Not only is Spa-Francorchamps a complete opposite in character to the previous venue of Detroit Belle-Isle, but so would be the race format for this Wednesday night dogfight. This time, the series returned to the traditional format of one race including two mandatory stops.

If you couldn’t make the broadcast on Wednesday, not to worry! Here’s all you need to get caught up from Round 5 of the Logitech G Pro Invitational Series.

Fuel a Key Factor in Pre-Race Discussions

There was an ominous vibe to the afternoon before the drivers had even hit the track for qualifying. With an eye-watering 40% fuel tank cap applied to the cars - on a track with the most full-throttle time on the calendar - spotters were in for a long night of decision making based on track position and slipstream.

With two mandatory stops in place, teams would have to be on their feet to decide if avoiding a third stop was possible. It would require an impressive conservation effort from the drivers, but it was possible. Let’s not forget the race-winning strategy from last time out that saw Brady Meyers reign supreme!

Getting Down to Business in Qualifying

Championship leader Jarrad Filsell topped the board in the first run of qualifying laps; he would be looking for a strong comeback after his incident with Madison Down at the conclusion of last round that saw him plummet down the order late in Race 2. Down would trail Filsell for the moment in second place, separated by just 0.037 seconds.

With Spa being such a long lap, it is crucial to execute a smooth qualifying without wasting too much time. One invalid lap might not seem so bad, but with tyre wear and a no-reset rule in effect, missing one hotlap immediately rids a third of your attempts - and, inherently - a third of your time. The pressure from having no laps on the board only compounds as the 20-minute session ticks away.

Sebastian Varndell, Jake Blackhall, Ryan Jones and Lachlan Caple were among the names with no representative lap to offer with just 5 minutes remaining.

Just half a second separated the top 10 when drivers began their final laps, with James Scott pipping Emily Jones to 10th by just 0.002s. But the order would shake up immensely as cloud cover cooled the track in the dying stages.

Spa Delivers Most Exciting Qualifying Conclusion of the Season Thus Far

Jarrad Filsell would take jabs at Madison Down throughout the session, eventually crossing the line on his final lap to grab provisional pole by just under a tenth. But Down had one more ace up his sleeve when he stormed across the line to claim pole position by 0.061s over the LOBS eSports superstar. In doing so, Down would claim the first non-LOBS Playseat Pole Position of the year.

Luke Rosella and Zach-Rattray-White would line up on the second row within 0.083 of Down’s pole time, followed by Andrew Gilliam, Damon Woods, Brady Meyers, Jake Moloney, Josh Anderson and Beau Albert to round out the top 10.

Kody Deith would line up in 14th, but was handed a 10-second penalty for impeding Ryan Jones.

Titans Trade Blows in Exhilarating Opening Sequence

32 gruelling laps of action awaited the drivers as the lights came on in Spa - Green Flag in Belgium!

Filsell got away perfectly with a smooth drop of the clutch that saw him inch ahead of Madison Down on the run to Turn 1. But with a taily exit on the gripless left-hand side of the track, Filsell emerged behind Down on the run to Eau Rouge for the first time of the afternoon.

Filsell would ride the TTR Camaro’s bumper for the entirety of the opening two laps, even unsettling his own car with contact through Bruxells on Lap 2.

An equally exciting battle further down the order erupted on Lap 3, when Jordan Ross was forced to back out on the entry of Eau Rouge – tucking under the wing of Hayden Veld. Just ahead, Christopher Ireland would be forced to serve a slow down penalty. That tempted Ross back down the inside of Veld at the entry of Le Combe, but neither of those two would emerge unscathed.

While Veld was able to escape with minor damage, Ross was sent spinning across the track and into the gravel trap on the opposite side of the road. Somehow, no other cars were involved and a safety car was avoided.

Lead Change Sparks Strategy Brawl

After 6 laps of tailing Down, Filsell would make the move for the lead at Le Combes. It was a decisive moment of the race that meant the race leader was notably disinterested in the prospect of fuel saving for at least the first stint.

On schedule with the lack of fuel save were the first pit stops. On lap 9, Filsell pitted from the lead followed by the majority of those that were battling within the top 10. Everyone that pitted with the leaders on this lap immediately took themselves out of contention for the two-stop strategy. Zach Rattray-White and Damon Woods managed the extra lap for Eclipse Simsports, along with most of the field behind.

All that work would be for nothing for Rattray-White, who lost 10 seconds in the pitlane after not noticing he had missed his pit box. Tyson Broad stayed out another lap to make himself the lead car of those yet to pit, clutch lifting immensely to wrestle his Orbit Drop Bear Camaro to the pit box at the end of Lap 11.

Filsell Returns to Strengths as Race Hits the Halfway Mark

With the second stint well underway, Filsell made the most of the opportunity to use the clean air in front. By the time the second batch of pit stops began on lap 18, Filsell had clawed out the gap behind to nearly three seconds over Madison Down, Luke Rosella and Andrew Gilliam.

Madison Down would take more fuel on board compared to all of the LOBS cars, meaning the polesitter would lose track position and emerge the pitlane in effective fourth place. Luke Rosella’s pit stop was longer than it needed to be after he overshot his pit bay, but he too emerged ahead of Down regardless.

With seven laps remaining, Andrew Gilliam and Luke Rosella would tear into the pitlane for their final stop of the afternoon. Once again, it was Filsell and Down leading the race, staying out a few laps longer from the extra fuel taken in the second pit stop.

Rosella would eventually pay the price for missing his pit stall, falling off the back of his teammate Gilliam before being put under immense pressure by Eclipse Simsports’ Damon Woods.

When Madison Down pitted with six laps to go, Andrew Gilliam emerged just ahead – a defining moment in the race that put the extent of Down’s fuel advantage on the backburner. Putting on a brutal defence for the entirety of his out-lap, Gilliam was able to hold up Down just enough for Filsell to retain the race lead when he pitted with four laps to go.

Kody Deith and Beau Albert scrapped in the battle for ninth place. The pair would begin trading places in a gloves-off battle through Bruxells and No-Name, which erupted again on the same lap when they arrived at the bus stop chicane. Deith looked to be victorious in that dispute with a neat cutback at La Source, but was forced to give the place back to Albert at the top of the hill after cutting the track at Raidillon.

A Champion Comeback From a Champion Driver - Filsell Wins at Spa!

With a winning margin of 2.088s over an ominously quick Madison Down, Jarrad Filsell claimed Logitech G Pro Invitational Series victory for the fifth time this season – a phenomenal record that now sees him eclipse the series table by 110 points over TTR’s Josh Anderson.

Andrew Gilliam and Luke Rosella would complete the “LOBS Sandwich” in third and fourth, followed by Damon Woods, Josh Anderson, Brady Meyers, Zach Rattray-White, Beau Albert and Dylan Rudd concluding the top 10.

Honorable mentions!

It’s impossible to not commend the efforts of Shawn McNamara this time out, moving his 9INE5IVE Simsports Mustang from 26th to 14th.

Orbit Drop Bear’s Tyson Broad was another big mover in the pack, making the most of a creative alternate strategy to move from 36th to 25th.

An underappreciated drive was that of Andrew Gilliam. While only moving up onto the podium from fifth, he also played a key role in Jarrad Filsell’s victory over Madison Down, which could have easily gone the other way had it not been for Gilliams' sharp defending.

On the other side of the coin, Jake Moloney and James Scott both had nightmare outings - dropping 29 and 26 places respectively.