Race Recaps

The inaugural round of the Moza Porsche Pro Invitational was run and won in what was an unbelievable night of racing on Wednesday. The field took the trip to the historic Hockenheim-Ring for some sprint racing action. So many storylines up and down the field with big moves and even bigger crashes being the highlights of a great start to the season.

As the field rolled out for qualifying, it was Damon Woods at the front of the pack. He failed to set a valid lap on his first flyer, but he quickly made up for it as he vaulted to the top of the times on his second effort. He was followed by Vermillion Esports duo Ric Kuznetsov and Antal Sabo, both three-tenths behind in the early stages.

At the halfway mark Woods still led the field, holding a three-tenth margin over Sabo, as Hugo Allan from Automoves Racing Team arrived in the Top-3. Eclipse Simsports drivers Zach Rattray-White and Byron Pearce struggled to find their feet early on, sitting six-tenths behind their established teammate and on the outside of the Top-10, well below expectation. Kuznetsov also failed to improve through the middle part of the session and was dropping down the order, as the field gained lap after lap with tyres that were now entering their peak performance window.

As the 20 minute qualifying session came to a close, it was Damon Woods representing Falken Simracing Team, holding on by just 0.048 seconds to take the first ever pole position in the series. His fellow teammates at Eclipse Simsports, Zach Rattray-White and Byron Pearce, finished up 2nd and 3rd respectively, improving late to get themselves out of the midpack. Hugo Allan impressed in 4th for Automoves Racing Team and Reece Wakefield also did a great job rounding out the Top-5 for OPR x Gammaflare Sim Racing. Bewley, Sabo, Mackay, Morella and Widdas rounded out the Top-10. Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Champion Dylan O’Keeffe performed well below expectation, with the #1 qualifying 44th for the first sprint race of the season.

The field bunched up early in race 1

As the green flag dropped the first three cars got a clean getaway, the #777 of Hugo Allan however, lost out big time with a terrible launch off the line. With others behind getting a far better start, he was caught in the middle of a three-wide battle into Turn 1 and was unfortunately tagged, and sent to the outside of the circuit. Falling from 5th to stone cold last, he was left with plenty of work to do for the remainder of the night.

The field made it through the opening sector reasonably cleanly until contact between Dean Mackay and Zak Kerr sent Mackay into the outside fence through Parabolika. Unfortunately Mackay’s car was severely damaged and after requesting a tow, the first of many safety cars was called.

 The race was restarted on Lap 4 but the field was quickly back behind the safety car again as 9INE5IVE SimSport driver Pat Klien was left stranded on the outside of Turn 1. A simple mistake on the entry to the first corner sent him spinning and unfortunately the #19 sustained race-ending damage.

The race was once again restarted on Lap 6, and at the back of the field an incident between Hugo Allan and the #32 of Jedd Van Hemert left the track essentially blocked on the exit of Turn 4. Van Hemert’s teammate Josh Purwein unfortunately collected the #32 and his race was finished after returning to the pits.

As the leaders headed to the Turn 6 hairpin, it was Tom Bewley making an aggressive move on Byron Pearce to put himself in a podium position. As they pushed on through the fast bend at Turn 7, Reece Wakefield got loose after jumping the kerb and spun to the outside of Turn 8, narrowly avoiding the wall. In the same moment, Sebastian Eskandari attempted a bold move on Byron Pearce and unfortunately sent the #506 spinning. 

The MOZA Racing Safety Car leads the field

Over the next few laps the leading group had spread out and Damon Woods began to set the pace. On Lap 8 he set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:36.777 and two laps later Zach Rattray-White set his fastest lap, just half a tenth slower than Woods. For the next few laps the field continued to battle and with just 3 laps remaining for the leaders, the safety car was back on the circuit.

Jack Widdas and Lockhart Brownlie made contact at Turn 8 and following a spin Widdas was unfortunately collected by an innocent Angus Lawford. After some more contact at the following corner, Widdas was left stranded on the exit of Turn 10 and requested a tow. A quick turnaround from race control and the field was left with one final lap of racing for the sprint.

The leaders got away clean but a big battle at the tail of the Top-10 ensued. After multiple side by side moments, Kory Lazarus found himself in the outside wall at Turn 10 after an unfortunate bounce on the exit kerb. With major damage, he unfortunately failed to make the line and made it 7 DNFs for the field in the first race of the season.

At the front however it was Damon Woods with a statement lights to flag win. He was followed closely by the #17 of Rattray-White and Tom Bewley rounding out the podium. Antal Sabo and Team Maxboost driver Sebastian Eskandari performed well to finish in the Top-5, Eskandari gaining 10 spots from his starting position. Morella, Veld, Greathead, Kuznetsov and Varndell rounded out the Top-10, with Varndell securing the Invert pole position for the feature race. Some other notable performers were Stefan Mccartain and Stuart Ellis, the OPR x Gammaflare Sim Racing duo rising from 37th and 42nd respectively to just outside the Top-10 to start the season off strong.

The field set off into turn 1 in race 2

The field reset for the 22-lap feature race and with double points on offer it was sure to be exciting. Following the Top-10 Invert, it was three Vermillion Esports cars at the front of the grid. From the green flag, Sebastian Varndell led Ric Kuznetsov and into Turn 3, Eskandari made a decisive move to pass Greathead and move into 3rd.

Further back in the field, the luckless Byron Pearce was given a drive-through Penalty for a jump start, sending him right to the back of the pack. The field battled away through the hairpin and after being side by side for multiple corners, Eskandari once again made a pass and moved up to 2nd. Bewley was not far behind as he moved into 4th entering Turn 10, passing Hayden Veld.

Just behind, Eclipse Simsports’ Marino Morella made a move up the inside of Lewis Greathead. An unfortunate bounce off the inside kerb at Turn 10 sent the #77 into the door of the #112 and both cars spun in front of the field.Cars fanned out across the track to avoid the incident. Luckily Morella was the only car to sustain significant damage.

On Lap 2, a similar incident ensued as Jacob O’Reilly lost control following another unfortunate bounce off the Turn 10 kerb. O’Reilly spun on the racing line and multiple cars made heavy contact. One of them was his Vermillion Esports teammate, Lewis Greathead, who suffered major damage and eventually found himself 4 laps down after starting in 3rd. 9INE5IVE SimSport drivers Luke Swan and Simon Mezzomo also suffered major damage. Kory Lazarus was collected but managed to continue on.

Ben Pedersen’s night was ended along with O’Reilly, and after the #222 requested a tow, the safety car was deployed for the 4th time on the night. The race restarted on Lap 6 and Sebastian Eskandari suffered a similar fate to Klien in the sprint race. A massive moment sent him into the outside wall at Turn 1 and out of the race. An unfortunate ending to what had been an impressive outing for the #44 car.

Close racing in the mid-pack

This brought out the safety car once again and after 2 laps under yellow, the race returned to green flag conditions. On the run down to Turn 2, Kuznetsov made a decisive move on his teammate Varndell and moved into the lead. Throughout the lap the battles continued behind as Varndell defended from Veld and Bewley, who were both trying to move into 2nd place. At Turn 11 it all turned sour, as Antal Sabo misjudged the braking zone and sent Veld off the circuit, and into the sand trap. Bewley was lucky not to be caught in the incident and continued to pressure Varndell into Lap 10.

After battling into the hairpin, Woods, Sabo and Seth Brown found themselves three-wide into the Turn 7 bend and unfortunately for Woods, he was forced off the circuit by Sabo, who was seemingly unaware of his presence on the outside. Sabo was given a 5-Second Penalty for the incident which saw Woods lose 2 positions. Ric Kuznetsov began to check out at the front of the field, as Varndell continued his stout defence of 2nd place from Tom Bewley. After continuous corners side by side, Bewley lost momentum on the exit of Turn 11 and Rattray-White snuck past into the infield hairpin at Turn 12. Bewley tried to repass the #17 immediately and unfortunately spun to the outside of the corner after losing control. He rejoined the circuit in 19th and became another victim of the aggressive racing that occurred throughout the night.

Race 1 winner Damon Woods tours the grass in race 2

Over the next few laps the battles raged on up and down the order, but it was Damon Woods who found himself moving into 2nd, passing Varndell into the Turn 6 hairpin. With 9 laps remaining, Woods found himself 4.5 seconds behind the leader, needing another safety car to realistically contend for the win.

It wasn’t long before Zach Rattray-White moved into 3rd with a late move on Varndell into Turn 8. Brock Gilchrist followed him through, moving into 4th after starting the feature race well down the order in 17th. The last 5 laps of the race flew by as the battle from 4th to 9th continued on, but it was Varndell who eventually succeeded, repassing Gilchrist and maintaining the gap to the flag.

Up front it was Ric Kuznetsov who took the win by 3.2 seconds over sprint winner Damon Woods. A great recovery for Kuznetsov who qualified 24th at the start of the night and pushed forward in both races. Woods, likely unsatisfied with 2nd, still walking away with the championship lead after Round 1.

Zach Rattray-White joined teammate Woods on the Podium, surviving with a damaged front end for the majority of the race. Varndell and Gilchrist rounded out the Top-5, with Brown, Shepherd, Kerr, Jones and Stuart Ellis completing the Top-10. Hugo Allan recovered well from starting 30th to finish 12th, whilst setting the fastest lap of the race on Lap 20 with a 1:37.047. Jaxon Reihana also made his way through the field from 42nd on the grid to 17th. Byron Pearce showed great pace in the feature, fighting his way back from a drive-through penalty to finish 14th.

Ric Kutnetsov holds on to win the feature race

The Hockenheimring certainly delivered some incredible moments to kick start the season, and we won't have to wait very long to see more great action as the Moza Porsche Pro Invitational heads to Belgium and the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for Round 2 on the 22nd of April. See you there!

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by Griffin Gardiner

Last week, the Moza Porsche Pro Invitational was back for Round 2 at the historic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Following a chaotic round at the Hockenheim-Ring last time out, nothing was off the table for the two races on the night.

Due to iRacing’s update schedule, the races were restricted to timed sessions of 20 and 40 minutes respectively. Up first though, was the 20-minute open qualifying session. 

In the early stages it was Byron Pearce who set the pace. He was followed by the round 1 pole sitter Damon Woods, with Dean Mackay, Ric Kuznetsov and Jack Widdas rounding out the Top-5. At the halfway mark Mackay improved to the top with Automoves Racing Team’s Hugo Allan only 0.016 seconds behind. Only a lap later Woods would stamp his authority, moving into P1 with over 2 tenths in hand over Mackay. Zach Rattray-White also improved and moved into the Top-5, but he was quickly jumped by Reece Wakefield, making two One Performance Racing cars in the Top-5.

As the session came to a close, Antal Sabo made a big improvement to the front row, alongside pole winner Damon Woods, claiming back-to-back Pole Positions for Falken Sim Racing. Dean Mackay stayed solid throughout the session to end up 3rd, while Hugo Allan and Byron Pearce rounded out the Top-5. Wakefield, Morella, Rattray-White, Kerr and Kory Lazarus rounded out the Top-10. 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Champion Dylan O’Keefe had another horrible qualifying session, lining up for the sprint race in 41st.

Damon Woods leads the way into Turn 1 on the opening lap

As the lights went out for the sprint race, the whole field got away fairly cleanly and avoided any major incidents up through Eau Rouge and Raidillon. Back in the pack Eskandari made a late move on Seth Brown at the end of the Kemmel Straight, and as they moved through Les Combes Eskandari was escorted wide in return. He re-entered the circuit and made contact with Stefan Mccartain and sent the One Performance Racing driver into a spin. Eskandari was handed a pit lane penalty for his troubles.

On Lap 2 it was another One Performance Racing driver who would be in the wars, with Stuart Ellis losing control over the kerb at Raidillon and spinning. He made contact with the outside wall and bounced back onto the racing line, causing a multi-car collision. Simon Mezzomo was the first car on the scene and unfortunately hit the outside fence, along with Tyce Hodge. Ellis’ OPR teammate Dylan Shepherd made substantial contact with the #73 and was sent rolling down the Kemmel Straight, before being collected by Tyce Hodge, who was dealing with major steering damage. He also collected Ryan Jones who simply had nowhere to go as the gaps in front of him disappeared. Team MaxBoost driver Kane Rider and Eclipse Simsports’ Hayden Veld were next on the scene, both sent into the outside fence with simply not enough time to react to the unfolding chaos in front of them. Dylan O’Keefe was also involved in the accident. Ellis, Hodge, Shepherd, Veld and Jones would all retire on Lap 2, while others involved, such as O’Keefe, would eventually withdraw in the following laps.

Carnage on Lap 2 brought out the first Safety Car for the night

The safety car was rightly called and the field would bunch up once again to try and restart the race on Lap 4. Woods continued to lead the field from Sabo, but as they climbed up Raidillon, the Vermillion Esports driver would get a slowdown for extending past track limits, dropping himself back behind Mackay and Pearce.

Simultaneously, Allan and Rattray-White would make contact at the entry to Eau Rouge fighting over P5, sending the Automoves Racing Team #777 into the outside wall. Moments later, Allan's teammate Kory Lazarus would spin on his own at the exit of Les Combes. Both Automoves cars would request a tow and once again the safety car was called.

The race was restarted on Lap 6 and the 20-minute time limit began to show its effects, leaving only a 2-lap dash to the end of the sprint. The battles continued on up and down the field, fighting for grid positions in the feature but as the chequered flag waved it was Damon Woods once again, claiming victory in the sprint race.

Dean Mackay would follow him home in second with Byron Pearce close behind in third. Antal Sabo came home in P4, rueing his mistake from the first restart, with Rattray-White gaining three positions to finish P5. Wakefield finished 6th on the road but would be demoted to 12th post race, given a 5-second penalty for contact with Jack Widdas on Lap 4. Luckily for Wakefield, he would still start the feature out of P5.

Despite the contact, Widdas would cross the line in 6th for Momentum Racing. Kuznetsov, Morella, Burgess and Kerr would round out the Top-10, with Burgess claiming the all important inverted Pole Position for the feature race. The biggest loser from the sprint was once again Hugo Allan. After starting 4th, failing to finish was a major disappointment and left him starting 39th for the main race.

The MOZA Racing Safety Car leads the field

As the 40-minute feature race went green, Myles Burgess got the jump from pole and would lead down to Turn 1. The field would get through La Source and up the hill without issue, but as the mid-pack arrived at Les Combes, it all kicked off.

Sebastian Varndell would miss the braking zone and leave the circuit, rejoining safely at Turn 9. As the #58 slowly rose to racing speed, Eskandari got to the inside, and at no-name the two would make contact, sending Varndell into a spin in front of the back half of the field. A similar story to the Ellis incident in the sprint, multiple cars were involved. Scott Rankin made contact with the outside barrier, while Kane Rider, trying to avoid Rankin, would lose control and go from the outside to the inside wall. Lachlan Caple skated past Rider but netcode contact between the #018 and Angus Lawford would send the #52 into the inside fence.

As Varndell recovered from his spin, Brock Gilchrist was left with nowhere to go, making contact with the #58 and spinning to the inside of the circuit, also collecting Kane Rider. Angus Lawford would bounce off the fence and back onto the racing line and Stefan Mccartain was unfortunately collected. Vermillion Esports’ Jacob O’Reilly ran into the back of the #51 that was attempting to brake for Lawford. This sent Lawford straight into the fence once again and left the #222 with significant front and rear damage. With Rider requesting a tow, the safety car was called and for the third time on the night, the safety car was on circuit. 

The MOZA Racing Safety Car leads the field

Race control was very organised once again and the race restarted on Lap 3, but down at Turn 1, Pat Klien would lose control and spin from 15th. Jordan Malcolm made contact with the stationary 9ine5ive Simsports driver and would spin himself, but the rest of the field got through without a major incident.

Ewan Baker would lose control at Raidillon and spin to the outside wall, stopping just on the edge of the circuit. Most drivers avoided the #34 but Sebastian Varndell would make an almost identical error and spin directly into the #34, both cars sustained race-ending damage. With not even half a lap complete from the restart, we were once again under safety car.

The race restarted on Lap 5, and at the front it was now Marino Morella, leading the field. Kuznetsov and Rattray-White entered Eau Rouge side by side for 3rd, and it was the #17 who emerged with the position. Kuznetsov lost momentum, and was subsequently passed by Damon Woods and Byron Pearce down the Kemmel Straight.

Throughout the field the battles continued and on the next lap Myles Burgess relinquished P2, after serving a slow down for a track cut at Raidillon, falling to 5th. The following lap, Eskandari would escort Lockhart Brownlie wide on the entry to La Source. Hugo Allan and Ben Pedersen, only meters behind, made contact, sending Pedersen into the side of Lockhart Brownlie, with both spinning to the inside and eventually, into the alternate pit lane entry. Eskandari would get a 5-second penalty for his move on Brownlie.

On Lap 8, Jedd Van Hemert would make contact with Wakefield going for an aggressive dive at Bruxelles. At the last chicane, Morella would give up the lead and drop to 4th, making way for his pace-setting teammates. As the field entered Lap 9, it was now Rattray-White from Woods and Pearce at the front. The leading pack continued to set quick laps and Antal Sabo made his move to contend for the win, passing Morella for 4th at La Source on Lap 13. It was now a five-car breakaway with 3 seconds back to Kuznetsov in 6th.

On Lap 14, the midfield battle continued to rage on as Brown and Eskandari made contact, with the latter being escorted wide on the exit of Turn 1. Brown would be given a 5-second penalty for the incident. On the final lap of the race, Eskandari would find himself in the firing line once again, being turned on the run down to Blanchimont by the #43 of Dylan Shepherd. 

Rattray-White claimed the feature race win at Spa

At the front, it was Eclipse, Falken, Eclipse as Zach Rattray-White came across the line to win the feature race. Damon Woods showed his pace once again to claim 2nd from 10th, while Byron Pearce finished a well-earned 3rd. Sabo and Morella came home not far behind in 4th and 5th, with Mackay, Kuznetsov, Kerr, Chapman and Widdas rounding out the Top-10.

Hayden Veld climbed 25 positions in the feature, finishing 18th from 43rd on the grid. Pat Klien ended the night losing 25 positions from his 14th place starting position.

With two rounds in the books Damon Woods continues to lead the way. With 398 points from a maximum of 410, he has shown why he was widely considered the favourite entering the season. Zach Rattray-White has also been ultra-consistent, with 378 points. Kuznetsov, Pearce and Kerr make up the Top-5.

Published on

by Griffin Gardiner