This Week in iRacing: October 1-7, 2024
September 30th, 2024 by Justin Melillo
Welcome back to This Week in iRacing, our weekly post that details all you need to know about what is going on in the world of iRacing!
As always, This Week includes topics ranging from official eSports to some of the top community-driven events, and everything in between.
Here’s what to expect from 2024 Season 4, Week 4, from October 1st to October 7th, 2024.
For the Members: iRacing Official Series Highlights
Every week, iRacing offers daily, even hourly racing that members can get into, based on where their license level is at. There are also some special series that run at specific times that anyone can jump into, with the right credentials, that offer a more meaningful sim racing experience.
Here are a few of the highlighted series taking place this week.
2024 BATHURST 1000 – iRACING SPECIAL EVENT!
The next special event on the 2024 calendar is for the Supercars faithful—the iRacing Bathurst 1000 presented by Next Level Racing. Held on the Mount Panorama Circuit, the iRacing Bathurst 1000 emulates the biggest annual event on the Supercars schedule. iRacers from around the globe will be able to take either the Supercars Ford Mustang GT or Supercars Holden ZB Commodore around the legendary 3.86-mile circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, for 161 laps of racing.
This week, from October 4th to October 6th, there will be five opportunities to participate. On request from the Australian community, we have adjusted the start time of the first time slot, which is locked to Sydney servers, to be more accommodating.
BATHURST 1000 SCHEDULE:
Timeslot #1 – Saturday 3:00 GMT (Australia Server Series)
Timeslot #2 – Saturday 7:00 GMT (US Server Series)
Timeslot #3 – Saturday 12:00 GMT (US Server Series)
Timeslot #4 – Saturday 16:00 GMT (US Server Series)
Timeslot #5 – Sunday 00:00 GMT (US Server Series)
For more information on the 2024 iRacing Bathurst 1000 -> CLICK HERE
For more information on the 2024 iRacing Special Events calendar -> CLICK HERE
NASCAR iRACING SERIES
Back in 2024, the NASCAR iRacing Series (Open Setup and Fixed Setup) follows the NASCAR Cup Series schedule for a 36-week racing season. Week 31 of 36 is set to take place at Talladega Superspeedway. The 94-lap event utilizes the NASCAR Next Gen Stock Cars from Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota.
The races this week are scheduled for:
Fixed Schedule: Wednesday, 21:00 GMT; Friday, 01:00 GMT; Saturday, 10:00 and 16:00 GMT; Monday, 01:00 GMT
Open Schedule: Thursday, 01:00 and 19:00 GMT; Saturday, 01:00 GMT; Sunday, 14:00 GMT
For more information on the NASCAR iRacing Series -> CLICK HERE
SIMAGIC FIA F4 ESPORTS REGIONAL TOURS
While 2024 Season 3 featured a regional face-off to qualify for the Global Championship, in 2024 Season 4, the SIMAGIC FIA F4 eSports returns to a normal weekly series. With the popularity of the series, this season will introduce racing every hour, each region start time offset by 15-minute intervals. The global FIA Formula 4 Challenge series will also pair with a Regional Tour schedule every week and will alternate throughout the season.
Week 4 Schedule:
- Americas (races every hour at :45 after): Autódromo José Carlos Pace – Grand Prix
- Asia-Pacific (races every hour at :15 after): Mobility Resort Motegi – Grand Prix
- Europe (races every hour at :30 after): Red Bull Ring – Grand Prix
- Challenge Series (Fixed Setup races every odd hour on the :00 / Open Setup races every even hour on the :00): Red Bull Ring – Grand Prix
GLOBAL MAZDA MX-5 FANATEC CUP | RACING PRODIGY PASSES AVAILABLE!
Four Prodigy Passes are on the line in 2024 Season 4’s Global Mazda MX-5 Fanatec Cup. Compete for your all-expenses-paid trip to Prodigy Week for tryouts in a real race car and a shot at being drafted by a Prodigy Racing Team for a pro racing career. The top 36 drivers with the most series points will earn a spot in the iRacing Prodigy Racing League Finals on Sunday, December 15. An additional 12 drivers will secure their spot through the Williams Gaming Club iRacing MX-5 Cup Time Attack series.
The top 25% of drivers from the series will be eligible for two of the Prodigy Passes via the Prodigy Search Committee. Eligible driver must have an active Racing Prodigy Membership via the iRacing or Combo Game Pass. Go to RacingProdigy.com/membership to join.
Week 4 Schedule:
- at Virginia International Raceway – North Course
RICMOTECH RING MEISTER / SIMAGIC DRAFT MASTER COMBINATIONS
Two of the more unique daily racing series on iRacing are the Ring Meister Ricmotech Series and the Draft Master SIMAGIC Series, where the cars change every week as opposed to the tracks. The setups are fixed in both series, which means it’s all about jumping in and racing the combination at hand.
The Ring Meister Ricmotech Series (races on every odd 2 hours | qualifying every even 2 hours at :30) takes place at the Nürburgring Nordschleife – Industriefahrten and cycles through mostly road-type racing vehicles every week, although this season will feature a week with some Rallycross cars and a few weeks with some oval stock cars.
As for Draft Master (races every hour on the hour), the series contests six weeks at Talladega Superspeedway and six weeks at Daytona International Speedway. With Season 4 having a 14th week this year, iRacing Superspeedway returns for a 13th week showdown as well in the 2009 NASCAR Cup Series Impala COT. Both Talladega and Daytona will feature six oval racing vehicles—the SRX, 1987 NASCAR Cup cars, NASCAR Craftsman Trucks, the aforementioned 2009 Impala COT, NASCAR Next Gen cars, and the Xfinity cars. This series heads to Talladega for the first six weeks.
Week 4 Schedule:
- Ring Meister: GT3 Class at Nürburgring Nordschleife – Industriefahrten
- Draft Master: [Legacy] NASCAR Cup Chevrolet Impala COT – 2009 at Talladega Superspeedway
RAIN MASTER
For wet weather racing enthusiasts, Rain Master is one of the latest Special Series available on iRacing. New for 2024 Season 4, those looking for some fixed setup wet weather racing can now jump into select GT3 vehicles, including the BMW M4, Lamborghini Huracán EVO, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche 911, Ferrari 296, Audi R8 LMS EVO II, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, and Ford Mustang, at 12 different road courses around the world. The forecasts will include light rain throughout the short, 15 minute events. Races run every hour at 15 minutes past the hour.
Week 4 Schedule:
- at Okayama International Circuit – Full Course
OFF THIS WEEK
- iRacing Nürburgring Endurance Championship
- Final Race -> October 26th-27th at Nürburgring Combined – Gesamtstrecke VLN (2024 Season 4, Week 7)
- iRacing CREVENTIC Endurance Series
- Next Race -> November 8th-9th at Algarve International Circuit – Grand Prix (2024 Season 4, Week 9)
For more information on the iRacing Nurburgring Endurance Championship -> CLICK HERE
For more information on the iRacing CREVENTIC Endurance Series -> CLICK HERE
Official iRacing eSports
For the final time in the 2024 season, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series will be on the cards as they conclude the championship battle at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series continues on, as does the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup Contender Series, both series taking on their third races of the season. eNASCAR College and FIA F4 will return the following week, as will the start of the eNASCAR Contender Series on Tuesday.
The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series concludes on Tuesday with a championship finale, live from the NASCAR Hall of Fame, racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway. 100 laps are scheduled, and the highest finishing driver between Steven Wilson, Parker White, Graham Bowlin, and Bobby Zalenski will be crowned the champion. Last year, Wilson finished second to Donovan Strauss, a non-playoff driver, to claim his first title.
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI – RACE #18 – BROADCAST STARTS AT 7:00 PM ET (23:00 GMT) WITH THE COUNTDOWN TO GREEN
For more information on the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series -> CLICK HERE
INDYCAR BUTTKICKER iRACING PRO SERIES
After seven weeks of qualifying, the top-33 drivers in the Dallara IR-18 have qualified for a 10-week season on Thursday nights, visiting many of the most recognizable venues on the NTT INDYCAR Series schedule. Next up for the open-wheel championship series is a trip to the virtual corn fields in Iowa for 147 laps around the 7/8-mile, D-shaped oval, the first oval on the schedule. In the second round at Long Beach last week, Cooper Webster was unstoppable, taking the pole and leading 35 of the 40 laps en route to his first victory.
IOWA – RACE #3 – BROADCAST STARTS AT 8:00 PM ET (00:00 GMT)
For more information on the INDYCAR ButtKicker Pro iRacing Series -> CLICK HERE
PORSCHE TAG HEUER ESPORTS SUPERCUP CONTENDER SERIES
34 of the best sports car contenders are set to battle for a chance to advance to the 2025 Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup roster. Made up from relegated drivers from the 2024 season, as well as some of the best up-and-coming, and returning, talent in the Porsche ranks, these drivers will race against one another at many popular road courses for a six week schedule on Saturday afternoon. Last week at Okayama, Elvis Rankin scored the pole and won the Sprint while William Chadwick inverted to the pole and was victorious in the Feature.
LAGUNA SECA – RACE #3 – BROADCAST STARTS AT 3:00 PM ET (19:00 GMT)
For more information on the Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup -> CLICK HERE
OFF THIS WEEK
- eNASCAR COLLEGE iRACING SERIES
- Next Race -> October 8th | Race #2 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park
- eNASCAR CONTENDER iRACING SERIES
- Next Race -> October 8th | Race #1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
- FIA SIMAGIC F4 ESPORTS GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP
- Next Race -> October 12th | Races #5 & #6 at TBA
For more information on the eNASCAR College iRacing Series -> CLICK HERE
For more information on the eNASCAR Road to Pro Ladder -> CLICK HERE
For more information on the FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship -> CLICK HERE
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.