FERNANDO ALONSO, TONY KANAAN, and NASCAR drivers. The line up for the iRacing Daytona 24 looks stacked.
Photo Credit: iRacing
It’s almost time for the iRacing 24 hours of Daytona race to go down on January 23. It will be the second iteration of the virtual endurance race, followed by the real-life version next weekend on January 30. This year, players could openly apply for a spot if their iRacing rating was high enough. At last, we are left with a field full of contenders.
Rolling onto that @DAYTONA banking at sunset, it never gets old. T-minus 1 day until the 2021 iRacing 24 Hours of Daytona! pic.twitter.com/Ovv2dPz6Gt
— iRacing.com (@iRacing) January 21, 2021
We already know that legendary F1 drivers Alonso and Barrichello will try to capture the crown of Daytona, but who is there besides that? We will show you a few entries that might just cap off the race as winners.
Ambitions to win it all
As part of our inclusivity week, we have already covered eTeam Brit extensively. The team focuses on making the world of sim racing more accessible to those with challenges to overcome.
ETEAM BRIT AND THEIR MISSION TO MAKE SIM RACING MORE INCLUSIVE
Daytona’s 24-hour race will be an opportunity to watch them perform, as a team of their racers will be looking to make an impression in the big leagues. You can always count on them to give it their all.
Last bit of prep tonight for the 24hr Daytona. From the back finished 3rd.💪 Looking forward to this weekend with @eteambrit 🏁
— Sandro#19Ballesteros (@SandroBallest19) January 22, 2021
.#eTeamBRIT #nolimits #DifferentAbility #unleashwhatyouCANdo #enduranceracing #RacingWithAutism#simracer #publicspeaker #kartracer#iRacing #Daytona24 pic.twitter.com/ezoEqhAo3P
American racing flair
In recent days, the announcements have been flying in more and more. The inclusion of some real-life racing drivers from across the pond was particularly exciting to see. One of them is NASCAR driver Justin Allgaire, who will team up with personalities from the sim racing world.
Super stoked to pilot this mean vette alongside @J_Allgaier, @JPoulin2013, and @BarrVisuals in the @iRacing 24 hours of Daytona on Saturday
— Ryan Williams (@RyanW_Design) January 21, 2021
I cannot wait to miss t1 69 times#jrmjr #iRacing pic.twitter.com/lszkk6dxJk
Part of the journey is Stefan Wilson, who is known for his starts in the Indy 500 race for McLaren Autosport. As it looks, he is still in search of a few team-mates. So if you fancy driving alongside a pro, this might be your chance!
Tomorrow night, @AndersKrohn and I will be taking on the @iRacing Daytona 24 hours. We’re looking for 1-2 teammates that can join in and help us out. Reply if you’re interested and we’ll touch base with whomever is the best candidate(s)! #iRacing pic.twitter.com/tjuFSTGxqA
— Stefan Wilson (@stef_wilson) January 21, 2021
ADAC champion on the hunt
One very nice addition to the pack is last year’s ADAC GT Masters eSports 2020 champion Moritz Löhner. The German is a known staple in the sim racing world and has worked hard for his success. He will race for the Rennsport Online team.
I’m going to team up with @RennsportOnline for the upcoming Daytona 24h!
— Moritz Löhner (@MoritzLoehner) January 22, 2021
Really looking forward to have some fun with the guys and hopefully get a good result that we can be happy with.#Rolex24 pic.twitter.com/xDcImbqD31
Who will prevail?
With such a stacked line-up of drivers it is hard to predict who will lead their team to victory at Daytona. Certainly notable are the racers who claimed victory before at the 24 hours of Daytona. Namely Fernando Alonso, who will be joined by Rubens Barrichello, Olli Pahkala and Veloce Esports driver Isaac Gillissen. Alonso is obviously still an active racer and has a mountain of experience to help him. Together with such a capable line-up they might share the role of the favorites.
Another durable participant is IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan, who also has a win at Daytona. Kanaan’s team seems to be slightly weaker however as he is joined by iRacing content creators such as Dan Suzuki. One might give them the dark horse spot.
Moritz Löhner’s team and the crews of the American drivers have an outside chance of making it. In the past, endurance races have proven to be as unpredictable as they come, and every team on the grid packs serious talent and knowledge.
Many more awesome drivers will hop onto the track. So make sure you tune in to the iRacing YouTube channel on Saturday, January 23 at 2 AM CET and 2 PM CET on the same day to witness greatness unfold.
Who is your favorite to win the iRacing 24 hours of Daytona race? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg!