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One race down and three still to run, the pressure ramped up in Round 2 of the 2026 V8PRO Qualifying Series as drivers arrived at the historic Hockenheimring knowing opportunities are already starting to disappear. With only four races to either claim a victory or secure a top-16 points position, every session now carries real consequences.

That pressure was amplified before a wheel was turned, with heavy rain falling ahead of qualifying and a rapidly evolving track promised as conditions began to improve.

Qualifying: Timing Was Everything

Cars rolled out into heavy wet conditions as the 20-minute qualifying session began, with Brad Newman the first to lay down a benchmark lap. That early reference time was quickly eclipsed by Ryan O’Sullivan, before tyre pressures came up and lap times tumbled rapidly.

Jack Widdas and Brian Borg briefly topped the timing screen before Hayden Veld emerged as a serious contender. As conditions continued to improve, the timesheets remained in constant motion.

At the halfway mark, Reyn Campbell led the session ahead of Widdas, O’Sullivan, Sam Blacklock, and Jordan Mazzaroli. Synergy Sim Racing teammates Denis Gataric and Tom Freer both surged into the top five, with Gataric briefly holding provisional pole as the circuit evolved lap by lap.

With five minutes remaining, Wayne Walker and Ryan Jones moved into contention, while drivers began timing their final runs to coincide with what promised to be the best track conditions at the flag. Riley Bilson received a 10-second penalty for impeding, effectively ending his qualifying hopes.

As the chequered flag flew, Ryan Jones appeared to have secured pole — but in the final moments, Eclipse Sim Sports’ Hayden Veld produced a stunning lap to steal pole position by just 0.087 seconds.

Rain made for a technical Qualifying session

Veld led a top five of Jones, Gataric, Blake Worboys, and O’Sullivan, with Walker, Campbell, Blacklock, Borg, and Brad Rattew completing the top ten.

Looking ahead to the race, Veld was already weighing tyre options: “It’s hard to say… I’m thinking wets. That’s what I’ll be starting on.”

Race Start: Chaos From the First Corner

Spray filled the air as the field launched into Turn 1, and chaos followed immediately. While the leaders navigated cautiously, the midfield erupted in contact on the exit of the opening corner, with Marcello Rivera once again the biggest casualty, sustaining heavy damage and retiring for the second race in a row. Dylan Perera, William Sapstead, and Scott Gamble were among several others caught up.

The drama continued at the hairpin, while Riley Bilson’s slick-tyre gamble ended almost instantly with an off at Turn 1. Once the field settled, Veld wasted no time asserting control, opening a three-second lead by lap three. That advantage grew when O’Sullivan out-braked himself while challenging for third, spinning and falling back to 11th.

After five laps, Veld led Jones, Worboys, Walker, and Blacklock, with penalties beginning to stack up behind. Damien Johnstone received a five-second penalty for contact with Ross Rizzo, while Jack Widdas was handed a drive-through after an incident with Brad Rattew.

Chaos at Turn 1 on the opening lap

Strategy Roulette in Changing Conditions

As the rain eased and a dry line began to appear, the race turned into a strategic minefield. Brad Newman charged from the back of the grid into the top 20 within ten laps, joined by Ryan Bettess and Aaron Borg, while Jake Burton continued his recovery from a difficult qualifying, climbing into the top five.

Misfortune struck again for O’Sullivan, who was forced to the pit lane for multiple laps with a technical issue while fighting inside the top ten.

Blake Worboys blinked first on lap 16, diving into pit lane. Moments later, Burton made an unforced error at the hairpin, collecting Wayne Walker on the rejoin and earning himself a five-second penalty.

Walker struggled on with damage before pitting on lap 19, alongside Newman, now inside the top 15. Attention then turned to tyre choice as Burton rolled the dice on slicks on lap 21, but an unsafe pit entry penalty added 30 seconds to his race.

Veld followed one lap later, committing to slicks alongside Tom Freer, who immediately found out just how treacherous the conditions remained with an off at the hairpin. Despite the risk, Veld set the fastest lap of the race, confirming the slick tyre was the correct call — if you could keep it on the road.

Pit lane came to life as strategies started to play out

Safety Cars and Survival

As the field cycled through pit stops, spins multiplied. Ryan Jones, Lachlan Caple, and Angus Lawford all had moments, while Billy Mole destroyed the left-front of his car at Turn 7. Moments later, William Brown suffered a huge impact at the same corner, finally triggering the Logitech G Safety Car.

With fuel windows open and rain returning, tyre choice once again became critical.

At the restart with 16 laps remaining, Veld led Blacklock, Worboys, Tyce Hodge, and Walker. Almost immediately, Blacklock ran off at Turn 1 and Damien Johnstone hit the white line and sending himself into a spin in the middle of the field. On the same lap Hodge’s impressive run ended with a heavy crash at Turn 7. Worboys also slid wide, and the Safety Car was deployed again after barely half a lap.

With rain intensifying, nearly the entire field switched to slicks — a decision that would soon be tested.

A Finish Nobody Saw Coming

More chaos unfolded at the next restart as Ross Rizzo ran off and triggered a major incident on the rejoin, leaving Aaron Borg stranded and Denis Gataric nursing suspension damage.

With ten laps to go and rain falling again, Veld led Walker, Blacklock, Worboys, and a charging Burton. That charge ended abruptly when Burton found the fence in the stadium section, dropping to ninth.

The Logitech G Safety Car heads past the scene of the accident of Tyce Hodge

With five laps remaining, Walker pressured Veld for the lead — and made the move stick when Veld made his first mistake of the race. But moments later, Walker spun at Mercedes, handing the lead back to Veld, who then ran wide himself just two corners later.

Suddenly, Blake Worboys led with two laps to go, with Ric Kuznetsov in second. Then the rain struck harder.

Worboys ran off at the hairpin, Kuznetsov followed shortly after, and Lachlan Caple, flying on wets, surged to the front with Brad Newman and Sam Blacklock in tow. By the white flag, Caple had the lead under control, while Newman stormed through to second on the road after starting last, albeit carrying post-race penalties.

When the spray settled, the result looked nothing like it had just minutes earlier.

In one of the most chaotic races in Qualifying Series history, Caple emerged victorious, throwing the championship picture wide open heading into Round 3 and proving once again that in this series, survival can be just as important as speed.

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The scene was set for a blockbuster opening round of the 2026 Logitech G V8PRO Series Qualifying Series, as 45 drivers took to the grid at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park with one clear objective: earn a place on the main-game grid.

Mosport has a history of producing wild Qualifying Series races, and after a thriller in 2025, expectations were high heading into the 2026 opener. The equation is simple but unforgiving — win one of the four Qualifying Series races to secure automatic promotion, or finish inside the top 16 in points to earn an invitation when the main championship begins at Sebring in March.

Qualifying: Burton Strikes Late

Threatening rain clouds hovered over Mosport, but qualifying got underway in dry, overcast conditions. Lachlan Caple set the early pace before several drivers opted for two-lap runs, allowing Jake Burton to jump to provisional pole ahead of Josh Houghton, Angus Lawford, and Denis Gataric, with Caple slipping back to fifth.

Drama struck early for Ric Kuznetsov, who suffered an engine failure on his opening run, ending his session prematurely. Traffic proved difficult on the tight circuit, and with under ten minutes remaining, Dylan Perera made contact with Daniel Poulton exiting pit lane, damaging both cars and disrupting the closing stages of qualifying.

With six minutes to go, Brad Rattew vaulted to the top of the timesheets as Ryan O’Sullivan, Sam Blacklock, Robbie Gibbs, and Kurt Stenberg all surged into the top ten. But in the dying seconds, Burton delivered once again, reclaiming pole position and pushing Rattew to the outside of the front row.

Drivers pushed the limits in qualifying where every thousandth of a second counts

Gibbs and Houghton lined up third and fourth, while ERT teammates Marcello Rivera and O’Sullivan locked out row three. Orbit Drop Bear Motorsport secured row four with Blacklock and Caple, and Blake Worboys and Stenberg completed the top ten.

Speaking during the grid walk, Burton reflected on his return to full-time driving:

“I think doing the enduros reminded me how much I enjoy being a main driver — it felt like the right time to come back.”

Rivera and Poulton would both start the race under pressure, receiving 10-second penalties for impeding during qualifying.

Race Start: Immediate Chaos

With rain still threatening, the field launched — and chaos followed instantly. A jump start and subsequent stall from Marcello Rivera triggered a chain reaction on the grid, collecting Bilson, Rizzo, Dike, Buchanan, and Duncan, with Scott Gamble also caught up elsewhere on the opening lap.

Out front, Brad Rattew got the perfect launch to lead Burton, followed by Gibbs, Houghton, and Blacklock. The Safety Car was deployed at the end of lap one, and several drivers made the bold call to pit early to clear the first of their compulsory stops — a strategy reminiscent of the 2025 race.

At the lap six restart, Sapstead, O’Sullivan, and Worboys led the field away. The intensity returned immediately, but Rivera’s night went from bad to worse as he parked his ERT Camaro behind the wall, recording a DNF before the race had properly settled.

Up front, Gibbs and Worboys came together at Turn 5, drawing the stewards’ attention and earning Gibbs a five-second penalty that would loom large later in the race.

Mid-Race Mayhem

The lead group remained tightly packed until lap 11, when Burton tagged Sapstead and had to check up to avoid spinning him. The front five briefly erupted into a frantic battle before settling again, with Sapstead still leading Burton, Gibbs, Worboys, and O’Sullivan.

As pit strategies began to diverge, Sapstead — yet to pit — appeared to be holding up the queue. Burton finally reclaimed the lead on lap 14, with Gibbs following him through. Over the next two laps, Worboys, O’Sullivan, and Blacklock also cleared Sapstead.

Choas before the drivers even made turn 1 on the opening lap

Then, at the start of lap 17, everything unraveled. Burton suffered a rare lapse at Turn 1, dropping his TTR Camaro into the gravel and tumbling from the lead to ninth. Moments later, Tom Freer and Sapstead made awkward contact down the back straight, sending Sapstead off at high speed and down the order, with Freer handed a 10-second penalty.

Further chaos followed as Brody Sentence ground to a halt, triggering a wave of pit activity in anticipation of another Safety Car — one that never came. The stewards were kept busy as Tao Soerono also ran wide at Moss Corner after contact.

Final Stops and the Run to the Flag

Approaching halfway, the field finally settled as drivers prepared to clear their final compulsory stops. Freer pitted first to serve his penalty, triggering a sequence of stops. On lap 32, Sam Blacklock headed to pit lane, followed immediately by Gibbs, Burton, O’Sullivan, and Worboys.

Once the cycle completed, Gibbs emerged as the effective leader — but with a five-second penalty hanging over him. Behind, contact between O’Sullivan, Worboys, and Blacklock at Moss nearly ended all three races, though they miraculously continued inside the top five.

The Logitech G Safety Car made it's first appearance of 2026

Further back, Angus Lawford and Hayden Veld clashed, earning Veld a drive-through penalty.

With ten laps remaining, O’Sullivan appeared poised to challenge for victory, but his own five-second penalty shifted the balance once more. That opened the door for Worboys and Burton, with Burton slicing past Worboys at Moss on lap 43 to begin an all-out charge toward Gibbs.

A Margin Measured in Tenths

As the final laps ticked down, Burton relentlessly closed the gap, turning the race into a virtual time trial. The margin shrank to just over five seconds with two laps to go and hovered on the edge of penalty range as the leaders took the white flag.

At the line, Gibbs held on — just. Burton crossed 5.308 seconds behind on the road, leaving him agonisingly close once penalties were applied. The final classification confirmed Robbie Gibbs as the winner, locking in automatic promotion to the 2026 V8PRO Series grid.

Burton was classified second, with Blake Worboys completing the podium. Ryan O’Sullivan, initially second across the line, was relegated to fifth due to his penalty, while Sam Blacklock secured fourth. The remainder of the top ten was Rattew, Perera, Stenberg, Gataric, and Bettess.

In victory lane, Gibbs summed up the pressure perfectly:

“I was just trying to hold the number and stick to my lap times. I was pretty happy with that.”

With one driver already promoted, the Qualifying Series now resets — and the fight for the remaining spots is only just beginning.

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The 2026 Logitech G V8PRO Series Pre Qualifying provided some of the most competitive sessions we've ever seen in series history this week!

Drivers tackled two of Australia's most iconic venues with Oran Park and Winton both on the schedule this year, where a combined time over both tracks after 4 nights would determine the 45 car grid for this years Qualifying Series. The two tracks provided a unique challenge for teams as the short and technical tracks made for extremely tight standings on the timesheets.

Relive some of the sights, action, and intensity from an unforgettable 4 nights below 👇

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After four intense nights and a staggering 13,497 laps, the 2026 Logitech G Pro Invitational Series Pre-Qualifying came down to the very final lap to decide which drivers would secure one of the coveted 45 spots in the Qualifying Series.

From the opening night, TTR’s Jake Burton laid down a clear marker, delivering two exceptional laps at two of Australia’s tightest circuits, Winton and Oran Park. When the combined times were tallied, Burton emerged as the benchmark with a 2:28.118, finishing ahead of ERT’s Ryan O’Sullivan, while Robbie Gibbs rounded out the top three.

Many of the higher-ranked drivers completed their runs early in the week, electing not to return once they had locked in times they believed would be enough to advance. That strategy proved effective for some, but it was the fight for the final positions on the grid that produced the most drama.

At the start of the final night, Dan Poulton occupied the critical 45th position, but as lap times continued to fall, it became clear that his initial effort would not survive. Stepping back into the car, Poulton delivered when it mattered most, improving his time to secure 36th place, leaving the door wide open for those behind him to scramble for the remaining spots.

Jake Burton set the early pace in Pre Qualifying

Live timing throughout the night showed constant movement around the cut line, with 45th position changing hands multiple times as drivers searched for the tiniest margins of improvement.

In the end, the difference between 45th and 46th was just one hundredth of a second, with returning driver Kain Kugimiya heartbreakingly missing the cut. Remarkably, the gap from second place to 55th was less than one second, highlighting the extraordinary level of competitiveness across the entire field.

For the 45 drivers who made it through, preparation now turns immediately to Round 1 of the Qualifying Series at Mosport, which gets underway on Wednesday, January 21. While Pre-Qualifying may be complete, the real challenge begins now, as drivers battle for a place in the top 20 at the conclusion of the Qualifying Series.

Those who succeed will earn the right to take on the top 20 drivers from last season, already waiting on the grid for the 2026 championship.

And for those who narrowly missed out this time, the message is clear: ASRG hasn’t forgotten you. More opportunities are coming — stay ready, stay sharp, and watch this space.

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