DGFX Round 3 - Barber Motorsports Park

Saturday saw the running of Round 3 of the DGFX Season at Barber Motorsports Park. A grid of 59 cars took the green flag under Partly Cloudy Morning Skies. Normally, weather is not a huge variable or even a feature. But with the amazing new Season 1 - 2019 Build from iRacing, dynamic weather and lighting in the simulation took on a very new, and very appreciated change to the online racing environment. Moments of bright sunshine were interspersed with thick cloud cover that noticeably darkened the track and its surroundings. 24 Hour Races are going to be unparalleled.

The 3 vApex Racing Group Team, along with VRG Engineering development team had some distinctly different experiences during the 4 hour endurance race. The vApex Racing Group Red HPD Team of Taylor Bookout and Alex Saunders finished 2nd in class after an adventurous start to the race and narrowly avoiding 2 incidents. The incident bug finally caught up to them and they suffered some nose and undertray damage that surely robbed them of some top speed. They also were caught up in the missed wave around issue during the last caution that occurred with the car immediately in front of the VRG Engineering Car. However it did not impede their finishing position and strong effort for the race.

The vApex Racing Group Purple HPD Team with Russell Klaesson and Shane Norton at the controls had a little more adventurous day. Again, wreck avoidance was at a premium and they avoided that curse until Russell barely caught a little bit of grass heading out of Turn 2 and suffered a severe snap spin that damaged the car beyond repair. They finished 13th in Class 23 laps behind the Class Winners Team Heusinkveld.

In the GTE Pro Class, the vApex Racing Group Orange Ferrari 488 GTE driven by Clark Archer and Mikey Grems finished 7th in Class. They had the car up to 4th place at one point until the vApex Spin Bug (Trademark Pending) caught them as well. Some good pit strategy near the end allowed the Orange Team to gain spots back at the end. Continues to show that it's more than speed that can make a difference in these races.

Finally, the VRG Engineering Ferrari 488 GTE finished with their first podium with a 3rd Place in the GTE-AM class. Drivers Andy Banfield and Jeff Yeager avoided the vApex Spin Bug (Trademark Pending) and kept the car clean for the 4 hours. A couple of minor taps in the rear was all the damage the car received. The 3rd Place in the AM class was also a 14th overall in the 35 car GTE Field.

So, our drivers say goodbye to the 2018 portion of the DGFX season and eagerly await Round 4 at Monza on January 5, 2019.