Kappastorm’s Sven Deml Wins Season 3 Blancpain Endurance Championship
September 10th, 2015 by Jaime Baker
After 10 weeks of intense endurance sim-racing action, one team has proved that consistency and determination pay off. Sven Deml of Kappastorm – a regular front-runner since the beginning of the season – has captured the Season 3 Blancpain Endurance Series championship and did so as a solo driver.
With 13 starts during Season 3, Deml accumulated two wins along with 10 top-five finishes. A constant threat throughout the season, Deml could always be found towards the front in just about every race he entered. By the end of the season, his 1330 championship points were enough to put him on the top to seize the Season 3 title.
However, the big question which begs an answer is who will be Deml’s co-driver should he decide to go for the GT series? Whoever it is, they’ll certainly have some big shoes to fill should they hope to maintain this domination which we witnessed throughout Season 3 with Deml.
MSP Drivers-Home #1
Taking the silver for Season 3 are Lukas Jestädt and Reto Hartmann of MSP Drivers-Home #1. Despite the fact that the duo managed to beat Deml in the last race of the season at Phillip Island by a hefty 15s margin, it wasn’t enough to close the gap for the lead. Still, the pair managed to score 1291 points by the end of the season with two wins along the way.
Like Deml, the CRT pair of Jestädt and Hartmann have been regular front-runners throughout the season. Additionally, their stats are remarkably similar to those of Deml. What it ultimately came down to, however, was being in the right Strength of Field (SoF) race which could net the drivers the highest amount of points.
Looking forward, Jestädt and Hartmann will remain a threat to Deml especially when you consider the fact that the GT series will not have a SoF race.
Additionally, the duo has the luxury and advantage of having a driver lineup already in place as we head into Season 4 which will be the six-week qualification for the upcoming GT series.
CRT
Taking the final step of the Season 3 Blancpain Endurance Series podium is CRT’s Kresimir Prasnicki and Dado Opacak. Just four points shy of taking second with 1288 points, the pair notched several consistent top-five finishes and also had an extremely low incident count (27 and 24) throughout the entire season. Additionally, the duo were able to take pole position in a race, as well. There’s no doubt that the ingredients are there for CRT to challenge for the championship next season or, better yet, for the inaugural GT series championship.
Despite the fact the CRT didn’t obtain a win this season, statistics have shown that overall speed and consistency often pays more than a stray win here and there. Heading into Season 4, we’ll see if CRT can muster up the goods once again and take a step or two higher up the podium at the end of the shortened season.
A Game Changing Season
If there’s ever been a sim-racing season worth waiting for, it’s Season 4. With the recent addition of dynamic track update along with the MANY new features which promise to bring iRacing.com once step closer to reality, sim-racers from all over the world will be stepping up to the plate in an attempt to make the cut into the upcoming GT series.
Although many sim-racers are driving for a chance to win cash and prizes, there are others who simply want the honor of being amongst the class of the 2016 iRacing.com Blancpain GT Series. It’s not only a chance to battle life-like elements but to also face off against some of the best endurance sim-racers in the world on some of the best race tracks in the world. The competition will be fierce heading into Season 4 and you can guarantee that there will be some new teams turning up who will be eager to take the fight to our regular top contenders.
With Season 4 shaping up to be a game changing season, we certainly look forward to seeing you there. Enjoy Week 13 and we’ll see you next season.