Our First Championship as DRS Esports
It’s the end of March. We had just established our team a couple of months ago, not really a roster of drivers, just a bunch of guys with something to prove. And there is nothing better than to start with one of the hardest Endurance championships, with a 12-hour final event in the Green Hell!
Yes, we were taking part in the Apex Online Racing Endurance Championship! It’s Season 5, which starts in late April with 10 hours of Spa. Our team consists of K. Znotiņš, K. Jaunzemis, J. Rācenis, M. Lorencs, and Ē. Logins. The team did the hot stint for qualification to the event, and we came in 4th, with the best time from Kristers Znotiņš, who individually did the second fastest hot stint.
Here comes Spa! As we came in 4th in the season hot stints, for the qualification we always wanted to be in the Top 10 so we could go to Superpole (one-lap qualification). However, in Spa, we butchered and invalidated our lap, and we had to start from 10th place. As for the race, the start wasn’t the best, and with a crash on lap one, we found ourselves pitting after lap 1 and at the end of the grid. But with hard work, we came back and finished P5. A great result considering the lap 1 crash and that it was our first team race!
Now let’s head to Great Britain, to Silverstone. In Superpole, we managed not to invalidate our one and only lap and placed P5 on the starting grid. The start wasn’t the best one, but we kept away from all the lap 1 shenanigans. However, we just got stuck behind a Bentley, with the leaders creating a considerable gap. It was an okay race, but with a mistake while going into the pit lane, we got a Stop and Go penalty and had to do an extra pit stop, finishing P6.
On to Hungaroring! Our first win in Superpole with Kristers Znotiņš setting a great time! However, in the race, the pace wasn’t the best. We lost a couple of spots and got a 15-second penalty on a backmarker with sync issues. We could have come in 3rd, but we finished 4th, just 11 seconds behind the podium.
And now—the GRAND FINALE—Nordschleife! 12 hours to survive in the Green Hell, and we invalidate our Superpole and start from the 9th place. However, what a race! Our pace was top-notch, while others were making mistakes, and we took our chances. If we win this race, we will be P2 in the championship! As the championship leader made 2 mistakes at the end, we took the opportunity and ran with it. And here it was—our first victory in the season and the second place in the AOR Endurance Championship Season 5!
