IndyCar and iRacing have agreed a reunion deal which will see the series’ cars return to the hugely popular simracing platform in the coming days.
The iRacing Indianapolis 500, based on the series’ annual blue riband race, will also be restored to iRacing’s roster of special events and the circuit’s licence to appear in the game has been extended.
All IndyCar material was removed from iRacing at the end of 2022 when the previous deal between the two expired. IndyCar had agreed terms for Motorsport Games to produce a title based on its series.
However last November Motorsport Games confirmed it had ceased work on an official IndyCar title. The contract between the two was subsequently severed.
IndyCar is one of several series which selected Motorsport Games to produce an officially licensed simracing title. The British Touring Car Championship also withdrew its license from the company, while Motorsport Games sold its NASCAR licence to iRacing.
“The IndyCar series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are racing properties that need to be included in iRacing,” said iRacing president Tony Gardner. “There is no better way for fans to experience simracing than on iRacing, and whether it’s the IndyCar series’ Indy 500, NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 or IMSA’s Battle on the Bricks, there is nothing like racing at Indianapolis. I am so pleased to be able to bring these events back to the iRacing community.”
The iRacing platform was used to host a virtual IndyCar racing series during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which the majority of IndyCar’s drivers participated in. McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris, a long-time iRacing enthusiast, also entered the series, winning one race on the Circuit of the Americas.
IndyCar’s senior manager for esports and emerging virtual experiences, Ben Hendricks, said the championship is “very excited that our most avid gamers and fans will have full access to the IndyCar series through this licensing agreement with iRacing.
“They are long-time partners, and we look forward to official IndyCar series racing on iRacing for many years to come.”
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