Ex-Williams driver successful at Racing Unleashed
Alejandro Sanchez celebrates victory in the Racer League at Silverstone. Ex-Williams Sim racer Coque Lopez secures second place on his debut
Silverstone delivered action!
Two races, two starting crashes... The Racing Unleashed Competition championship rounds again offered pure racing action this weekend. This Sunday, the sim racers, who participate in our high-tech simulators, were on the virtual circuit of Silverstone. The Competition is divided into two leagues. More experienced sim racers take part in the Racer League. In the Challenger League, the pilots use driving aids.
Sanchez vs. Smidl
In the Racer League, the two championship rivals Alejandro Sanchez and Michal Smidl collided right in the first corners. Sanchez slightly touched the Czech's rear and was sanctioned with a 5-second penalty. Despite the penalty, the Spaniard, who flipped Smidl, went on to win the race and 2500 francs. "I see the question of guilt at 50:50," Sanchez analysed after the race. "After the start I was able to get a good lead and I wasn't worried about losing first place."
Lopez with a successful debut
Smidl, who dropped from first to eleventh place after the collision, was still able to work his way up to fourth. In the championship, his deficit grows to 17 points. Second place went to a debutant, Coque Lopez. The former Williams eSports driver thus gets 18 points and prize money of 1,500 Swiss francs. "I didn't expect, to finish directly on the podium," said a delighted Spaniard, who also had first place in his sights during the race. "I tried to keep the gap to first place small, but in the end it wasn't enough."
Another Swiss racer made it on the podium
Christoph Holstein completed the podium. He benefited from the starting collision. "I tried everything not to crash into someone. That also worked out well," explained the Swiss. "I wasn't quite at the optimum of my times. But there wouldn't have been much more in it either. I'm happy with the result."
It's getting exciting again in the Challenger League
In the Challenger League, there was a bitter setback for championship leader Javier Loro. It started smoothly with pole position. But at the start of the race, Loro collided with his championship rival David Cid. The two Sim racers dropped back to the rear of the field. While Cid was able to work his way up to fourth place after 21 laps, Loro was not so lucky. Due to further incidents, he only managed to become 16th in the end.
A Swiss winner in the Challenger League for the first time
Thus, no points for the Challenger League leader, whose lead over Marcos Valverde, who finished third at Silverstone, has now shrunk to six points. Jason Bläsig won the race ahead of Gian Teufen. Bläsig made it through the first corners without any collision, took the first place and was able to defend his lead until the end: "I was lucky at the start. I was able to get a good lead at first. Then it got tight, but I would have been happy with second place as well. But it was enough to secure victory at the end."
Try it yourself!
If you would like to take part in the competition yourself, you should visit one of the Racing Unleashed simulator lounges. These are located in Munich, Kemptthal, Zurich and Madrid, among other places. Alternatively, you can book individual training drives there, just like at the kart track.
