| March 19, 2020 Staff Report IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – You’re used to seeing them battling it out in multi-class, multi-driver IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races. Here’s your chance to see them battle it out for 90 consecutive minutes on iRacing with no driver changes and only one winner. IMSA champions and race winners have begun lining up for Saturday’s IMSA Sebring SuperSaturday on iRacing. The 90-minute race starts at 2:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, March 21, as part of an afternoon and evening of activities on a variety of platforms. The race will be streamed live on the iRacing eSports Network on YouTube and iRacing’s Twitch channel, with pre- and post-race activities from the Torque Show on Facebook Live. Drivers will be pitted against each other in their choice of four recent WeatherTech Championship GT Le Mans (GTLM) race cars – the Porsche 911 RSR, the BMW M8 GTE, the Ford GT and the Ferrari 488 GTE. One of the first drivers to commit to the iRacing event was two-time WeatherTech Championship Prototype champion Joao Barbosa. The Portuguese racer is trading his “real-world” No. 5 Mustang Sampling/JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R for a Ferrari 488 GTE in Saturday’s race. “I’m planning to participate in the event,” Barbosa said. “Tough times ahead for everyone involved, for sure, but we all need to do our part to ensure that we go through this period the best way possible. “It’s great to keep in touch with the racing community through iRacing. That’s as close as it will get for us in the next couple months. It will be fun, but our competitive spirit is always high. It’s great to keep us racing sharp and at the same time have fun and help to spend time at home.” Robby Foley – a two-time WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona (GTD) race-winner in 2019 – is another driver who jumped at the chance to join the online race. The full-time driver of the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 will be using a BMW M8 GTE on Saturday. “I’m really excited to participate in this weekend’s IMSA Sebring SuperSaturday,” Foley said. “I’ve been playing a lot of iRacing with all this downtime. I think this is a great way to bring the IMSA community together and have a fun race in the spirit of the Sebring 12 hour. “eSports is growing rapidly and to have a chance to put on a race virtually for the IMSA fanbase is exciting. I’m glad to be a part of the first one and I look forward to seeing the evolution of this concept. Thanks to IMSA, iRacing and all else involved for organizing. Look out for a Turner Motorsport BMW M8 GTE!” Canadian teenager Roman De Angelis – a rookie in the 2020 WeatherTech Championship GTD class in the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 – also is gearing up for Saturday’s race. The 2019 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA and Canada by Yokohama champion is heading back to a Porsche this weekend – a 911 RSR. “I think the fact that IMSA is taking the initiative to keep not only us drivers, but fans and others, busy through these crazy times is pretty cool,” De Angelis said. “Most drivers can tell you that once you are in the ‘zone’ for sim racing, similar feelings apply to when you’re racing normally. So, to not only keep us out of boredom, but keep us sharp and have a bit of fun on the way is awesome!” More drivers for the IMSA Sebring SuperSaturday on iRacing – and a complete entry list – will be revealed soon. IMSA Sebring SuperSaturday Schedule/Platform (All Times ET) 1:30-2:30 p.m. – The Torque Show iRacing Pre-Race Show – Facebook Live 2:30-4 p.m. – IMSA Sebring SuperSaturday on iRacing – iRacing eSports Network on YouTube, Twitch 4 p.m. – The Torque Show – iRacing Post-Race Show – Facebook Live 7:30 p.m. – The Torque Show – NBCSN Preview 8 p.m. – 2019 Twelve Hours of Sebring Highlight Show – NBCSN Join the conversation before, during and after the event through the hashtag #IMSASuperSaturday. |
