Berryman and Campbell seek Sebring redemption at Spa
In a brutal series of qualifiers, Apex Racing Team ace Zac Campbell, faces two opposing outcomes. A ticket to sim racing’s most prestigious series, the Porsche Tag Heuer Esports Supercup. Or, the midnight train home to Georgia and a season on the side-lines.
Campbell’s pace at the wheel of Porsche’s one-make racer is out of the question. A win at Okayama in the first of five qualifying races put any doubts to bed. However, contact from another competitor hampered Campbell’s chances of a strong result in round two on the streets of Montreal.
Apex Racing Team’s American ace arrives at the third round in second place in the standings. With twenty spots available in the Porsche Tag Heuer Esports Supercup, Campbell arrives at Sebring International Raceway in an enviable position.
Campbell’s Apex Racing Team stablemate, Peter Berryman, has grappled with frustrating technical issues throughout the qualifying process for the Porsche Tag Heuer Esports Supercup. Additionally, Berryman has fallen foul of the savage mid-week qualifying races. With three rounds remaining, Berryman desperately needs a strong haul of points at Sebring.
Peter Berryman mastered Sebring’s wicked bumps to qualify less than two tenths of a second from pole position, in eleventh overall. A lock up under braking stole a chance of pole position from Zac Campbell. Although only a third of a second off the pace, Campbell started perilously deep in the field, in nineteenth.
Following a frantic opening sector, Berryman held firm around the fringes of the top ten. Unfortunately, Zac Campbell’s chances of a strong finish were dashed after four corners. A multi car incident – where Campbell had nowhere to escape – sent the Georgia native to the back of the field with little time to recover.
Three laps later, Berryman endured a similar demise to Campbell. Calamity and carnage at the hairpin blocked Berryman’s path and forced the ART ace down the order.
Post Race
Following a day of cruel misfortune at Sebring, Peter Berryman and Zac Campbell hoped for a shift in momentum at the next round:
Peter Berryman: “After last week’s trouble, I was looking forward to try and bounce back this week. However, just like the previous weeks I have some sort of crash magnet on my car and no matter where I am on the grid, I seem to get collected or caught up in some mess. This week hurts a lot. I’m really under pressure to try and secure some points, as my 2021 licence chances are really under threat.”
Zac Campbell: “I locked up in qualifying for the second week in a row and destroyed my lap. I started at the back and got collected in two accidents. The Apex Racing Team guys put together great race cars week in and week out, and I am just not performing when it counts. Completely my fault, I just need to do better.”
On Saturday November fourteenth, the Apex Racing Team duo of Peter Berryman and Zac Campbell head to Spa-Francorchamps for the penultimate qualifying round of the Porsche Tag Heuer Esports Supercup. Both will be keen to add points to their tally. Qualification for both Berryman and Campbell would accumulate an Apex Racing Team armada alongside Kevin Ellis Jr., Jamie Fluke and Yohann Harth.
Images by @Groove_Media