Transatlantic Sim Racing – Monza Curva Grande Race Report
Conditions: Dry, 26°C, no rain – a perfect Italian summer’s afternoon for some of the fastest sim racing action of the season.
Podium Finishers
Hypercar (HY) Podium:
🥇 1st - Danilo Lasic (Toyota GR010)
🥈 2nd - G29 Vince (Ferrari 499P)
🥉 3rd - Luca Colferai (Peugeot 9X8 2024)
LMGT3 Podium:
🥇 1st - Oussama Knani (Ferrari 296 GT3 2023)
🥈 2nd - Madam Man (Ferrari 296 GT3 2023)
🥉 3rd - Si Fillingham (McLaren 720s GT3 Evo)
Race Report
Here at Monza’s brutal Curva Grande, fortune favoured the bold—and the careful. Danilo Lasic delivered a masterclass in composure and tyre preservation across 90 intense minutes, holding off challenges from G29 Vince in the Ferrari and Luca Colferai’s lionhearted charge in the Peugeot.
Behind them, the Hypercar class saw drama aplenty: from forgetful pitlane starts to spectacular recoveries and heartbreaking retirements. The Toyota and Peugeot duelled ferociously, but it was Lasic’s pace and error-free run under the Lombardy sun that clinched victory.
LMGT3 saw a Ferrari lockout at the head of the field, Oussama Knani threading the needle on strategy to avoid an extra stop—and crossing the line with fumes in the tank. Madam Man kept the pressure simmering behind, while Si Fillingham made the most of chaos at the start to fight back through to third in the McLaren.
Big shunts and daring overtakes set the tone on lap one, but the attrition rate was high. By the flag, the thriving had outlasted the merely surviving, and lessons abound before we head to Fuji for round three.
For full standings visit: https://www.thesimgrid.com/championships/13840/standings
Qualifying and Race Driver Interviews
Sarah Van Fiepland (Porsche 963, Hypercar)
Qualifying Position: 5th | Race Result: 4th
Ted: Sarah, a brilliant qualifying considering your limited practice. How did you get yourself in the zone?
Sarah: Honestly, I surprised myself! I had barely 30 minutes of prep, so P5 felt fantastic. I just tried to keep it tidy—Monza punishes mistakes.
Ted: The race start was tricky with that pitlane mishap. Walk us through it.
Sarah: Oh, it was a nightmare—completely forgot the “Drive” button! Started from the pits, so had to slice through the GT3 traffic. Once I got clear, the pace felt great, but silly errors—two rear lockups, dodgy pit entry—cost me dearly.
Ted: You finished P4, right on Luca Colferai’s rear wing and one of the fastest on track. Pleased with the recovery?
Sarah: Very! Given where I started, P4 was brilliant. Those battles with Luca in the Peugeot at the end were huge fun—tough but fair. Had I avoided the earlier mistakes, who knows? But it was a good salvage job.
Pavol Bogdan (Alpine A424, Hypercar)
Qualifying Position: 15th | Race Result: DNF
Ted: Pavol, a tough day. Did the BoP deficit leave you feeling on the back foot from the start?
Pavol: Yes, absolutely. The Alpine just doesn’t have the legs on these long straights. More than 10km/h down—it’s brutal here at Monza.
Ted: Your start looked measured, then it all went awry. What happened?
Pavol: I kept it clean, let the madness unfold up ahead—was moving up steadily. But someone parked in the chicane, mild contact for me, but it absolutely wrecked the front end. Lost even more top speed, then the car was a nightmare on the curbs. Ended up spinning into the wall, and that was game over.
Ted: That must be gutting.
Pavol: Massively disappointed. We were making it work, given the car, so it’s a bitter one to swallow.
Ian Paskin (Toyota GR010, Hypercar)
Qualifying Position: 8th | Race Result: 14th
Ted: Ian, you seemed a bit frustrated with qualifying. Was there more on the table?
Ian: Definitely. I’d done three tenths better in practice, just couldn’t string it all together when it mattered.
Ted: Ian, a tough day in the office – brought home P14 after that lap 2 incident. Just talk us through what happened at Curva Grande from your perspective.
Ian Paskin: Yeah, Ted, first of all, apologies again to Lowe Nilsson. The start went alright, I gained a spot, but into Parabolica on lap 2 I ran a bit deep and didn’t get the best exit. That put Lowe right on my tail. Coming into Curva Grande, I had a mix-up with my spotter, moved towards the apex, and honestly, I didn’t leave him enough room.
Ted: Do you think it was just a racing incident, or was there something you’d do differently next time?
Ian Paskin: No, I have to own the mistake – Lowe only had his nose up the inside, but I could have, and should have, left more space. Unfortunate for both of us, but I’ve made my apologies and it’s time to move on and focus on the next round.
Ted: How do you reset your focus for Fuji after a weekend like this?
Ian Paskin: You’ve just got to have a short memory, haven’t you? Take the lessons, park the disappointment, and move on. Fuji’s a circuit I enjoy, so I’ll be putting in the laps and aiming to make amends.
Bjarne Vaes (BMW M4 GT3, LMGT3)
Qualifying Position: 8th | Race Result: 8th
Ted: Bjarne, you sounded content with qualifying. Happy with the car’s pace?
Bjarne: Yeah, better than I expected. Might’ve squeezed out a bit more, but it wouldn’t have moved me up much.
Ted: The race was pretty short for you after the early incident. What happened?
Bjarne: Saw a mess unfold up front at high speed! Tried to avoid it, ended up in the gravel, got collected, big hit into the wall. Four minutes in the pit, lost three laps, so it was just a glorified test session after that.
Si Fillingham (McLaren 720s GT3 Evo, LMGT3)
Qualifying Position: 6th | Race Result: 3rd
Ted: Si, tight qualifying session. Where do you think you could've improved?
Si: It was so close—felt good in sector one, but cautious in Lesmo 1, overdid the brakes there and never quite got Ascari right. Still, P6 felt good in that crowd.
Ted: Tough start to the race, but you fought back for a podium. How do you reflect on that drive?
Si: Ridiculous first corner—somebody went way too brave, took themselves (and Bjarne) out, and messed up my momentum too. Just had to keep my head and put together a recovery drive. P3 was about making the best of other’s chaos, really.
Oussama Knani (Ferrari 296 GT3 2023, LMGT3)
Qualifying Position: 3rd | Race Result: 1st
Ted: Oussama, strong qualifying—what did you need to find those last tenths?
Oussama: The gap to pole wasn’t much but I’ve got to keep tuning the setup, work on my driving. Close, but there’s more to come.
Ted: Most thought it’d be a three-stop race, but you made it on two. How did you pull that off?
Oussama: I decided to save on fuel all the way, so I could avoid that third stop. It was tight—crossed the line with 0.1 left! Really pleased, I worked on everything from last round I needed to improve. That pace is what I need to fight for the title.
That’s all from Monza’s cauldron of speed. Next up: the sweeps and slopes of Fuji Speedway (Classic)! Can anyone catch Danilo and Oussama? Stay tuned to Transatlantic Sim Racing for more action.