Leo noses Ros for Grand Prix Turn Racing win at Pocono, Lemanek clinches title

The penultimate round of the 2023 Grand Prix Turn Racing iRacing Series got tricky for some of the top open-wheel iRacers in the Dallara iR-01 on Thursday. 24 drivers geared up for 60 laps around Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA, the second oval race on the calendar. Once again, caution flags, pace laps and restarts would become a challenge for drivers that are used to ripping from a standing start without stopping.

At the end of the day, there was a photo finish—0.005 seconds between VRS driver Edoardo Leo and Super’s Xavi Ros—with Leo taking it by a wing. The result also ends the battle for the championship a week early, as Drago Racing’s Przemyslaw Marek Lemanek did everything he needed to in order to clinch his first title.

One of the title hopefuls, BS+ Competition’s Jarl Teien, started on the pole position and led early around the 2.5-mile triangular track. With no different tire compounds to worry about this week, the name of the game included tire heat, fuel levels and of course, huge runs from major drafting effects. Teien would lose the lead after seven laps as Altus Engineering’s Simone Maria Marcenò and Apex Racing Team’s Michele Costantini found their way to the point. Teien, meanwhile, fell well down the order after contact with Apex Racing Team’s Ben Fuller caused damage to his rear wing.

The lead would change hands 25 times officially through the race, but it seemed like there was a new leader from utilization of the draft in every corner. While the intensity was up, it was mostly calm in the first half of the event.

On Lap 21, the first caution of the evening flew after a self spin by Norwegian driver for IGL Coatings E-Racing, Jakob Behrens. The entire field would pit and restart once again, but a checkup before the line would have a few drivers scratching their heads as to why they were penalized. Veloce VEXT’s Matt Emery was one of those drivers, as he kept it pinned on the inside, passing nearly a half dozen cars before the line and receiving a black flag for passing before the line.

Emery would get back in the game briefly as the second caution flew on Lap 34, this time involving Fuller and Stormforce Gaming’s Daniel Sivi-Szabo. Sivi-Szabo, with no tires and zero control, spun back up into traffic. He nearly collected Lemanek, but did collect Lemanek’s closest championship rival, Arnage Competition’s David Toth.

On the second-to-last restart, Wave Italy Racing Team’s Kalen Chin received the same restart violation that Emery did the prior caution. Emery, meanwhile, would retire a lap after said restart after contact with Teien damaged his suspension and forced him out.

The field was like a champagne bottle under pressure, ready to burst at any second, as the field went two, three, and even four wide at times in the battle for the top spot. The cork finally popped with five laps to go as Marcenò and Costantini collided entering the Tunnel Turn. As they washed back up the track, they collected SDK Gaming drivers Manel Cubo Torres and Gaël Valero, Veloce VEXT’s Tamas Simon, fellow Altus Engineering competitor Carlos Fenollosa, and privateer Jacob Reid, who at one point took the lead entering the first turn in a four-wide move.

Teien and VRS driver Marcos Núñez both made it through, but the only chance for any of them to prevent Lemanek from winning the title would be to win. Unfortunately for both, neither were close enough on the final lap, an extra 61st lap from an implemented green-white-checkered restart. Leo led off of the final corner, but Ros had the run. Leo pulled low and prevented Ros from getting there, winning by just a couple of thousandths, his second win of the year and of his career. Wave Italy Racing Team’s Pablo Espes finished third and also scored the point for the fastest lap of the race.

With an eighth place finish, Lemanek is unofficially the 2023 Grand Prix Turn Racing iRacing Series champion. He’ll just need to make it through the finale at Monza without penalty, but even if he doesn’t score a point, there’s no mathematical way that second place Teien can catch him otherwise. The battle will now turn to second place; Teien has it over Toth by five points, but both Leo and Núñez could take the position with enough points at Monza in a week’s time.

Grand Prix Turn Racing iRacing Series Round 9 results at Pocono Raceway were as follows:

Grand Prix Turn Racing iRacing Series points through Round 9 are as follows:

1. Przemyslaw Marek Lemanek, 135
2. Jarl Teien, 105
3. David Toth, 100
4. Edoardo Leo, 96
5. Marcos Núñez, 96
6. Michele Costantini, 73
7. Pablo Espes, 73
8. Manel Cubo Torres, 72
9. Matt Emery, 66
10. Gaël Valero, 62

The season finale will take place at the Temple of Speed, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, for a 28-lap battle around the Grand Prix circuit. As always, the broadcast will be available to stream on Thursday, November 9, at 19:00 GMT (2PM ET) across all iRacing social media channels.

For more information on the Grand Prix Turn Racing iRacing Series, visit www.iracing.com/irgp. For more information on Turn Racing, visit www.turnracing.com. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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