iRacing to Reality: Ivan Machado Perez sits atop 2025 Skip Barber Race Series standings following double VIR victories

During the 2024 season, together with the Skip Barber Racing School, iRacing played host to the Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series, a virtual competition with real-world stakes on the line for the top competitors. After the full season of competition, three drivers were invited to the real-world racing school for a chance at competing full-time in the real-world series in 2025.

Spain’s Ivan Machado Perez was able to stand above the others and earn that ride, and so far, things are looking bright for the rookie competitor in the 2025 season.

After a six-pack of races in the 2025 season, at Sebring International Raceway, NOLA Motorsports Park, and most recently at VIRginia International Raceway, Machado sits atop the 2025 Skip Barber Race Series standings.

Ivan Machado Perez stands atop the podium at VIRginia International Raceway after scoring his first career victories in the Skip Barber Racing Series.

A model of consistency, Machado has not finished lower than second place in every race in the series that he’s done to date.

His first two pairs of races, at Sebring and NOLA, resulted in a quartet of second place finishes, vaulting him into the points lead entering VIR. Machado then claimed his first two career pole-positions-turned-race-victories on the South Course at VIRginia International Raceway, the venue where his Skip Barber Racing School-ing took place last year, where he was able to earn his current seat.

Racing in wet conditions during the first race, Machado was able to show off his skills to outpace the rest of the field.

“First laps, I was able to pull away a bit,” Machado explained. “I was driving mainly on my pinkies throughout the entire race, in order to try not to burn the wet tires. I’m super happy with the F4, super happy with how everything is going, and super thankful to all the Skip Barber crew for putting this all together, for allowing me to do these kind of things, and giving me the opportunity.”

Machado, who began karting at eight years old, graduated into Formula-style cars, including the Formula 4 when he was 15. At 19, his funding ran out, and he turned to iRacing to continue honing his skills. “I’ve been on iRacing for five or six years, mainly racing in prototypes and formula race cars,” Ivan explained during his time at the 3-Day school last year. 

“I started on iRacing because a couple of years ago, I was also racing in real life. You couldn’t train all weekends and train all days, so the urge to get into sim racing in order to develop my skills a bit more, and to evolve as a racing driver came, and everyone told me that iRacing was a place to go and the platform to really use to develop your skills.”

During the program last year, Machado and the other finalists competed both on and off the track, lapping in the Skip Barber Racing School fleet of Mygale Formula 4 race cars while also working on their marketability, media skills, and other non-racing aspects of being a racecar driver.

With nearly half of the season completed, Machado leads the Skip Barber Racing Series standings by 20 points over second place.

The next challenge for the points leader and the rest of the Skip Barber Racing Series roster will be the North course at VIRginia International Raceway, on June 11th and 12th.

The series will also take on Watkins Glen from July 11th to the 13th, New Jersey Motorsports Park on August 1st through 3rd, the Full VIR course on August 27th and 28th, and the Circuit of the Americas to close out the season on November 25th and 26th.

For more information about the Skip Barber Racing School and their programs and series, visit www.skipbarber.com.
For more information about iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

You may also like...

Recommended

This Week in iRacing | June 17-June 23, 2025

Recommended

eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series | Power Rankings | Race 10 at Iowa Speedway

Recommended

iRacing Weekly Tune-in | eSports & Community Events | June 12th-18th

Recommended

iRacing 2025 Season 3 is HERE!