Eclipse Shine and Weather the Storm at Fuji

Drivers were tested from start to finish with interchangeable conditions lurking early - a stark difference from the beaming Florida sun in Daytona last time out.

If you missed the action from Fuji, don't worry! Here’s what went down in Round 2 of 6 in The Gamesmen GTPRO Invitational series.

Car selection debate quickly stomped out in statement qualifying

The Acura NSX has been the apex predator in the GT3 category since its release on the iRacing platform, and while a power cut for this season did bring it back to some level of normality, it has continued to wreak havoc seemingly wherever it goes.

And while there was a moment of hope going into Fuji that cars like the McLaren 720S, Ford Mustang and even Ferrari 296’s could be brought into the mix; the looming weather threat and inevitable strength of the Acura reigned supreme.

By the halfway point of qualifying, Acuras occupied 9 of the top 10 positions, with only the Arete eSports Mustang spoiling the party in 10th.

However, being in a good car is only a fraction of what’s needed to come out on top in this field. Eclipse Simsports showcased their GT3 strengths once again with ominous pace in the early stages. At the halfway mark, the #56 held provisional pole by almost three tenths from the sister #17, with another two tenths back to the Vendaval Simracing #36.

Vermillion Esports would sneak four of their cars into the top 10 by the end of the session, with the #89 Acura leading the way in fourth position. Arete Simsports would climb their Ford Mustang further up the order, wheeling the only non-Acura in the top 10 to seventh place.

Synergy Sim Racing and Orbit Drop Bear rounded out the front running order in ninth and tenth respectively; while the Eclipse #56 only increased their pole position margin to 0.314 seconds.

Vendaval would come close to spoiling the Eclipse party, with their #36 Acura just 0.016 away from stealing a front-row start from the #17.

Green flag drops in Fuji

While the radar showed that rain was well and truly on the way, the track would be bone dry for the race start. That inspired brave moves and imminent chaos as drivers scrambled to make hay while the sun shined.

Eclipse Simsports would hold the fort down into Turn 1, planting the first seed required for making this three-hour run to the flag a little easier. Things would not be so smooth-sailing for Vendaval, who lost 2 places by the end of the first lap. It was Eclipse 1-2, Vermillion 3-4 with lap 1 said and done.

An incident down into Turn 6 left the Trans Tasman #22 with severe damage, with a handful of other cars also exiting that affair with minor dents and scratches. The #952 9INE5IVE Simsport Ferrari would also finish lap 1 with heavy damage, rejoining the racing surface missing its entire rear clip.

The Evolution Racing Team #31 would see their night come crashing down early, with Lachlan Caple finding himself pointing the wrong way out of Turn 6, then being handed a Drive-Thru Penalty for an ambitious dive on the opening lap. It was a crushing sequence of events for that entry, who were race winners last time out in Daytona.

Colour on the weather radar!

For the first time this season, rain was officially on its way. Just 15 minutes into the race, the first patch of blue entered the frame, with the first drops set to hit the far side of the track at Turn 10 in a matter of minutes.

Arete eSports jumped at the chance to make positions before the rain arrived, passing the Vermillion #5 to move their #79 Mustang up into fourth place. Arete would jump to third not long after, with the Vermillion #89 forced to serve a slowdown after cutting Turn 3. Just behind, the battle for sixth continued between the Vermillion #228 and the Orbit Drop Bear #692.

As time passed, the radar revealed the incoming weather would only be one band of light rain. While at face value that makes strategy decisions easy; it was everything but.

With the rain arriving right on time for the first scheduled stops, the decision now wasn’t about wet tyres versus dry tyres; it was about whether to stay on the slicks you had or to put on a fresh set. While the extra temperature of your current boots would help as the rain passed through, it could mean ending the second stint with significantly more wear with the track only getting dryer.

The Arete Mustang was the first of the frontrunners to pit, coming in just after the 1-hour mark. The pitlane would roar to life in the following laps.

Survival of the fittest in interwet conditions

The Vermillion #5 was the first car to spin on the cold tyre, with the high compression right hander of Turn 10 only getting more difficult as track grip diminished. The Synergy Sim Racing #033 would also find itself pointing the wrong way a few laps later at Turn 13.

The field was hard to read at this stage, with a number of cars achieving different levels of fuel save in the opening stint. Regardless of strategy, Eclipse had nothing to worry about, with the #56 and #17 leading comfortably as the race approached the halfway mark.

Aside from a handful of squabbles throughout the top 10, there was not much to note for the majority of the second stint, with most drivers wheeling through the tricky conditions without a hiccup.

But with just under an hour remaining, things got interesting when the Frog Leap Juicd Racing #397 found itself parked up at the far side of the circuit. While the car was parked quite a ways off the racing surface, it was deemed not close enough to an escape road to tow without safety car intervention.

Lapped traffic trouble on safety car restart

While the Eclipse #56 piloted by Kody Deith was able to hold on to the lead through the safety car period, six lapped cars were situated between themselves and the Eclipse #17 in second place. That, along with a significant number of other lapped cars who were not cleared under pacing, spelled chaos on the restart with 45 minutes remaining.

By the time the #17 cleared the lapped traffic, the race leading #56 had already run 5 seconds up the road. Additionally, a number of fights that would have occurred inside the top 10 were disrupted by attempts to move through lapped cars.

Why were these lapped cars not cleared? The simple answer is that the rulebook says they are not a mandatory process, instead – they are done at the discretion of race control. The decision by the stewards not to conduct wave-arounds will be one that is hotly discussed in the coming weeks.

A battle that certainly hadn’t been put to an end was the battle for eighth. With the Arete #79 managing to build a gap ahead, Tyson Broad would be left without the help of slipstream. That left the Orbit Drop Bear driver with a lot on his plate with the Vermillion #5 and Synergy #14 following closely behind.

The run home

With half an hour to go, Seth Brown launched the Vermillion #5 machine down the inside of Broad at Turn 1 to pinch eighth place. That enabled Brown to go on the hunt for Wayne Bourke and Byron Pearce, who were losing time in their scrap for position.

With 25 minutes to go, Wayne Bourke forced his way past Pearce’s Arete Mustang to claim sixth place. A handful of laps later, the Vermillion onslaught continued when Seth Brown found his way past too. Tyson Broad dropped out of that fight a few laps prior, but wheeled his Orbit Drop Bear #692 back into the top 10 with 15 minutes remaining after passing the Tri Star Racing #999.

Desperation grew for the Arete Mustang, with Pearce spending the last 15 minutes of the race fending off a fearsome attack from the Synergy #14 Acura, piloted by Ewan Baker. That fight quite literally went to the finish line, with the two cars drag racing to the end. Despite the notable Mustang grunt, it was the #14 Acura who triumphed on this occasion. Stealing eighth place by just 0.011 seconds.

Damon Woods and Kody Deith flexed their muscles well and truly at Fuji, racing home to claim victory ahead of the sister #17, piloted by Zach Rattray-White. The Vermillion #228 rounded out the podium in third.

Behind them, the top 10 was completed by the Vendaval #36; Vermillion’s #101, #5, and #89; Synergy #14; Arete #79; and Orbit Drop Bear #692.