More than a drizzle of results in the first wet iRacing Special Event

View the pre-race event details here

The long awaited first wet race on iRacing came this weekend at the Sebring 12hr, with the team entering four cars across three classes. Each was adorned with a tribute to "Chaddy", the father of team driver and admin Chris Chadderton, who sadly passed away last week. It was that tribute that added more importance than ever for each driver to bring their car home, and in the end that's what happened.

Most fittingly, the best result of the weekend came in the car Chris was driving, with the #562 car driving from the back row all the way to 3rd place over the course of the 12 hours. With early rain brilliantly handled by Liam Doyle, both drivers then put in an incredible performance to bring a well deserved podium in the 9th split.

Elsewhere the #561 prototype driven by Pablo Arteaga and Jason Dilworth were put into the heady heights of split 2, and showed good pace outside of their couple of trips to the wall. Their eventual 10th position is something they'd have both taken at the beginning, but ultimately they both feel that a top 5 or better was possible.

The #564 GT3 entry of Mark Cripps, Dean Timms and Nic Veltenaar had an extremely strong showing in split 13, managing to avoid damage for the entire race. For a time the car lead their split, and showed strong pace throughout. In the end the car came home in a very respectable 4th place in their race.

Finally the #563 LMP2 car of Taylor Lane, Håkon Lindmo and Oliver Bunn had less luck than their team mates. Early on in the race they were driven into in the rain, putting them a number of laps down. The trio continued on in the hope of problems, but an extra trip to the wall made this a race of bringing to the end only. They did indeed do that, bringing the car home in 12th place and ensuring that all four of the team cars made it to the end.

Overall the team all celebrate the GT3 results, and especially that of the #562, together and leave the first wet iRacing special event with an incredible amount of information to digest and take into future races.

Driver Comments

"As the first-ever endurance race with rain included, the lead-up to this event was very different. That said, I think we made the best of it and made some good calls when they were needed. Finishing 4th with only 2 incident points and no damage feels like a victory on its own. This one holds a special place, as we got to race in memory of and is dedicated to the lost family member of our teammate." &emdash;

"Lots of highs and lows in that one. The first stint with all the spray and faster cars in slower classes was one of the most stressful but enjoyable experiences I've ever had. We had good pace to compete in Split 2 today, but a couple of mistakes meant it wasn't to be. A top 10 finish is something solid we can take positives from though. Massive congratulations to the GT cars, especially 562." Jason Dilworth

"This was the first special event with the new Tempest weather system, and we managed to bring the car home and put it on the podium! I'm pleased with my performance in the challenging wet conditions, but Sebring continues to present challenges in maintaining pace. Chris had the drive of his life, matching the top drivers for speed despite an ambitious fuel strategy. Huge thanks to our engineers for their time and effort on the car setup, and sponsors at Prestanda for the support." Liam P Doyle

"First of all, thank you to the team for the tribute to my father, who passed away last week. Liam did a fantastic job in the first two stints of the first ever wet start to the event, providing us with a strong platform to build from. I am really pleased with how I drove and managed to secure a podium in a special event for the first time in quite a while!" Chris Chadderton

"It was a privilege to race in honor of one of our teammates' family members and to bring the car home in P4 is a fantastic result for us. We had a few scary moments, but overall the team did what they do best and raced cleanly and intelligently. The wet conditions at times seemed to pose no problem for Nic and Dean; they were immense during those somewhat testing periods. I was very pleased with my contribution and was even leading the race at some point (apparently). An excellent result for the 564 car, I’m very proud of that race." Mark Cripps

"Despite being the first special event with rain, competing in Split 2 of the main slot has provided a wealth of new experiences and valuable lessons. The race itself was grueling, feeling like 24 hours in just 12. Unfortunately, we were unable to maintain a clean race, impacting our expected result. The level of difficulty was incredibly high, and the bitter taste lingers from a costly mistake in the pits, accounting for an 8-minute setback. Nevertheless, we managed to finish in the middle of a fiercely competitive pack." Pablo Arteaga

"As always, it was an absolute pleasure to represent the team and race with Nic Veltenaar. Finally, sharing a car with Mark Cripps, who both drove incredibly. The race will hold a special place for many reasons. It marks my first competitive race in a while and pays tribute to 'Chaddy' for bringing the car home in a respectable 4th." Dean Timms