Round 10 of the Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro invitational Cup takes us to Road Atlanta for the 2023 season finale.

Currently 11th in the championship, Synergy Sim Racing’s Tom Freer takes us through his 5 key points for the entertaining 4.088 kilometre precinct before we go racing on Wednesday night!

1: Race Start

Road Atlanta provides us drivers with many challenges on its intriguing and exciting layout, one of those is the importance of getting a clean race start. Race starts at Road Atlanta from previous experience prove to be chaotic, finding your space on the road is clinical to finding your driving rhythm early. By achieving a good race start, you give yourself the opportunity to gain early track Position while also being able to control the tempo of the cars around you on the approach to turns 2 & 3.

2: Turns 1,2,3,4 & the roller coaster.

Undoubtedly one of the most challenging segments of road available on the iRacing service, turns 1 through 3 prove to be critical to achieving lap time at the Road Atlanta Circuit. Achieving a optimal line though turn 1 allows you set up for turns 2 & 3, giving you the ability to find your uphill braking marker early before firing your Supercar across the aggressive turn 3 curbing on the inside. Those who who this well will be the first to find the throttle pedal again after the car lands off the exit of 3, giving the driver the ability to carry momentum through turn 4 before plunging into the “Roller coaster”. Any small mistake through this opening segment of the lap would prove detrimental to lap time, ruining your momentum and optimal line all the way down the the end of the roller coaster section.

3: Pit Entry

Pit entry is easy right? Guess again. Road Atlanta is unique for many of the circuits characteristics one of those being the tight and technical pit entry. After negotiating a lap of road Atlanta you’ll be met with one of the most exciting pit entry’s the iRacing service has to offer. Out of the chicane & under the bridge, drivers will exit to the right of the racing surface and plunge down the hill, through slight esses Aiming towards the pit entry line. There’s plenty of time to be made up on pit entry as drivers will attempt a balancing act between an aggressive approach vs a safe approach. Nailing this pit entry could prove critical to your race and track position.

4: Track Position

Track position is everything at any circuit drivers visit in the Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup but at Road Atlanta it’s crucial to getting a big result. Buying yourself track position with a strong qualifying result, or excellent pit strategy gives you the driver the opportunity to control what happens around you, making your moves based off the race that is playing out before your eyes. Without track position, drivers will be in for a long day, battling in the mid field.

5: Fuel Management

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While we prepare for the 2023 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup season finale at Road Atlanta, Brenton Hobson is focused on producing a stellar final round in his quest to stay above the cut line, securing automatic promotion to the 2024 instalment of the series.

A season of many highs and lows, Hobson has found himself 19th in the championship just ahead of Evolution Racing Teams Robert Gibbs approaching the final round, with the hopes of maintaining his points buffer to the cut line. Multiple top ten performances from Brenton Hobson in 2023 has been the highlight of his year, as again his consistency as a driver has proved to be unmatched throughout the season.

A hiccup at Sandown has proved to be the difference in what was looking like another solid campaign, with a late engine failure netting a 0 point round for the Synergy Sim Racing driver in the back half of the year. Now under some pressure, the best of Brenton Hobson is still to come.

We took the time to sit down with Brenton Hobson this week to discuss his 2023 season.

R: Brenton, you find yourself sitting 19th and on the bubble heading into the season finale of the 2023 Motorsports Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup at Road Atlanta. What are your thoughts on your season, and what do you think you have to achieve to stay above the cut line?

BH: The season has been pretty tough this year. It started strong but as the season went on I struggled more to get good results. Being involved in the lap 1 crash at Belle Isle and then suffering a really unlucky DNF at Sandown the following round really put me on the back foot in the points. Being right on the cut-off line for the top 20 makes me nervous going into the last round, but I know I have the speed to lock myself in. Road Atlanta is a pretty good track for me and if I can stay out of trouble I think I'll be a good chance.

R: The crew at Synergy Sim Racing definitely aren’t short of talent, how has working alongside a varied team helped you across your 2023 campaign?

BH: It's immensely helpful to have a good team around you. I'm fortunate to have a great bunch of guys in my corner and it's invaluable for me with limited time to know that there are others who are working on setups and strategy leading into the races. I actually find it most useful to have a range of drivers in the team to create a reference for me when it comes to pace. It motivates me to see the laptimes of the other guys and push myself to match them. It means I can get myself up to speed quickly as I usually have pretty limited seat time before race day.

R: Your going to Road Atlanta with some confidence on your side after a solid 7th place result at Road America a few weeks ago. How does a result like that help settle the nerves heading into the season finale, knowing you now sit in a slightly more comfortable position above the cut line?

BH: It certainly doesn't hurt to get a good result and build some confidence. I think strategy is one of my strengths and that's what ultimately helped me to get that result after starting from the back of the grid at Road America. I think I'm fairly comfortable despite what's at stake for the final round. I can hopefully draw on my experience to make sure I have a mistake-free and smart race at Road Atlanta.

R: And finally, what would it mean for you to Cement your place in the 2024 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup at Road Atlanta?

BH: It means a lot to be on the grid in the Pro Invitational Series. In my opinion this is the pinnacle of Sim Racing for Supercars in the world. The formats and the competition depth make it the ultimate proving ground. If you want to be considered as one of the best drivers in this car I think you have to be on the grid in this series. So personally locking myself into the top 20 I think would prove to other people and to myself that I still belong in that category of drivers who are considered the best in this car.

Many will watch Brenton Hobson with keen interest at Road Atlanta as we’re set to crown a new champion in 2023.

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Madison Down has taken a vital victory at the Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup Road America Sprint on Wednesday night, further extending his championship lead over James Scott, heading into the season finale at Road Atlanta in little over a fortnight’s time.

A 15 minute qualifying session set the tone for proceedings on Wednesday night, with the returning Jarrad Filsell snatching a commanding pole position over Trans Tasman Racing’s Brady Meyers, along with championship contenders Madison Down & James Scott lining up 3rd & 4th on the grid. Dylan O’Shea would round out the top 5, followed by Dylan Rudd, Jake Burton, Josh Anderson, Rehan Liyanage & Andrew Gilliam round out the top ten.

As the green flag waved, it would be Brady Meyers winning the start over pole sitter Jarrad Filsell on the run into turn 1. Brady would play on the defence through the opening sequence of corners, keeping the fast pairing of Filsell & Scott at bay for the time being.

Action came thick and fast throughout the field on the opening lap, contact between Synergy Sim Racing’s Tom Freer & Evolution Racing Team’s Ethan Grigg Gault causing chaos for the field behind. With a number of cars involved in the incident, this was just a preview to the action that was set to follow.

Contact on lap 1 causes chaos in the mid field

For Meyers, his staunch defence of the race lead came under attack at the conclusion of lap 1. Filsell with a run, pounced on an opening as they approached the turn 12 complex. Making his way past, an opening also appeared for James Scott, who also advanced him position, moving into 2nd place. Team tactics were evident early on from the SSR pairing, Filsell sidestepping turn 1 to allow Scott through to the lead at the beginning of lap 2.

As the field found their rhythm, it was evident the pace of the lead train was like no other, for Filsell and Scott, they continued to open up their gap to the TTR duo of Meyers & Down, who were putting in solid strings in 3rd & 4th respectively.

Further down the order, drivers who where putting in strong opening stints included the likes of Marcello Rivera, Brenton Hobson & Richard Hamstead, who all found a way to make progress up the grid in the opening stages of the race.

Lap 18 proved to be a crucial point of the race for the championship. A blown motor for Evolution Racing Team’s Matthew Bowler Brought out the only safety car period of the evening, throwing more chaos into the works.

Drivers took the opportunity to transit the pit lane for the first of 2 compulsory pit stops, taking on fuel and a fresh set of tyres to boot. As drivers exited the lane, it became apparent that the strategy could be blown wide open, with a number of drivers opting to transit the lane for a second consecutive time, taking on more fuel and clearing their final compulsory pit stop. Although those who chose to pit again would be short on fuel, it provided them with the opportunity to fuel save their way to the flag, without the added stress of having to complete their another pit stop.

Trans Tasman Racing cars head to the lane from the lead under safety car

TTR made a clear decision as a team, coming down the lane again to clear their pit stops for the evening. This strategy soon turned into the clear winning strategy, with more than half the field making the same decision to take their final pit stops.

For the SSR duo of Scott & Filsell, this would prove to be yet another critical strategic error in their 2023 championship campaign, putting themselves out of the equation to win the race, and more importantly swinging the odds back in Madison Down’s favour. Although maintaining track position at the front of the field, they had a mountain to climb from here.

Racing resumed on lap 22 with Scott leading the field back to green.

Lap 27 would see a spike in the action, with Brady Meyers & Dylan O’Shea getting tangled up down at turn 12. Meyers, putting a move on O’Shea, would find contact with the rear of the #19 9ine 5ive SimSports mustang, sending it into a spin on the exit of the turn 12 complex. Meyers was unfortunate to pick up a 5 second penalty for the contact, which would play into the finishing result massively at the end of the race.

While Scott was continuing to set the pace at the front of the field, the championship fight between SSR & TTR became incredibly ugly on lap 28. Synergy Sim Racing’s Jarrad Filsell fell back and quickly started making life difficult for the following pack in an effort to help James Scott build a gap at the front. This ultimately backfired, with a hard nosed Jake Moloney putting a end to Filsell’s defensive attempts, slamming into the back of the Synergy Sim Racing commodore, taking both drivers out of the race. Contact between both parties were deemed deliberate, resulting in a disqualification for both drivers, followed up with post race bans being applied.

Contact between Moloney and Filsell resulted in disqualification for both drivers

Tensions grew again only laps later on lap 32 in the battle between Luke Rosella & Jake Burton a through turn 9. Burton managing to pass Rosella into turn 8, checked up on the run into turn 9, forcing Rosella to take avoiding action, placing himself in a 3 wide situation. Championship leader Madison Down was on the outside, an innocent victim in the carnage that was happening before him. Somehow, Down was able to keep control of his car, staying on the road after major contact with the 55 of Rosella, which saw the Synergy Sim Racing Commodore in the sand and out of contention.

The final pit stops were made by those that didn’t double pit under safety car on laps 35 & 36, Gilliam bringing his Altus Esports Mustang down the lane from 2nd, soon followed by James Scott a lap later pitting from the lead before re joining back onto the circuit in a lowly 18th position wondering what could of been.

Back at the front, Meyers lead, followed by Jake Burton, Madison Down, Josh Anderson & Adam Briggs who rounded out the top 5 in his Synergy Sim Racing Mustang.

This train remained line astern until the Chequered flag, with Meyers crossing the line in first but with a 5 second time penalty which would drop him to 8th place post race.

Down inherited the race win when Meyers served a post race 5 second penalty

Jake burton would step aside for Madison Down, promoting the TTR driver and championship leader to another race win in the 2023 season, extending Down’s championship lead over James Scott to 67 points heading into the final round of the championship in little under a fortnight’s time.

Burton would take second, followed by Joshua Anderson rounding out all TTR podium. Adam Briggs would continue his redemption after a tough endurance campaign in 4th, a career best result for the SSR stalwart. Richard Hamstead continued the TTR dominance in a solid 5th place. The remaining of the top ten saw Dylan O’Shea, Brenton Hobson, Brady Meyers, Tom Freer & Jack Boyd rounding out the top ten.

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As we near the conclusion of the 2023 Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup, teams and drivers are set to journey to Road America for the penultimate round of the championship.

Road America is a 6.515km circuit opened in September of 1955. The circuit consists of 14 high & low speed corners, providing the ultimate driving challenge for the Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup drivers.

One of the only permanent racing precincts retaining its original 14 corner configuration, Road America features many elevation changes, including the famous corner on the back stretch known as “the kink”.

Motorsport Australia Logitech G Pro Invitational Cup Drivers will tackle Road America for the first time in series history on the 25th of October with a 43 lap sprint race deciding the round winner. Qualifying will commence from 8pm AEST for a 20 minute qualification session setting the grid for the main event. Drivers are also expected to complete 2 compulsory pit stops over the 43 lap race distance.

Madison Down is your championship leader heading into Road America, 7 points clear of Synergy Sim Racing Driver James Scott, who will look to continue his strong form after his Bathurst 1000 win alongside Shane Van Gisbergen a month ago.

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