iRacing RallyCross World Championship Returns For 2021!

Just 12 months ago, the title fight in the 2020 iRacing RallyCross World Championship Presented by Yokohama came down to the final round in Wine Country at the virtual Sonoma Raceway. In a 2 way battle between the Team Yokohama teammates, Yohann Harth came out on top to be crowned the 3rd iRacing RallyCross Champion in as many seasons. Now just weeks away from Harth’s title defense kicking off at Daytona International Speedway, simracers from across the globe are squaring up to stake their own claim to be called a World Champion and to take their share of $25,000.

Team Yokohama’s Yohann Harth - the 2020 iRacing RallyCross World Champion (Credit: Apex Racing Team/Groove Media)

Heading into the 2021 campaign, there have been several major changes to the series that should excite fans on the iRacing Service. After the success of the iRX All-Star Invitational presented by Yokohama, the series has returned to a weekday slot for the first time since the inaugural World Championship season with races taking place on Wednesdays. With All-Star competition set to precede the World Championship events, the series broadcasts will begin at 4pm ET with drivers from full metal motorsport mixing it up on the virtual dirt before handing over to simracings best. Additionally, for the first time in series history the World Championship will feature 9 unique venues spanning America and Europe. Gone are the days of multiple visits to the same track and each week will present drivers with unique challenges to overcome, forcing them to adapt week by week.

Adding to the list of series firsts was a dedicated Qualification Series. With just one race per week over the course of 7 weeks, the pressure was on to deliver. With 10 driver’s locked in from the 2020 World Championship, 18 slots were guaranteed but drivers on the bubble knew not to give up hope. That determination was rewarded with 3 driver’s electing not to accept their guaranteed entries, with inaugural series champion Mitchell deJong headlining a list that also included Subaru Motorsports USA and VRS Coanda Simsport teammate Bobby Zalenski. Ilari Lamminsivu, race winner on his World Championship debut at Hell-Lånkebanen who competed for CR22 Motorsports in 2020, will not be competing in 2021, putting a halt to his promising run that included a 2nd podium at the Iowa Speedway resulting in 8th in his series debut. In the case of both deJong and Zalenski, eNASCAR Coca-Cola Series responsibilities take priority this fall with both drivers in the playoffs - Zalenski has already locked himself into the Final 4 by fending off deJong in the playoff opener at Darlington Speedway. Zalenski is also competing in the Porsche Tag Heuer Supercup Contender Series as he looks to return to the top level of road racing on the iRacing Service.

After 7 intense weeks, 21 drivers found themselves the recipients of World Championship licenses. SET Esports driver Killian Dall’Olmo (15th in 2020) regained his World Championship spot by topping the qualifying series with a consistent season, but it was the run from Apex Racing Team’s Kevin Ellis Jr that impressed the most as he came home 2nd in the qualifying series. With no prior iRX experience before featuring in the iRX All-Star Invitational earlier in 2021, Ellis Jr was undoubtedly aided by his teammates at Apex Racing in getting up to speed in slinging the virtual dirt with both Yohann Harth and Jon Robertson proving to be great teachers. Ellis Jr, a winner in the 2020 Porsche Tag Heuer Esports Supercup, joins a select group of driver's to compete in World Championships in multiple disciplines on the iRacing Service. Of the 21 qualified drivers, 10 have previous iRX World Championship experience leaving a rookie class of 11 drivers. While some of these driver’s are new to World Championship competition, many of the rookies were featured in the 2021 iRX All-Star Invitational - how will they fare with the stakes raised on the Road to $25,000?

Just one of the returning drivers has a victory - Otto Taskinen who visited victory lane at Lucas Oil Raceway in 2019 while representing UI1-Positive SimRacing but alongside the likes of Beau Albert, Vicente Salas & Rasmus Tuominen, the 10 drivers bring a total of 85 iRX appearances - plenty of experience shared amongst them. Of particular interest is the Canadian Alex Bergeron, the 3-time iRacing World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champion. Bergeron made 2 appearances in the Loenbro Motorsports Ford Fiesta in 2020, but with plenty of experience dirt racing on the iRacing service, could Bergeron be the first driver to win iRacing World Championships in multiple disciplines?

Alex Bergeron has mastered one discpline on the iRacing Service, can he do it again this fall? (Credit: Justin Prince)

Then there are the 7 drivers that were locked in after their consistent performances in the 2020 World Championship. Headlining these drivers is of course the Apex Racing Team & Team Yokohama teammates Yohann Harth & Jon Robertson. The two pushed each other all the way to the season finale, but after Robertson failed to reach the final feature race of the campaign, the Frenchman Harth delivered a 4th place finish to seal the title by 3 points. Consistency propelled both to the championship hunt, but Tommi Hallman & Jonne Ollikainen showed their pace for SET Esports with 2 victories a piece. For both drivers, that pace mixed in with added consistency might make them title favorites in 2021. The three other returning drivers are Josh Fox (Hansen Williams Esports), Jake Robertson (Apex Racing Team & Ed Carpenter Racing) & Garrett Manes (Elliot Sadler Esports & Dreyer & Reinbold Racing) who all look to build off solid 2020 campaigns to rise up the championship standings.

With 9 unique venues set to play host to the iRacing RallyCross World Championship and 3 brand new tracks added to the iRacing roster over the past 12 month, the 2021 World Championship will present new challenges to both series veterans and rookies. The series will begin with a three week swing in the USA, seeing trips to Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway. Round 4 sees the first of the new tracks as the series travels across the pond to Brands Hatch Circuit after it debuted during the iRX All-Star Invitational. Rounds 5 & 6 see the series remain in Europe, first heading to sunny Spain and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya before finishing the European Tour at Hell-Lånkebanen which featured twice in 2020. Returning States-Side, the championship will finish with trips to Phoenix Raceway, Sonoma Raceway (home of the 2020 series finale) before heading to America's Home for Racing and the final new track on the schedule, the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the series finale.

For the first time in series history, each round of the series will head to a unique iRX venue on the iRacing service.

With the drivers and tracks confirmed, the final thing to finalize before the series gets underway is the teams. New for 2020 was a franchise system that saw the likes of Andretti Autosport & Subaru Motorsports USA join the World Championship series and with new franchises expected to join the mix, who will be the hottest signature in the free agency period? A special pre-season preview of the 2021 iRacing RallyCross World Championship will air on iRacing Live on Monday September 20th, with the teams and their signings to be revealed in the build up to the season opener from the virtual Daytona International Speedway.

Coverage of the 2021 iRacing RallyCross World Championship will begin on September 22nd across on iRacing Live with coverage provided by RaceSpot TV. Make sure to join in at 4pm ET as we get going once more for the one form of motorsport in which contact is not only encouraged, it’s a way of life!

28 drivers are locked and loaded with just one goal in mind - the right to be called a World Champion