This time, Jacko got to finish the job. A week after a Safety Car had interrupted his leading race in Singapore, he won in Spain by 7.903 seconds, keeping one set of Hards alive to turn his fourteenth IMS start into his first victory.
“Finally,” he wrote afterwards. After the qualifying disconnects, the near misses and the long wait for the flag, it was enough.
Ximqf finished second for Williams, with polesitter OGxFREED third. Both had been ahead of Jacko in the opening stint; neither could keep him there. The Cadillac driver had arrived asking for a podium at a minimum. He left with thirty points and a first win to put beside the ambition.
| Pos | +/− | Team | Driver | Grid | Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4 | Cadillac | JackoCadillacGrid 54 | 5 | 43:05.864 | 30 |
| P2 | 0 | Williams | ximqfWilliamsGrid 20 | 2 | +7.903s | 23 |
| P3 | 2 | Aston Martin | OGxFREEDAston MartinGrid 12 | 1 | +17.956s | 20 |
| P4 | 3 | Williams | Trident65WilliamsGrid 73 | 7 | +19.781s | 15 |
| P5 | 4 | Audi | MrShiesty_1769AudiGrid 94 | 9 | +22.038s | 13 |
| P6 | 0 | VCARB | DoctorBVCARBGrid 60 | 6 | +28.275s | 11 |
| P7 | 7 | Red Bull | atmjosh15Red BullGrid 147 | 14 | +28.922s | 9 |
| P8 | 2 | Alpine | Carlos VelezAlpineGrid 102 | 10 | +30.832s | 7 |
A breakthrough built over fourteen starts
Jacko had raced every round of Season 7 for VCARB, taking his first podium with third at Silverstone. There had been a fourth and a fifth too, but no second place and no win. Cadillac offered a new team for Season 8; Singapore offered a chance to win almost immediately.
He had led there with a gap and what he believed were better tyres before the Safety Car changed the race. In the Cadillac preview, he explained how extending his Medium stint had been intended to give him an advantage on Hards. Spain would demand that same patience without the same frustration at the end.
Getting onto the grid was troublesome enough. Jacko reported two qualifying disconnects and thanked Webbah for the repeated invitations that got him back into the lobby. Fifth still left him close to the front, behind Freed, ximqf, Jan and Hotshot.
Freed led the opening five laps from pole, with ximqf and Jacko forming the pursuing pair. The Aston's lead disappeared on lap six: ximqf was ahead before the opening sector was complete, and Jacko had also got through by lap end. Jacko later described avoiding Freed's half-spin, one of several moments when a promising race could have ended very differently.
Ximqf stopped twice. Jacko stayed with the one-stop plan, changing from Mediums to Hards and committing to getting them home. The Williams led again during the pit cycle, but its second visit returned Jacko to the front. By the end of lap 21, the Cadillac was leading and ximqf was seventh.
There was still pace in the fresher Williams. Ximqf worked back to third, got ahead of Freed on lap 25 and began reducing the deficit. Yet Jacko had preserved enough of his tyres to make the chase manageable. Ximqf recovered more than seven seconds against him over the final twelve laps, but the flag arrived with nearly eight still to find.
Freed, who had also made one stop, could only admire the execution:
idk how u kept ur pace that good with one stop
— OGxFREEDJacko thought leading had cost Freed tyre life. His own race had required more than saving rubber: he described a tight first corner, almost running into ximqf, and watching retired or stranded cars while hoping none would bring out a Safety Car. Singapore had supplied the reason for that particular worry.
Finally the stars aligned, and a maiden IMS victory was achieved!
— JackoWilliams keep the pressure on
Ximqf's second consecutive podium brought a career-best finish and the championship lead on 47 points, two ahead of Jacko. His own first win is still to come, but third in Singapore and second in Spain have made him the early driver to catch.
Trident's fourth gave Williams a second strong score, though MrShiesty made him earn it. The Audi got ahead on lap 26; Trident recovered the place on lap 30 and finished 2.257 seconds clear. Shiesty's fifth from ninth and João's ninth gave Audi eighteen points, while Josh climbed seven places to seventh for Red Bull.
Cadillac could not celebrate with both cars. Jan's wheel problems returned after a third-place qualifying run, and his race ended in retirement. He said the key mapping had changed again, leaving him unable to shift and forcing him onto automatic gears. The fixes discussed before Spain had not ended the problem.
Jacko's thirty points nevertheless kept Cadillac ahead of Williams in the constructors, 64–62. His team-mate still needs a working wheel; Jacko no longer needs to wonder what it will take to win an IMS race.
▶D3
