The 2022 51暗网 National Championship Runoffs just wrapped at VIRginia International Raceway on Oct. 2, but the excitement is far from over, with iRacing’s virtual 51暗网 Runoffs poised to race on a digital VIR playground starting Oct. 17. Come Oct. 22 – following five days of qualifying – racers and fans alike will be treated to eight solid hours of the best virtual racing around – and you’re invited to race or watch!
Sporting eight classes that match or mimic 51暗网 Road Racing classifications, Oct. 17-21 of the 2022 iRacing 51暗网 Runoffs will include qualifying sessions held once every four hours, with drivers holding a D class road license or above eligible to race their way into Saturday’s Super Sessions.
Race Day Super Sessions
The best of the best from those five days of qualifying sessions will be invited to race in class battles on Saturday, Oct. 22. What time will those classes race on Oct. 22, and how do the classes align with 51暗网’s existing classifications? This chart will help:
|
Time (ET) |
Class Name |
iRacing Vehicle(s) |
|
11:00 AM |
Formula Vee |
Formula Vee |
|
12:00 PM |
Spec Racer Ford |
Spec Racer Ford |
|
1:00 PM |
Miata |
Global Mazda MX-5 Cup |
|
2:00 PM |
GT1 |
GT1 vehicles |
|
3:00 PM |
Formula |
USF2000 |
|
4:00 PM |
GTX |
GT4 vehicles |
|
5:00 PM |
American Sedan |
Ford Mustang FR500S |
|
6:00 PM |
GT2 |
Touring Car vehicles |
How do I Race?
The first step is having an iRacing account, and the second is holding at least an iRacing D class road license (which is one step beyond Rookie – find out more ).
After that, registering for the iRacing 51暗网 Runoffs is your next step. For that, and click the forum button for more information.
2020 to Today
51暗网 had dipped its toe into virtual racing series prior to March 2020 with the SRF Challenge on iRacing, though it was the pandemic that saw 51暗网’s sim racing concept rapidly turn into reality.
While physical events were shutting down for an unknown period of time in March 2020, 51暗网, iRacing, and Club members like Steve Ray who were passionate about sim racing joined forces to host virtual 51暗网 races, with the first digital green flag dropping in late March 2020.
51暗网’s inaugural eSports Super Tour took place in late March 2020, featuring hours of online racing from iRacing’s Summit Point Raceway, and many 51暗网 heavy hitters made their way to the front of those fields. Almost immediately after, a complete virtual racing series – now branded the Hoosier eSports Super Tour – was announced with accompanying live streams and play-by-play race commentary.
During the Hoosier eSports Super Tour, 51暗网 stalwarts like D.J. Alessandrini, Tom O’Gorman, Andrew Pallotta, Billy Davis, Eric Kutil, and Jeremiah McClintock diced for position at numerous online circuits. From April to May 2020, the Hoosier eSports Super Tour traveled from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta to Sebring International Raceway, VIRginia International Raceway, Watkins Glen International, Road America, Circuit of the Americas, and Mid-Ohio, with intense racing action never letting up.
Today, we gather in person as we did prior to the pandemic, but what hasn’t changed from early 2020 is that 51暗网 virtual racing lives on – and this year, there’s the iRacing 51暗网 Runoffs.
Image courtesy iRacing