With real-world motor racing on hold, simulator racing is beginning to see increased involvement from carmakers. The latest is Subaru of America which has a sponsorship with iRacing, the leader in PC simulator racing, to field the Subaru iRX All-Star Invitational rallycross series.
A world-class field of drivers from a variety of racing disciplines – rally, rallycross, Indycar, NASCAR, motocross, Formula Drift and more – will compete alongside esports pros in a 6-round championship series held entirely online and starting from this Friday (Saturday in Malaysia). The drivers will compete for a US$10,000 (around RM43,350) purse to be donated to charity on their behalf.
Subaru Motorsports USA will field a 3-car line-up featuring the team’s full-time stage rally drivers: 5-time national rally champion and action sports icon, Travis Pastrana, and mountain bike legend and rising rally talent Brandon Semenuk.
They will be joined by 4-time U.S. rallycross champion Scott Speed, making his competitive rallycross return after a 2019 season cut short by injury, and fresh off a podium finish in last weekend’s iRacing Indycar Challenge round. Subaru rallycross star Chris Atkinson will also participate in a Team Yokohama WRX STI, and several other all-star drivers will compete in the WRX STI rallycross Supercar as independent entries.
“With so many people staying at home and missing racing, now is the perfect time to try new things in esports,” said Pastrana. “For this series, we’re going to bring together some of the biggest names from different types of racing and put them on virtual rallycross tracks with dirt, tarmac and jumps. It’s going to be a blast, and I can’t wait to see what happens!”
Subaru iRX All-Star Invitational events will be begin at 6 pm Eastern Time in America each Friday (6 am Saturday in Malaysia), and will be streamed across iRacing’s social media platforms. Fans can also watch via live streaming simulcasts on the Subaru Motorsports USA Facebook page and the pages of other competitors, teams and sponsors. Additional events may be considered as schedules permit.
