iRacing Dallara GP: Peter Berryman scores Interlagos victory

A different style track, the much smaller and twisty Autódromo José Carlos Pace, led to a different style of race than the first two events on the Force Dynamics Dallara iRacing Grand Prix Championship calendar portrayed. While the best of the best in the single-seater Formula-style iRacing Dallara IR-01 weren’t side-by-side for 51 laps at Interlagos, the leaders were all under a blanket when the checkered flag flew.

Peter Berryman showed the pace throughout the event. Fastest in practice but only third with his qualifying setup, it was enough to keep him at the front the entire race. Berryman held off Michele Costantini and Yohann Harth in the closing laps to take the third race of the season, his first career win in the series.

INTERLAGOS, LETS GO!

Coming into the race, Maarten van Loozenoord held the points lead barely over Harth. With another pole position, van Loozenoord led the field into the first corner, but it wasn’t too much longer until Berryman was fighting for the top spot.

Berryman, Costantini and Harth managed to separate themselves from the rest of the field early, and it proved to be a winning strategy. Meanwhile, van Loozenoord struggled to find pace, falling back to fifth before the first set of pit stops. On lap 16, van Loozenoord sped on pit road, ending his chances at a good finish at Interlagos.

While van Loozenoord struggled, his three main championship rivals all took advantage. Costantini looked to double up and take a second win in a row. The Apex Racing Team duo of Harth and Berryman were both looking for their first win of the season. Passing would be a lot tougher, but with the Dallara IR-01, it was still possible with the right moves.

TIRE COMPOUNDS GO TO BATTLE

On the final stint of the race, the Top 3 all decided upon the hard compound tires to make it to the end of the race. Meanwhile, Matteo Ugolotti was in enough striking distance to be just outside of the lead pack. Ugolotti opted for the medium compound tires and made his march to the front of the leader’s pack.

Berryman and the others knew that the mediums wouldn’t last, so they didn’t put up too much of a fight. Ugolotti managed to get a decent gap, but then he caught a pair of cars on much older tires. The moment tensed as Ugolotti attempted to make it three wide, but he backed out of it, and that ultimately ended any shot he barely had at making the different compound work.

A few laps later, Ugolotti was freight trained by the Top 3 and gave up the very next lap, pitting for a new set of stickers. Up front, the tires had equalized among the Top 3. Berryman held the advantage, but Costantini and Harth were only a stone’s throw distance behind.

Unfortunately for the two not leading, the longer the tires wear, the less likely it is to build up enough of a run to make a pass. Through the final two laps, Berryman put on a clinic of corners, never giving either a chance to get alongside.

TOP 10 RESULTS AT INTERLAGOS

1. Peter Berryman
2. Michele Costantini
3. Yohann Harth
4. Valentin Mandernach
5. Przemyslaw Marek Lemanek
6. Tamas Simon
7. Ben Fuller
8. Sam Kuitert
9. Marcus Jensen
10. Matteo Ugolotti

TIE ATOP THE POINTS STANDINGS

After a slower start to the season than he wanted, Berryman now sits tied for the lead with his Apex Racing Team teammate Harth. Last week’s winner and Interlagos runner up Costantini sits in third while the former point leader and Watkins Glen winner van Loozenoord falls back to fourth after scoring zero points.

TOP 10 STANDINGS AFTER INTERLAGOS

1. Peter Berryman – 57 points
2. Yohann Harth – 57 points
3. Michele Costantini – 47 points
4. Maarten van Loozenoord – 40 points
5. Ben Fuller – 34 points
6. Valentin Mandernach – 30 points
7. Tamas Simon – 22 points
8. Sam Kuitert – 20 points
9. David Toth – 20 points
10. Marcus Jensen – 17 points

NEXT RACE

Next up for the series is Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, next week at the same time, 3:00 pm ET. Races will be broadcasted on the iRacing social channels. the full schedule can be found below.