A technical failure of his biggest opponent ensured the Slovene’s victory and the title at Suzuka.
Photo credit: Burst Esport / Twitter
Jernej Simoncic claimed his second Formula SimRacing World Championship title in rFactor2. The Slovene won the race at Suzuka on July 26 with a dominant performance from pole position. One race before the end of the season, he is already out of reach for his opponents.
One on one for the title
Formula SimRacing started its first world championship in 2001 and thus is one of the oldest competitions in the esports racing scene. Find more information on the tournament in our coverage below.
Before race nine out of ten at Suzuka, Simoncic lead the competition with 134 points in front of his biggest opponent Petar Brljak with 123 points. A race win earns the victor 25 points.
The rest of field was already more than 50 points behind the leader which means they didn’t have any chance to win the title anymore. It thus came down to a one on one fight between Simoncic and Brljak.
Wheel failure decides the championship
Simoncic had the better start into the weekend by claiming pole position on the Japanese racetrack. Brljak had to start the race from fifth place.
The pole sitter was able to defend his position after the start and slowly began to extend his lead. Brljak was not able to catch up to his competitor.
A technical failure in round 45 of 53 then finally decided the world championship. Brljak’s wheel disconnected while he tried to overtake Dawid Mroczek in turn one. This sent the Croatian straight into the barriers at high speed. The damage his car suffered forced Brljak to retire from the race.
Simoncic won the race with a five second gap to Michi Hoyer in second place. It was his fifth victory in nine races. The Slovene is now 36 points ahead of Brljak on the overall scoreboard and cannot be overtaken anymore.
JERNEJ SIMONCIC IS THE 2020 FORMULA SIMRACING WORLD CHAMPION!
— Burst Esport (@EsportBurst) July 26, 2020
Starting from pole position, Jernej Simončič has clinched his second world championship title at the Japanese Grand Prix!
Michi Hoyer finished in second to make it a Burst 1-2, with Dawid and Robin in 7th and 9th. pic.twitter.com/5HhXDB6dz4
Simoncic has been participating in the Formula SimRacing World Championship since 2012. He came close to the trophy from 2016-2018 when he finished each of the respective seasons in second place.
In 2019, his efforts finally paid off when he won the world championship for the first time. By winning the 2020 season, he became the first driver to win a back-to-back title after Bono Huis, who dominated the series by winning five consecutive championships from 2010-2014.
Close fight in constructor’s championship
While the driver’s championship has already been decided, the constructor’s championship is still wide open.
Burst Simplexity Esport is currently leading the standings just one point ahead of Evolution Motorsports. Simoncic’s team Burst Riotoro Esports also still have a shot at the title. They are currently in third place, thirteen points behind the leader.
The final race will take place at Interlagos, Brazil on August 9. You can watch it live on Formula SimRacing’s YouTube channel.
