Round one of the 2022 Alpine Esports Series is in the books after two exciting races at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Assetto Corsa Competizione. With reigning champion Jaroslav Honzik not on the grid, a new winner is guaranteed in the second season of the competition – and James Baldwin has inserted himself firmly into the conversation.
The Brit did not get off to a great start it seemed, qualifying only ninth for the sprint race, but that did not keep the 2020 British GT Oulton Park round winner from advancing up through the field after the start. He would eventually finish fifth, while George Boothby got to enjoy the spoils of victory, leading Marko Pejic and Michele Nerbi.
Points Scorers - Sprint Race
- George Boothby
- Marko Pejic
- Michele Nerbi
- Andrea Miatto
- James Baldwin
- Michael Romagnoli
- Luke Whitehead
- Mathias Kuhn
Meanwhile, qualifying for the main race saw Baldwin’s good form continue: The 24-year old secured pole position ahead of Pejic while Boothby managed to take third for the longer feature race. From there, the top three were unstoppable: Baldwin cruised to an easy win roughly 2.5 seconds ahead of Pejic, with Boothby finishing a further 3.5 seconds behind. Putting the pace of the podium finishers into perspective, Luke Whitehead crossed the line in fourth a good 13 seconds down.
Nerbi did not have a particularly great feature race after being on the podium in the sprint race: The Italian had started in fourth but could not keep the position, instead dropping down the order all the way to seventh. As a result, Baldwin, Pejic and Boothby now lead the championship in that order, followed by Andrea Miatto, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively, Whitehead, and Nerbi.
Points Scorers - Main Race
- James Baldwin
- Marko Pejic
- George Boothby
- Luke Whitehead
- Andrea Miatto
- Victor Nicolae
- Michele Nerbi
- Michael Romagnoli
- Davide Arduini
- Gaël Valero
The 2022 Alpine Esports Series is set to continue on May 12th when the competition heads to virtual Le Castellet in France to race at the Circuit Paul Ricard on Alpine’s home turf. If you want to catch up on the action of the first two races, find the full Round One Stream at the top of this article.
Who is your pick for the championship in the 2022 Alpine Esports Series? Let us know in the comments below!
2022 Alpine Esports Series - Standings After Round One
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