Victor Miranda scores Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series title following fifth victory in 2024; Matt Caruana wins VIR finale

The 2024 Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series concluded on Thursday night at Virginia International Raceway with yet another Victor Miranda victory, confirming his status as champion of the series after five rounds and 10 races. Miranda took his fifth victory of the season, completing a task of winning in every round this year.

Meanwhile, Matt Caruana barely missed out on sweeping the night, winning the second race handedly after losing to Miranda in a photo finish in the first on the night, but it was enough to nab second in the overall standings, unofficially. Ivan Machado wound up third overall, while Matt Bussa fell outside the podium spots after a rough night on the Full Course at VIR.

RACE #1

Before deciding the championship, the field took to qualifying for the final time this season. Felipe Cabrera took pole position and started on the front row alongside Leo Ovtcharov. Caruana and Miranda qualified into the second row, in third and fourth respectively.

The opening lap saw a massive wreck change the complexion of the season for Bussa. The multi-car incident collected nearly half the field, with four drivers failing to complete a single lap, including Bussa, who was in the fight for the podium in the championship. That put the ball back in play, with drivers such as Ayden Young and possibly Caruana in the conversation depending on how the drops played out.

Up front, Miranda and Caruana led a five-pack of drivers to the final lap, with Machado, Shoma Shintani, and Young following behind. Coming to the line, Caruana pulled alongside Miranda. It was a virtual tie, with scoring showing 0.000 seconds, but Miranda was just barely victorious.

Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series Race #9 at Virginia International Raceway – Top 10 Results:

RACE #2

With the win in the prior race, and at least a 28 point drop to fall back on, Miranda had the title locked up entering the finale. Now the race was on for second, with Caruana looking to leap into the conversation after missing the first event. Miranda led the field to the green, but his luck finally ran out a few laps into the last race. For the first time all season, Miranda wound up not finishing after contact with Shoma Shintani sent the champion hard into the tires.

That left the race wide open for the final win. With only minutes remaining, Caruana found himself in third behind Ovtcharov and Byron Mitchell. Moments later, Ovtcharov and Mitchell collided for the lead, handing the top spot back to Caruana.

That was enough for Caruana to not only take the victory, his second of the season, but also to move up into the runner-up spot by just two points ahead of Machado after factoring in drops. Bryce Weyer picked up a best finish on the season in second while Ross Banfield rounded out the final podium of the year. Bussa did not finish a lap again in the finale, forcing him to finish fifth overall in the final standings, two points behind Ayden Young, who collected fifth and sixth on the day.

Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series Race #10 at Virginia International Raceway – Top 10 Results:

Unofficial Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series points leaving Virginia International Raceway, factoring drops:

1. Victor Miranda, 269
2. Matt J Caruana, 230
3. Ivan Machado Perez, 228
4. Ayden Young, 208
5. Matt Bussa, 206
6. Leo Ovtcharov, 198
7. Byron Mitchell, 196
8. Shoma Shintani, 192
9. Andrew Moran, 180
10. Felipe Cabrera Loyola, 176

Once the results are finalized, the top three finishers in 2024 Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series points will be invited to compete in a shootout at VIR later this year, where they’ll receive a 3 Day Racing School and have exclusive access to Skip Barber Racing School training facilities and coaching as they battle for a full-season seat in the 2025 Skip Barber Formula Race Series. In addition, 1 Day Racing School certificates will be given to the Hard Charger in each race, as well as fourth and fifth in the final standings, and all drivers who qualify for any given race will receive a one-time $200 credit to Skip Barber Racing School.

To learn more about the Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series, visit https://www.skipbarber.com/iracing-series/.
For more information about iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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