Last night Kelly Racing contested the first round of the Repco Supercars Pro Eseries with the team’s sim racing guru Benjamin Smith. Following the success of the All Stars Eseries earlier this year, all Supercar teams were represented in this year’s pro Championship with a total of 22 cars and drivers in the field. The series is designed specifically for top-level sim racers and Esports professionals.
With plenty of hype around the initial event, Supercars and Kelly Racing teamed up to raise funds for Breast Cancer Trials and the Castrol Racing livery went pink for the occasion. The team was able to raise significant funds in the lead up to the event, and the entire category raised around $17,000 for the cause.
In qualifying Ben placed the Castrol Mustang in P16 for the start of the first race of the evening at the Belle Isle street circuit in Detroit. Ben was able to have a clean race and avoid the concrete walls to finish in P13.
The second race of the evening was a reverse grid start. During the All Stars Eseries earlier this year, the reverse grid races were carnage and that theme continued for the Pro sim pilots. Unfortunately Ben became tangled up in a lap one pile up and picked up significant damage and could only recover to P19.
The grid for the final race of the evening was established by total points acquired in the races two and three which meant Ben started back in P16. The Silverstone circuit was more well-suited to Ben and he was able to have a couple of good battles and finish P14.
Next Tuesday night the Pro Eseries continues as the drivers take on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal and Barcelona’s Ciruit de Catalunya.
QUOTES
Benjamin Smith, Eseries Driver #151, Kelly Racing
“It was great to have my first event in the Pro Eseries in the Castrol Racing Ford Mustang, especially with the pink livery raising awareness and funds for Breast Cancer Trials. To be honest the results were a little disappointing, but there are some extremely fast guys in the series and all it takes is to be a couple of tenths down and you’re a fair way back so the field is really close.”
“I was fairly unlucky in the second race to get caught up in the crash on lap one, I just had nowhere to go and that Belle Isle track is one that is really difficult with all of the bumps and how they upset the cars, plus the whole track is surrounded by walls.”
“Silverstone suited me a lot better and I was actually able to have some pretty good battles and really enjoyed the race. Next week’s circuits will be a bit more similar to a Silverstone-style circuit so I’m looking forward to that and getting some more practice in this week.”