation of the battle for the lead. Aboard the Fiercely Forward Porsche 911 GT3 R, Maxime Mariotte soon reeled in the top pair and joined the battle for the lead.
By one third distance, the leading trio had become a quartet with the arrival of the recovering Mark Fletcher. As the pit stops loomed, the battle intensified. Most notably, with a little bumping and barging between Anger, Roosens and Mariotte.
A little after half distance, Roosens ducked into pit lane while his rivals carried on for a crucial extra lap. As the leader of the pack, Roosens had burned more fuel. A lap later, Anger, Mariotte and Fletcher made their stops. Exiting the pit lane, Mariotte leap frogged not only Anger, but Roosens too. On the approach to Paddock Hill, Roosens was met with the unfriendly view of Mariotte’s Porsche in the lead.
However, only the slightest error was enough for the ruthless Roosens to pounce. As Mariotte entered Druids, a cars width opened on the inside and Roosens snatched it immediately. Stunned by Roosens’ wonderfully audacious move, Mariotte had to watch as the Belgian pulled away in his Valkyrie BMW.
With Roosens escaping, Mariotte refocused on Anger who lurked behind. Eager to keep Roosens in sight, Anger moved past Mariotte with fifteen minutes to go. However, Roosens was long gone. Once into clean air, Roosens laid down a succession of rapid laps and charged to a third win of the season. Thus, keeping his championship hopes alive.
An immaculate drive yielded yet another AM class win for Juan Manuel Calleja. While his rivals hit problems, the Spaniard ticked off metronomic lap times to solidify his position at the top of the AM class.
After the race, Kenny Roosens and Aaron Smith joined the Apex Racing TV broadcast to share their thoughts on the sixth round of the season:
Kenny Roosens: “It was a really tough race. I had a lot of pressure from Gaetan and Maxime, but I still managed to keep the lead. I’m super happy with this win.”
Aaron Smith: “At the start of the race it was utter chaos. Spins and crashes left and right. I’m surprised I got third today!”
On the 13th of July, the GT Trophy returns at Imola for round seven of the season. Tune in to all the action on Apex Racing TV from 7pm GMT.
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