THIS WEEK: iRacing FF1600 Festival Presented by CONSPIT | Special Event
October 26th, 2026 by Justin Melillo
iRacing’s Special Event calendar features a selection of the world’s most compelling races across numerous disciplines. Whether you’re interested in stock cars or sports cars, open-wheel formula cars or sprint cars, sticking to pavement or playing in the dirt, running solo or racing with a team of your closest friends, our Special Events have something for everyone!
This week, the iRacing FF1600 Festival Presented by CONSPIT takes the spotlight, emulating the Formula Ford Festival run in the real-world that utilizes a heat racing format at Brand Hatch Circuit’s Indy Layout.
Here’s everything you need to know about participating in this iRacing Special Event.
TRACK: BRANDS HATCH CIRCUIT – INDY
CAR COMPETING:
BROADCAST DETAILS
There will be a broadcast of the Top Split broadcast for the third time slot, the Saturday 12:00 GMT, or Saturday 8 a.m. ET event. RACESPOT will be handling the call of the action. The show will be available at iRacing.com/live.
TIMES TO RACE
- Timeslot #1: Friday at 22:00 GMT (6:00 p.m. ET)
- Timeslot #2: Saturday at 7:00 GMT (3:00 a.m. ET)
- Timeslot #3: Saturday at 12:00 GMT (8:00 a.m. ET) <- BROADCASTED SPLIT
- Timeslot #4: Saturday at 16:00 GMT (12:00 p.m. ET)
- Timeslot #5: Sunday at 00:00 GMT (8:00 p.m. ET Saturday)
ABOUT THE 2026 iRacing FF1600 Festival
The iRacing CONSPIT FF1600 Festival is an event that will be emulating the Formula Ford Festival run in real life utilizing the same heat racing format. The event will take place at Brands Hatch on the Indy layout.
This weekend, from October 30th to November 1st, iRacing members can sign up to battle against one another in the heat racing event at Brands Hatch Indy. This race is an open setup event and will be scheduled in the sim for October 25th at 10:00 AM. Dynamic weather is enabled as well.
Registration opens 60 minutes prior, and sessions will include both a 30 minute warmup and an eight minute, two lap qualifying session. Splits are determined by iRating. Sessions will also have two 10-lap heat races of up to 28 drivers apiece. The top-13 will advance to the Final. A 10-lap, upto 30 driver Last Chance Qualifier will advance forward the final four competitors to take on the 20-lap, 30-driver main event.
This event is open to iRacing members that have a Formula license at Class D or higher, or a Rookie license with a 4.0 Safety Rating. Splits can have up to 56 drivers, and a disqualification limit has been set at 35 incident points, or 35X per team. Drive through penalties will be administered after 17 incidents, or 17X, and every 8 incidents (8X) afterward until the limit is reached and disqualification occurs. More details are available on the iRacing Forum post here.
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ABOUT BRANDS HATCH CIRCUIT
Challenging. Picturesque. Spectator-friendly. Those are the words most commonly associated with Brands Hatch, a former home of the British Grand Prix and a favorite of race drivers and fans alike.
Situated some 30 miles southeast of London, Brands Hatch was the scene of motorcycle events in the 1920s on a three quarter mile dirt track carved out of a forested bowl that continues to be a distinguishing feature of the facility. Following World War II the oval was paved and modified to include the Druids Bend hairpin. With the construction of permanent pit facilities, Brands Hatch became one of England’s major motorsports venues. The facility was further enhanced in 1959 with the addition of more than a mile of track that brought the full circuit to 2.3 miles in length, with the original track serving as the nucleus for today’s club course known as the “Indy Circuit.”
Both circuits are renowned for their demanding layouts and dramatic elevation changes, exemplified by the turn known as Paddock Hill Bend. Approached along the curving pit straightaway, “Paddock” features a blind, uphill approach to an off-camber apex beyond the crest of the hill. Next, the road plunges downhill then climbs abruptly to Druids Bend before diving down through Graham Hill Bend to Cooper Straight . . . and that’s just the first half mile.
Brands Hatch hosted its first major international race in 1960, when Jack Brabham won the non-championship Silver City Trophy Formula One race, and was selected as the site of the British Grand Prix four years later. Subsequently, Brands Hatch alternated with Silverstone as the home of the British Grand Prix, producing many noteworthy winners from Jim Clark to Niki Lauda and Alan Jones. The track was the site of Nigel Mansell’s first F1 win as well as the most recent win by an F1 privateer, when Jo Siffert drove Rob Walker Racing’s Lotus/Ford to victory in 1968.
Although safety concerns saw the British GP move to Silverstone in 1987, Brands Hatch continues to host leading international and national events including the British Touring Car, Formula 3 and Superbike Championships as well the Formula Ford Festival which has served as a springboard for the likes of Derek Daly, Mark Webber and Jenson Button.
Brands Hatch has also hosted Indy car races on two occasions, indeed the 1.2 mile club track’s official name is the Indy circuit. Rick Mears won a USAC-sanctioned race there in 1978 while Sebastien Bourdais claimed the first of his 31 Champ Car wins on the Indy Circuit 25 years later.
To learn more about the event and join in on the discussion, visit our Special Events page and head over to the iRacing Forums.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit iRacing.com.
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