FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship Series Race Preview: Races 3 & 4
September 27th, 2024 by Justin Melillo
The next two races in the 2024 FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship Series takes place on September 28th. 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.
ZOLDER & PORTIMÃO!
The FIA SIMAGIC F4 eSports Global Championship Series returns tomorrow for races 3 & 4!@fia | @SimagicOfficial pic.twitter.com/MRcYLY6eIc
— iRacing (@iRacing) September 27, 2024
This weekend, the two tracks that the series will race on are Circuit Zolder (Race #3) and Algarve International Circuit – Portimão (Race #4). As planned, the remaining races on the calendar will stay hidden until the day before those races.
Last Event:
Two weeks ago in the opening races of the 2024 season, Ireland’s Alex Dunne was unstoppable. After 20 minutes of racing at both the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello and Okayama International Circuit, Dunne wound up on top, both times. Spain’s Alejandro Sánchez came up short on both accounts as well, leading the most laps in both races, just to be passed late by Dunne both times. Sánchez finished second, ahead of Great Britain’s Luke McKeown in the Mugello race, and then finished third to Great Britain’s Graham Carroll in the Okayama event.
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.
Zolder Track Facts:
Although today’s version of Circuit Zolder was built in 1963, motor racing in the area dates to the 1950s when the local Zolder motor club organized races around the town square. The short Omloop van Terlaemen was built in 1961 and two years later (under the direction of noted race track designer Hans Hugenholz) was expanded to the basic layout of today’s 2.492 mile (4.011 km) Circuit Zolder. Although the original circuit’s succession of hair-raising sweeps and long straightaways has been modified for safety purposes, Circuit Zolder remains a fast and challenging track that nearly encircles a canal at one end and a forested motorhome park on the other!
Circuit Zolder hosted the Belgian Grand Prix ten times in the 1970s and ’80s, including the 1978 race debut of the Lotus 79 when Mario Andretti sat on pole by more than 1.5s. Sadly, Zolder was also the scene of Gilles Villeneuve’s fatal accident during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. More recently, Circuit Zolder has hosted a variety of top flight events including the FIA GT Series, the Champ Car World Series, the Belgian Moto GP and the 24 Hours of Zolder.
Algarve Track Facts:
Commonly known as Portimão for the city in which it’s based, Algarve International Circuit is one of Portugal’s premier racing facilities. Breaking ground in early 2008 and opening later that year, it has boasted a full calendar of global and national events ever since. Twice the home of the Portuguese Grand Prix, the track has also hosted the 6 Hours of Portimão, numerous TCR events, and various other motorcycle, open wheel, and sports car races in that time.
A lap of Portimão is marked by heavy elevation changes throughout its 4.653 km (2.891 mile) layout. These big slopes mix with a varied selection of both tight and sweeping turns to produce one of the most old-school feeling laps out of any circuit to be built in the 2000s. You’ll have the chance to sample all of its variations through both its Grand Prix and Moto configurations, each of which are available both with and without chicanes.
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.