Hearn Charges to Victory After Milwaukee Mile Mayhem

West Allis, WI — The 10th round of the Sim Gaming Expo’s ISRA Retro Series brought the simulated Lotus 79s to the historic Milwaukee Mile, a venue where the history is described as “as steep as the banking is flat.” With the race distance shortened to 70 minutes to eliminate fuel conservation concerns, the field was set for a high-speed sprint where outright pace and survival would determine the winner.

Richie Hearn, bringing real-world IndyCar experience to the virtual cockpit, claimed the pole position with Craig Forsythe starting alongside him on the front row. When the green flag dropped, Hearn immediately asserted his authority, leading the field through the opening stages with Forsythe tucked closely behind. Further back, Alex Guyon and Matt Taylor engaged in an early battle for third, with Taylor becoming increasingly impatient as the leaders began to pull away.

The complexion of the race changed dramatically around the first pit window. Hearn, known for his high fuel consumption, elected to pit on Lap 49. Moments later, disaster struck for Forsythe. Leading in clean air for the first time after Hearn’s pit stop, Forsythe lost control of his Lotus 79 in Turn 2, triggering a massive pile-up that collected roughly half of the field.

The series’ fast-repair rules allowed many of the damaged drivers to continue, but the caution completely scrambled the running order. Hearn, who had just completed his pit stop, found himself trapped near the rear of the field behind the pace car. Alex Guyon inherited the lead, followed by the Chilean duo of Rodrigo Munoz and Hugo Galaz.

As the race resumed, Galaz began one of the most impressive charges of the evening. Starting dead last, he quickly sliced his way through the field before eventually taking control of the race. Once out front, Galaz built an advantage approaching three seconds and appeared to have the field completely under control. His remarkable run saw him lead 75 laps and put him in position to potentially claim his first ISRA Retro Series victory.

But with only about five minutes remaining, the race slipped away.

During a stretch the broadcast team dubbed “Boogie Time,” Galaz lost the rear of his Lotus while leading and looped the car. The mistake handed the lead back to the charging pack and brought a recovered Hearn back into contention. After being shuffled toward the back by the earlier caution, Hearn had clawed his way through the field and was suddenly in position to fight for the win.

The final minutes became a frantic sprint. David Sirois and Hearn battled intensely for the lead as the field raced toward the checkered flag. Then, just when it appeared the drama couldn’t get any stranger, another incident erupted when Guyon got loose and collided with Galaz, who was still attempting to recover from his earlier spin.

Through all of the late-race turbulence, Hearn kept his Lotus pointed in the right direction. The veteran driver crossed the finish line to secure his second victory of the season, completing a remarkable recovery from the mid-race pit-stop misfortune that had temporarily buried him in the running order.

Sirois finished second, continuing his remarkable run of podium finishes and maintaining his championship advantage. After the race, the points leader admitted that his Lotus was “very tricky” in clean air and said he was satisfied to come away with a safe second-place result.

Forsythe recovered from what he jokingly described as a “full noob” moment in Turn 2 to salvage third place. Galaz, despite leading the most laps and appearing destined for his first victory, was forced to settle for fourth after his late spin. Matt Taylor completed the top five, followed by Garry Lovern in sixth.

Hearn’s victory demonstrated just how quickly fortunes can change at the Milwaukee Mile. After leading early, surrendering track position with his pit stop, and then being caught behind the pace car during the ensuing caution, the experienced driver refused to let the race slip away. When the final chaos unfolded, Hearn was there to capitalize.

The ISRA Retro Series now heads toward Round 11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where David Sirois carries a firm championship lead into another encounter between the Lotus 79s and one of America’s most famous racing venues.