Ollikainen’s Return to Sonoma Winner’s Circle Sets Up Epic iRacing Rallycross Title Showdown

Images via Justin Melillo

For the second year in a row, a late-season visit to Sonoma Raceway in the iRacing Rallycross World Championship presented by Yokohama ended with SET Esports’ Jonne Ollikainen on top of the podium. The championship contender, who now sits just six points behind Subaru Motorsports USA’s Jon Robertson for the points lead with one race remaining, scored his second win of the year, and has combined with Tommi Hallman to give the team a 36-point advantage in the team standings.

Rookie driver Jakob Rafoss of Vermont SportsCar was second, while Hansen Williams Esports veteran Josh Fox completed the podium ahead of Robertson. Last week’s winner from Phoenix, fellow SMSUSA driver Yohann Harth, took contact off the start and finished a disappointing 10^th at a track where he clinched the 2020 series champion.

Yokohama Pole Award: Elliott Sadler eSports’ Vicente Salas stormed to his first Yokohama Pole Award of the season with a lap time of 39.168. He became just the fourth driver to score a pole position on the season.

DirtFish Rookie of the Year: While Rafoss was the higher finishing rookie at race’s end, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Kevin Ellis Jr. set himself up to lock up the 2021 DirtFish Rookie of the Year Award before next week’s final in Charlotte. He’s now 22 points clear of Hansen Williams Esports’ Jarno Leskinen in the standings, with only 29 points available per week; if he wins his heat or otherwise claims eight points through qualifying and the heats, he’s guaranteed the honor outright.

The 2021 DirtFish Rookie of the Year will receive a complimentary Three Day course from DirtFish, the Official Rallying School of iRacing Rallycross. To sign up and get behind the wheel yourself, visit drive.dirtfish.com.

Hard Charger Award: Rafoss was also the big gainer of the day at second overall, jumping 20 spots from his 22^nd place qualifying result. He was one of just three drivers to gain more than 10 spots from his qualifying position, although neither of the other two made the final.

iRX All-Star Invitational: The iRX All-Star Invitational now boasts seven different winners in eight rounds, with Coanda Simsport’s Zac Campbell the latest to take the checkered flag. Campbell won by more than five seconds over Conner Martell, who will make his NRX Next debut this weekend for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, and Team Fordzilla’s Pablo “GoProLopez” Lopez; Best in the Desert’s Luke Knupp and IndyCar star Conor Daly completed the top five.

Sonoma’s results set up an epic battle for the title in Charlotte, with five drivers—Lopez, Knupp, Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup veterans Campbell and Jamie Fluke, and ARCA Menards Series driver Parker Retzlaff—separated by just three points among their best four scores thus far, and only a driver’s top five finishes counting. Martell and Craig Williams of Craig’s Setup Shop are also within 10 points of the lead.

iRX World Championship presented by Yokohama feature results from Sonoma Raceway were as follows:

iRX World Championship presented by Yokohama driver standings through eight rounds are as follows:

1. Jon Robertson, 180
2. Jonne Ollikainen, 174
3. Tommi Hallman, 162
4. Yohann Harth, 120
5. Kevin Ellis Jr., 99
6. Vicente Salas, 88
7. Killian Dall’olmo, 87
8. Jarno Leskinen, 77
9. Jakob Rafoss, 63
10. Luis Nunez, 59

iRX World Championship presented by Yokohama team standings through eight rounds are as follows:

1. SET Esports, 336
2. Subaru Motorsports USA, 300
3. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 157
4. SET Esports Team GRX, 139
5. Elliott Sadler eSports, 129
6. Hansen Williams Esports, 129
7. Logitech G Altus Esports, 94
8. Vermont SportsCar, 92
9. Jim Beaver eSports, 86
10. Nitro Circus, 84

iRacing Rallycross presented by Yokohama concludes next Wednesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Coverage kicks off with the All-Star Invitational at 4PM ET and continues with the World Championship at 5PM ET, and will air across iRacing’s Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube. iRX will also be covered in Finnish by the Finnish Sim Racing Association, in French by BenjxMotors, and in Norwegian by the Norwegian SimRacing Channel.

For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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