This week saw the halfway mark of the group stages in the V10 R-League, and the pressure crank up on teams as missing out on the playoffs becomes a real possibility for many.
With four huge matchups to look at, let’s dive right into the action!
McLaren pour the pain on Williams
They might be new to the series, but McLaren Shadow is wasting little time making a mark. This week saw them take on Season 1 runners-up Williams Esports, and the new team left with a 3-1 win.
James Baldwin again anchored the McLaren Shadow side with his unparalleled pace, but his teammates Isaac Gillissen and Elvin Smith found their feet, and their speed, this week too.
It was Gillissen who made a crucial, and daring, overtake on Nikodem Wisniewski through the Maggots-Becketts section of Silverstone. That move secured a point in the team race, while Williams was just lacking a few tenths of overall pace.
Speaking after the race, Williams driver Kuba Brzezinski said: “We’ve got some work to do, that’s for sure. I think the biggest issue is we’re lacking a bit of pace”
“All three of us [at Williams] are really strong, but none of us are really up there with Kevin Siggy [of BMW] or James Baldwin [of McLaren], they are a bit faster than us!”
YAS claim crucial victory over R8G
Over in Group A, the other new team R8G Esports is not having as good a time. Coming up against the strong YAS Heat side that was still seeking its first out-and-out win, R8G came unstuck.
While Erhan Jajovski continues to impress and push at the front of team races, errors from his teammates limited progress. It was only a penalty in the first relay race that saw YAS Heat miss out on a maximum score. In the end, the 3-1 win puts YAS closer to the playoffs, and piles the pressure on R8G for their two remaining races.
Red Bull off the mark with win over Aston Martin
It was a poor start to Season 2 for Red Bull after their humiliating 4-0 wipeout against Redline in Round 1. But they fought back convincingly in their second match of Group A with a brilliant victory over Aston Martin.
Joni Tormala impressed throughout the contest with commanding wins in both team races, as well as the opening relay race. In fact, it was only a pit lane speeding penalty, picked up by Graham Carroll in the second relay race, that stopped the Bulls picking up all four points - but they’ll be happy to be off the mark with a 3-1 win all the same.
BMW dominate struggling JAESA Team Suzuki
Round 3 saw JAESA Team Suzuki suffer their second thrashing in a row - this time at the hands of rampant BMW.
The pace of Kevin Siggy and Michael Romanidis was too much for the struggling Italian team, who despite the heroics of Giovanni De Salvo could do nothing to avoid another 4-0 defeat. BMW now lead Group B and boast a stunning 100% record in Season 2.
Upcoming fixtures
R8G Esports vs Team Redline (Group A) - Monday, 3 May - 8pm BST on BT Sport 2 & 6pm EST on ESPN3
BMW vs McLaren Shadow (Group B) - Tuesday, 4 May - 4pm BST on BT Sport & 6pm EST on ESPN3
YAS Heat vs Red Bull Racing (Group A) - Wednesday, 5 May - 4pm BST on BT Sport & 6pm EST on ESPN3
JAESA Suzuki vs Fordzilla (Group B) - Thursday, 6 May - 4pm BST on BT Sport & 6pm EST on ESPN3
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