FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship Series Race Preview: Races 7 & 8
November 1st, 2024 by Justin Melillo
The final two races in the 2024 FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship Series takes place on November 2nd. The 30 top-ranked competitors from a trio of competing regions will go against one another for the final time 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.
FUJI AND WATKINS GLEN!
The FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship Series concludes tomorrow with the final two races of the championship, races #7 and #8, where a global champion is set to be crowned!@fia | @SimagicOfficial pic.twitter.com/yKaKJJOBeT
— iRacing (@iRacing) November 1, 2024
This weekend, the final two tracks that the series will race on are Fuji Speedway (Race #7) and Watkins Glen International (Race #8).
Last Event:
Three weeks ago, in the fifth and sixth races of the 2024 season, the championship battle tightened up among three drivers leaving the races at Willow Springs and Spa. Spain’s Aaron Vazquezz took the lead of the championship with another pair of podium finishes, while Spain’s Alejandro Sánchez and Great Britain’s Gordie Mutch scored their first wins of the season at Willow and Spa, respectively. While Mutch doesn’t have too much of a chance at the title, Great Britain’s Luke McKeown is still in contention against Vazquezz and Sánchez entering the finale.
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.
Fuji Track Facts:
First opened in 1965, Fuji Speedway has undergone numerous reconfigurations to get to its current layout. The fifth and most recent design, authored by the internationally recognized Hermann Tilke, clocks in at 2.835 miles (4.563 km) and features 16 turns. Its frontstretch is responsible for nearly a mile of that length, forcing drivers to push for top speed coming off of the final corner, Panasonic, before diving into Turn 1.
Since 1967, Fuji Speedway has been a frequent host of prominent endurance races, starting with the Fuji 1000 km that year and evolving into the Fuji 6 Hours in 2012. The track hosted its first Japanese Grand Prix in 1976, and the event returned in 1977, 2007, and 2008. The track has also been a longtime staple of the Japanese national GT and formula series calendars, and its application has been so diverse that it even played host to cycling in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Watkins Glen Track Facts:
Just south of Seneca Lake, amidst the rolling vineyards and woodlands in Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region, sits a shrine of American motorsport. Watkins Glen International is more than just a racetrack. It is the birthplace of post-war road racing in North America, a worthy test of some of the best drivers to ever sit in a racecar. Today, The Glen hosts the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, as well as a six-hour crown jewel of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Sports Car Club of America professional and amateur racing, ARCA Menards Series, and a major vintage race meet. It has also been home to major concerts and other festivals.
Over the years The Glen has been lengthened once and continually upgraded. Four different configurations of the track are available to iRacing members, and a lap around today’s Grand Prix circuit still incorporates much of the original layout. The first turn is known as “The 90,” a right-hander and a good place to pass. Then it’s up toward “The Esses,” a series of three fast, sweeping apexes leading onto the back straight. The cars reach their top speed here, before hard braking for the bus stop at the end of the straight. Here, the track deviates from its original circuit for “The Boot,” a hammerhead-shaped up-and-downhill section of track added in 1971. Turn 9, where The Boot rejoins the original circuit, is another fairly quick lefthander, tricky because it’s off camber, followed by the even quicker Turn 10, an almost flat-out left-hander. The last corner (Turn 11) is another fast right-hander that leads out onto the front straight.
How to Watch:
The final 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.