Tuomas wins Opening Round of FIRSA ESM Qualifying Series

Tuomas Tähtelä has gotten off to the perfect start in the Finnish Sim Racing Association ESM Digital Motorsport Qualifiers, taking the victory in what was an ultra competitive field with more than 150 competitors taking part.

Tuomas would start off P3 on the grid, and with rivals Tuomainen and Alander contesting for the lead ahead, Tuomas’ move was decisive, showing expert racecraft to get around both of his rivals in what were very clean moves indeed at the tight Okayama circuit. From that point, he was able to manage the gap out front, extending out to 2 seconds and ensuring his competitors wouldn’t get another chance. 🥇

For Antti Ahola, it was an unfortunate result. A difficult qualifying phase last week left Antti sitting outside of the top 10 going into the race, and with the bunched pack heading through the hairpin section, another car was spun in front of him, leaving him with nowhere to go other than the side of him. He was then nursing damage for the 28 lap race, ultimately finishing outside of the Top 20.

The series moves to Zandvoort this weekend, which will be very busy indeed hosting the opening round of the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup and newly announced Porsche Sprint Challenge, the support category for Supercup. Very exciting times ahead!