iRacing Rallycross presented by Yokohama Preview: Lucas Oil
The iRacing Rallycross All-Star Invitational and World Championship presented by Yokohama make their only visit of the year to Lucas Oil Raceway on Saturday. With just three rounds remaining in the championship, here’s a look at what to expect:
ALL-STAR INVITATIONAL PREVIEW: Conner Martell and Andreas Bakkerud went down to the wire in last week’s iRX All-Star Invitational action from Sonoma Raceway, but it was Martell who took the victory in controversial fashion after contact on the final lap between the two. They’ll go for the win again on Saturday at Lucas Oil Raceway, while Scott Speed looks to put a disappointing Sonoma round behind him in hopes of a third victory in four races. Atlanta winner Kristian Sohlberg and NHRA champion Ron Capps will be returning to the entry list.
Drivers expected to compete in Saturday’s All-Star Invitational include the following:
No. |
Driver |
Team |
Car |
| 00 | Steve Arpin | Loenbro Motorsports | Ford Fiesta RS WRC |
| 09 | Michael Leach | Loenbro Motorsports | Ford Fiesta RS WRC |
| 13 | Andreas Bakkerud | Monster Energy | Subaru WRX STI |
| 16 | Kristian Sohlberg | Casino Friday | Subaru WRX STI |
| 21 | Conner Martell | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/VSC | Subaru WRX STI |
| 22 | Blake “Bilko” Williams | Team Yokohama | Subaru WRX STI |
| 23 | Tyler Menninga | Heatwave | Subaru WRX STI |
| 24 | Sage Karam | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Subaru WRX STI |
| 28 | Ron Capps | Don Schumacher Racing | Subaru WRX STI |
| 37 | Mario Bonfante Jr. | Marwin Sports | Subaru WRX STI |
| 39 | Kevin Swindell | Swindell Speedlab | Subaru WRX STI |
| 41 | Scott Speed | Subaru Motorsports USA | Subaru WRX STI |
| 55 | Chris Atkinson | Team Yokohama | Subaru WRX STI |
| 55 | Lane Vacala | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Ford Fiesta RS WRC |
| 64 | Tim Stevens | Roadshow Autos | Subaru WRX STI |
| 81 | Bucky Lasek | Rockstar Energy | Subaru WRX STI |
| 85 | Mikey Lawrence | Lawrence Equipment | Subaru WRX STI |
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: Yohann Harth became the first repeat winner of the 2020 iRX World Championship season last week at Sonoma, backing up his checkered flag from wine country in last week’s race as well. Team Yokohama teammate Jon Robertson backed him up on the podium with a second place result, as the duo solidified their lead in both the drivers’ and teams’ championships with just three races left.
But drivers know better than to take the deceptively simple Lucas Oil Raceway layout for granted, as the real-world layout used in 2017 has often caused chaos in the virtual world. It’s been conquered by three different winners in the past two seasons: Mitchell deJong and Josh Fox in 2018, and Otto Taskinen last year. Will we see a fourth on Saturday?
YOKOHAMA POLE AWARD: SET Esports’ Tommi Hallman scored his second consecutive pole position in qualifying at Sonoma Raceway. The driver who scores the most poles over the course of the season earns a custom trophy presented by Yokohama Tire.
DIRTFISH ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jonne Ollikainen’s return to the podium gave the SET Esports driver another boost in the point standings, where he sits fifth overall. Ollikainen is joined by CR22 Motorsports’ Ilari Lamminsivu and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Jake Robertson as the only three rookies on the top 10. The DirtFish Rookie of the Year Award will go to the top point-scorer over the course of the season, and includes a free three-day course at DirtFish Rally School.
MARWIN SPORTS: Ed Carpenter Racing’s Connor Parise and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Garrett Manes won the Marwin Sports Last Chance Qualifiers at Sonoma, while Harth earned a race winner’s prize pack from Marwin Sports by virtue of taking the checkered flag.
iRX All-Star Invitational and World Championship presented by Yokohama action kicks off on Saturday, November 14 at 1PM ET (17:00 GMT) on the iRacing Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube pages, as well as across a number of industry and competitor Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube pages. A Finnish-language simulcast will air on YLE Areena and YLE E-urheilu.
The iRacing Rallycross World Championship presented by Yokohama is supported by Yokohama, DirtFish, and Marwin Sports. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.