“As the world’s leading online racing service, it’s both appropriate and gratifying to announce our first international sanctioning partner,” said Steve Myers, executive vice president of iRacing.com.  “Many of our most enthusiastic members hail from Australia and New Zealand, and iRacing is proud to be associated with V8 Supercars.

“Our NASCAR-, INDYCAR- and GRAND-AM-sanctioned series have introduced new fans to NASCAR, INDYCAR and GRAND-AM and, of course, have been instrumental in the strong growth iRacing has enjoyed since going public in 2008.  We fully expect this new partnership to be similarly beneficial to iRacing and V8 Supercars.”

Australia is the fastest growing country within the ranks of the iRacing.com membership.  In 2010, iRacing added a second server farm in Australia to its system in order to ensure its members throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia experience the best and fastest Internet connection possible.

“We’re delighted by the chance to partner with iRacing.com in sanctioning their online V8 Supercar competition,” says V8 Supercars CEO Martin Whitaker. “The iRacing.com V8 Supercars Series presented by BigPond will enable race fans around the world to experience V8 Supercar racing in a dynamic and exciting fashion.  Although the V8 Supercar Championship is an Australian and New Zealand-based series, we are always looking to expand our horizons internationally, as witnessed by our existing event in Abu Dhabi and the recent announcement that the V8 Supercars will be racing in Austin Texas, USA at the Circuit of the Americas beginning in 2013.  Our new partnership with iRacing.com is another vital component of our efforts to bring the excitement of V8 Supercar competition to our international audience.”

Claire McFarland, Director Online and Mobile Media said, “The BigPond team is very excited about this partnership with iRacing. As the official online and mobile portal of V8 Supercars it’s fantastic for BigPond to be able to bring this experience to Australia’s racing fans.  iRacing is such impressive technology, it’s as close to the real thing as you can get, and streets ahead of anything like it in the market.”

iRacing.com introduced the Ford Falcon FG V8 Supercar to its service in 2010.  The Ford Falcon has been featured in both the iRacing.com Pro Series (Road Racing) and the iRacing.com V8 Supercar Series, the latter of which has seen more than 500 iRacers regularly competing in the Ford Falcon during 2011.  Australia’s scenic and challenging Phillip Island road course is among the more than 50 laser-scanned race tracks available on iRacing.  The service also plans to add a digital version of the Oran Park circuit to its catalogue in the near future, a particularly noteworthy fact given that the physical track (near Sydney) was recently demolished to make room for a housing development.

A number of V8 Supercar drivers past present and future, including Marcos Ambrose, Shane Van Gisbergen, Fabian Coulthard, Scott McGlaughlin, are among the growing ranks of iRacers.  Although they use the service to help sharpen their skills and prepare to race on unfamiliar tracks, they agree that iRacing is just plain fun.

“iRacing is an amazing simulation system and it has helped me tremendously as I’ve tackled NASCAR Sprint Cup competition,” says Ambrose.  “It’s the closest thing to racing in the physical world that you can get.  (But) iRacing.com is for everyone . . . a terrific social venue for racers to find like-minded friends from all over the world.  It is a fantastic service for individuals or a bunch of mates who want to get together regularly, wherever they are in the world, to race.”

“iRacing is the best racing simulator, hands down,” says Van Gisbergen.  “Not only for the accuracy of the laser scanned tracks and cars, but anyone can sign up and be racing against professional drivers from across the world who, like me, use iRacing as a tool to improve driving skills . . . Come take us on!”

Racers can do just that by taking advantage of a special offer for two free months on the iRacing service with the purchase of one month of racing.  New members will be just in time to enjoy the host of new features and content (including two cars and tracks) that will be available with the release of iRacing 2.0 in August. For a sneak preview of iRacing 2.0 featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr, Tony Stewart and the iRacing staff, go to http://www.youtube.com/user/iRacingTV.

Version 2.0 comes out on the anniversary of iRacing’s initial launch three years ago.    “We have come a long way in three years,” said iRacing co-founder John Henry. “We are very excited about getting iRacing 2.0 to sim racers, race fans and gamers from across the world. With this launch we have taken a massive step forward in online racing.”

At the heart of iRacing 2.0 is a new tire model which has been under development for years by legendary sim racing pioneer Dave Kaemmer. “We released a beta version of the new tire model on one car to our 30,000 members a few weeks ago and they were absolutely pumped,” said Kaemmer. “I am tremendously excited to see the reaction when members get to try it on all 30+ of our race cars.”

To try out iRacing 2.0 for yourself, use Promo Code PR-FIVEDOLLAR to get a one month membership for only $5.  Signup today at http://www.iracing.com/membership

Also check out this iRacing 2.0 trailer featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr, Tony Stewart and the iRacing staff talking about the new release!  http://www.youtube.com/user/iRacingTV

“iRacing is proud to have NVIDIA as the title sponsor of our road racing World Championship,” said Tony Gardner, president of iRacing.com.  “The combination of the world’s foremost online racing service, the world’s top sim racers and the world leader in computer graphics is a perfect fit for NVIDIA, iRacing, our competitors and the sport of online racing.

“As online racing continues to grow in popularity, we are witnessing a corresponding increase in support from companies whose products and services are associated with the sport.  The iRacing.com NVIDIA Series is the latest example of this trend.”

The new agreement builds on NVIDIA’s existing relationship with iRacing which includes sponsorship of the iRacing.com NVIDIA Cup, a race series open to all members of the popular online racing service and featuring digitized versions of the Mazda MX5 sports car.

“There are many fans of sim racing here at NVIDIA,” says Phil Eisler, General Manager for 3D Vision at NVDIA.  “It’s a great application for GeForce and even more immersive with 3D Vision.  Therefore, we are delighted to work very closely with iRacing to continue to make the experience more and more realistic.”

The 2011 iRacing.com NVIDIA Series is an 18 race series featuring events every other Saturday and broadcast live on www.iRacing.com.  The series offers cash awards and prizes valued at more than $18,000 to the top finishers in the overall championship.  Currently, Finland’s Klaus Kivekäs enjoys a narrow point lead over the series’ inaugural champion, fellow Finn Greger Huttu, with Brazil’s Hugo Luis in third as the iRacing.com NVIDIA Series prepares for Round 11 at the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit on July 16.

In addition to affording its members unprecedented opportunities to increase their understanding of their virtual race cars’ performance with ATLAS Express, iRacing is also releasing an upgraded application program interface (API) that will dramatically enhance the service’s compatibility with an array of external features including motion platforms and external displays.

“With the new iRacing telemetry capability, our members will be able to log detailed telemetry from their virtual race car to disk,” says Dave Kaemmer, iRacing’s chief executive and chief technical officer.  “Using McLaren Electronics’ Atlas Express data analysis application, members who wish to delve into the engineering details in order to improve their cars’ handling will be able to do so, using very similar tools as F1 and NASCAR teams.  In addition, with iRacing’s new real-time telemetry interface, multiple applications will be able to access telemetry simultaneously, allowing easier support for motion platforms, external gauges, and other add-ons from the sim-racing community.”

ATLAS Express is derived from the ATLAS suite of software developed in the 1990s to support McLaren’s own Formula 1 team.  Continued growth and development of the system saw it introduced into a variety of motorsports environments including Le Mans and ALMS sports cars, the FIA World Rally Championship, the FIA Formula One World Championship, NASCAR and IndyCar.  The FIA awarded McLaren Electronics the contract to supply the powertrain control system to every team competing in the Formula 1 from the beginning of the 2008 race season and, in February this year, NASCAR named McLaren as the Official Engine Control Unit of NASCAR for the 2012 Sprint Cup series in support of its impending switch to fuel injected engines.

“Up to now, you had to be a race engineer in a top level race team to access these tools” says Mike Phillips, President of McLaren Electronic Systems’ US division, “and access to reliable real-time data has been a game-changer for car development and race strategy in recent times.  Our link with iRacing will now make this experience easily accessible to the current user community and hopefully new players intrigued by the possibilities this gives them.”

In its iRacing application, ATLAS Express will be primarily available as a tool for analyzing and developing the handling of the members’ virtual race cars.  Where iRacers have previously been able to monitor tire wear and temperature in the pits after completing a lap or laps, ATLAS Express will make available substantially more detailed information regarding performance such as the real time tire surface temperatures, along with critical data such as lateral acceleration, steering wheel angle and damper/spring deflection.

“Up until now, our members have only been able to work on their setups by ‘feel,’ tire wear and temperatures, and by gauging their performance on the stop watch,” says Kaemmer. “ATLAS Express will now allow iRacers to view driver and car performance in a given session to help them tune the car with actual data.”

Beyond powering the ATLAS Express software, the feature-rich API will dramatically increase the functionality of the iRacing service.  For example, broadcasts of online races will now be able to utilize screen overlays of real time on-board telemetry from individual cars, while members will be able enjoy the full benefits of plug-ins for a variety of external custom hardware including vibrating pedals, base shakers and motion platforms.

iRacing is working with McLaren Electronic Systems to develop workbooks and documents specifically designed to help iRacing members take full advantage of the ATLAS Express applications to the iRacing service.  Together with the  ATLAS Express software, the documentation and workbooks are expected to be released before the end of May, 2011.

However, Kaemmer stressed the service will remain user-friendly for members who would rather race than crunch numbers.

“Although engineering a race car is an interesting challenge, iRacing will continue to provide ‘Arrive and Drive’ racing series with fixed car setups for those who prefer turning a steering wheel to turning a wrench.  As has always been the case, members will be free to share their set-ups with other iRacers, so the addition of ATLAS Express to the service figures to make everyone a little – or a lot — faster.”

Wise’s No. 7 Chevrolet will don the iRacing 2.0 paint scheme in back-to-back races at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis and Iowa Speedway later this summer. This is doubly significant as iRacing.com has just signed agreements with both venues to build the facilities to exacting detail within the simulation.

Wise will debut the No. 7 iRacing.com car during the Kroger SpeedFest in the Kroger 200 benefiting Riley Hospital for Children at the Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis on July 30th. The race will feature prominent racing all-stars including 2011 Daytona 500 winner, Trevor Bayne and ESPN X Games champion Travis Pastrana as he makes his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at the event.  The .686 semi-banked asphalt oval will be celebrating its 30th year hosting the Nationwide series, and Wise will be looking to improve on his 16th-place finish there last year.

The next weekend Wise will be heading to Newton, Iowa to compete in the U.S. Cellular 250 NASCAR Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway for his second race in the iRacing.com Chevy Impala on August 6th.  The 7/8ths mile semi-banked oval was designed by former NASCAR Champion Rusty Wallace and Wise will be looking to best his solid 11th-place finish last year in the race.

“We’ll be releasing Iowa Speedway prior to the U.S. Cellular 250 so our members can get a taste of what Josh will be experiencing when he races the iRacing.com Nationwide car,” said iRacing.com’s executive vice-president and producer Steve Myers. “Lucas Oil Raceway will follow later in the year as we look to round out our offerings of short tracks.”

“Our friendship with Dale Jr. and his race team go back to the beginning of iRacing so this is a natural progression to an already well-established relationship,” said Tony Gardner, iRacing president. “Our 25,000 plus members know Dale’s passion for sim racing and iRacing. So when it came time to get the word out about iRacing2.0, we called Dale and he happily obliged.”

Gardner continues, “We’re very excited about Version 2.0. Some of the great features will include the new tire model for all cars, improved drafting and more realistic downforce characteristics, Heat/Tournament racing for private leagues/sessions, and optional driver aids (ABS brakes, traction control, driving line, steering aids) for drivers looking to ease their way into the simulation, and much more.”

iRacing.com has a pool of professional drivers in the service. Dale Jr, along with many other pros provide tremendous feedback on the driving dynamics so iRacing can make the experience as real to life as possible for its members. iRacing has always been about allowing fans to not only watch NASCAR on the weekends, but to actually participate in the competition.

”When iRacing approached us about finding a way to work with them in announcing iRacing 2.0 we jumped at the chance to expand on what already is a terrific relationship,” said Kelley Earnhardt,  JR Motorsports General Manager and Co-owner.  “JR Motorsports prides itself on not only being a top tier racing team but a cross platform marketing company and we are excited to show them results on the track and in promoting iRacing 2.0.”

“I am excited that we get to go racing with iRacing this summer on the 7 car but I have to admit I am most excited about the advancements iRacing has made with their product,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr.  “I have had a chance to drive the iRacing 2.0 physics model quite extensively and I am absolutely blown away with what they have done.  I can’t wait for its release this summer so I can trade some paint with the members!”

An an avid iRacer himself, Earnhardt has helped mold iRacing’s online competition and is currently a member of iRacing’s competition board. However, JR Motorsports involvement with iRacing doesn’t end there. Crew Chief Tony Eury Jr., who will be calling the shots for the No. 7 iRacing.com car, has been integral in helping iRacing with its stock car physics model, providing key data and even visiting the iRacing offices to work face-to-face with the iRacing engineering staff. The new JR Motorsports Nationwide car is the very car iRacing scanned when building the car for the service.  Driver Josh Wise, along with Dale Jr’s spotter TJ Majors, are both iRacers. In fact, iRacers regularly hear the voice of Majors as their in- simulation spotter.

“This is the best online racing experience! It’s second to none,” states Wise. “The tracks are as real as it gets. It’s simply a blast getting out on the track with my friends for some good old-fashioned short track racing or drafting at Daytona with a full on-line field of 43 cars. I am really proud to be representing iRacing and their customers in these two races this summer.”

iRacing members can get involved with the 2.0 launch as well. iRacing is kicking off a paint scheme contest – the winner will see his or her design on Wise’s car for the two mid-summer races. iRacing and JR Motorsport staff will judge the submissions and choose the one that best illustrates what iRacing 2.0 is all about.  For more details go to www.iracing.com/paint7. Be sure to tune in to ESPN2 on July 30th and August 6th to cheer on the iRacing 2.0 car.

Those not currently a part of the iRacing community can join by going to www.iracing.com/buy-1-get-2/ where they will be able to find a great special offer.  New subscribers will be able to buy one month and get two free months for only $12. The three-month subscription includes all of the cars and tracks needed for your rookie iRacing season.

Click here to watch an exciting iRacing preview video.

World’s Premier Online, Multiplayer Racing Game to Release Revolutionary Updates over the Summer Months

BEDFORD, MA (April 20, 2011) – iRacing.com today formally announced its most dramatic software release to date – Version 2.0. Coming in the summer of 2011, iRacing 2.0 will feature enhancements across the board for the popular online, multi-player racing title.

In contrast to gaming software brands that typically release a new title once every few years, the online racing game takes advantage of digital distribution to provide regular updates of its service to the more than 25,000 iRacing members four times per year.

“By summer’s end, we will have clearly ‘launched’ a truly amazing step forward in sim racing. It is incredible how far we have come in just three years. I am thrilled to see our vision come to fruition with thousands of people racing online everyday in our service. iRacing is now to sim racing what NASCAR is to stock car racing,” said iRacing co-founder John Henry.

New Tire Model is the Core of iRacing 2.0

At the core of the 2.0 release is the highly anticipated new tire model, which will revolutionize the way iRacing members race online, providing unparalleled realism and the most accurate racing experience ever produced for a PC. The introduction of new tire model will be rolled-out over the course of the summer, along with many of the additional enhancements, beginning in May.

iRacing’s CEO and legendary sim racing developer, Dave Kaemmer and his team have been researching tire properties and working on his newest tire model for over three years. “I have dedicated my professional life, over 20 years, to working on racing simulations and physics models,” said Kaemmer. “This new tire model is our best work ever. It was incredibly challenging and time consuming to develop an understanding, mathematically speaking, of a racing tire at the limit and under all sorts of conditions – and that was just phase one. To then translate that into a working model within the simulation was incredibly taxing – but it was truly a labor of love. The tires are clearly the hardest thing to simulate for any racing title, but I think we’ve nailed it! I believe it is going to bring simulated racing to a whole new level of enjoyment and realism.”

“iRacing 2.0 isn’t a new disc that needs to be purchased. Members will download the updates from our easy to use website, all for free”, said iRacing.com president Tony Gardner. “We  have improved our product so much in the last three years that, along with adding such an incredible list of new features this summer, we feel it’s fitting to celebrate the next generation of iRacing. We will be releasing some of these features in early May and some in August, but frankly we will continue improving the product long after that.”

The company initially launched its service in the summer of 2008 and 400 people joined that first month. Now three years and over 25,000 customers later, the company still provides updates and improvements to the service like clockwork every three months.

“Although we have moved well beyond our initial vision, we are working harder than ever and the features coming out this summer prove it”, added Gardner. “When we first launched we had only a few cars running on about a dozen U.S.-based tracks. Now we have over 30 official series running on over 60 laser scanned tracks from around the world – over 1,500 official races going-off each week, 24 hours per day, not to mention the hundreds of member-run leagues that take advantage of our hosted racing features each week.”

“I want to thank our tremendous real-world partners involved in this including: NASCAR, INDYCAR and GRAND-AM, who officially sanction series on iRacing.com. I also want to thank all of the tracks, car manufactures and racing teams who have worked so hard with us to get everything simulated as realistically as possible. It sure does make it more fun for our members, ”Kaemmer added. “Lastly, and most importantly, I want to thank our members for their continued support and passion for race gaming and sim racing. Without them we could never have gotten to iRacing 2.0. It is incredible to think how far technology has come, especially in the last few years, and what could be in the future. We look forward to that journey with our members and many more great years of sim racing.”

Highlights of iRacing 2.0

May 2011

• Early preview of Dave Kaemmer’s new tire model available on the new NASCAR Nationwide car.
• Launch of in-game awards program – over 50 different participation awards members can earn.
• Night racing on road courses using headlights beginning with Sebring International Raceway and the V8 Supercar, Mazda MX5 Cup & Roadster, Corvette C6.R, Riley Daytona Prototype, Pontiac Solstice, VW Jetta TDI Cup and Mustang Challenge race cars.
• New NASCAR “Nationwide” stock car – race the car you watch on Saturdays.
• Okayama International Circuit  (Japan) – the first of several tracks from the island nation.
• New telemetry output for the data hungry racers.
• Private league racing enhancements including: reduced pricing, advanced scheduling, new race session options and additional grid spots to virtually every track.
• Graphic and shader upgrades in-game for more lifelike visuals.
• Complete graphical overhaul of the Skip Barber FSB2000 race car – updating our first car to current standards.
• Opening practice sessions to all license levels (excluding Pro Series).
• Enhanced pitting and damage repair for all cars.
• Preferred/custom car numbers.
• Improved accuracy of the model of physical track surface to match the laser scanned data better than ever before.

August 2011

• New Tire Model for all cars.
• Enhanced aero model for improved drafting and more realistic downforce characteristics.
• Heat/Tournament racing for private leagues/sessions.
• Driver aids available for private leagues and Rookie series (ABS brakes, traction control, driving line, steering aids, etc.).
• Enhancements of new sound system.
• Endurance racing and driver swaps.
• Suzuka Circuit  (Japan).
• Iowa Speedway (USA).
• Ford GT race car.
• Honda LMP ARX-01C race car.
• Live pop-up chat on member site.

Current highlights of iRacing.com

• Inexpensive – Standard one-year membership is less than $9 per month. Try it for one month for $5 to learn more first hand. Use Promo code PR-FIVEDOLLAR when joining.
• The most accurate, realistic and feature rich simulation in the world.
• Centralized member website with ease of use being the cornerstone; Regular automatic updates free with membership.
• Live stats, tracking and scoring for every race.
• Robust and passionate community including forums and live chat.
• State-of-the-art graphics.
• Head-to-head racing with same field size as real world racing – some tracks capable of racing up to 60 cars.
• Fully integrated and professionally developed iRacing driving school.
• Over 60 officially licensed and laser scanned tracks.
• Over 25 officially licensed and authentically reproduced cars.
• Over 100 private leagues using iRacing.
• Unlimited racing 24/7: over 1,500 official race each week, unlimited open practice, unlimited time trialing, unlimited testing on track.
• Ability to race any car at any track, anytime you want, utilizing the hosted racing feature.
• Dozens of special events each year: iRacing Indy 500, iRacing Daytona 500, Club style competition, World Cup of iRacing.
• Most prestigious Pro Series in sim racing sanctioned by NASCAR, INDY CAR and GRAND-AM, with thousands of dollars in cash prizes, full press coverage and live broadcasts.
• Fully integrated real-world and sim racing news site (inRacingnews.com) and webcast show (iRacingTV) covering the racing action.
• Mixed class racing, open setup racing, fixed setup racing, night racing on ovals.
• License and division system automatically categorizes each member into the level that they are interested in: from casual race gamer looking to just have some fun to serious competitors looking for the best competition sim racing has to offer.
• World class, live customer service and support.

At the start of this third season of iRacing NASCAR Tour Modified racing, New England’s PJ Stergios wasn’t sure how much racing he would get to do in the “ground pounders” this season. After all, the bigger sim racing picture was a shot at the big time in 2011. “Attempting to make Pro will probably be my first priority,” said Stergios before heading to the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. While he strives to make the top twelve in the Class A Impala SS in the opening week, he made a pair of starts in the NASCAR Tour Modified class, coming home second in the top split of the week at Toyota Speedway – which was good enough for the overall win when the points were tallied!

The toughest field of the week was ranked with a 3272 strength of field (SOF) rating and took place on Thursday. Massachusetts club driver Ryan Field took the win in that 100-lap event with NASCAR Tour Modified veterans PJ Stergios, Eric Mauriello, Matt Bentley and Paul Wisniewski rounding -ut the top five. Field would go on to run three more races during the week, winning in two of those additional starts to score three wins in four starts! Untamed Motorsports pilot Shawn Colley had the last laugh in the win column though as his two wins on Saturday combined with two on Thursday left him with four victories in five starts.

Shawn Colley completes a lap at the Irwindale Speedway. The Untamed Motorsports driver would visit victory lane four times last week.

The points didn’t add up in the favor of Field or Colley though, as they ended-up fourth and seventh, respectively, at the end of the week. Behind Stergios after the twenty-one races were counted up included Mauriello, Herbert Engelhart, Field and Bentley. Division Two drivers racked up big points as five of those NASCAR Tour Modified drivers appeared in the top twenty-five overall. Kevin Nelson topped Rich Zimmerman by six points while Andrew Morrissey, Patrick Thomas and Jamie Damgar also posted a top five run in the Division.

Shawn Holbrook leads the third division as he amassed 157 points in California. Indiana’s Andy Jennings led Division Four with Chuck Shaw Jr. became the top driver in Division Five after the first week of competition. Jonathan Dockery has a slim seven point advantage on Don Warrenburg in Division Six with West Club driver Joe Gauthier heading up Division Seven. Christopher Burgess has a double digit lead in Division Eight while ten points is the gap between leader Robert Milsaps and Jamison Adair in Division Nine. Division Ten has one of the closest point battles after leaving Toyota Speedway as Jeffrey Stanton (56 points), SC Tosi (52 points), Daniel Knight (51 points) and Edwin Jones (45 points) all attempt to bring home the 2011 Season 1 title to Carolina. Jeff Sarson from Pennsylvania completes the five pack in Division Ten as he took home 34 points during Week One.

Shawn Colley, Field and Robert Sandt raced to multiple wins in the first week of the season while Noel Parker, Steve Ritter, Mike Keirstead, Michael Wells, Shane Kline, Chris Forster, Daniel Valley, Gary Holbrook, David Colley, Rodney Funston, Engelhart and Mauriello visited Toyota Speedway Victory Circle once a piece. Division Four driver Joey Foote led all competitors in starts as the Florida driver ran in six races over the three days of competition.

Not all drivers had good luck during the week. Robert Padavich (13, background), Jerold John (7, middle) and Rick Webster (4, far right) were swept up in a wreck during a race on Saturday. Chuck Carter (11, inside) passed by unscathed.

At press time, Sandt had the edge in the Time Trial portion of the NASCAR Tour Modified competition. Sandt led fellow Division One drivers Mauriello and Kline on the podium while Benelux’s Rene Cornella was fourth. A pair of Division Ten drivers in Brandon Salvatore and Zoran Scepanovic held down the fifth and sixth place overall with just hours remaining in the opening week. Martin Brown, William Bakker, Robert Peretto, Josh Gerlach, Corey Davis, Scott Riggs and Dirk Linden led Divisions Two through Nine with the exception of Division Seven which had no drivers attempt Time Trials as of Monday morning.

Next week the drivers of the NASCAR Tour Modified series haul their virtual chariots to the Richmond International Raceway. Last season it was David Hutto who topped the field on the popular oval while Herbert Engelhart led all his peers with three victories at the Virginia racetrack. Who will find Week Two glory and who may have to use Richmond as an eventual drop week en route to the championship? We’ll get the answers to those and more questions starting on Tuesday. Be sure to check out inRacingNews next week to see how your favorite NASCAR Tour Modified drivers made out at Richmond!

Until next week, keep the hammer down and we’ll see you at the track!

Learn more about the prizes and NVIDIA’s cutting-edge 3D technology at www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_family.html

But wait, there’s more!

Any iRacer running the NVIDIA logo as their primary logo on any car in a minimum of 20 official races is automatically entered in a random drawing to win a great NVIDIA prize pack.  This package will include an NVIDIA GTX 580 graphics card, an ASUS 3D monitor and a 3D glasses kit.  The prize pack will be awarded at the end of iRacing’s twelve-long 2011 Season One and again at the end of 2011 Season Two.

Welcome NVIDIA and good luck to every iRacer!

First, iRacing released one of the most eagerly awaited tracks in history to its members, namely Circuit Spa-Francorchamps.  From daunting Eau Rouge to picturesque Blanchimont and the iconic La Source, sim racers can now test their mettle at the home of the Belgian Grand Prix, Spa 1000K and 24 Hours of Spa for just $14.95.

What could be better?  How about a free stocking-stuffer in the form of the iRacing Street Stock?  A maxed-out version of the entry-level stock cars found on nearly every short track in America, the 375 horspower iRacing Street Stock is now available for download to all iRacers.

Conceived a year ago as a way for iRacing.com’s 20,000+ members to sample the world’s wide range of oval-track and road-racing cars and circuits, the 2010 World Tour of iRacing proved to be an extremely popular artistic success among the global group of sim racers and racing game enthusiasts who enjoy competing with one another in virtual versions of real-world racing cars on the internet racing service’s high-fidelity reproductions of many of the world’s premier race tracks.

So it’s no surprise that even before the last event on the 2010 World Tour schedule was run last month – the iRacing.com Late Model 300 at the 4/10s-mile South Boston oval – iRacers across the globe were already clamoring for a 2011 edition of the series.

Earlier today the 2011 World Tour of iRacing series was confirmed.  The nine-race schedule begins the second annual 2.4 Hours of Daytona, a mixed-class tribute to the classic twice-around-the-clock endurance classic, run the Friday of the GRAND-AM season-opening Rolex 24.  After seven other stops – including races for grand prix, NASCAR stock cars, Indy cars, sports cars, and grass-roots oval track machines on a variety of tracks in America, England and Belgium – the schedule concludes with the October 8th running of the Suzuka GP for the Williams-Toyota FW31.

“The 2010 World Tour of iRacing was one of our most popular features, so for next year we’re just fine-tuning the formula, said Tony Gardner, president of iRacing.com.  “The more than 750 participants in last year’s virtual Indy 500 made it one of the most popular events in iRacing history.”

Gardner noted that for the World Tour of iRacing every member of the service is eligible to compete, regardless of their iRacing license level.

“We want the World Tour to be open to every one of our members,” Gardner said.  “The purpose is to enable them to compete with other sim racers in cars and tracks they might not otherwise have tried.”

Most of the races on the schedule run the same weekend as their real-world counterparts.  But while iRacing’s virtual events will run on millimeter-accurate versions of the same track as the real world races, the iRacing events are scheduled so as not to preclude members attending the real-world event or watching it on television.  In the case of endurance sports car races, the virtual events bow to the reality of real-world schedules by condensing races to a few hours duration.

And don’t look for a couple thousand iRacers to be running side-by-side and nose-to-tail around Daytona International Speedway; the iRacing service is capable of scheduling as many iterations of a given race as necessary to accommodate every member who signs up.

2011 World Tour of iRacing Schedule

January 28 – 2.4 Hours of Daytona
Daytona Int. Speedway, Road Course – 2.4 hours, mixed class (Riley MkXX and Mustang FR500S)

February 17 – Daytona 500
Daytona Int. Speedway – 500 miles (Chevy Impala SS NASCAR Cup)

April 9 – Ice Breaker at Thompson
Thompson Int. Speedway – Distance TBD (iRacing Street Stock)

May 29 – Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – 500 miles (Dallara-Honda Indy car)

June 18—Michigan 400
Michigan Int. Speedway – 400 miles (Chevy Impala SS NASCAR Cup)

July 16 – Radical Cup
Brands Hatch – 40 minutes (Radical SR8)

August 27 – Spa-Francorchamps GP
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – 44 laps (Williams-Toyota FW31)

September 30 – Petit Petit Le Mans
Road Atlanta – 120 minutes (mixed class TBD)

October 8 – Suzuka GP
Suzuka Circuit – 53 laps (Williams-Toyota FW31)