We're all familiar with Trans Tasman Racing cars in the world of iRacing Supercar Competition. They're the white ones that win races, championships and generally fill positions all throughout the top 10 in every major race that happens in series like V8SCOPS. But the 2022 Logitech G Supercar Pro Invitational has provided a stepping off point for the team to bring something new to the table.
As a part of the regulations for the series this year, the larger teams have been encouraged to try and keep their cars looking fresh and dynamic in an attempt to keep the grids looking more diverse. Trans Tasman Racing have taken the opportunity to take their usually all white cars and make a splash with some very striking liveries.
Not only will the powerhouse team field both Commodores and Mustangs but they will also mix things up with cars that feature predominantly Red and Black base colours to complement the existing white cars that we all have been so used to seeing in recent years.
The new look cars first broke their covers at closed testing last week where the new look was greeted by many with a lot of praise. It's not the first time we've seen coloured TTR cars on the track and there was even some speculation the red commodores of Leigh Ellis and Kurt Stenberg were somewhat of a throwback to cars that were last raced by the team several seasons ago.
For sure these cars will stand out on the track and there should be no shortage of air-time for them. The team as a whole will be looking to bank results straight off the bat at Sebring when Round 1 gets under way. We're excited to see which colour car takes first blood for the team when it all gets under way.
Want to see exactly what livery each driver will have? Head to the Trans Tasman Racing team profile page linked below for a full wrapup.
When the cars hit the track in anger for the first qualifying session of our brand new Logitech G Pro Invitational, all eyes will be on the intense battle for the very first driver’s championship, a chance to become the first written in the history books! But there will be another battle playing out too. The battle amongst the teams to be the best Supercar team in iRacing will be just as intense to watch.
It is likely, and with good reason, that we will see a monumental battle at the front of the field between three of the best Supercar teams in Australia and New Zealand, a battle that will continue old rivalries, begin new rivalries and play out for the entire season.
The Trans Tasman Racing (TTR) juggernaut continues to roll on, relentlessly pushing forward and gobbling up all that stands in their way. TTR has every trophy in their trophy cabinet, and they will have circled the very first Logitech G Pro Invitational series as one they want to win. TTR withstands attacks from all comers, and has outlasted them all to remain at the top of Supercar competition, it’s commitment to remaining the team to beat has been un-wavering.
Seeing off challenges from other teams over the years, TTR boast its strongest driver line-up ever. It is with that depth and experience that this ‘well-oiled machine’ continues to produce the goods week in and week out. So far in 2022, TTR have produced 11 out of a possible 18 V8SCOPS podiums, a huge indicator of just how consistently we see TTR right at the front. Fielding eight quality drivers this year, TTR still remain the team to beat.
Talking about beating TTR, the last team to take a V8SCOPS drivers title away from TTR was the Evolution Racing Team (ERT). In 2019, and with a huge effort from within the team, ERT was able to win the 2019 V8SCOPS drivers title with Jarrad Filsell. Not only did they win, but they also got second with Ethan Grigg-Gault and that years Bathurst 1000 win. ERT then, has the last bragging rights on TTR, a long time ago now but ERT has been rebuilding, recruiting and is re energised to make its way back.
ERT fields a very experienced and fast driver line-up. The class and resolve of those at ERT show as they begin to challenge at the very front once again, after a couple of lean years, a champion team always finds its way back.
A long time staple of the Supercar community, Synergy Sim Racing (SSR) has always been there, and has always been a competitive team. SSR has been a big part of the Supercar community since 2014, but interestingly has never achieved the results of the likes of TTR, ERT or even Pursuit Sim Racing on a consistent basis. Don’t get us wrong, SSR has won in V8SCOPS and been competitive, but they were never really considered a championship threat.
That has all changed this year! SSR merged with United Sim Sports late last year, which brought all time V8SCOPS champion Jarrad Filsell to the team. Jarrads recent form undoubtedly makes him the man to beat, but bolstering the line-up will be Jackson Souslin-Harlow (JSH). SSR emerge as the new challengers to TTR, a team on the rise and possibly the team to beat.
Our Predictions
It’s going to be an exciting and enthralling battle between the three super teams, one we think may even spill over at times.
You can’t look past TTR’s depth. Even though SSR has more drivers, they need those drivers to be consistently pushing up deep inside the top 10 to assist their stars, Filsell, JSH and team affiliate Brodie Kosteki.
We have no doubt TTR will regularly infiltrate the top 10 and podium spots with their long list of top quality drivers, so it will be up to SSR to lift and compete. ERT will be competitive but were not sure they will have enough backup at the front of the field to consistently challenge for race wins.
Of course, we expect to see other teams produce some stunning results, most notably probably Pursuit Sim Racing’s Andrew Gilliam, but the sheer concentration of top quality drivers in top teams will make it hard.
The endurance driver announcements will be interesting to watch in the coming weeks and months as the endurance races may just decide the 2022 Logitech G Pro Invitational championship.
One thing is for sure, it will be one hell of a season watching the heavy hitters of Supercars go head to head. Bring it on!
If you had to choose one name that you would say is synonymous in Australian Sim Racing, who would it be?? For those of us that have been around for a few years there is no doubt the undisputed answer would be Stephen “Sandman” Clarke.
For years Sandman was the king of the airwaves with his outstanding commentary in the V8SCOPS series. A true racer himself, Sandman brings years of his experience from on and off the track.
His enthusiasm behind the mic has no equal and his passion for the Australian Sim Racing scene is there for all to hear.
For the last few years, we have all missed his work and have often asked what it would take to get the golden voice back to doing what he excels at.
So that’s what we did... we asked him!!!
We have already started to introduce the stars that will appear on the track, but now, it is our great pleasure to announce that one of our two main commentators is none other than Sandman.
We have got some of the best drivers, but now, we also have the best commentators.
With the series starting May the 11th, the hype continues to build.
And when we say hype… wait until you hear how the commentary team sound when the racing gets under way!
Sebring is one of the bumpiest tracks on the 2022 Pro Invitational Calendar and provides a unique challenge for the drivers particularly when it comes to car setup. But what else factors into being successful around one of the most famous racing circuits in America? We got the run down and inside scoop from Evolution Racing Team driver Brad Ryan.
1 - Braking
Sebring is a very challenging track with a mixture of braking zones. You have heavy Straightline braking into turns 3, 7 and 10 that require a Stable and quick stopping car to maximise lap time and be able to make passes during the race. However, for turns 1, 13 and 17 you need a lot of rear bias and good trail braking ability to avoid front locking and ending up of the road. It is a challenging track that requires a very well-balanced braking car in order maximise lap time and importantly achieve lap time consistency in race running.
2 - Bumps and Setup
Sebring is a very bumpy track and of course some of the biggest bumps are in the middle of already tricky braking zones. Spending time tuning your suspension will be key to finding lap time. The supercar is a tricky car to setup and were you find time in one area you will most likely have to compromise in another so finding a happy balance will be critical.
3 - Qualifying
The Logitech G Pro Invitational has 40 of the best drivers making up the grid so qualifying is so important if you want leave Sebring with a good result. Whilst 20 minutes sounds like a fair bit of time to set a fast lap, you don't want to be leaving it to the last minute to get that lap in. Sebring is long lap but managing traffic and staying in sync with the field will be very important.
4 - Strategy
If you don't have the greatest qualifying session strategy will be important to getting you back into the race, With the weather predicted to be pretty warm we can expect to see high track temperatures for the race and therefore, more tyre degradation over a stint. Do you come in early and attempt the undercut? or stay out and hope the overcut will work. Being a fast driver is important but in Sim racing a lot of drivers need to also make these decisions on the fly and in the heat of the race so those with a clear head and good pre-race planning will come out on top.
5 - Controlling the Nerves
The Logitech G pro invitational is going to be super competitive and all 40 drivers want to walk away with the title at the end of the year. It starts with round 1 and drivers who can handle the nerves and be smart during the race will set the foundations for a good championship tilt.
An exiting day for the Logitech G Supercar Pro Invitational with cars hitting the track for the first time as Pre Season Testing got under way yesterday.
Teams were very well represented at the Pre Season test with the majority of the grid making the effort to shake down their cars before heading to Sebring in two weeks time. It was great to finally get the car's on track together as a group and the general vibe around the paddock was one of excitement as the series starts to really prepare for kick-off.
The fastest drivers from the unofficial sessions included a lot of the usual suspects such as Ethan Warren, Madison Down, Josh Anderson, Jake Burton, Brady Meyers, Jarrad Filsell, Brad Ryan and Brenton Hobson. Some teams clearly focused on one lap performance while others spent time tuning their cars for race conditions.
With sessions at Sebring and Winton in the books, the valuable track time with the competition present will prove important as the schedule sees the teams return back to those two circuits for the first two rounds of the Championship.
