A tweet by a reporter for Sports Business Journal claiming IndyCar is negotiating a fresh deal with iRacing has made the rounds after getting retweeted by iRacing themselves!
Image credit: iRacing.com
Remember this time last year? The iRacing oval racing community was understandably upset after it was announced that the Indy 500 Special Event would vanish from the schedule. IndyCar had an exclusivity deal in place with Motorsport Games, which promised a standalone licenced title for PC and console.
But that failed to materialise, with MSG’s ongoing troubles leading to IndyCar ending the agreement. So now there is no exclusivity agreement in place, IndyCar is reportedly in negotiations for a return to iRacing. As a result, we could see the Indy 500 Special Event back on the service!
But just because the schedule is public already does not mean events cannot join the line-up. Three weeks before this year’s event, iRacing announced the addition of the Formula Ford Festival. So assuming a deal is struck with IndyCar, the Indy 500 could return to the Special Events schedule as early as this coming May.
In past years, iRacing would host two sets of Indy 500 events in the two weeks preceding the real life race. The first week featured a fixed setup event and the week following that would be the event for open setups.
If the Indy 500 returns to iRacing, expect the Fixed Indy 500 Special Event from 10-12 May, and the open setup Indy 500 from 17-19 May. Looking to previous runnings, players will need a Class C licence on ovals to compete. Likely timeslots would be Friday 22:00 GMT and Saturday at 7:00, 12:00 and 16:00 GMT.
But there is another American-based series formerly under the MSG umbrella now under iRacing‘s control. To also offset losses, MSG sold the NASCAR licence directly to iRacing who soon after announced that it would be developing a standalone NASCAR game for PC and console.
So could this new iRacing and IndyCar deal also include a dedicated IndyCar game for PC and console? It would certainly be the best of both worlds. Having IndyCar on both iRacing and this hypothetical standalone title.
Any potential deal is not official yet. Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern claims in his original tweet that should it come to fruition, an announcement will come early next year.
What do you make of the potential IndyCar and iRacing partnership? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
Image credit: iRacing.com
Remember this time last year? The iRacing oval racing community was understandably upset after it was announced that the Indy 500 Special Event would vanish from the schedule. IndyCar had an exclusivity deal in place with Motorsport Games, which promised a standalone licenced title for PC and console.
But that failed to materialise, with MSG’s ongoing troubles leading to IndyCar ending the agreement. So now there is no exclusivity agreement in place, IndyCar is reportedly in negotiations for a return to iRacing. As a result, we could see the Indy 500 Special Event back on the service!
The tweet that iRacing themselves have retweeted, lending a lot of credibility to the claim. Image credit: @A_S12 on Twitter
Indy 500 iRacing Return?
iRacing has already announced its 2024 Special Events schedule, with endurance favourites like the 24 hours of Daytona, Nürburgring and Spa and the 12 hours of Bathurst and Sebring. But also a few oval events, namely the Daytona 500, Coke 600 and Brickyard 400.But just because the schedule is public already does not mean events cannot join the line-up. Three weeks before this year’s event, iRacing announced the addition of the Formula Ford Festival. So assuming a deal is struck with IndyCar, the Indy 500 could return to the Special Events schedule as early as this coming May.
In past years, iRacing would host two sets of Indy 500 events in the two weeks preceding the real life race. The first week featured a fixed setup event and the week following that would be the event for open setups.
If the Indy 500 returns to iRacing, expect the Fixed Indy 500 Special Event from 10-12 May, and the open setup Indy 500 from 17-19 May. Looking to previous runnings, players will need a Class C licence on ovals to compete. Likely timeslots would be Friday 22:00 GMT and Saturday at 7:00, 12:00 and 16:00 GMT.
iRacing IndyCar Game?
For those out there who were looking forward to a standalone IndyCar game, you could still end up getting it. The one under development by the KartKraft devs as part of Motorsport Games Australia is pretty much dead, with MSG closing that division.But there is another American-based series formerly under the MSG umbrella now under iRacing‘s control. To also offset losses, MSG sold the NASCAR licence directly to iRacing who soon after announced that it would be developing a standalone NASCAR game for PC and console.
So could this new iRacing and IndyCar deal also include a dedicated IndyCar game for PC and console? It would certainly be the best of both worlds. Having IndyCar on both iRacing and this hypothetical standalone title.
Any potential deal is not official yet. Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern claims in his original tweet that should it come to fruition, an announcement will come early next year.
What do you make of the potential IndyCar and iRacing partnership? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
