In a thrilling display of skill and determination, Luke Mitchinson has triumphed in the Pre-Qualifying phase of the 2024 Logitech G Supercar Pro Invitational Series, earning himself a coveted position in the Qualifying Series. 

With a commendable third-place finish in Pre-Qualifying, Mitchinson has showcased his prowess against a field of formidable competitors, marking a significant milestone in his racing career.

Facing off against some of the most talented drivers in the community, Mitchinson's achievement underscores his unwavering dedication and commitment to the Pro Invitational Series. Once again representing the team Raceonoz, Mitchinson's journey to the Qualifying Series again in 2024 symbolizes the culmination of practice, strategic awareness, and sheer perseverance.

When asked about the statement his performance in Pre Qualifying has made and whether he is confident that he can continue the form into the Qualifying Series itslef Luke resopnded by saying; 

"I spent the summer break away from sim racing so coming back fresh for pre qualifying I wasn’t sure where my pace would be. Coming third overall with the quickest Phillip Island time was pretty cool even if some guys weren’t showing their full pace. Looking at last year in the pro series I felt like I never maximised a whole weekend from qualifying to race to strategy, there’s a lot more to it than just setting a fast time. Either way it’s a good confidence boost and makes me even more excited for the year."

The Pre-Qualifying phase of the 2024 Logitech G Supercar Pro Invitational Series proved to be a challenging test for all participants, with each contender vying for a chance to advance to the next stage of the competition. Against this backdrop of intense competition, Mitchinson's stellar performance in securing third position highlights his skill and exceptional competitive spirit.

For Mitchinson, the road to the Qualifying Series represents a continuation of his quest for excellence in the world of professional Sim Racing. Having finished 32nd in the 2023 series and 30th in 2022, Mitchinson's steady progression underscores his unwavering commitment to continual improvement and mastery of his craft.

"The competition keeps me coming back, the series is so hotly contested that you need to really give it everything for a good result. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of trying to move up the order and take it to the bigger teams."

With the Qualifying Series looming on the horizon, Mitchinson remains focused on the task at hand, fully aware of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Unfortunately fellow Raceonoz team mate Ben Smith narrowly missed the top 45 cutoff position so Luke will go it alone throughout the qualifying series but it does open up a potnetially strong co-driver opportunity come the Endurance Cup later in the year. 

"The guys are looking good for the year, they’re all very experienced in the supercar and I’d confidently hand the car over to any of them for an enduro. We’ve all driven plenty of laps around these tracks so once you’ve done a few sighter laps you’re right on the pace."

As Luke prepares to embark on the next leg of his racing journey, anticipation runs high among fans and enthusiasts eager to witness the unfolding drama and excitement of the Qualifying Series. Stay tuned to the Pro Invitational website and social media channels for all the details about how you can tune on and watch along when Round 1 gets underway on January 31st at Road Atlanta.

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In the AFL, the father/son draft rule mirrors the legacy of players like Josh Daicos, automatically drafted by the team their father played over 100 games for. Contrasting this, the Logitech G Pro Invitational series lacks such a rule. Yet, after rigorous testing, we proudly present our unique father-son combination, Blake Delaney and Tye Delaney, revving up in the Pro Qualifying Series.

Embarking on this new adventure, the duo from Fishy Motorsports, avid followers of the Logitech G Pro Invitational Series, have decided to take the plunge this year. Despite their busy schedules, we managed to carve out time to delve into their perspectives on family ties, the series, and their expectations.

First of all, thanks for giving us the time to have this chat, must be an exciting time ahead for you both in the next few weeks.

Blake: absolutely, we both are keen for the next stage and equally happy to be running together in the qualifying series. Last years was disappointing, being taken out of a couple of races, so hopefully we can make a mends this year.

Tye: yeah, it’s a super exiting time for me personally but I’m also very nervous for the weeks to come.

To you Blake, how good is it having your son being able to not only race alongside you, but also be competitive?

Blake: This is the best part about racing for me now. I get to race with an awesome bunch of Fishy teammates and in the same team alongside my son is terrific. To be honest he is almost quicker now, so it is only a matter of time until he is consistently faster, which I and eagerly looking forward to seeing. 

Blake Delaney in action aboard his Fishy Motorsports Commodore

With Tye being fairly young, how much improvement is there still to come?

Blake: Good question, we are just happy he is having fun and enjoying racing. He has high hopes and aspirations of making Supercars. The practice he has been putting in over the last few months has been huge and has seen him make the final qualifiers for the Logitech Pro Series, which I wasn’t sure was going to happen back in November due the speed he had to find. Now seeing that, I would say a lot is left to come. The boys in the Team have been working with him at every chance they get. I travel a bit for work, but when I am away and watching the stream, there is always 2 or 3 of them in discord dedicating the time to helping him out in his races.

How many hours a week would you and Tye do testing together?

Blake: Almost every night we are on together and we love it. It really is the best bonding time spending it doing something we mutually love doing. But really, we spend a heap of time together in general.

And Tye, how much has your dad taught you?

Tye: Dad has helped me so much throughout my sim racing career but has especially helped me in the last 6 months with everything you can imagine in racing.

Your dad is pretty quick, winning a few Vets races, when do you think you will have his measure?

Tye: I think I have a lot to learn first. Dad’s strategy calls and his ability to fuel save are second to none so to beat him, I will not just have to be fast but smart while driving. He has been teaching me not just the basics of driving but also what I need to be thinking about while doing it.

With school about to kick off again, how does that affect your ability to get on the sim?

Tye: With school I’m sure it won’t be the most idle situation but I won’t let it affect my driving, it is my passion and I am very set on wanting to improve.

Eyes will be on the Father Son Duo to see who takes Bragging Rights in the Qualifying Series

We know Blake that with your work commitments you will miss round one, why though do you think it is so special to try and get into the Pro Invitational Series?

Blake: Racing against the best in the business is really why we do it. I am keen to turn around what happened in 2023 by making the series first but then not just be there to make the numbers up – I will be there to compete. Even though my pace is nowhere near the drivers at the front, I will be thinking my way through every race to try to get to the front or even snag a win.

And Tye, this really is a step up in the Australian Sim landscape, just four races to get you set for the year ahead, how do you think you will go?

Tye: No clue how it will turn out, but I will give it my all and go from there.

To both of you, what are your thoughts on the series so far, do you generally try and watch each round if you can?

Blake: It is the cream of the crop. I was there for most of the races last year either spotting or co-driving with Thomas Freeman in 2023 & Jamie Dike in 2022, in which we had some good finishes both years.

Tye: Logitech in my opinion is the peak of supercar sim racing and it’s always been the series everyone wants to try and make. Last year I was on the side lines watching and helping my teammates but hopefully this year I will be up there with them.

No doubt the whole team at Fishy Motorsports have been very supportive of you both, and there is a strong number of drivers from the team trying to get in to the 2024 series, how do you think the team as a whole is going?

Blake: It is truly a testament to the unwavering commitment and support of the entire team that we have a significant number of drivers vying to be part of the upcoming series. We ha a total of 7, with 3 team mates outside of us in the Qualifying Series, Michael Angus, David Kirby & and the Big Fish Michael Whiting. Thomas Freeman is already in obviously. 7 out of the 45 possible spots overall is a great effort for the team.

I think the team is in its strongest position it has been. Everyone gets along, we all love racing together and having a heap of fun on discord. Fishy Motorsports culture is the cornerstone of its excellence, teamwork, and continuous improvement. The team's collective dedication to achieving success is evident in the strides we have made over the last year both on and off the track. The boys really do approach driver development (especially with Tye) with the upmost of importance and meticulous attention to detail (both in car and sim hardware) which sets us apart in my opinion. Naming anyone specifically would be wrong as everyone chips in to help and have fun every night. Always in one voice channel with nobody believing they are better than anyone else (no ego’s), but we still all want to win of course.

And finally, probably the most important question. What does Mrs. Delaney think of it all?

Blake: LOVES the quite time! Nah, she is a huge support to both of us.

Tye: She is very supportive of me.

Thanks for the chat, we really wish you both the best of luck in the Qualifying series and hope to see you on the grid in the Pro series..

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The race for 2024 is officially on with intial Pre Qualifying now under way. Keep up to date here with the progress and results of the sessions.

With in excess of 90 cars registered for the 2024 Qualifying Series, a pre qualifying process will take place to reduce the number to dow to 45 which will make up the grid in the 2024 Qualifying Series. Those 45 drivers will then compete across a 4 Round Qualifying Series to fight for 20 places on the 2024 Logitech G Pro Invitational grid.

The Pre Qualifying process takes place over 4 nights from January 14th - 17th. Drivers will complete times at both Phillip Island and Winton with their best times from each track added together. The combined times will then be sorted to find the top 45 positions who will be eligible for invitation to Qualifying Series.

Here is how the times are stacking up so far:

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Altus eSports have fired a warning shot to everyone else at the 2024 Pre Qualifying Shakedown last night by sweeping P1 in both sessions at the hands of 2023 Super 3 Champion Jobe Stewart.

The 2024 Logitech G Pro Invitational Series is off to a great start with the Shakedown practice sessions held at Phillip Island and Winton. The sessions were an opportunity for all competitors who have registered for the 2024 Qualifying Series to do some testing ahead of the Pre Qualifying process at the same tracks.

The top 4 drivers in both sessions were identical, with Jobe Stewart from Altus eSports setting the fastest times in both sessions. Brian Borg in Racekraft Simulation colours was next on both timesheets in P2 and Jordan Ross of Synergy Sim Racing was P3. Shawn McNamara of 9ine 5ive Simsports managed P4 at both tracks while P5 was Brody Sentence at Phillip Island and Seth Brown at Winton Raceway.

Brian Borg

The Shakedown sessions were held for a duration of 6 hours at both circuits and the drivers had ample time to test their vehicles and get a feel for the tracks. The results of these sessions will be crucial for the drivers as they prepare for the Pre Qualifying process, which will be starting on Sunday night and will continue over 4 nights until Wednesday where the 90+ entries will be narrowed down to 45 for this year’s Qualifying Series.

The 2023 Super 3 Champion Jobe Stewart has set the bar high with his impressive performance in the Shakedown sessions and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his form in the upcoming Pre Qualifying process and the Qualifying Series. The other drivers who performed well in the Shakedown sessions will also be looking to build on their performances and make a strong start to the season while the results create a form guide for many of the other competitors to now work towards.

The 2024 Logitech G Pro Invitational Series is set to be even bigger and better than last year, with 12 rounds across the Season. The series will kick off with the traditional first round at Sebring on March 13th, 2024. With the top 20 drivers from the Qualifying Series earning a spot in the main event, the competition is sure to be fierce. Stay tuned for more updates on the series.

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