Gade, Fairclough Win Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series Rounds at VIR

Mikkel Gade and Deagen Fairclough took the checkered flags in the Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series double feature at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday. Gade kicked off the day by winning his third race in a row in the unique series featuring the iRacing Formula iR-04, and was looking to score his fourth before a final-lap kerfuffle that broke Fairclough’s way.

The Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series closely mirrors the real-world Skip Barber Formula Race Series in vehicle formula and racing circuits, with the added caveat that the top performers in the virtual series earn racing opportunities in the real one. Each week, a new slate of 20 drivers qualifies their way into the next race round, receiving coaching from Skip Barber Racing School instructors before taking to the track for a pair of 15-minute timed races. The champion at the end of the six-week series earns a full-season ride in the Skip Barber Formula Race Series, and more than $500,000 worth of prizes is on the line overall.

Gade dominated the opening event at Lime Rock Park by leading every lap of both features, but was the beneficiary of a tangle between polesitter Fairclough, Harley Haughton, and Salva Talens in Sunday’s first race. As that trio got tangled up, he managed to avoid the drama and slip away to another victory, holding off Elvis Rankin by .207 seconds at the end to complete the hat trick.

Drivers would retain their finishing spots from the first feature for the start of the second, but Fairclough wouldn’t be denied a return to the front. Despite starting 15^th, he’d make his way into the top 10 in the first lap, and would pick off other competitors one by one before shadowing Gade and Rankin in their battle for the lead on the final lap. As those two made contact, Fairclough would duck through the grass and avoid making contact with the retaining wall. That lead trio’s gap on the rest of the field was so large that Fairclough’s margin of victory was more than two seconds over Patrick Woods-Toth.

Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series feature one results at VIRginia International Raceway were as follows:

Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series feature two results at VIRginia International Raceway were as follows:

Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series points through two events are as follows:

1. Mikkel Gade, 121
2. Elvis Rankin, 117
3. Deagen Fairclough, 103
4. Nicolas Mateo, 103
5. Matt Bussa, 96
6. Harley Haughton, 93
7. Michael Janney, 90
8. Felipe Cabrera Loyola, 88
9. Pierfrancesco Patricolo, 83
10. Will Redford, 72

The Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series season continues with a visit to Watkins Glen International, with Time Attack qualifying open now and the race airing on Sunday at 3PM ET. For more information on the Skip Barber Racing School, visit www.skipbarber.com. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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