The V10 R-League is back!
The amazing sim-racing series returned to our screens on BT Sport and ESPN as fans around the world were treated to an amazing showcase of head-to-head racing.
Eight of the ten teams were in action this week, so let's dive into what happened and get you caught up!
Aston Martin start strong
The first race of Season 2 was between Aston Martin and the new team in Group A, R8G Esports.
Despite a strong lineup that included Formula E runner-up Erhan Jajovski, R8G's inexperience in the V10 R-League showed.
They struggled to match the tactical experience Aston Martin had, and it hurt them in both relay and team races.
click to enlarge
+ 4The difference-maker though was the out-and-out pace of Aston Martin's Lucas Blakeley. The young Scot claimed victory in both team races, and his undercut in the first relay race worked like a dream as in clear air he could fly around Spa.
Aston Martin 4-0 R8G Esports
Speaking after the race, Blakeley said: "We focused on ourselves, put in a lot of hard work and it's the perfect start to the season. Myself and the team are very, very happy."
Watch the full match here
Williams with championship-calibre performance
Denied the Season 1 title in the final week, Williams came into this season with one goal in mind; the championship.
They got their season underway in strong fashion against JAESA Suzuki, who is something of a dark horse this season.
Retaining all three drivers from last year, the Grove outfit flashed strong pace around V10 R-League's newest track, Mugello. They claimed a comfortable relay race win, and then finished 1-2-3 in the team race too.
click to enlarge + 4JAESA Suzuki would push hard in the second leg at Spa though. Williams needed all their guile and pace to take the win in a back-and-forth relay race.
The team race saw arguably the overtake of the season by Giovanni De Salvo, as the JAESA driver picked up the tow down the Kemmel straight and sent it around the outside into Les Combes on not one but two Williams cars.
De Salvo would hang on to the lead admirably for the whole race, only to have the eventual draw flipped in Williams' favour by a track limits penalty.
Williams 4-0 JAESA Suzuki
When asked by host Rachel Stringer what Williams' goals were this year, Martin Stefanko was refreshingly candid: "Win the championship. That's the main goal. We're aiming for the highest prize."
Ruthless Redline
It was Redline who narrowly took the Championship ahead of Williams last year, and the defending champions faced a tough test against a new-look YAS Heat team.
YAS bought in a trio of esports veterans for this season. Simon Weigang, Manuel Biancolilla, and Cedric Thome are familiar names to sim racing fans, and would test Redline's pace right away.
click to enlarge + 4However, Redline's experience, and some added pace from newcomer Enzo Bonito, would be enough for a strong win.
Redline came from behind to claim the first relay race around Mugello, and then took an emphatic team race before the action moved to Monza. At the Temple of Speed, it was YAS Heat that would prove themselves, as they took a point off the champions in the relay race.
In the team race, Redline's pace and teamwork were on display again as they took victory.
Redline 3-1 YAS Heat
Michael Smidl said: "Obviously there is still room for improvement, so we need to work on that. But in general I think we have a really strong package."
BMW & Fordzilla do battle
Racing is meant to be a non-contact sport, but that doesn't stop drivers from banging wheels and getting their elbows out.
The final match of the week was a surprisingly physical affair between BMW and Fordzilla. Clearly determined not to end up at the foot of the table this season, Fordzilla pushed every margin they could.
In the first relay race around Silverstone, the incomparable Pablo Lopez muscled his way past BMW's star man Kevin Siggy, giving Fordzilla track position which they would keep up to the chequered flag. However, the stewards didn't look kindly at Lopez's move, and the penalty handed down was enough to give BMW the win.
click to enlarge + 4They would add to their points tally with a good win in the team race, but it was a grudge match between Michael Romanidis and Emre Cihan that focused the attention. Another good performance from Siggy gave BMW the win there.
Fordzilla would claim a point in the relay race at Mugello, but after a BMW lock-out of the front row, it was the German team that took the final point rather comfortably.
BMW 3-1 Fordzilla
After the race, Siggy said: "Second one wasn't that easy, but we made some great calls [...] I needed to keep the guys from Fordzilla behind which I did."
For more articles like this, take a look at our Esports page.