The Logitech G V8PRO Invitational Series headed to Sebring for the opening round of the 2026 season, and It didn’t take long for the drama to start as the drivers hit the track for a 20 minute Qualifying session.
Zach Rattray-White was the first to cross the line and set the early benchmark but was quickly eclipsed by Jarrad Filsell setting a 2:03.249, followed by Andrew Gilliam only 0.016 behind in P2.
Madison Down failed to set a lap on the first run and found himself off sequence to the majority of the field. Coming down the back straight towards the iconic sunset bend, the slow moving main pack were unaware and despite a couple cars frantically moving away from the racing line, Madison was largely unsighted and unfortunately plowed into the back of his fellow Trans Tasman Racing driver Kurt Stenberg. With major damage that was the end of Qualifying for the #77 and signalled the start of what turned out to be a terrible night for Madison.
On the second run for the main group, Luke Rosella jumped to the top of the times, just a under a tenth of a second faster than his LOBS Esports teammates, thanks to a well executed draft from Filsell. Brady Meyers also gained spots moving into P4 from P12. Another mover mid session was Ryan O’Sullivan, who on debut in the series in 2026, jumped from outside the Top-40 to P6! He would finish the session in P7, a remarkable effort and definitely the biggest surprise of Qualifying.
On the last roll of the dice both Filsell and Gilliam would jump Rosella, the #94 laying down a 2:03.105 to secure the first Pole Position of the year. Gilliam only 14 hundredths behind, securing a LOBS Top-3 lock, with only 0.049 seconds between them. Over 2 tenths behind, Rattray-White would line up in 4th, James Scott behind with a well driven 5th. The other big surprise in Qualifying was Bradley Rattew, finishing up 8th with an impressive effort for his first Qualifying session as a fulltime driver since 2023. The big losers in Qualifying were three of the expected front runners. Madison Down being pretty obvious following his incident early on, along with Damon Woods in P21 and Jake Moloney in a lowly P32, 9 tenths off the leading pace.
The charge down into turn 1 on the opening lap of the season
As the lights went green it was Andrew Gilliam who got the jump and led from Turn 1. The pack got through the first few sectors reasonably cleanly but as they left the hairpin, it all kicked off. Jake Burton made a brave move, shifting across the front of Wayne Bourke on the way down to Turn 10. Unfortunately braking what seemed to be unusually early, he was pushed from behind by the #89 and spun to the outside of the track. This started a chain reaction as the pack tried to move through the tightest section on the circuit.
Lachlan Caple and Damon Woods came together on the exit and slight contact sent the #56 into the grass. Just as it looked like the pack had got through, Matthew Bowler tried to cut to the inside line of the following left-hand bend and was tagged by Sam Blacklock who was well alongside the Eclipse Camaro. Multiple cars were impacted including Project 36 driver Angus Lawford and Vermillion Esports’ Josh Houghton.
In the following laps the field settled and began to spread as the leading five of Gilliam, Filsell, Rosella, Rattray-White and Scott broke away from those behind. At the end of Lap 4, Scott received a slow down and fell back out of draft range. A lap later, the #17 suffered the same fate and suddenly it was a LOBS breakaway at the front.
At the end of Lap 9, Brenton Hobson and Denis Gataric were the first to jump into pitlane, leaving themselves two longer stints to the end of the 38 lap race. Many in the midpack would also come in on following laps, as they tried to undercut those in front, with a massive time gain on the fresh tyre.
Chaos in the mid pack on lap 1
The first of the front runners to come into the pits were the Chiefs Esports duo of James Scott and Robbie Gibbs on Lap 17, while the front four remained on track, trying to overcut and have a tyre advantage for the middle portion of the race. Gilliam and Rattray-White pitted on the following lap, with Filsell and Rosella pitting on Lap 19. The undercut proved fruitful for Scott, who had jumped to the lead with that fresh tyre advantage and having fueled just under half the required litres to make the finish.
On Lap 20, a resurgent Madison Down set the fastest lap of the race with a 2:03.615, moving into P17 just after the half way mark. At the end of Lap 24, Woods, Bourke, Hobson and Ryan Bettess were the first drivers who entered the pitlane for their second stops, marking the start of the final stint of the race.
Scott and Gibbs pitted on Lap 27, with many in the Top-10 pitting at the end of Laps 28 and 29. As Filsell and Rosella exited the lane, Andrew Gilliam had jumped to the lead with a 1 lap undercut. Needing to fuel more than the LOBS cars, Scott and Gibbs were left 4 seconds behind the leading pack after the stops and the fight for the lead was an all LOBS Esports affair. Quickly after re-entering the circuit the #94 passed Gilliam and assumed the lead.
James Scott leads the pack after undercutting at the first stop
An exciting battle for the final spot in the Top-10 ignited with seven laps to go. Emily Jones managed to pass Thomas McMillan at the final corner but the following lap the #248 repassed Jones into the hairpin. On the run down to Turn 10 the #24 got alongside McMillan and made a dive, completing the pass with Logitech G ODBM driver Bradley Rattew following her through into P11.
With five to go, Madison Down made a move on Ric Kuznetsov leading onto the back straight. The cars made contact on corner exit as Ric tried to move off of the exit curb and the #888 got extremely loose, almost losing control. This allowed Madison alongside and to pull ahead with more momentum heading down the straight. As Kuznetsov moved his car across the track towards Down to try and side draft, they unfortunately made significant contact. A horrible misjudgement by Ric, sending the #77 Camaro straight into the concrete wall and putting an end to what was an extraordinary recovery from Down.
Kuznetsov was given a 30 second penalty post race in what was the first major incident and controversial moment of the season. He will spend the rest of the year on a suspended sentence, with any further reckless driving penalties automatically triggering a 2 race suspension. It looked almost a certainty to be a late safety car but Madison was adjudged to be far enough away from the racing line, and race control allowed the race to stay green.
Controversial contact causes Madison Down to collide with the wall
The battles continued throughout the field as the laps counted down, but as the chequered flag waved, it was all LOBS Esports affair as they finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd, with Jarrad Filsell getting the win and continuing his dominant 2025 form.
Andrew Gilliam and Luke Rosella followed him home with an 8 second gap back to James Scott and Zach Rattray-White in 4th and 5th respectively. Robbie Gibbs who has been inside the Top-5 for majority of the race got a slow down on the last lap and gave up the spot to the #17 down the back straight, finishing 6th.
Ryan O’Sullivan completed an amazing series debut, finishing 7th and holding off the two leading Trans Tasman Racing drivers of Brady Meyers and Joshua Anderson. Emily Jones made it three consecutive TTR cars as she crossed the line for a very respectable Top-10, after starting in P18. Bradley Rattew and Thomas McMillian both impressed and finished just outside the Top 10 in 11th and 12th respectively.
McMillian’s effort was especially notable as he was both on his series debut and his return to competitive simracing fulltime, due to his extended period on suspension, dating back to 2019. The OG Gear Hard Charger was Jake Moloney, with a great recovery from his unexpected qualifying result, gaining 15 positions. Fellow TTR driver Jake Burton lost the most positions during the race on his series return, dropping from 11th to 34th after sustaining damage in his Lap 1 clash with Wayne Bourke.
All in all, it was a fantastic night of racing with many battles up and down the field, and a wide array of strategies making for a very interesting watch. 1 Round completed and 11 more to go in 2026.
Related Articles
