Last weekend, after months of preparation the team at TT SimRacing competed in the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans. After arriving at the event, practice and qualifying shortly followed. With qualifying times of 3:17.701 and 3:19.250, by 16:00, the team would be starting in sixth and seventh place on the grid for the race.
After the last check over the technology, the team was ready for their first long distance race in an LMP1 car. Despite being their first time in the class, the TT SimRacing team made progress right away and moving up from sixth to third position in the #919 car. The sister #920 car moved up from seventh to fifth.
Just pass the three hour mark, the #919 car was up to second place overall, and the took the lead for the first time. The gap back to their nearest competitor after and hour in the lead was up to forty seconds. Even after the driver and tire changes and refueling, the TT SimRacing team successfully held onto its lead. It was not long after the stop the team were setting fastest lap after fastest lap.
Shortly before midnight, the #919 was still in the lead and the sister car holding a stable fifth position. The first setback hit the team early in the morning when the stewards imposed a drive-through penalty on the lead vehicle. However thanks to the strong pace previously, the TT SimRacing team held onto the lead, although they were now under threat.
Just before four O’Clock, the heavens opened and rainy conditions forced alternative strategies and shuffled the field. The TT SimRacing team made it though the showers without loosing any positions or picking up any damage in both the #919 and #920 cars. Although the wet track caused tension throughout the team as the morning wore on.
Nevertheless, was able to hold the two vehicles of TT SimRacing and retain their positions. Currently, everything points to an overall victory of the car with the start number 919th Should there be any major accident more, so it could actually happen that the boys win on their first LMP1 use the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Nevertheless, the drivers at TT SimRacing were able to keep the cars on the track and retain their positions. With everything pointing towards overall victory, only incident stood in the way of the team and their first win on their first time out using an LMP1 car, as well as their first overall win at the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans.
However after the 24 Hours, luck was not on the side of the TT SimRacing team. In the last hour the #919 was still in the lead and heading towards victory. Although another drive-trough penalty forced the team to give up the lead to the team Endurance Racing. Despite one last push the gap was too big to recover in the little time remaining in the race. At the line the #919 car was just 26 seconds off the win. Nevertheless, we congratulate TT SimRacing on a fantastic second place.
Source – TT SimRacing