2017 Synology GT3 Championship Live On RaceSpot

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Following pre qualification in the second half of 2016, BOSRA are pleased to announce the 2017 GT3 Championship.

The 2017 Synology GT3 Championship will cover 30 of the worlds most iconic tracks available on iRacing with 5 GT3 vehicles to choose from.

Entries are divided into 3 separate classifications; PRO and AM for our partner teams with new members also permitted to enter as privateers.

Racing takes place on a Tuesday evening, 27 rounds set to an hours duration and 3 endurance rounds that shall see us racing for 2 hours per race. Each round features mandatory pit stops and varying times of day.

The 2017 Synology GT3 Championship will also be broadcast live on RaceSpot TV in association with TMS Motorsport.

Entry to the event is free with trophies and other prizes on offer. To find out more sign up at bosra.co.uk and reserve your place as a privateer and progress into 2018 with a chance of representing one of our partners.
 
The current entry list for this years event, only a few places remain for the opening round at Phillip Island on the 17th January.

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The entry list for the 2017 Synology GT3 Championship is now full.

Join us live on RaceSpot TV, January the 17th for all the action as it unfolds. Broadcasts brought to you by TMS Motorsport, check them out right here: http://bit.ly/2ifLtOl

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After a long winter break and months of preparation, BOSRA returned to the race track on Tuesday 17th January, for round one of a brand new season.

The 2017 Synology GT3 Championship season opener took us down under to Australia’s premier permanent road course. Phillip Island is a 2.7-mile (4.4 km) thrill ride of a race track situated on an island just off the southern coast near Melbourne. The 12-turn circuit features a long main straightaway, hair-raisingly fast turns, tight hairpins and dramatic elevation changes, including a precipitous drop from Lukey Heights to the tight Turn Ten. Set against the deep blue backdrop of the Bass Strait separating the Australian mainland from Tasmania, Phillip Island is among the world’s spectacular Motorsports venues.

Of course this season is also particularly special in that we have full coverage from RaceSpot adding extra pressure to the 60 strong entry list as each race is broadcast live around the world. RaceSpot have quickly become recognized as one of the world’s premier sim racing broadcasters, providing coverage of some of the biggest sim racing events in the world and we are delighted to bring full coverage of the event in conjunction with our new partner TMS Motorsport. Offering a comprehensive range of tuning parts for all makes and models, competitive pricing, worldwide delivery and great customer service, head over to the TMS Motorsport website to check out the latest offers.

Turning our attention to the entry list, stand out names include last seasons Champion Ben Hackeson with Craig Parkes also returning for 2017. Notable new entries in the privateers class include Eero Nomm, Craig Williams and Scott Brazier. Team Bushfink have a strong showing in this years event with many drivers looking to contest positions for partner teams in 2018. Also returning this year are the ever popular Baird twins, Simon Underhill, Neil Bamber, Mattijs van Delden and many more of the familiar names associated with BOSRA from our previous events.

Our partner teams for this year have also been reallocated based on the 2016 pre qualification event. Synology welcome Hackeson and Underhill into the PRO class, joined by Gelenkey and Beresford running AM. TMS Motorsport in their debut season line up with Parkes, Delden, Jackson and Just while 2016 team championship winner Acorn Printing are represented by Dilworth, Gregory, Butterill and Mleziva.

Seagate this year are providing prizes for our PRO and AM class winners, losing the 2016 Champion Hackeson to Synology means a new line up includes T Baird and McKane with Martin and Bailey in AM class. Moving to our final teams, Bodin Solutions continue their association with BOSRA and feature Bamber, Walker, Kruse and Brandon. The Replace Base also join us for 2017 as a new partner taking the vacant spot left by Fifty6; B Baird, Walmsley Atmore and White complete your partner team line up for the year.

Delving deep into the history books it is Mattijs van Delden who up to this point leads the overall stats with BOSRA; 75 starts, 11 poles, 13 wins and 42 top 5 positions, his closest rival being Daniel Tuerk after his dominating spell in the 2015 Aston Martin GT1 Championship. Daniel Tuerk also holds the current lap record for Phillip Island in the Audi R8 LMS with a 1:28.587 set in the build up to the 2017 season.

So, here we are then all set for a fantastic new season. We hope you enjoy watching the season develop and dont forget that you can always get involved over at our website, www.bosra.co.uk.

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For the second round of the 2017 Synology GT3 Championship we move to Daytona Road Course to see if Eero Nomm can continue his impressive start to the Championship. After dominating round 1 at Phillip Island and crossing the line 18 seconds clear of fellow Bushfink driver Scott Brazier, the rest of the field had its work cut out this week. Reigning champion Ben Hackeson only managed 19 laps in round one before retiring and Craig Parkes came home 25th in a disappointing start to the season for last years top two. Parkes is one of 5 drivers making the jump to the Mercedes AMG GT3 for round two, taking a 15 point penalty in the process but looking to improve for the rest of the season.

After the iRacing Daytona 24 hour race last weekend we follow suit and go under the lights for this weeks race, qualifying also changed back to the usual format of lone sessions to help ease the congestion on track. For the rest of the season each driver will only have 4 laps to secure their place on the grid and attempt to avoid the carnage into T1.

Bodin Solutions lead the team championship after the first round with Replace Base second followed by Seagate, Acorn Printing & Synology while TMS Motorsport lag in 6th place after scoring just 76 points overall at round 1. What is interesting, albeit only after one round is the team standings, with many members commenting that the teams were too top heavy favoring Synology and TMS Motorsport. Time will only tell if the BOSRA team allocation system produces fair results across partner teams with the added unknown element of privateers such as Nomm taking an early lead.

The standard of driving was also questioned after the first round, given that BOSRA are not only an MSA approved organisation but also a member of the ISRF. It must be remembered that BOSRA encourage all ability levels to join and develop their race craft in the Synology GT3 Championship and that there will always be members looking to improve and learn from their mistakes. This is where the top drivers will be looked at to provide assistance in the development of future talent enabling the league to produce some of the finest sim racing on offer anywhere in the world. With the event available to the masses via RaceSpot for weekly viewing, races are not only exciting to watch but will also form the early stages of members careers as they look to improve week on week and establish themselves within the event.

48 drivers take to the grid this week in an impressive field at Daytona, the 3.81-mile (6.13 km) road course was built in 1959 and first hosted a three-hour sports car race called the Daytona Continental in 1962. The race length became 2,000 km (1,200 mi) in 1964, and in 1966 was extended to a 24-hour endurance race known as the Rolex 24 at Daytona. It was shortened again to six hours in 1972 and cancelled entirely in 1974. In 1973, a sharp chicane was added at the end of the backstretch, approaching oval turn three. In 1984 and 1985, the layout was modified, re-profiling turns 1 and 2, and moving what is now turn 3 closer to its adjacent turns. In addition, the chicane on the backstretch was modified. A new entry leg was constructed approximately 400 feet (120 m) earlier, resulting in a longer, three-legged, "bus stop" shape. Cars would now enter in the first leg, bypass the second leg, and exit out of the existing third leg. Passing would now be possible inside the longer chicane. The construction resulted in a final length of 3.56 miles (5.73 km) for the complete road course. In 2003, the chicane was modified once again. The middle leg was repaved and widened, and now cars would enter through the first leg, and exit out of the second leg. The existing third leg was abandoned. This allowed cars a cleaner entry into oval turn three. After favorable results, in 2010 the third leg was dug up, and removed permanently.

Daytona then is not only a challenge on the road course section but with the added oval element and 5 of the finest GT3 vehicles on the grid, drafting will play an enormous part on the results this week. As always you can tune in live to all our races live thanks to TMS Motorsport on iRacing Live but for now we leave you with this weeks broadcast via our YouTube channel.

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Join us tonight from 9PM GMT live on RaceSpot and iRacing Live as we visit Mount Panorama for round 3 of the 2017 Synology GT3 Championship.

We have a potential grid of 55 cars all aiming tor T1 and trying to not make a single mistake during the hour long race!

Thanks again to TMS Motorsport for bringing the event to you, check out their latest promo video here:

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Michael Schumacher was once quoted saying “You win a race, the next race it’s a question mark. Are you still the best or not? That’s what is funny. But that’s what is interesting. And that’s what is challenging. You have to prove yourself every time.”

That quote sums up Eero Nomm as he takes a 9 point lead over Paul Walmsley moving into round 3 of the 2017 Synology GT3 Championship. His preparation for every round has been impressive with over 300 laps put into Bathurst alone, the dedication and meticulous attention to detail are something that every driver can strive to achieve. Proving yourself at Mount Panorama in itself is quite an achievement, only millimeters separate perfection and disaster, not to mention the pack trying to chase you down.

The 6.213 km (4 mi) long track is technically a street circuit, an unusual design by modern standards, with a 174-metre (571 ft) vertical difference between its highest and lowest points, and grades as steep as 1:6.13. From the start-finish line, the track can be viewed in three sections; the short pit straight and then a tight left turn into the long, steep Mountain straight; the tight, narrow section across the top of the mountain itself; and then the long, downhill section of Conrod Straight, with the very fast Chase and the turn back onto pit straight to complete the lap.

If 2016 is anything to go by, Craig Parkes, Paul Walmsley and Ben Hackeson should be near the front; the target time this week 2:03.302 to be somewhere near the top. Consistency, not speed however, might be the way this round needs to be approached. The slightest blip, over correction, touch, rub or slide can ruin it here and cause a blockage in many of the blind corners.

Synology lead driver Hackeson made up ground at Daytona, up 11 places and closing the gap to 84 points on the leader while the biggest loser was Acorn Printings Kris Butterill, plummeting 16 places to 42nd in the Mercedes AMG GT3. Other big movers include Lee Bunker, down 14, with Withrow moving 10 places in the opposite direction. JPW Ringwood has also had a fantastic start to the season challenging with Simon Underhill for respectable finishes, these two will be a pair to watch sitting 4th and 5th overall.

The Replace Base leapfrog Bodin Solutions in the team standings after 2 rounds, its early doors and we can expect serious title challenges from Seagate and TMS Motorsport as the season develops. All partner drivers have attended both races so far, a far cry from the limited attendance last year showing the dedication from our members representing partner teams.

Once again we have 48 drivers on the grid with new faces starting in privateer places, Coombes, Page and Rose among them. Dilworth and Mason sit this one out as McKane changes to the Mercedes from the BMW and incurring a 15 point deduction.

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Funny enough, I was kind of watching parts of one Synology GT3 Championship event. Before I dozed off (I was tired! Tired, not bored), I thought it was quite cool to follow this thing. I still have the YouTube link active in my browser as of this post. I'll be sure to check out more of the event.

In case you're wondering, I was looking up Round 1 from Phillip Island.
 
Thanks for the reply John and I hope you will continue to follow the event! Heres some pics from Mount Panorama.

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@BOSRA you guys do a great job of keeping everything up to date. You are the most well put together league I've been involved in. Thank you for all your hard work, it shows!
 
JohnBM01
Funny enough, I was kind of watching parts of one Synology GT3 Championship event. Before I dozed off (I was tired! Tired, not bored), I thought it was quite cool to follow this thing. I still have the YouTube link active in my browser as of this post. I'll be sure to check out more of the event.

In case you're wondering, I was looking up Round 1 from Phillip Island.
Click to expand...

Try tune in tonight if you can, should be an exciting race.
 
Skipping continents once again, the focus is on Road America this week in round 4 of the 2017 Synology GT3 Championship.

With no lap records to reference, 2:04 may be a target time for the top placed drivers, no doubt Nomm will be throwing a few hundred laps in here too. There are a few movers in the drivers and team standings after round 3, Hackson up 13 places as he looks to get back on form and defend his title. The Synology team also took up residence at the top of the standings, Seagate and Replace Base losing out at Mont Panorama. Acorn Printing drop to last in the team standings after an impressive display from TMS Motorsport moving them up to 4th overall.

Dilworth and Phillips both missed round 3 and we welcome back Alan Champman, previously entering the 2015 Mazda MX-5 Cup woith BOSRA. Bram Reniers also joins us this week, taking over from Catling who retires from the event with a broken ankle.

Road America is situated on 640 acres (2.6 km2) in Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine and it is located near the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. It has hosted races since September 1955 and currently hosts over 400 events a year. Of its annual events, 9 major weekends are open to the public which include 3 motorcycle events including the MotoAmerica (AMA FIM) series, 3 vintage car events, Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events, the United Sports Car Racing Series, the Pirelli World Challenge, and the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

Road America is one of only a handful of road circuits in the world maintaining its original configuration being 4.048 miles (6.515 km) in length and 14 turns. The track features many elevation changes, along with a long front stretch where speeds approaching 200 mph (320 km/h) may be reached. One of the best known features of this course is a turn on the backside known as “the kink.”

Enjoy all the action this week before heading to Sebring for round 5, the first of this years races to feature night conditions and as always watch live on RaceSpot TV courtesy of TMS Motorsport.

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Beautiful pictures! I'm pretty sure the video action is just as fabulous, if not better. The ageless wonder of Sebring is incredible here.
 
As of right now, I'm watching the Sebring video. My goodness- just amazing quality! I almost wished this was a live race I could see on TV! Very nice action here.
 
Thanks for the comments John, its been a lot of hard work to get this far and we will possibly be looking for new partners for 2018, if anyone wants to advertise with us then please get in touch.
 
Its been a somewhat controversial week for BOSRA, tensions have been running high both on and off the track with a number of drivers receiving race bans for various breeches of conduct. Changes have also been made to the starting procedure, moving to rolling starts for the remainder of the season in an attempt to prevent some of the first lap incidents we have seen throughout the opening rounds. Hopefully now we can move forward and concentrate on round 5 of the 2017 Synology GT3 Championship.

Sebring, this weeks venue, is most notable for hosting the 12 Hours of Sebring, sanctioned by the FIA and IMSA, as part of many major endurance racing series, including the World Sportscar Championship, Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, ALMS, and now, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. This race is the second of four races in the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup.

The track also hosts the Legends of Motorsport and Historic Sportscar Racing series, and is the winter home of the Skip Barber Racing School. Many IndyCar, sports prototype, and Grand Touring teams use Sebring for winter testing due to the warm climate. This weeks race goes under the lights for the second time in the season after Daytona Road Course in round 2. Night racing adds yet another element to keep all entrants on their toes, finding your way around here in the dark is no easy task.

With no Eero Nomm starting, Barry Baird has a chance to position himself top of the drivers standings for Replace Base. Bamber has also had a great start to the season for Bodin Solutions quietly rising to 5th overall after Road America. TMS Motorsport, moving up 2 places to second in the team standings will be without Craig Parkes this week due to other commitments, Delden, Jackson and Just will have their work cut out to preserve their current team standings. Acorn Printing will be looking for improvements currently slumped at the bottom of the standings while Seagate sit just above them and trail the leaders by 57 points.

Reigning champion Hackeson had a torrid start to this years event, finally he made up some lost ground and 9 places overall in round 4. Synologys lead driver could really benefit this week and close the gap considerably with another performance on track. Round 5 once again comes to you via RaceSpot, tune in for all the action before heading to our first European race at Zolder in a weeks time.

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I poked around YouTube Gaming just now and saw the latest round of this championship live. However, it was the post-race interviews I caught up with when I saw it live. So I'm sure I'll need to watch it again just to see all the goings on of the latest round of this deal.
 

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