iRacing offers a great variety of online racing, but many of its series don’t get the love they deserve. These are some series the simracing community should pay more attention to and discover some of the best racing no-one speaks about.
Image credit: iRacing.com
With online races setting off every 15 minutes, the iRacing service offers one of the most diverse racing experiences in simracing. Players can complete a multiclass race in a GT car and jump straight into a huge field of Formula racers just after. It’s this variety of competition that sets iRacing apart from other online meccas like ACC and F1 22.
But for all this diversity, iRacers still gravitate towards a select few series. As a result, countless cars, tracks and races miss out on massive participation. Many iRacing series simply do not get the love they deserve. Here’s our top list of series iRacers should compete in more often.
Brazilian Stock Cars
First made popular among simracers thanks to the Game Stock Car and Automobilista series, Brazilian Stock Cars are slowly creeping their way into mainstream racing games. iRacing brought out the Chevrolet Cruze and Toyota Corolla pairing exactly a year ago.
Initially expected to be a popular series thanks to competitive cars and interesting race craft dynamics due to the boost system, these cars never caught on. Current figures show that participation levels reached a maximum of 11 drivers in one session this week. Compare this to the popular GT3 races which attract in excess of 100 participants regardless of the time of day and you see the problem.
The aforementioned boost system makes racing these cars a joy. Much like the oldschool LMP1 days, one can often find themselves in a boost-off as positions swap on every straight. Furthermore, the modestly powerful machines with an appropriate level of downforce makes driving a fun experience in itself. These are the closest cars iRacers have to the glorious DTM Class 1 days. Let’s not sleep on them.
Grand Prix Legends
In the early days of iRacing, the main promotional video heavily featured oldschool single seater cars. These were the infamous Lotus 49 F1 car that not only competed, but dominated in the real world for over four years in the late-1960s.
The car still features in the simulator today and has its own official series, Grand Prix Legends. This C-class competition lacks the attention of the likes of IMSA and GT3 Challenge due to one simple fact. The car is tough to drive and simracers struggle to race cleanly.
Every now and then, on specific days of the week, the series gains a sudden burst in activity as fans of the car come together to race. In these rare events, the racing is astonishing with close wheel-to-wheel action throughout. This is proof that, despite the 49’s complexity to handle, it can produce entertaining fights. If only more iRacers got to grips with this monster, the series would once again become popular giving historic racing fans a place to go.
Mercedes W13
Unloved Formula One cars is seemingly a theme on iRacing as the new-for 2023 Mercedes W13 is also unpopular. Figures show that in Week 1 of Season 2, the series never attracted more than 25 players at one time. Only just surpassing the multiple split threshold, this meant that 12 cars entered each split. Surely this isn’t enough for a competitive fight.
Whilst the Mercedes from last year was never going to be the most popular car to drive, it is a shame to see it die so early on in its life. In fact, it didn’t exactly set the results page on fire for much of the 2022 season. So what can we do to improve participation in the so-called Formula A series?
In all honesty, the series was doomed from the start. The IndyCar series prior to last year’s controversy also rarely saw multiple splits, especially on road courses. Last year’s W12 F1 car followed the same fate, as has every high-speed single seater on the service. Simracers simply don’t enjoy the challenge of driving the cars all whilst battling with others.
Rallycross
Formula One isn’t popular in iRacing, and neither is rallycross. This isn’t an out-and-out series, more of a discipline. But every series falling under the Dirt Road license struggles to surpass the 20-participant figure each week.
Whether it be the higher echelon series involving paid-for content, or the rookie classes featuring free cars and tracks, no-one competes. Being one of the only simracing titles to feature an in-depth simulation of this racing discipline, it’s a great shame that iRacers don’t enjoy it. It’s an even greater shame when you realise just how good the racing can be.
Short, action-packed heat races mean players get multiple chances to challenge for a win. Unlike an hour-long endurance race, these crashing out isn’t as frustrating an experience. And when you find a racer at your level, the car-on-car dicing is sensational. There truly is no greater feeling than power sliding over a muddy jump all while going for an overtake for P1. Jump in the rallycross rookie races and you’ll have a ball.
Which series in iRacing do you wish had more participation? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
