He came, saw and overtook! Michal Smidl wins the third championship race of the Racer League in Racing Unleashed Championship: Beyond the Pinnacle. For him it is the second victory in the third race. Having started from fifth place, it only took two corners after a lightning start to take the lead. After that, nobody could stop the Czech simracing star.
The Championship of Racing Unleashed (click here for the homepage) – this is the racing series in which the pilots chase a virtual 2022 Formula 1 model around the racetracks in high-performance simulators. 46-inch screens with a panoramic view and carbon fiber cockpits with an integrated sound system make the races in the racing lounges at various locations in Germany, Switzerland and Spain an almost real Formula 1 experience. In total, the prize money is around 200,000 Swiss francs.
The weekend got off to a difficult start for the double Racing Unleashed champion from 2019 and 2020. Reason: Racing Unleashed does not use conventional qualifying, instead an elimination race in reverse order of the championship. So Smidl had to start from 21st place.
Michal Smidl dominates the competition in the Racer League’s Monza race.
But he didn’t stay there long. Collisions and overtaking maneuvers eventually pushed him up to fifth place. “The format with the knock-out qualifying is not my favorite, but nothing can stop me,” says Smidl confidently.
In the main race, it took less than three corners to take the lead: “I got off to a good start and was at the front very quickly. Then I was pushed aside but was able to maintain the lead. From then on it was a nice, relaxed Sunday drive,” says a happy Smidl, who now leads the table with 29 points ahead of Monza runner-up Enrique Maranon. Vojtech Polesny completes the podium. The Munich Lounge celebrates the first double podium this season with the performances of Smidl and Polesny.
The championship leader in the Challenger League (activated driving aids, traction control and ABS) also made a strong comeback in elimination qualifying. David Cid worked his way up from last to third. Victory in the main race was also just a matter of form for the Spaniard. A five-place penalty before the race couldn’t change that.
After a very good start, the reigning runner-up has worked his way directly into the top 3. A few laps later, Cid was already dictating the pace at the front and brought home the win. “It was extremely stressful, but I’m happy to have won now,” he explains after the numerous overtaking manoeuvres.
On May 21st and 22nd, the fourth Challenge 2022 will start with the races in Mugello.
The battle for second place was much closer. Ultimately, however, Lorenzo Heyder was able to keep Tiziano Caponio behind him. “I’m still stunned. It was a great race for me. Tiziano and I had a tough but fair duel.” It was Hayder’s first podium finish in the Challenger League. Ultimately, Marcos Valverde took third place after Caponio slipped to fourth due to a penalty.
In the championship, Cid extends his lead. After three out of ten races he is 28 points ahead of his Spanish compatriot Valverde.
Anyone who would like to fight against Cid, Heyder and Co. in the Challenger League can qualify for the next challenge in one of the Racing Lounges in Munich, Kemptthal, Zurich, Cham or Madrid. To do this, you have to register on the Racing Unleashed website and be among the fastest simracers in the respective lounge for the next championship round. On May 21st and 22nd, the fourth Challenge 2022 will start with the races in Mugello.
