Paul Jeffrey
Premium
The racing is over and the season is done, congratulations to the RDGTC Champion of 2017 - Caramidaru Andrei Bogdan!
Taking charge of a fierce field of competitors in his unwieldy Chevrolet Camaro GT3, Mr RDGT.. C came out all guns blazing right from the very beginning of the season at Silverstone in early October, battling at the front of the field in what would become his trademark hard but fair style, finally crossing the line in first place in the overall standings by a tight margin of just six points over the Bentley Continental GT3 of Robert Severikangas, with Andrea Myhre a further eight points in arrears in third position for BMW with the steady but spectacular Z4.
Thanks to the compact nature of the calendar at just four rounds in length, the title would be decided at the very end of the season following a spirited fight by Severikangas that would eventually come to nothing, with Bogdan holding on to his points advantage to secure the overall championship award, finishing the final round behind his rival on the track but doing enough to secure the overall crown thanks to his stellar consistency and pace throughout the intense four round league.
The final 90 minute sprint at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps would begin in explosive fashion as Bogdan passed second place starter Alexander Andersson heading into the fearsome Eau Rouge corner, setting off in pursuit of his title challenger that would last for several thrilling laps as the two title protagonists fought it out on circuit as they looked to establish an early advantage in the race.
The tension would remain high during the opening segment as Severikangas looked to pressure Bogdan into a mistake that would open up the championship points, however no such mistake would be forthcoming from the Romanian and Severikangas would eventual turn track position into a healthy lead as he pulled away from the field, turning pace into what would end up being an insurmountable lead by the end of the 90 minutes of racing action.
Bogdan would continue to play the percentage game throughout the event as he looked to secure his comfortable second place finish and take home the much needed points to finalise his title bid, going on to win his first RDGTC championship title and take home the trophy in his Camaro GT3, an undoubtedly a difficult car to race on the edge and something that the talented driver has mastered with flair and tenacity throughout the season.
On the subject of difficult cars, special mention must be made of eventual third place finisher Andreas Myhre in the BMW Z4, a car widely regarded as one of the least compedetive of the series, which makes his overall third place result only 14 points adrift of the top spot all the more impressive, especially against such a strong field of competitive drivers.
Back to the final round itself and as the race settled down towards the half hour mark several notable fights would be featured throughout the live stream coverage, with various groups battling hard for the minor placings.
The fight for third place and the final podium position would be particularly notable as both Anderson and Myhre fought throughout the 90 minutes, with Magnus Stjerneby occasionally joining in. Stjerneby would be destined to fall away from the leading group as the race progressed, later finding himself in a spirited race with Anders Nilsson who was consistently displaying outstanding race pace as he showed one of his strongest performances of the season at Spa.
The RDGTC has been an excellent introduction to RaceRoom Racing Experience as a competitive league platform here at RaceDepartment, and the staff and administration would like to offer our thanks to all the teams, drivers, organisers and various supporting members of the community. We feel the season has been a resounding success and look forward to stepping up the tempo even further for future editions of the series.
On a final note, and something of an example of the kind of champion Bogdan has become this season, the newly crowned RDGTC victor would offer a moving gesture as he dedicated his series victory to the memory of John Grainger, a friend who sadly passed away the previous weekend. Caramidaru Andrei Bogdan - A very worth champion and thoroughly decent person, congratulations from all at RaceDepartment on your success in 2017.
RaceRoom will return to RaceDepartment once again in 2018 with our upcoming RDTCC DTM league. Six rounds, 42 drivers, some of the finest circuits in the world? That would be RDTCC beginning on January 7th at Suzuka! Catch all the action at RaceDepartment and our Twitch and YouTube channel...
If you want to relive all the action from Spa, and the title decider, check out the full race replay available now on our RaceDeparment YouTube channel or watch it all again in the video below:
Love RaceRoom? Want to share the excitement with your fellow community members? No worries, we have all this and more at the RaceRoom Racing Experience sub forum right here at RaceDepartment:
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Enjoyed the season? Want to get in on the action yourself in future?? Well get signed up to some club events and prepare yourself for the new season of RDGTC coming 2018!
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