iPCC Battle Heats-Up at Summit

The iPCC headed back to Summit Point Park for the second time this season for a rendez-vous with the “short” configuration.

The iRacing.com Production Car Challenge headed back to West Virginia for the second time this season in Week Four in an effort to tame the always popular “short” configuration.  This nine turn short layout provides sim-racers with elevation changes, two long straights and heavy braking zones which are ideal for passing.

The Pontiac Solstice battle may only be a few weeks old but two sim-racers have swapped the top spot several times already and this week produced an iPCC first – a tie, while a new name has taken over the top spot in the Mazda class.  Since the series has changed its name participation has continued to climb by double digits each week and at Summit Point there was a record 24 split races this week.  iRacing.com Production Car Challenge regulars have commented on how challenging the cars have become, resulting in great racing in both classes.

Heavy braking into the Esses is a passing zone for some.

Inside the numbers – Week 4 – Summit Point Short
382:   The number of drivers who started a race in the Mazda.
125:   The number of drivers who started a race in the Solstice.
111:   The number of Rookies who started a race in the Mazda.
71:     The number of Rookies who started a race in the Solstice.
17:     The number of Rookies who won a race in the Mazda.
17:     The number of Rookies who won a race in the Solstice.
Tie:   Two drivers are tied for first place overall in the Standings (see Solstice).

Pontiac Solstice
Season 3 Solstice champion Lewis King (Mid-South) who has led most of the season now finds himself in a heated battle with another former champion.  King’s performance at Summit was solid as he qualified tenth (1:08.369) and went on to win four races from the pole and collect a fifth-best 126 points this week.  Last Week-P1/ This Week-P1 (Tie) / Points-471.

Meanwhile former iPCC champion Andrey Loginov (Central-Eastern Europe) closed the gap on King in the standings by qualifying number one with 1:07.629 and winning only one race.  His 123 points is seventh best which puts him in a first place tie overall.  Last Week-P2/ This Week-P1 (Tie) / Points-471.

The new tire model has produced close class racing, evinced by this battle for the Solstice lead.

A new name in the top three is that of Bruno Serafim (Brazil) who qualified fifteenth at 1:08.492.  He won three of four races and earned 125 points, good for sixth best at Summit.  Last Week-P3 / This Week-P2 / Points-433.

In Time Trial, Season 2 Solstice champion Christoph Schon (DE-AT-CH) continues his dominance with another perfect week where he posted the fastest lap average of 1:07.766.   Andrey Loginov’s 1:07.910 was good for second best and Michael McCullough (UK & I) rounds out the top three with a 1:08.168.

Notables – Bryan J Miller had a perfect week, winning seven of seven online races and his 165 points is number one at Summit Point while Matt Dafoe finished in second with 153 points by winning four races.

Mazda Roadster
The road to a Mazda championship differs from the Solstice class as one driver stood atop the standings for three consecutive weeks.  However, this week Paul Knight (UK& I) made his move by qualifying seventh with a 1:07.079.  He only won one race but the 139 payout was good for second place at Summit, which moves him into the top spot overall in the standings.  Last Week-P2 / This Week-P1 / Points-492.

Joao Dario (Iberia) may have lost the lead to Knight at Summit Point, but he still put in a stout week by qualifying second best with a 1:06.804.  He too went perfect, winning all five starts from the pole, leading every lap in the bargain.  His 113 point average is ninth best this week.  Last Week-P1 / This Week-P2 / Points-471.

Yoeri Flossie (Benelux) qualified fifth with 1:07.011.  He won five of twelve starts, and his 114 points is sixth best for the week, which drops him a spot in the standings to third overall.  Last Week-P2/ This Week-P3 / Points-464.

A West Virginia traffic jam ensues as this Mazda driver loses control in front of the field.

In Time Trials Vik Tomov (Australia/NZ) had the fastest average around Summit Short with a best 1:07.506.  Yoeri Flossie’s time of 1:07.520 was good for runner-up ahead of rookie Ross Rizzo (Australia/NZ)  with a 1:07.552.

Notables – The “Ironman” award goes to Jonathan Keer (UK&I) who won eight of 12 races, posting 128 points, which is fifth this week.  Nicolas Sanchez (France) earned one win and claimed 163 points, which is tops this week at Summit Point.

Next the iPCC heads to the super-fast Lime Rock Park in Week 4.  Check the iRacing News next week for another installment of the iRacing.com Production Car Challenge series article.

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