The 2024 VSCA SportsCar Championship's ninth round, the Miami Sunrise 6 Hour, was an endurance race that lived up to its name and reputation. Held at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the event saw teams battle through the night, with the Miami sun rising over the 2.30-mile, 10-turn circuit in the race's final hours. With high drama and unpredictable moments, DS Racing eSports Team’s #88 Cadillac V-Series.R GTP car, driven by Rui P Sousa and Pedro Espadinha, emerged victorious by a razor-thin margin of 0.484 seconds.
The race kicked off at 2:30 am local time, and early on, an incident involving the #4 Fischer Motorsport Porsche, the #111 HAC Racing Cadillac, and the #42 DS Racing eSports Team Cadillac set the tone for what would be a race of strategy, caution, and action. The most severe damage was to the #111 car, dashing any hopes of advancing in the series championship. Meanwhile, the #42 car, responsible for the incident, was handed a one-lap and 30-second post-race penalty.
Despite these early challenges, the endurance race proceeded with two full-course yellow periods and strategic pit stops that kept teams on edge throughout.
Key Moments and Strategic Pit Stops
The first full-course yellow came 51 minutes into the race, reshuffling the field as the #3 Mayer Simspeed Performance Porsche and the #51 World Of SimRacing Team Cadillac were both caught out by Race Control's closure of the pit lane. Both leading teams entered the pits just four seconds too late and were given drive-through penalties, allowing DS Racing eSports Team to take the lead.
The second full-course yellow occurred nearly three hours later, once again bunching up the field and providing opportunities for mid-pack teams to make strategic gains. By the race's midway point, DS Racing had established itself as a front-runner, despite starting from fifth place on the grid.
Driver Niclas Pedersen of Mayer Simspeed Performance, who secured pole position with a 1:06.458 lap time, fought hard to reclaim the lead, but the final laps saw a fierce battle between the #3 Mayer Simspeed Porsche and the eventual winners in the #88 Cadillac.
Late-Race Battles and Controversies
As the six-hour mark neared, the battle for the podium intensified. The #51 World Of SimRacing Team fought valiantly but was overtaken by the #3 car in the closing moments, ultimately securing third place. The race saw a total of 13 lead changes in the GTP class, with DS Racing eSports Team leading 206 laps overall.
Elsewhere in the field, the #4 Fischer Motorsport Porsche’s tumultuous race continued with several incidents, including a high-speed collision on Turn 9 with the #11 Vision 1 Motorsports Dallara gtp. The Fischer car, already damaged from earlier contact, was destroyed after hitting the retaining wall. This marked the end of a rough night for the #4 team, which also faced penalties for separate incidents with the #151 World Of SimRacing Team BMW.
Despite the carnage, the race ended on a high note with a nail-biting finish between DS Racing eSports and Mayer Simspeed Performance, the latter missing out on victory by less than half a second, as the #88 car was running out of fuel at the finish. It was the sixth-closest finish in VSCA SportsCar Championship history.
Top-Ten Finishers and Standings Impacts
The race concluded with DS Racing eSports Team’s #88 Cadillac V-Series.R GTP taking first place, driven by Rui P Sousa and Pedro Espadinha. The second-place finisher, Mayer Simspeed Performance’s #3 Porsche 963 GTP, was piloted by Niclas Pedersen and Jason Birnie. World Of SimRacing Team’s #51 Cadillac rounded out the podium.
In fourth place was Team Heartcore's #830 Cadillac, followed by NGC Esports Team in fifth with their Acura ARX-06. Sixth place was claimed by Grizzly Motorsports, while the #111 HAC Racing team recovered from its early incident to finish seventh. The #42 DS Racing eSports car, despite its penalties, managed eighth. Fischer Motorsport’s #4 Porsche ended in ninth, after a race riddled with issues.
The results had a significant impact on the championship standings. The #3 Mayer Simspeed Performance Porsche maintained its lead in the series standings with 3,793 points. The #51 World Of SimRacing team remained in second place, 257 points behind. However, the #88 DS Racing eSports Team’s victory vaulted them into third place, just 374 points off the lead.
Driver Reactions: Post-Race Interviews
In victory lane, DS Racing eSports Team driver Rui P Sousa reflected on the race's intensity. "It was a wild ride. We had to fight through so much traffic and manage the car all night. I’m just grateful we kept our focus until the end. Winning by such a close margin makes it even sweeter. The car was perfect when it needed to be, and Pedro and I just had to trust each other to bring it home."
Co-driver Pedro Espadinha added, "I can’t believe we pulled this off! Starting from P5, we knew it wouldn’t be easy, but we kept pushing. I’ve never been part of such a tense race before. We had to stay calm through the penalties and the full-course yellows, and that made all the difference."
Looking Ahead: The Final Showdown at Petit Le Mans
With just one round remaining in the 2024 VSCA SportsCar Championship, the series will now shift to the iconic Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The season finale promises to be a spectacular event, with both the overall championship and the Endurance Cup standings still up for grabs.
In the GTP Endurance Cup standings, DS Racing eSports Team has now taken the lead with 37 points, just one point ahead of the #51 World Of SimRacing Team. The stage is set for an intense finale on October 19, as the teams prepare to fight for supremacy in the concluding race of the season.
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