What is iRacing, and Why Are Pro Racers Flocking to It?
Pro racers flocked to racing simulator services during the pandemic—and it looks like these racing sims are here to stay.
Written by Andrew Kidd
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, many
race car drivers
found themselves unable to compete. But thanks to a popular eSports
racing program, many were able to compete digitally.What is iRacing?
iRacing is a virtual racing simulator that lets users compete against other sim-racers around the world.
It’s not just stock cars; the service offers truck, open-wheel and supercar racing on top of that using officially licensed car replicas made in collaboration with real-world race teams to apply accurate mechanical and dynamic characteristics to recreate the experience of driving a real performance race car.
The organization manages more than 80 official racing series, while users run more than 400 private leagues. Sim-racers can also host their own events using the service.
It supports virtual reality as well, so those who don’t want to invest in a multi-monitor system (or hate monitor bezels interrupting their field of view) can opt for a VR headset from a number of supported manufacturers.
It’s also an affordable option for those who can’t put the cash down for real-world racing—or don’t want to risk their cars, licenses, or lives in unsanctioned racing events.
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iRacing is a big deal in the sim-racing world
As
AutoSport
reports, professional racers have been using iRacing as practice without having to incur the cost of taking an entire racing team and support crew to the track. Pros like Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Scott McLaughlin, Joey Logano and Max Verstappen have consistently used iRacing to simulate driving in various conditions.
The
Skip Barber Racing School
operates official tournaments in the racing simulator, while NASCAR—which gave the service the title of “official simulation partner of NASCAR— sanctions multiple iRacing series featuring stock cars matching their real-world counterparts.And it’s not always just for bragging rights; the NASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series pits 40 sim-racers against one another across 20 races for a share of more than $300,000 in prizes, including $100,000 for whoever nets the most points at the end of the series.
Keeping racing during a pandemic
As the COVID-19 pandemic caused certain races to be canceled, professional drivers migrated to services like iRacing. NASCAR and iRacing formed the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series in 2020 to help bridge the gap between events for real-world professional drivers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to
DigitalTrends
, NHRA Top Fuel world champion Shawn Langdon spent his time in lockdown racing in IndyCar series races via his own professionally built racing rig.These rigs typically include a PC with a high-power graphics processor and CPU as well as a single large curved gaming monitor or multiple smaller monitors. While iRacing supports gamepad controllers, most drivers opt for a steering wheel, pedal, and shifter setup that gives them a lot more control to take advantage of the service’s simulated real-world physics.
MORE: Why Are Racing Enthusiasts Concerned About New Emissions Policies?
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