inRacingNews Settings

Collapse

Main Content

Keep navigation bar on top
Show featured article box
Show Comments

Sidebar

Calendar
Series Standings
Recent
Most Viewed
Most Commented
Categories
iRacing TV
Facebook Fans
The Team
Blogroll
Save Settings
5dollarpromo_160x600 Main Performance PC Lionel Skip Barber Racing School Derek Speare Designs Dream Racing ROAR One Lap of America
M T W T F S S
  1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 1819 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Categories

Collapse Expand

iRacing TV

Collapse Expand

Facebook Fans

Collapse Expand

The Team

Collapse Expand
  • David Phillips
    Editor and Chief
    David Phillips is a long-time contributor to print and electronic publications in the U.S. and abroad, including Racer, Autosport, AutoWeek, Motor Sport and SPEEDtv.com, oversees the daily updating of news stories and assigns, edits and contributes feature material for inRacingNews.com.
  • Chris Hall
    iRacing.com Series Writer
    Chris Hall has been writing since the nineties and moved into motorsports reporting in 2005, covering series such as ALMS, British GT, FIA GT, Le Mans and 2CV racing for Full Throttle magazine, Motorsport.com, The-Paddock.net, GTGateway.com, L' Endurance and, of course, inRacingNews. During 2008 and 2009, he worked with the RSS Performance Porsche Carrera Cup Team (and former British GT(C) champions) as a data engineer for a variety of drivers and models of 997s.
  • Jameson Spies
    Contributing Writer
    19 years old, Jameson Spies lives in Quartz Hill, California. He grew-up surrounded by racing. His mother raced late models throughout Southern California while his father built and setup the car. Not surprisingly, Jameson began racing go-karts at the age of 13, and is now racing Spec Trucks at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. He has a passion about all forms of racing and hopes to make a career out of it.
  • Jason Lofing
    iRacing.com Series Writer
    Jason is 21 years old and was born and raised in Elk Grove. California. A big time NASCAR fan, he hasn’t missed a race on Sunday in years. Lofing is also a huge San Fransisco Giants fan and tries to take in at least a couple games a year. Other than sim racing, his biggest (and far more expensive!) hobby is photography. Although he is rather new to sim racing, Lofing has already accomplished some pretty impressive results, qualifying for the 2011 iRacing Oval Pro Series in Season 1, 2011, winning the inaugural Landon Cassill Qualifying Challenge and finishing runner-up in the second one.
  • David Ifeguni
    Contributing Writer
    I was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1988 and moved to Midland, Michigan when I was two years old. I stayed there until third grade when I moved to Farmington Hills, Michigan and now I currently live in Naperville, IL where I'm attending Metea Valley High School as a 9th grader. In the past, I have participated in soccer and this year I plan on joining swimming or water polo. My family includes my 15 year old sister, a 7 year old sister and my mom and dad. I have been writing since 6th grade and have participated in many writing contests in my school and have received several awards for writing.
    My fascination for motorsports began when I was nine. The first NASCAR race I watched on TV was the 2009 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, won by Kasey Kahne. My favorite NASCAR drivers are Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Jimmie Johnson. I have watched all the races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series since 2010. I currently have three wins on iRacing, two of them in the Nationwide car at Daytona and one in the Street stocks at Charlotte. My favorite car and type of track on iRacing is the Nationwide Series (B Class) car and superspeedways.
  • Katier Scott
    Contributing Writer
    I am a veteran sim racer who first started racing way back in 1993 on the SPRTSIMS section of Compuserve with a league who can trace themselves all the way to the present. Within that league I act as Chief Steward and try to bring the unique viewpoint that this experience gives me into my articles.
    I have a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Editorial design and have been writing for seven years and currently cover the Lotus 79 CTC and Radical series alongside my freelance work. Living in the UK, as well as motorsports I love Photography, Arts and Crafts and reading.
  • Dylan Sharman
    Contributing Writer
    I was born in Adelaide and we moved-out for Angle Vale for a few years until I was about 7 years old, when we moved to the Barossa Valley where I live now. I'm 19 years old and currently traveling back and forth weekly as I'm studying for a Diploma of Furniture Design and Technology.

    I've always had a love for racing as my close family did some racing and we were always out at the local dirt track. I joined iRacing back in 2010 and slowly but surely got the hang of it as this is my first experience with sim racing and am loving it each time I race. I've won two SK Modified titles (almost had three in a row but finished P2 in 2011 S4), an inRacingNews Challenge championship (2012 S1 Mazda) and was also an AustralAsian Intel GT Series Finalist.
  • Nathan Aljoe
    Contributing Writer
    Nathan's passion for motorsport first began in the late 1980s, captivated by the season in which Aryton Senna won his first F1 title with McLaren. Over the years his interest widened to include the British Touring Car Championship, World Rally Championship, NASCAR and various other forms of motorsport. Nathan began sim-racing in the mid 1990s using games developed by Papyrus. He later moved onto SimBim simulations such as GTR, GTR2 and GTR Evolution and has most recently joined the iRacing community.

    When he's not working or sim racing, Nathan enjoys spending time and relaxing with his family. Other hobbies include going to festivals, tinkering with his car and doing up his house.
  • Austin Hartenfels
    Contributing Writer
    Born and raised in Fredericksburg, Virginia, I have always had a serious passion for cars and motorsports. Hoping one day to become an automotive journalist for a magazine, I constantly crave the exciting competition that comes along with racing and sim-racing. Having participated in a mere test session in a Legends car at Old Dominion Speedway, I have not been able to get into any real-life competition . . . yet.

    As a sim racer, my interests date back to "GTR Evolution." My goal is to have fun and win some races. I made it to Oval Pro in 2010, but did not become very successful. I enjoy any mixed road racing competition and love racing the Silverados around almost any track.
  • Jordan Hightower
    Contributing Writer
    Jordan began sim-racing in 2005 with the NASCAR Racing 2003 Season sim and then joined the iRacing community in June of 2008. He hails from Fort Smith, Arkansas where he is currently enrolled at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith, after which he plans to attend the University of Arkansas to earn his MBA. Although he enjoys watching and playing basketball, most of Jordan's focus is on motorsports, particularly NASCAR: "Anything that burns gas and goes fast, I like."
  • Scott Kelly
    Contributing Writer
    Born and raised in the greater St. Louis, Missouri area, Scott Kelly has had a love for motorsports ever since his father did the right thing by introducing auto racing into his life. No longer able to quench his need for speed by spectating NASCAR races on TV and watching dirt track stars slide around local tracks, Kelly eventually picked-up sim racing in his teens, wheeling cars found in Ratbag Games' "Dirt Track Racing" and "World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars" while also becoming introduced into multiple Papyrus sim-racing series. Joining the iRacing ranks in late 2011, Kelly set his sights on the short track racing he was familiar with, focusing on the sprint car, while also driving the Legends and street stock in multiple iRacing.com leagues.

    Kelly brings not just his enthusiasm for racing to the highest-rated motorsports simulation, but also his B.A. degree in English; he covers the action seen in the iRacing.com Sprint Car Series, while also placing the spotlight on various leagues within the service. Enjoying his start to a career in motorsports journalism, Kelly also doesn't mind visiting victory lane from time-to-time.
  • Kenneth O'Keefe
    Contributing Writer
    Kenneth was born in Smithville, Ontario on December 23, 1994. A major racing fan, he enjoys competitive kart racing in the Rotax Max category at Mosport International Karting. Kenneth also tunes into Formula One and NASCAR races on those Sundays when he is not at the kart track.

    O'Keefe has been sim-racing since 2005, starting on the Live For Speed simulator. After moving to iRacing in 2008, he was able to qualify for the NASCAR iRacing Pro Series (NiPS) in both 2011 and 2012. He will continue to compete and write about the iRacing.com Skip Barber Series throughout the coming year before taking another run at the NiPS in late 2013.
  • Chris Owens
    Contributing Writer
    I was born in Florence, South Carolina in 1989 and have lived here my entire life. I've been around racing since I was a young kid watching with my dad on Sundays. In 2009 and found my local track, Florence Motor Speedway and started working for them as a PR guy the same year. At the end of that season, I started writing for RACE22.com, a Late Model Stock Car news site. In 2010, I picked up my first DSLR camera and started shooting races. To this day, I've experienced some of the best races from behind the camera.

    I've been with the iRacing service since its public beta in 2008, back when the top oval car was the Late Model. I've been in over 500 races on the service with 70+ wins on both oval and road. My favorite car on the service is the Chevrolet Silverado. Darlington Raceway and Concord Speedway are my favorite tracks simply because everybody hates them.
  • George Wood
    Contributing Writer
    After beginning his racing career with go-karts at age seven, George then turned wrenches on street stocks until he could finally turn the wheel. Following the successes of his friends and family, George has since retired from real-world racing, where he is now a science and mathematics faculty member for several local community colleges. When George isn't grading laboratory reports or iRacing, he is performing at bluegrass festivals in the Northeast, making fishing lures, playing golf, and rooting for his beloved Baltimore Orioles.

Crazy 8s in Virginia

by Dylan Sharman on June 7th, 2013

268
In a fitting end to a chaotic race, Stanaway muscled past Ruggier on the last lap at VIR to claim the win.

Round 5 of the iRacing.com V8 Supercar Series headed to Virginia International Raceway.  It has been a few seasons since the drivers took to VIR and the sim-racers would have to re-acquaint themselves with the full 5.2 km circuit consisting of 17 corners. Qualifying was lead by Madison Down who posted a very impressive lap of 1:48.159 which was two tenths quicker than fellow-front row sitter Justin Ruggier while Josh Muggleton and Richard Hamstead occupied the second row of the grid. Shaun Kelly and Richie Stanaway would start from the third row with Adrian Stratford and Troy Cox on the fourth row and Vail Riches and Leigh Day rounding-out the top 10 starters. When the lights went green Down went nowhere, causing a massive start line pile up.  By the [...]

Hamstead Stands Tall in Atlanta

by Dylan Sharman on May 20th, 2013

133
Hamstead emerged from a tense early battle to claim the win at Road Atlanta.

The iRacing.com V8 Supercar Series stayed in the States for Round Two as drivers and teams took to Road Atlanta.  Last week’s record number of 135 drivers was backed up with another 128 sim-racers traveling to Georgia for Week 2. Qualifying was led by Richard Hamstead with a lap at 1:21.044 to grab the pole position with Madison Down just .029s behind. Justin Ruggier and Adrian Stratford would qualify on the second row with Mitchell McLeod and Josh Muggleton from the third row. John Emerson and Shaun Kelly started from the fourth row with Brad Ryan and Matthew Hill rounding-out the top 10 qualifiers. Hamstead led the field into Turn One for the first time and, with Down hung-out on the outside, Ruggier was able to sneak by and move [...]

Down Continues Where He Left Off

by Dylan Sharman on May 10th, 2013

189
2013 S1 V8 Supercar champion Madison Down picked-up where he left off with a convincing win at Laguna Seca.

The opening round of the iRacing.com V8 Supercar Series headed to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  This would be the series’ first appearance at Laguna Seca for a few years and all the changes during Week 13 promise to make for a really interesting season of online racing. Qualifying for Round One was lead by defending series champion Madison Down with a 1:24.320 while Mitchell McLeod — now driving for 4Motorsports — would start on the front row for the first time in just over a year in the main series.  Justin Ruggier and Josh Muggleton were third and fourth on the grid while Richard Hamstead and Rens Broekman occupied the third row. John Emerson and Vail Riches from TTL locked-out Row Four with Corey Slade and Brad Ryan rounded-out the [...]

Down’s Half-Dozen

by Dylan Sharman on April 24th, 2013

122
Down leads the field through the Moto Course chicane.

Round 12 of the iRacing.com V8 Supercar Series headed to Japan for the season finale, with teams tackling a new layout at Suzuka International Racing Course. The drivers took-on the challenge of the “Moto Course” which, compared to the GP circuit, features one additional chicane as well as a different chicane at the end of the lap. Coming into the final round Madison Down enjoyed a 26 point lead over Justin Ruggier in the championship standings, but Down’s drop week was 16 points less than Ruggier’s and, as iRacers know, anything can happen within a split second. Down couldn’t have asked for a better starting spot, as he took pole position with a lap at 2:07.967, just a shade more than a tenth quicker than championship rival – and fellow [...]

Down Dodges Drama at Action-Packed Sonoma

by Dylan Sharman on April 11th, 2013

117
Down was in fine form at Sonoma, leading lights-to-flag and moving into the championship lead.

Round Ten of the iRacing.com V8 Supercars Series was back in the USA at Sonoma Raceway where, for the first time, the sim-racers would not be using the Long circuit instead of the more familiar Cup layout. The championship had closed-up after Madison Down’s win at Phillip Island with Justin Ruggier only five points ahead coming to the California track. Qualifying was led by Ruggier, who was the only driver to break into the 92 second bracket with a 1:32.973. Down would start from second with a 1:33.213 while John Emerson and Richard Hamstead qualified .03s behind Down on the second row. Vail Riches and Joshua Muggleton grabbed the third row with Riches edging out Muggleton by .001s, while Mitchell McLeod and Rens Broekman were on Row Four ahead of [...]

Ruggier’s Win Tightens V8 Championship

by Dylan Sharman on March 28th, 2013

143
Ruggier's win at Zolder propelled him to the top of the V8 standings.

Round Eight of the iRacing.com V8 Supercars Series headed into Belgium to tackle Circuit Zolder.  Current championship leader Joshua Muggleton would be absent this round, which would allow either Madison Down or Justin Ruggier to take the championship lead with a decent finish.  After winning Race One, it was looking like Ruggier would take control of the points lead heading into the final four weeks . . . but, as seen in the past, anything can happen in the main online race. Qualifying saw Ruggier take pole position with a 1:31.632 ahead of John Emerson who managed to pull a lap out of nowhere in the final session to move onto the front row, demoting Madison Down to third alongside Vail Riches on Row Two. Mitchell McLeod and Robert Hartley [...]

Emerson Emerges Victorious in The Netherlands

by Dylan Sharman on February 21st, 2013

157
Emerson got a great start and never put a wheel wrong en route to his first Monday night V8 Supercar "feature" win.

Round 3 of the iRacing.com V8 Supercar Championship Presented by Big Pond headed to the Netherlands and Circuit Park Zandvoort to take on the national layout for the first time in over two years. Justin Ruggier was the red-hot favorite heading into the main race as he had won all three online races before in dominating fashion. Ruggier underlined that form by qualifying on pole with a record breaking lap of 1:11.185, almost three tenths quicker then second fastest George Maris at 1:11.451 with John Emerson moving into third position on the grid in the final qualifying session with a 1:11.490. Madison Down would start from fourth with Joshua Muggleton and Rens Broekman fifth and sixth, respectively ahead of Vail Riches and Michael Fabian on Row Four as Mitchell McLeod [...]

Hamstead Strikes Back At The Park

by Dylan Sharman on February 15th, 2013

178
Chaos reigned on the opening lap.

Round Two of the iRacing.com V8 Supercar Championship presented by Big Pond headed back into Australia, to one of iRacing’s newest tracks — Oran Park. As Madison Down took Round One with Richard Hamstead finishing in second it looked like it might go the same way in Round Two.  However, Hamstead’s win in the early online race set-up an entertaining main race with all the drivers electing to fuel save as that would be the quickest road home. Down continued his strong form by taking pole position with a record lap time, breaking under the 66 second bracket with a 1:05.905.  Richard Hamstead, Justin Ruggier and Joshua Muggleton were all on 1:06.0, with George Maris fifth from Vail Riches, Michael Fabian and Scott McLaughlin. Paul Gallen and John Emerson would [...]

Hamstead Opens the Hatch, Claims V8 Supercar Title

by Dylan Sharman on January 28th, 2013

102
Muggleton and McLaughlin had quite a go of it in the season finale.

The 12th and final round of the 2012 Season4 iRacing.com V8 Supercar Championship took the teams to the UK for a visit to historic Brands Hatch. Madison Down’s absence from the final round meant Richard Hamstead would claim his second iRacing.com V8 Supercar Championship and join the missing Mr Down in becoming the second sim-racer to win more than one title – although he still has a ways to go to match Down’s five titles. Justin Ruggier captured the pole with a 1:26.702 while Hamstead would start from second after posting a best lap of 1:26.751 with Mitchell McLeod and Scott T McLaughlin starting from the second row. Vail Riches and Shaun Kelly occupied the third row ahead of Michael Fabian and Joshua Muggleton, while John Emerson and Jon Latham [...]

Ruggier Rolls to Victory in Japan

by Dylan Sharman on December 21st, 2012

158
Turn One produced a lot of carnage.

Round 7 of the iRacing.com V8 Supercar Championship paid a return visit to the Land of the Rising Sun at 4.8km Twin Ring Motegi.  With ANZ drivers Justin Ruggier and Scott McLaughlin returning this week it was ‘game on’ and, with most of the drivers having a break over Christmas and New Years, it would be the series’ last big online race of 2012. Ruggier would take pole position with a 1:53.456 just edging Madison Down (1:53.520) with Rens Broekman and Vail Riches starting from the second row. Richard Hamstead and Scott McLaughlin comprised Row Three ahead of John Emerson and Mitchell McLeod on the fourth row with Shaun Kelly and Corey Slade rounding-out the top 10. When the lights went green it was Ruggier leading into Turn One with [...]

Hamstead Wins Down Under

by Dylan Sharman on December 1st, 2012

166
Hamstead scored a flag-to-flag win at Philip Island to short-circuit McLaughlin's win streak.

Round 4 of the iRacing.com V8 Supercar Championship presented by BigPond returned home to Australia for the first endurance event of the season at Phillip Island. With Scott McLaughlin dominating the first 3 rounds of the Championship, would anyone step up and stop him from having a perfect month of online racing? Richard Hamstead grabbed the pole position with a blistering lap of 1:31.346 with Rens Broekman joining him on the front row with a 1:31.507. Justin Ruggier and Joshua Muggleton put their Ford Falcons on the second row ahead of Scott McLaughlin and Vail Riches, while John Emerson and Brad Ryan would start from the fourth row.  Mitchell McLeod and Shaun Kelly rounded-out the top 10 starters for the main race. When the lights went green it was Hamstead [...]

McLaughlin’s Hat-trick at the Glen

by Dylan Sharman on November 15th, 2012

137
McLaughlin made it three-in-a-row at the Glen.

Round 2 of the iRacing.com V8 Supercar Championship presented by BigPond headed to one of the most popular tracks on the calendar, Watkins Glen Cup.  The home of the US Grand Prix from 1961-80 would be the venue for the second week on the calendar for a 35 lap contest that would present the sim racers with their first pit stop race this season. Qualifying produced an ANZ Motorsports lock-out with Scott McLaughlin posting a 1:10.667 to fractionally out-do Justin Ruggier on a 1:10.674.  Richard Hamstead drew first blood with a victory in the early race and would start third in the main race beside Madison Down. Rens Broekman and Brad Ryan shared the third row of the grid with Shaun Kelly and Vail Riches on Row Four, with Joshua [...]

Down Takes A Fifth Crown in the UK

by Dylan Sharman on October 26th, 2012

162
Down took the lead at the start and cruised to the win -- and the V8 Supercar title.

The final round for the 2012 Season 3 iRacing.com V8 Supercar Championship presented by Bigpond found the drivers heading back to the UK to tackle a challenging track that has hosted the finale for the past few seasons: Brands Hatch. The championship picture saw Madison Down increase his lead to 22 points when he won the first race of the night, while Justin Ruggier took to qualifying to improve his time. In qualifying it was Down taking pole position with a 1:26.688 while Ruggier would start from second with a 1:26.807. The second row of the grid was made up by Tatts.com driver (and Down’s teammate) Mitchell McLeod and DCM driver Richard Hamstead, who announced earlier in the week he would be leaving DCM and for a new team in [...]

Broekman Nails ESRA V8 Opener at Suzuka

by Fred Joseph on September 21st, 2012

169
Broekman leads the field into Turn One at Suzuka.

Things looked quite difficult for the drivers of the European Sim Racing Association V8 Supercar GT Omega Championship early in the practice session for the first race of the championship at the Suzuka International Circuit. Rens Broekman was very fast indeed early in practice and took the pole position, nearly a full second faster than Italian sim racer Andrea Scognamillo.  Thomas Van Bussel, Michele Curina and Tobias Czerny completed the top five and pinned their hopes for the race on the fact that they were running consistent times with their race setup. The start of the race looked very impressive with 31 roaring V8s going down to the first corner of the magnificent Suzuka track. Broekman used his pole position to maximum effect, taking a lead he would hold to [...]

Down Fights Back to Take Twin Ring Victory

by Dylan Sharman on September 20th, 2012

104
The 23 car field heads into Turn One.

Round Seven of the iRacing.com V8 Supercars Series presented by BigPond made its first ever appearance at Twin Ring Motegi, Located in Motegi, Japan it is a new track for the teams and drivers to tackle. With Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin absent due to real life racing commitments, the week’s top race featured a battle between Justin Ruggier and Madison Down, with the former taking the championship lead after winning the early online race and the latter trying to get back to the top step of the podium. Ruggier would toke the pole position with a lap of 1:53.637 with Down the only other sim-racer to break the 1:54 bracket on a 1:53.786. Fellow TT-R drivers Mitchell McLeod and Joshua Muggleton monopolized the second row of the grid [...]

Ruggier Claims Maiden V8 Supercar Main Race Win

by Ben Rothberg and Dylan Sharman on September 7th, 2012

125
Kotovaara in the grass through Turn Four while Down regains second place.

Round Five of the iRacing.com V8 Supercars Series presented by BigPond went back to the United States.  The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a challenging 3.6km track would be the home for the drivers and teams this week. No fuel-saving or pit stops where required for the teams this week, so it would be a straight run from start to finish. It was an intense qualifying session and it came down to the final lap of the week. On his final lap, ANZ Motorsports driver Justin Ruggier knocked-off team mate Shane van Gisbergen with Madison Down following suit on his last lap to gain the front row and relegate van Gisbergen to Row Two.  After all the dust settled it was Ruggier on pole position with a lap of 1:24.053 while [...]

Hamstead Back With Infineon Win

August 23rd, 2012

175
Whatmore and Chastain have a coming-together in the last turn.

Round three of the iRacing.com V8 Supercars Series presented by BigPond stayed in America featured a track which the V8 sim-racers haven’t visited for a while, namely Sonoma. The challenging 3.2km track would test the drivers in ways which really haven’t come into play much this season, including tire management over the course of the 25 lap online race. For the third week in a row Madison Down grabbed the pole position, posting a fast lap of 1:14.021.  Richard Hamstead rebounded from last week’s dramas in impressive fashion, winning the early race over Down and once again starting out of second in the “feature” with a lap of 1:14.193.  Mitchell McLeod another tatts.com driver started third (1:14.252) ahead of Scott McLaughlin, who grabbed fourth in the last qualifying session with [...]

McLaughlin Wins Action-Packed V8 Race at The Glen

by Ben Rothberg and Dylan Sharman on August 16th, 2012

144
Three wide through the Esses as Wood goes from sixth to second.

Round Two of the iRacing.com V8 Supercars Series presented by BigPond stayed in America but went to one of the most popular tracks within the iRacing service: Watkins Glen. The drivers would tackle The Glen’s “Cup” layout which has eight turns along its 3.94 km (2.45 mile) length. Madison Down made it two for two for 2, taking his second pole position of Season 2 for the main race with another amazing lap of a 1:11.386, with Richard Hamstead two and half second back to join him on the front row.  Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin comprised an all-pro second row with Scott Fountain pulling an amazing lap in the last qualifying session to start fifth for the online race. Hamstead got the jump on Down at the green, [...]

Down With Crown In Sight

by Ben Rothberg & Dylan Sharman on July 20th, 2012

200
Down was in dominant form at Road Atlanta.

Round 11 of the iRacing.com V8 Supercars Series presented by BigPond returned the States with a visit to 4km, 12 turn Road Atlanta.  A long back straight made it difficult to develop a setup which would be fast through the turns and fast on the back straight, but a lot of people traded straight line speed to keep corner speeds high. Richard Hamstead missed another week of online racing, basically handing Madison Down the series championship.    Not one to back into a title, Down would all but secure the race win when he qualified on pole in the dying minutes of the session, besting Justin Ruggier’s time with a 1:21.696.  Ruggier would start second with a 1:21.799 while team mate Scott McLaughlin would start third on his return to the [...]

Hamstead Closes Gap with Win in Japan

by Ben Rothberg & Dylan Sharman on July 4th, 2012

103
Hamstead was in fine form at Suzuka, leading from green lights to checkered flag.

Round Nine of the iRacing.com V8 Supercars Series presented by BigPond saw the teams travel to Japan for a 20 lap shootout at the famous Suzuka International Racing Course. This 5.8km course features a unique cross-over design, with 17 turns and little room for error. Madison Down grabbed the pole position in qualifying with a blistering lap of 2:05.030.  Richard Hamstead would start beside Down, just a tenth back in qualifying, while Justin Ruggier, Curtis Chippeway and Vail Riches rounded- out the top five starting spots, all under the 2:06 mark. When the lights went green it was Hamstead getting the jump on Down while Ruggier bogged down on the start and dropped places left right and center.   Ruggier found himself three wide heading into Turn One, with Mitchell McLeod [...]