FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship Series Race Preview: Races 5 & 6
October 11th, 2024 by Justin Melillo
The next two races in the 2024 FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship Series takes place on October 12th. The 30 top-ranked competitors from a trio of competing regions will go against one another in the four-event, eight race season, battling for their chance at winning a share of the $25,000 prize pool.
During a 12-week period in 2024 iRacing Season 3, the three representing regions (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe) determined their 10-best drivers through an iRacing official series points competition. Each region sends forth their top-10 from the final points, and if a driver from a particular region drops out for any reason, the next qualifying driver comes from the same region from the points results.
This official iRacing eSport features fixed setup racing through all eight races, and the schedule is kept locked away until the day before that particular race.
WILLOW SPRINGS & SPA!
The FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship Series returns tomorrow for races 5 & 6!@fia | @SimagicOfficial pic.twitter.com/C6O6aztnT4
— iRacing (@iRacing) October 11, 2024
This weekend, the two tracks that the series will race on are Willow Springs (Race #5) and Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Race #6). As planned, the remaining races on the calendar will stay hidden until the day before those races.
Last Event:
Two weeks ago in the third and fourth races of the 2024 season, Great Britain’s Luke McKeown and the Czech Republic’s Martin Kadlečík split victories at Zolder and Portimão. In a stark contrast from the opening two races, which saw Alex Dunne steal them away in the closing laps, both McKeown and Kadlečík were dominant in their performances, leading the most laps en route to victory lane.
Event Format:
With two races on the docket, drivers will need to be ready to jump from track to track on race day. The first race event will feature 15 minutes of practice, 10 minutes of qualifying, and a 20 minute race. After a five minute break following the conclusion to the first race, the second will feature a 10-minute practice, another 10-minute qualifying session, and another 20 minute feature race..
Each winner will collect 25 points toward the championship, with points being awarded to the top-15 finishing drivers, the last of which will receive one point.
Willow Springs Track Facts:
One of the United States’ finest hidden gems for road racers, Rosamond, California’s Willow Springs International Motorsports Park is a complex of multiple diverse and challenging courses. Headlined by the 2.5-mile Willow Springs Raceway, also known as “Big Willow,” the facility opened in November 1953, making it the oldest permanent road course in America; in 1996, it was also declared a California Point of Historical Interest.
“Big Willow” features challenging elevation changes, technical corners, and one of the most picturesque backgrounds of any circuit in the west. The track has hosted everything from the NASCAR Cup Series in the 1950s to budget-level endurance racing in modern times. Big Willow is beloved among the amateur racing community for producing exciting racing with an approachable but fun layout.
Spa Track Facts:
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is one of the motorsport world’s most storied venues. The home of the Belgian Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Spa and the Spa 1000K, Spa has long been recognized as a supreme test of courage and skill, and its roll call of winners reads like a history of Grand Prix and sports car racing.
Spa has seen many variations over the years. Designed in 1920, the circuit originally ran for some 15km over public roads in Belgium’s Ardennes region. The elimination of a hairpin turn in the valley of Eau Rouge creek later shortened the circuit by about a kilometer and added to its already fearsome speeds. Those speeds peaked in the early 1970s, when Pedro Rodriguez won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix at an average speed of 149.941 mph and Henri Pescarolo set a lap record of 163.086 mph during the 1973 Spa 100K.
Owing to safety concerns, the circuit was reconfigured to its current layout in the 1980s, and continues to evolve to this day. The revised circuit retains much of the flavor of the original course, and many of its signature turns including La Source, Blanchimont and the daunting Eau Rouge.
How to Watch:
Every round of the 2024 FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship will be broadcasted on all of iRacing’s official channels. Coverage starts at 3:00 pm ET / 19:00 GMT / 05:00 AEST.
For more information on the FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship, visit www.iracing.com/fia-f4-esports/. For more information about iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com. To know more about the partnership and access an iRacing license via your local ASN, visit www.FIA.com/iracing.