The concept is simple for the newest addition to the Logitech G Pro Invitational Series calendar, on a Wednesday night prior to the biggest race of the year we send all of the codrivers in the Trueforce Enduro Cup into battle for a 32 lap sprint at Bathurst. The prize? A golden ticket that resembles a coveted spot on the 2025 Pro Invitational Series grid. 

With everything to play for and nothing to lose, the night was destined to be action packed from the outset. A strong field of talented codrivers took to the track with a unique opportunity to put their skills on show without all of the main game drivers present. 
 
Qualifying kicked off with style as the favoured names quickly made their way to the pointy end of the timesheets. Early on it was evident that Lobs Esports and Trans Tasman Racing were going to be the main teams to beat with many of the other teams fighting to match their speed over one lap. A slew of unforced errors started to appear as the drivers who are not likely to be qualifying for this weekends Bathurst 1000 showed elements on inexperience under the pressure of a fast paced 20 minute session.

With the chequered flag falling it was Brodie Kostecki on top of the time sheets followed by Rehan Liyanage of TTR, Dylan Birse from Lobs Esports, Corey Shepherd from TTR and Sebastian Varndell from Vermillion Esports in the top 5.

Sensationally, Kostecki would be among a list of drivers served penalties for indiscretions during the session which would see the odds on favourite starting from the back of he grid. Others to be pinged by the stewards included fellow Lobs Esports driver Richie Stanaway and Trans Tasman Racing's Leigh Ellis.

Liyanage leads the field down into turn 1

With the front row now all to himself, Rehan Liyanage secured the Playseat Pole Position and converted a great launch off the line to lead the field into turn one. Just behind, him, Sebastian Varndell undid his tremendous efforts in qualifying to stall the car from 4th on the grid and narrowly avoid being collected by multiple cars as he sat motionless on the main straight, falling to the back of the field.

The first lap was packed with excitement as drivers tried to get up to speed and into a rhythm as quickly as possible with some drivers taking the opportunity to make some early moves and gain some track position. Everything appeared to settle at the front until Liyanage made a tiny mistake at the chase and ran deep under brakes and relinquished the lead to Dylan Birse. 

Lap two proved to be ever more thrilling than the first as Ryan Wood who started 9th made a move at the cutting and jammed up the cars behind of Kobi Williams and Dylan Perera who brilliantly went side by side at Reid Park forcing the #777 wide all the way to McPhillamy Park where Lachlan Caple managed to squeeze past and Seth Brown showed a nose and somehow they all came out the other side unscathed. 

The pace was hot and battles ensued throughout he field. The #94 of Kostecki was on the charge after starting from the back of the field and by lap 6 was already pushing towards the top 20. Contact between himself and Ross Rizzo at Forest Elbow shuffled the #36 down the order and caused a handful of cars to bunch together coming down Conrod Straight, culminating in another incident at the chase which saw Cameron  Jones turning the Fishy Motorsports entry of Michael Angus. Both Jones and Kostecki attracting penalties for their roles in the incidents.

One lap later at the final turn Kyle Stokes made an error and sent Brodie Sentance off the road and earned himself a 10 second penalty which was only worsened 2 laps later when Chad Lewis spun Richie Stanaway at the chase which also collected Stokes and caused significant damage to his Synergy Sim Racing Mustang. 

A huge shunt at the top of the mountain brings out the first safey car

The Logitech G Aston Martin Safety car made it's first appearance of the night on lap 11 after Sebastion Varndell bumped Jamie Stovold at Reid Park and sent the SSR #707 careening into the outside wall in one of the biggest impacts we've seen in the history of the series. Simultaneously Kostecki's night got even worst after yet another incident  at Turn 18 earned him a drive through penalty that he would carry until after the safety car period. In what proved to be a tough lap for Lobs Esports, Dylan Birse who was the race leader seemingly missed the safety car call and failed to head to pit lane and found himself trapped behind the safety car, leading the race but as the only driver in the field who had to still make a stop to get home.

In the pit cycle, Ryan Wood undercut the cars around him in the lane with a shorter stop to jump to provisional race lead with a train to TTR cars behind him in Liyanage, Emily Jones and Corey Shepherd for the restart.

Birse lead away from the green flag and relinquished position to his team mate Wood soon after at turn two but maintained good speed for the next several laps of the race while the lead pack all kept each other in check. The racing throughout the pack largely calmed down as the long run to the finish meant many drivers were managing their fuel and tyres. 

Apart from yet another incident on lap 12 with Kostecki and contact for Eddie Beswick on lap 16 that earned a drive through penalty, the middle stint of the race stayed clean and green until another big accident on lap 22 saw the Safety Car back on the circuit again. Richie Stanaway and Dylan Perera fighting for position on the way to The Cutting ended up with both cars hard into the wall and Tye Delaney the innocent victim who became stranded on track and forced a full course yellow.

Wood and Birse lead the Trans Tasman cars down the mountain

Dylan Birse took the opportunity to come to the lane and take service and joined the queue in position 15 for the restart on fresh tyres for what would be a rapid 9 lap sprint to the finish. However the green flag didn't even last for a single lap as Birse, attempting a desperate move made a mistake at Skyline and sent Brodie Sentance hard into the wall which brought out the safety car again. 

Simultaneously a dramatic twist saw Rehan Liyanage race side by side with Ryan Wood into the chase for the lead and end up in the grass under brakes and deep into the sand trap sending him down the race order at the same time as the safety car was called, ending his chance at racing for the victory.

The restart order with only 6 laps to go had Wood leading with Jones in 2nd, Shepherd 3rd, Lachlan Caple for Evolution Racing Team 4th and Seth Brown for Vermillion Esports rounding out the top 5.

The sprint to the finish was intense with the experienced Jones piling on the pressure to Supercar driver Ryan Wood for the remaining laps. Shepherd sat patiently in 3rd waiting for an opportunity as the top 3 started to pull away from the chasing pack. With 3 laps remaining Jones appeared to have the faster car as Wood continued to defend but as the laps wound down opportunities dried up and Wood was able to hold on for a thrilling victory.

Ryan Wood takes victory and the Golden Ticket to the 2025 Grid

When all was said and done the top ten looked like this:

1. Ryan Wood (Lobs Esports)
2. Emily Jones (TTR)
3. Corey Shepherd (TTR)
4. Brett Loxton (SSR)
5. Rehan Liyanage (TTR)
6. Kenneth Latter (9INE 5IVE Simsports)
7. Brad Ryan (ERT)
8. Chris Coxhead (SSR)
9. Seth Brown (Vermillion Esports)
10. Lachlan Caple (ERT)

The event overall was a thrilling way to kick of the Bathurst 1000 week which is fast become a marquee event of the sim racing calendar. Saturday will feature qualifying, a Porsche Support Race and a Top 15 Shootout while the main event of 161 laps will take place on Sunday.

Make sure to tune in on both days via the ASRG Youtube channel or the Simspeed TV network to catch all of the action!

Published on

After starting the 2024 Logitech Pro Series being involved in “The Big One” at Sebring, the championship hopes of James Scott trended in the right direction.

It's been a strong season for one of the regulars at the front end of the field.

Prior to the endurance season Scott had placed the #088 Lobs Esports Commodore in no worse than 5th spot, not including Sebring. Scott’s teammate Jarrad Filsell has certainly put in better finishes across that time period, but not by enough to convincingly separate the two drivers who have been the class of the 2024 driver base.

Then we get to the Truforce Endurance Cup.

This is probably the section of the championship you expect the experienced campaigners to shine. By and large the trends from the rest of the season has continued, Lobs Esports cars towards the front in terms of pace. Qualifying has been good for Scott as well, 4th at Interlagos and the pole from Sandown.

Lobs Esports cars lead the field into Turn 1 at Sandown

That, unfortunately, is where things started to go wrong. Trouble with being in the wrong spot at the wrong time in the late Safety Car at Interlagos put the #088 in a bad spot after strong performances during the co-driver stint early in the race.

Last time out at Sandown again, the #088 was running in 3rd with good strategy and looking set to take another big bank of points. Anton De Pasquale was behind the wheel of the Commodore on lap 106 when the engine expired on the run into the penultimate corner. Without enough momentum to carry De Pasquale up the hill and into the pitlane, the decision was made to park on the exit of the final corner with just enough room to leave the pit lane open right at the critical juncture of maximum consecutive lap counts for the bulk of the field.

So heading into Bathurst Scott now finds himself a distant 8th and 510 points off the lead of the championship, with only a maximum of 800 points left on the table. For the Lobs Esports driver to have a hope of a championship all of the drivers ahead of him would be required to DNF at least one of those races, preferably Bathurst with there being double points on offer for the endurance rounds.

From a 2023 championship hopeful that fell at the final hurdle, it seems as if the title race bloom we find ourselves in this Spring hasn’t blossomed for the #088.

Perhaps a back to back win at the Mountain might provide the boost he’s searching for.

Published on

by Scott Rankin

The 2024 Logitech G Pro Invitational Series has been a wild ride for Tom Freer of Synergy Sim Racing, with a mix of good fortunes and bad along the way. 

A terrific drive and a podium finish at the season-opening Sebring round was a highlight of the year and a catalyst for what has been shaping up as a promising season for the likable Freer. One of the most consistent drivers in the field, Tom has scored top 10 finishes in in the series so far in his first two attempts and in 2024 his on track form has indicated this could be his best year yet.

However a turn of bad luck at Watkins Glen and then again throughout the Trueforce Enduro Cup has seen him languishing in the standings and falling back to the tail end of the top 20. He now finds himself fighting for automatic promotion at the end of the season.

R: Can you give us a brief recap of the season so far from your perspective? What went well and what didn’t?

TF: 2024 has been a roller coaster for me personally. Starting the year off with a lucky p2 at Sebring was nice, but since it’s been a struggle. Top tens have been possible most weeks, but personally I’ve been very mistake prone and low on confidence mainly since Jerez. The rest of 2024 is hopefully going to be a rediscovery of form and enjoyment from my racing.

R: Did you expect to be in this position at this point in the season? How does your current standing compare to your initial expectations

TF: Honestly no I didn’t. Going into the enduros I was comfortably 9th in the championship, so to be in this position is a kick in the teeth and a wake up call to be better.

R: How has your team supported you throughout the season, and what role do they play in your preparation and strategy?

TF: Synergy has been really supportive over the course of the year. They’ve been there for me for the highs and lows, always giving me and the guys the support we need. We’re lucky now that we have a really strong team environment compared to last season, with a bunch of guys who want to see the best for one another and not just themselves. Although the results aren’t always there, the potential is thanks to the environment within the driving group.

R: Why is it so important to be in the top 20 of the final results?

TF: The importance of being in the top 20 varies for everyone I think. For me personally, it’s your ticket into the next season, you don’t have the stress of having to qualifying though the tightly contested qualifying series and you can enter the next year already focusing on Sebring, without distraction.

R: Does being on the edge of the top 20 add extra pressure to perform, and how do you ensure that this pressure drives you positively rather than hindering your performance?

TF: It would be different for everyone. But for me personally no. I think it does the exact opposite. It’s a chance to throw caution to the wind and just have a crack. It’s so easy for things to go wrong in this series, and usually, it is mostly out of your control.

Thanks to Tom for his time and for talking to us and we wish him all the best for the remainder of the season. The next round takes us to Mount Panorama for the biggest race of the year, the Bathurst 1000. Tune in on Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd of September for all the action.

Published on

The Sandown 500 took place last Friday night with much interest as to which team would challenge the all-conquering Lobs Esports squad, and championship runaways of Dylan Rudd, Jarrad Filsell and James Scott.

In the build-up to the annual Sandown 500, it had been confirmed by Lobs Esports that James Scott would have a change in co-driver with Anton Depesquale standing in for Ryan Wood in car #088. Meanwhile, another early season championship contender in Ric Kuznetsov of 9ine5ive Sim Sports would be joined by Brody Sentence, replacing Bradley Rattew in the #888. Talk in the paddock that the Evolution Racing Team had been very fast in the build-up and looked most likely to challenge Lobs esports.

In Qualifying, it was Scott who claimed the pole from 2023 winner Luke Rosella, whilst the rumours proved true about ERT, claiming third, fourth and fifth on the grid ahead of the Filsell/Kostecki car, whilst Interlagos winner, Gilliam was next. Filling out the top 10 were Burton, Gardiner and championship leader, Rudd.  

Rattray-White continued to impress in the Vermillion machine, slotting himself and Faulkner just outside the top 10, their team cars looking well sorted in the lead-up. Meyers, Grigg-Gault and Madison Down would be disappointed in their qualifying, outside the top 10 and making their night a little harder.

James Scott was good enough for Pole in the #088 Commodore

As the race started, the majority of the main drivers took the green flag. It was a relatively clean getaway, but all hell would break loose at turn four, with Brodie Kostecki making a move down the inside on Hayden Veld, resulting in heavy contact with the wall and the #053 rebounding back into the traffic. This resulted in heavy contact with the #06, #47 and #17 , causing many cars to sustain damage and trapping a number of cars on the inside line, meaning the #143, #36, #115, #28, #2 and #72 all had to come to a complete stop and wait for the field to pass before they were able to manoeuvre out of the incident.

At the end of lap one, it was the #55 who led the way, in front of the #088 and #21. Burton had been a huge beneficiary from the lap one incident, now running fourth before a slow down on lap 11 would drop him back to sixth. The Gilliam and Rudd entries quietly made progress. Meanwhile the #94 with Kostecki at the wheel was handed a drive through penalty after contact on the opening lap, hampering their strategy. As battle packs began to form, it became clear that the Lobs and ERT cars were in a league of their own as the race settled down.

It only took 4 turns for the chaos to ensue on Lap 1

On lap 36, the TTR Mustang in the hands of Leigh Ellis would bring out the safety car, nicely fitting into most team's strategies. The vast majority of the field would pit and swap drivers, mostly with the co-drivers now at the wheel.

On the restart, Stanaway at the wheel of the Lobs Esports #55 would lead them away, but it was the TTR duo of Meyers/Warren, Burton/Jones who made progress in the pits and vaulted up the order. Warren at the helm of the #22 caught Depasquale napping in the #088 on the restart and made an authoritive pass down into turn one.

Back further in the pack, drivers were starting to fight for position, whilst their main drivers sat nervously in the garage hoping their car would arrive back at the end of their stint in one piece.

On lap 47, the TTR machine with Ethan Warren the wheel made another great pass into turn one, taking the lead from Stanaway before an error on the following lap saw Stanaway re-take the lead and battle each other into the final corner, resulting in the #55 being spun in front of the field. Further back, Lutzu and Birse were doing a tradesman like job in the #93 and the championship-leading car of the #990.

Strategies were starting to emerge as there were a host of co-drivers that could fulfil their requirements if they short pitted during their stint, and made it to the critical lap 82, when they would hand back to their main drivers for the run home. Other teams with more even car speed between drivers elected to keep their co-drivers in to the end of their stints. The short-stop strategy was more risky between laps 50 and 82, meaning if there was a safety car, it would have not played out well. However, luckily for those teams, no safety cars fell in that time, which meant we were in for a great run home.

Brett Loxton at the wheel of Wayne Bourke's Synergy Sim Racing Commodore

At lap 82, many main drivers got back in their cars, and the race began to take shape, with the #94 of Filsell/Kostecki taking the lead, followed by the TTR #22 and the #088, still in the hands of Depesquale.

Alternative strategies had the Borg/Dyson #017 and the SSR #88 sitting 5th and 6th prior to a major moment in the race where the Lobs Esports championship contender #088 would blow an engine. This would throw strategies up in the air as everyone came down the pit lane, and put their main drivers back in or completed a fuel stop.

This Safety car would re-set the field. And when the dust settled, it was Kostecki #94, Rivera #21, Meyers #22, Gardiner #93 and Rosella #55 filling out the top 5 positions. The #900 had done a fantastic job to this point, sitting well inside the top 10 at the restart. As racing resumed again, three lapped cars sat between second and third place in the train, frustrating Meyers and hampering his ability to go with the #94 and #21 once they went green again. A five second gap opened once Meyers was clear of the lapped cars, but sporting front damage, his car was now vulnerable to the chasing pack of Lobs cars, featuring Gardiner, Rosella and Rudd.

Rosella was able to get past the ailing #22 on lap 117, whilst Rivera was keeping well within fighting distance with leader Kostecki. At this point, Madison Down had struggled all night and was still running outside the top 10, whilst the #900 of Yousiff/Foord continued to impress, running seventh late in the race, just ahead of the also impressive ERT cars of Grigg-Gault, Gibbs and Albert.

Lap 118 was the critical lap where cars could pit and make it home, but would anyone take this early opportunity to complete their pit requirements? Damien Johnstone was the first to take this opportunity on lap 120, but the majority of the field raced on.

A chaotic run to turn 1 at Sandown

With 35 laps to go, the ERT #21 of Rivera pitted, attempting to undercut the leader, Kostecki having to go long as they needed to complete a driver swap, it was beginning to look like their strategy may not pan out. Gardiner finally managed to get past Brady Meyers and started to set off after his teammates of Rosella and Kostecki, at this stage Lobs were running 1st to 4th.

Further back in the field, Dylan O’Shea and Jobe Stewart were battling for position, some of the racing getting the attention of race stewards, Jobe receiving penalties, whilst O’Shea had his progress halted by the battle.

At the front, the race started to heat up. We were all waiting for the strategies to play out and the field to cleanse, and with 23 laps to go, Kostecki arrived in the pits to hand over to Filsell, their driver strategy different to most and dropping them down the order. As the field did cleanse, it was expected that the #55 of Luke Rosella would assume the lead, but a slow stop and contact with his teammate dropped him down the order. Meyers in the TTR machine still doing a great job to stay in contention, effectively still in 3rd position with only 20 laps to go.

But the effective leader was Dylan Rudd from Gardiner. The top two cars had broken a small gap on the chasing pack, Filsell on a charge! With 15 laps to go, Filsell finally managed to get past Meyers, setting off after his teammates, and ripping into the 4 second margin. Race leader Rudd, looked to give up his lead with 14 to go so he could save fuel behind his teammate, and consolidate his championship lead.

The top 10 with 10 laps to go was:

1. Gardiner/Birse
2. Rudd/Lutzu
3. Filsell/Kostecki
4. Meyers/Warren
5. Grigg-Gault/Ryan
6. Rosella/Stanaway
7. Gilliam/Golding
8. Anderson/Rizzo
9. Moloney/Shepherd
10. Down/Liyanage.

With only 7 laps remaining, an incident between O’Shea and Rattray-white claimed an innocent bystander in Jake Burton, capping off a torrid night for the #8 TTR Commodore.

Gibbs applied the pressure to Madison Down to break into the top 10 in the closing stages, whilst Filsell was setting the time sheets alight, slashing the gap to the leaders, he was leaving nothing on the table. The Battle for 6th in the closing stages was still on, Gilliam misplacing his car attempting to pass the ERT #7, almost succumbing to Anderson.

But after 500 kilometres, it was Victory for Gardiner and Birse, their first in the Pro series and finally delivering on his potential. The #93 would lead home a Lobs Esports 1-2-3!

Griffin Gardiner crosses the line in first position

Rudd is firming as championship favourite heading into the final few rounds, getting the upper hand on Filsell with a mature and well deserved 2nd place. Further back, some notable drives from the TTR #22 of Meyers/Warren who have it their all, SSR #89 of Loxton/Bourke, ERT #2 of Gibbs/Caple and others, but it was all about Lobs Esport and their epic stranglehold on this year’s championship!

We move on to Bathurst on only a couple of weeks where Lobs look ominous, but anything can happen at the mountain. Bring it on!

Published on