Asia Pacific qualifier wraps up in thrilling fashion

Wednesday 17 August, 2022

It was a two-way tie in the 2022 iRacing Asia Pacific Single Seater Esports Qualifier Series.

The 2022 iRacing Asia Pacific Single Seater Esports Qualifier Series has ended with a bang as both Benjamin Roberts and Mario Vartanian took out the series together.

As a result of their duel victory, the duo have officially qualified for the Asia Pacific Formula Digital Series, which begins next month.

Joining Roberts and Vartanian for the international event will be Tom Katsidonis and Liam Reston after the pair rounded out the series’ top four.

Reston ended up finishing fourth for the qualifier series after a disappointing final round at the Suzuka Circuit, where a costly mistake saw him fall down from third place to seventh place.

Although he hadn’t qualified on pole, Reston went into the race as the series leader and had picked up the race’s fastest lap, but the spin saw him settle for seventh, which ultimately proved enough to secure a spot in the outright top four.

Katsidonis was another that could have won the series but fell just short.

Click here to watch a replay of the race.

Having started from fourth place, Katsidonis led the field for a race-high 18 laps, only to drop down behind Roberts in the later stages of the race and eventually reach the chequered flag in third.

Remarkably, Katsidonis was the only driver out of the series’ top four to finish all three races on the podium, earning him third place overall.

Despite round two winner Roberts finishing in an impressive second place, the most imposing effort for the day belonged to Vartanian, who came out of nowhere to claim the finale.

It’s been a strong end to the campaign for Vartanian, who has improved in every race as the series has gone on – his last-ditch race win in the final laps netting him equal first with Roberts.

The four now have a few a couple of weeks to prepare for the Asia Pacific Series, which is run by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India and begins on 11 September.

More details will be released about the international series in the coming weeks.