Many associate racing in the United States with ovals, which is no surprise considering the weight the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500 carry for IndyCar and NASCAR, respectively. However, the country has some of the best road courses in the world - but one that is rarely mentioned in this discussion is Virginia International Raceway.
While street circuits are popular in the US, the permanent road tracks in the States are nothing to scoff at, either: Road America, Road Atlanta or Mid-Ohio are just a few examples of undulating, flowing circuits with a certain old-school charm to them. Others, like Riverside in California, have been lost to redevelopment of the land they were once located on. Such a fate was avoided for VIR - and that is a good thing.
Located just north of the border to North Carolina, VIR was first opened in 1957 and quickly became a staple in US road racing, hosting the SCCA National Sports Car Championship from 1957 to 1964, and the IMSA GT Championship in 1971 and 1972. The 3.27-mile (5.26 km) course was fast and flowing, winding its way through the elevation changes of the land it was built on. It had one flaw that would prove almost fatal, however - and that was its location.
The United States' southeast was and still is stock car racing country, and as a result, VIR could not consistently draw enough spectators. The oil crisis of 1973 and 1974 did not help operations at the track either, and the facility closed at the end of the 1974 season. After that, the circuit lay dormant for almost 26 years.
Sim racers likely know the track from iRacing, where a rescanned and updated version has been added to the pool of free content in late 2022. Automobilista 2 also features the track within its stock content, plus as part of the Reiza Pack for rFactor 2 and a mod version for Assetto Corsa, making it possible for sim racers to experience the track for themselves.
VIR's Full Course layout is still the same as it was when the track opened in 1957. Image credit: racingcircuits.info
It is a wild ride, though: The main straight (which is not entirely straight) leads into a tricky braking zone for turn 1, known as the Horseshoe, and exiting the first sector, the Snake and the esses leading to South Bend are thrilling in any car. One of the track's signature corners has unfortunately lost its trademark - Oak Tree used to have a namesake tree right inside the apex, with its branches even hanging over the circuit, but a storm knocked it over in 2013.
While the characteristic tree may be gone, this does not detract from the hair-raising time sim racers can have when driving the circuit, especially in cars with plenty of power at their disposal. Be careful, though: Run-off may be plentiful in many places, but it consists almost exclusively of grass, making off-track excursions rather treacherous - especially in the rain.
Sparse, but green: VIR has that old-school feel, just like many of the top road racing circuits in the US. Image credit: iRacing
While street circuits are popular in the US, the permanent road tracks in the States are nothing to scoff at, either: Road America, Road Atlanta or Mid-Ohio are just a few examples of undulating, flowing circuits with a certain old-school charm to them. Others, like Riverside in California, have been lost to redevelopment of the land they were once located on. Such a fate was avoided for VIR - and that is a good thing.
Located just north of the border to North Carolina, VIR was first opened in 1957 and quickly became a staple in US road racing, hosting the SCCA National Sports Car Championship from 1957 to 1964, and the IMSA GT Championship in 1971 and 1972. The 3.27-mile (5.26 km) course was fast and flowing, winding its way through the elevation changes of the land it was built on. It had one flaw that would prove almost fatal, however - and that was its location.
The United States' southeast was and still is stock car racing country, and as a result, VIR could not consistently draw enough spectators. The oil crisis of 1973 and 1974 did not help operations at the track either, and the facility closed at the end of the 1974 season. After that, the circuit lay dormant for almost 26 years.
VIR Returns
The new millenium meant new life for VIR, though: Investors had bought the circuit and intended to turn it into a club racing track, leading to renovations and even the addition of new track configurations, raising the number of layouts from one to three - later, three more would be added. IMSA returned to VIR in 2014 with a GT-only race and has come back each year since.Sim racers likely know the track from iRacing, where a rescanned and updated version has been added to the pool of free content in late 2022. Automobilista 2 also features the track within its stock content, plus as part of the Reiza Pack for rFactor 2 and a mod version for Assetto Corsa, making it possible for sim racers to experience the track for themselves.
VIR's Full Course layout is still the same as it was when the track opened in 1957. Image credit: racingcircuits.info
It is a wild ride, though: The main straight (which is not entirely straight) leads into a tricky braking zone for turn 1, known as the Horseshoe, and exiting the first sector, the Snake and the esses leading to South Bend are thrilling in any car. One of the track's signature corners has unfortunately lost its trademark - Oak Tree used to have a namesake tree right inside the apex, with its branches even hanging over the circuit, but a storm knocked it over in 2013.
While the characteristic tree may be gone, this does not detract from the hair-raising time sim racers can have when driving the circuit, especially in cars with plenty of power at their disposal. Be careful, though: Run-off may be plentiful in many places, but it consists almost exclusively of grass, making off-track excursions rather treacherous - especially in the rain.
Sparse, but green: VIR has that old-school feel, just like many of the top road racing circuits in the US. Image credit: iRacing
