CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS NATIONAL – RACE REPORT
By Ted Delaney, Pit Lane Reporter
It was a cool and subdued Texas of afternoon for the latest Transatlantic Sim Racing round, as the field braved the undulating bends of Circuit of the Americas National in both Hypercar and LMGT3 classes. Heavy, lowering skies threatened, but the circuit stayed dry throughout the 90 minutes, with drivers wrestling not only their machinery, but heavy traffic and a circuit harsh on the tyres.
Podium Finishers
Hypercar (HY)
🥇 1st - Danilo Lasic (Toyota GR010)
🥈 2nd - Filippo Beccati (Toyota GR010)
🥉 3rd - Trushal Pindolia (Ferrari 499P)
LMGT3
🥇 1st - Xander Huizing (Ferrari 296 GT3 2023)
🥈 2nd - Si Fillingham (McLaren 720s GT3 Evo)
🥉 3rd - Bjarne Vaes (BMW M4 GT3)
Race Recap
With both the Hypercar and LMGT3 championships finely poised heading into the penultimate round, it was Danilo Lasic who took command in the Toyotas—showing his class in tricky conditions. Having survived an early tussle and some pressure from rivals, he kept a cool head and a consistent rhythm to bring it home at the front.
Filippo Beccati, after a dramatic spin while passing traffic, managed to recover with impressive pace, while Trushal Pindolia kept his Ferrari tidy to round out the podium.
Edward Jerome’s BMW LMDh led for a time, but high tyre degradation saw him falter, with a crucial spin in the closing stages dropping him from a potential win.
The LMGT3 category was no less fierce—Xander Huizing held strong in the lead all race, weathering multiple assaults from the McLaren of Si Fillingham and the BMW of Bjarne Vaes as GT traffic played havoc through the serpentine Esses.
Strategy, tyre wear, and deft traffic management decided this one, with several drivers rueing moments when slower GT3 cars cost them time or forced errors.
With title fights still alive and double points on offer at the final round in Le Mans, the stage is set for a grand finale.
Championship Standings
See full standings here → SimGrid Standings
Ted caught up with some drivers
Mike Landreth (Lamborghini SC63, Hypercar)
Qualifying – P9 | Race – P8
Ted: Mike, P9 in qualifying, how did that session go for you?
Mike: Honestly, Ted, I didn’t get a chance to do any qualifying practice at all, so I went in completely blind. I definitely left a few tenths out there—maybe about three-tenths—but all things considered, I was happy with my lap time.
Ted: And how was the race itself? P8 in class, but it looked eventful.
Mike: Another solid start, kept it away from trouble in those opening laps. Made a small error and let Moore by, and after that it was all about managing the traffic. Got stuck behind a few GT3s through the Esses, which really stings in these cars. But on the whole, happy with where I finished and I’m looking forward to Le Mans next week—should be a cracker.
Ian Paskin (Toyota GR010, Hypercar)
Qualifying – P2 | Race – P6
Ted: Ian, a brilliant P2 in qualifying today—were you expecting that after your prep?
Ian: Not really, Ted! This is my first Hypercar series and it’s been a bit of a mixed bag so far, but this time I just tried to focus on keeping it at 95%, especially in the braking zones. I was running around P5/P6 most of the session, then hooked a couple of nice laps together at the end—couldn't believe I was P2 to be honest.
Ted: The race saw you challenging up front for much of the event, but you finished sixth. Tell us what happened.
Ian: Yeah, not the best getaway when the lights went green—still trying to master these Hypercar starts. Settled into P4 and had Trushal pushing me hard. When Filippo spun passing a GT3, I nicked P3 and it was all going well. After the stops, was chasing Jerome who spun in his BMW, so back to P3. Then I got some horrendous cramp in my right leg in the last 20 minutes—ended up going off, tyres got dirty, spun again, and eventually finished P6. Disappointed with the finish, but happy with the progress, and hopefully I can build on that for Le Mans.
Edward Jerome (BMW M Hybrid V8, Hypercar)
Qualifying – P4 | Race – P4
Ted: Edward, P4 in qualifying and first of the LMDh runners—were you pleased with the session?
Edward: Decent enough, Ted. Not the perfect lap, but P4 gives you plenty of options at T1 here and there was room to play for.
Ted: The race saw you challenging for the lead early—a wild contest! How did it play out from your perspective?
Edward: It started brilliantly; got up to P2 quickly and pressured Lasic, even managed to lead for a stint. Had a cracking scrap with him swapping positions. But I was killing the tyres through the last sector, especially the long right-hander. I pitted early for new mediums—maybe should’ve gone for hards—and tried to undercut, but then got a drive-through which ruined that plan. After that I just couldn’t keep the pace, tyres faded away, spun out of P2 and dropped behind Trushal. In the end, just hung on for P4 after another spin—tight scrap with Moore and Paskin to the line. Not happy, to be honest. The pace was there for a win, but tyres and track limits got the better of me again. Onward to Le Mans now.
Bjarne Vaes (BMW M4 GT3, LMGT3)
Qualifying – P4 | Race – P3
Ted: Bjarne, tricky qualifying with track limits, but good pace. Happy with the lap?
Bjarne Vaes: Not really, Ted. Sector 1 was a nightmare and track limits were tough, but the time wasn’t bad. Didn’t feel great though.
Ted: The race looked lively, especially through traffic. How did you manage it?
Bjarne: Gained early on after Mr Mims’ slow start, but it got hectic with the Hypercars. Picked up some damage and losing time made P2 unrealistic, especially with the McLaren’s pace. It was all about fighting for P3, and after a bad stop I came out behind Mims. We battled to the flag, but luck went my way when a Porsche Hypercar tangled with Mims. Bagged P3 in the end. The Ferrari was just too quick down the straights, nothing I could do about Xander today.
Si Fillingham (McLaren 720s GT3 Evo, LMGT3)
Qualifying – P3 | Race – P2
Ted: Si, third on the grid with no practice. Not a bad effort – was that expected?
Si Fillingham: Thanks, Ted. Honestly, I had no time for practice so just relied on memory from a previous event here. Knew Xander would be hard to catch, so P3 looked like the best I could hope for.
Ted: Your start was electric – that set up the race, didn’t it?
Si: Yeah, Mims reacted slowly off the line and I nicked P2 straight away. That was key for my championship hopes. After that, I was able to keep and extend the gap as Mims and Bjarne fought it out. Xander was gone up the road, so it was about staying clean, managing track limits and avoiding overeager Hypercars. Pretty uneventful but did what I needed to set up a cracking title showdown at Le Mans.
Final Word from COTA
The title battles roll on, and if today’s grey Texan trial proved anything, it’s that you can’t predict what Hypercar or LMGT3 might throw at you, nor how each driver’s grit, guile, or ill luck will shape the final reckoning.
We move next to the grand expanse of Le Mans for a double points decider at Mulsanne—see you there for what promises to be an absolute epic.
Standings link for interested readers
Reporting from a windswept pitlane, this is Ted Delaney—see you in France!