Victory for Alexander Thiebe at round five of the 2020 PorscheSport Carrera Cup: The sim racer took the chequered flag with a dominant performance at the Montreal circuit.

Four action-packed races on the iRacing online simulation platform saw several changes in the series points table. It was close between champion rivals Alexander Thiebe (Team Redline) and Maxim Ramsteijn (HM Engineering) who finished the feature race in second place, at the wheel of his virtual Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Thiebe, now claiming top spot in the championship on 554 points with Ramsteijn on 545 points. With the top seven split by only +0.200 seconds in qualifying, it was Thiebe who claimed the bragging rights over Ramsteijn. There were impressive laps by Sam Kuitert and Nelson Costa De Sousa to follow the lead pair.

As fans have become accustomed to, we would have to wait for the Feature Race to see the battles between the top drivers. Heat One saw Alexander Theiebe on pole with Sam Kuitert behind. Fresh from his first victory at Interlagos, Dylan Birse looked set to have a strong finish from third on the grid. As the lights turned green it was Alexander Thiebe who shot off the line, leaving the chasing pack to battle into turn one. An exciting couple of turns saw Sam Kuitert, Dylan Birse and Robin Östlund all side by side, but giving each other just enough racing room. With cold tyres proving tricky all season for the drivers, it was the turn of Justin Tipton on the opening lap to struggle with the temperatures and any chance of a win. With Tipton out of contention, the front pack continued to battle as Alexander Thiebe dominated at the front of the field. The PorscheSport Driver and Porsche Club GB Sim racing champion, Ryan Parkins, put on a show for fans. Starting from seventh on the grid, Parkins was now up to fifth position and slowly catching the front pack. The Montreal track threw up more surprises as many of the drivers struggled with track limits and slow down penalties, issued by the virtual stewards, often shuffling the pack. The famous 'Wall of Champions' at Montreal was too much for Ivo Laubscher, as his entry to the chicane resulted in his 911 Cup Car going airborne in spectacular fashion. Going into the final laps of Heat One Dylan Birse, Robin Östlund, Ryan Parkins and Quentiin Vialatte provided some fantastic racing action to claim the final podium spots. It was Alexander Thiebe who claimed yet another Heat victory, followed by Dylan Birse and Robin Östlund in the podium spots.

All eyes were on the HM Engineering duo in Heat Two, with Maxim Ramsteijn starting on pole and the sister car driven by Kieran Harrison in fourth position. As the pack headed down to turn one, Pascal Costa and Espen Erlandsen piled on the pressure on the pole sitter. Behind, PorscheSport driver Gavin Halls and Lewis Ward were again involved in an unfortunate incident as both were collected from the collision happening behind them. Maxim Ramsteijn proving why he's a championship contender as he stormed away in the opening laps. Espen Erlandsen for Team Bergen was now under pressure from Kieran Harrison in the HM Engineering machine. With the top ten automatically making it through to the Feature Race, all eyes were the battle of Gavin Halls and Lewis Ward, who after both involved in the earlier incident, managed to work their way into the top ten. It was Kieran Harrison who ensured he joined his teammate, Maxim Ramsteijn on the Heat Two podium, followed closely by Espen Erlandsen.

With a lower than average attendance for the race at Montreal, the consolation race featured only eleven drivers, with the top ten qualifying for the Feature Race, the pressure was on to not finish last. Justin Tipton, after his incident in Heat One, ensured he did not make the same mistake. Leading from start to finish, Tipton dominated the Consolation Race although gave his team a scare in the later stage of the race as he made contact with the wall. Alan Powell and Martin Donati claimed the final spots on the podium.

The anticipated Feature Race had the championship contenders Alexander Thiebe and Maxim Ramsteijn on the front row, with Dylan Birse and Kieran Harrison behind. The Team Redline and HM Engneering drivers replicated their heat races, with both making clean starts and avoiding any danger into turn one. Further back, with so many drivers eager to score track position and championship points, we had incidents throughout the field. Notable, PorscheSport driver Gavin Halls, who's had terrible luck throughout the season was caught up in an unavoidable accident. Thomas Guldalian lost control on exit of the corner, resulting in a huge crash behind as Justin Tipton, Gavin Halls and Alan Powell had nowhere to go on the tight street circuit.

At the halfway point of the thirty minute Feature Race, Alexander Thiebe and Maxim Ramsteijn looked comfortable at the front. An exciting battle between Dylan Birse in third and Kieran Harrison in fourth was entertaining for the fans. With such competitive racing, something had to give, it was Harrison who unfortunately placed the slightest of rubber on the grass and ended his race for the podium spot. Alexander Thiebe took the chequered flag to claim top step and the championship lead over Maxim Ramsteijn who came home in second. Dylan Birse, who's looked impressive in the last few rounds, claimed the final podium spot. After some fantastic racing between them, Espen Erlandsen came home in fourth ahead of Quentiin Vialatte ad PorscheSport's Ryan Parkins.

You can watch the full race replay here

Driver Standings