After the championship’s mea culpa last week, when the live broadcast first round included the incorrect driver roster, the re-run of the opening 2022 Formula Challenge Series has been concluded.
Held in private on Tuesday 24th May – although you can watch live stream driver replays, such as Risto Kappet’s – rFactor 2‘s Competition System successfully allowed the correct drivers, who entered following an open qualification system, to take part in a qualifying session and race around Spa-Francorchamps.
Every driver uses the same Formula Pro car, a single-seater with a naturally aspirated V10 engine and 600bhp – 200bhp less, but identical otherwise, to the vehicle used in the Formula Pro Series.
After the 15-minute qualifying session, Sander Kallas was quickest, just 0.1s ahead of Jordy Zwiers driving for Jean Alesi Esports Academy. R8G Esport’s Risto Kappet was in third, with Mattia Crupi rounding out the front two rows.
In the 45-minute race, Zwiers managed to overturn the deficit, winning just 1.3s ahead of the pole-sitter. The Jean Alesi driver snatched the lead of the line at the start before Kallas moved back ahead down the Kemmel Straight. At the end of the lap, Zwiers was once again in the lead and although Kallas was never far away, managed to hold on.
Despite initially dropping back, Kappet held on to third ahead of a charging Rory MacDuff who had qualified in seventh.
The second round of the Formula Challenge Series will be held on Monday 30th May from a virtual Autodromo di Monza Nazionale.
Formula Challenge Series, Race 1, Spa-Francorchamps, Results
- Jordy Zwiers – Jean Alesi Esports Academy – 25 laps
- Sander Kallas – SimRacing Club +1.370
- Risto Kappet – R8G Esports +6.340
- Rory MacDuff – Cetrez Nitor Velox +10.260
- Christian Michel – Cetrez Nitor Velox +19.360
- Luca D’Amelio – Satellite Racing +24.360
- Daniel Stepkowski – RSR +26.390
- Mattia Crupi – Jean Alesi Esports Academy +32.420
- Martin Hemmingsen – R8G Esports +33.720
- Eros Masciulli – GR Racing +37.600
