Black Diamond was ready, the car was ready but, the servers were not.
The day has finally arrived for Hull-based Black Diamond eSports as the iRacing 24 hours of Daytona. The team was ready, the car was ready but, the servers were not. Due to a massive problem with servers, race start was put on halt for approximately four hours. Once drivers got into their cars, however, they were all business.
Smooth as Silk
The start of the race wasn’t much of a problem for the black and gold. Their BMW M4 qualified 10th and driver Craig Evans went straight to work on the backstretch. Black Diamond dropped to the 15th thanks to some traffic and a couple of blue flags along the way. Nonetheless, Evans’ almost kamikaze-like moves at the top of the oval turns paid off and gained back some positions. From that point on, they were silky smooth.
HOLD ON!
Its all kicking off in the @iRacing #Daytona24 as @evanzo7 expertly avoids a multi-class collision! #DiamondInTheRough pic.twitter.com/1PMVFwhh2z
— Team Black Diamond (@TBD_eSport) January 23, 2021
They entered 5th to their first pitstop for tires and fuel. That dropped them outside their class’ top 10 but, once again, were quick to recover. Evans’ first shift ended nine minutes after the 2-hour mark as the sun was starting to set in virtual Florida. It was now up to Colin McAllister to keep the team rolling.
Racing Under the Lights
Day gave way to night at Daytona International Speedway and everything was relatively calmed for TBD. That was until traffic caught up to the GT cars. Blue flags brought time losses for the Hull team and a big collision right behind them. Thankfully for them, McAllister kept the car in check despite losing a few positions. Losing ground led to a spectacular battle for the class’10th place, that battle, however, was eventually lost. Nonetheless, their BMW remained intact, and there was plenty of race left to regain ground.
The Scottish driver left his seat to Symon Chester near the fourth-hour mark. Track temperature was dropping and drivers were well settled into the night.
Textbook Driving
Traffic gave Black Diamond a break for a while. Pit stops and consistent pace saw them get back into the GT3 top ten. Not only did they get back into the first ten, but they also gave a masterclass in night driving. They didn’t take unnecessary risk and they kept their speed in check during pit stops. That sort of driving pays off the next (Virtual) morning when you realize your car is still in one piece and is able to keep on fighting.
The first quarter of the race saw the end of Chester’s first run as sub-in driver Craig Cameron took his place.
