Kimura Performance delivered the final round of the SIM racing events at the Royal Automobile Club in early November in what was the inaugural championship over 3 rounds in March, July and November
Over 40 Royal Automobile Club members took part in qualifying rounds which resulted in the top 20 members battling for glory to become 2023 Royal Automobile Club SIM Racing Champion.
Qualifying rounds were at the Pall Mall HQ using the Donington and Silverstone circuits in an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 running the Assetto Corsa software package and for the finals evening the two Kimura Performance Trak Racer Sims were set up in the Long Bar at the Club where we raced at Monza in a Porsche 991 GT Cup car.
The format for the finals evening was for the twenty qualified members to set their fastest times, with the quickest four going through to two semi-final races and then onto a race in the grand finale.
The qualifying was a pretty close affair with the top five being separated by 1.5 seconds, sadly, a few competitors laps did not count as track limits were not observed but the top four went through to the semi-finals and after a short break to set up the software into ‘race’ format with the potential of contact for an added dimension of race drama.
Semi-final 1 was between Freddie Wiltshire and Richard Coleman, the race started with the clock ticking backwards for 6 minutes, it was fast and furious with very close racing with the lead changing several times, but is was Wiltshire that won to go through to the final.
Semi-final 2 between Fredrick Owen and Henry Husband started well but on lap two Owen tried hard to avoid the rear of Husbands Porsche going into the tight first chicane but to no avail, he hit the back of him and gained a five second penalty as a result. In the desire to get back his five seconds he was pushing hard but spun out letting Husband win and go through to the final.
The Final started and it was a close but clean affair with Wiltshire pulling out in front with a Verstappen like dominance, Husband trying hard to gain some seconds back but to no avail the clock went to zero and Wiltshire won the race and became the Club’s inaugural champion in front of a large crowd that had gathered in the Long Bar.
Third place play off was between Richard Coleman and Fredrick Owen, with Coleman claiming third pace.
