January 29, 2009
Pat Iannucci: First Car Race, First Win; iRacing Helps Kart Star to Daytona Koni Sports Car Challenge Victory
Story courtesy of: iRacing.com
Pat in victory lane (Photo courtesy of Grand-Am)
"I became a member of iRacing a couple weeks before the Daytona race so I was able to put in a lot of laps there," Iannucci said following the race. "It definitely helped me learn the track."
Iannucci's not a stranger to racing or to succeeding behind the wheel. In 2005, his first year racing karts at a national level, he was selected one of the Skip Barber Racing School's "Sweet 16" kart racers, and had the opportunity to do some laps in a Skip Barber Formula 2000 open-wheel car. But Daytona marked Iannucci's first experience with wheel-to-wheel competition in the automotive arena.
The word's out, particularly among young drivers on their way up, that time spent with the iRacing service helps make the most of precious real-world track time, and in that way can accelerate a career. Finishing sixth in the ST class at Daytona was 2008 Volkswagen Jetta TDI champion Josh Hurley, an iRacing member who made regular use of the service in preparing for races during his championship-winning campaign.
Second-place in the Grand Sport class at Daytona's Koni race was Ford Mustang driver Jack Roush Jr., a regular front-runner in the series and an iRacing member who served as a volunteer alpha and beta tester during development of the simulation. Altogether, between the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Koni Sports Car Challenge, 30 drivers who competed in the Rolex 24 weekend are iRacing veterans.
"It's a pleasure to see so many iRacing members competing successfully in the real world," said Scott McKee, iRacing's vice president of marketing. "And it's just as gratifying to see how much our members enjoy all of the race series we organize in the virtual world. It's all about the thrill and fun of competition."
McKee also noted that two other iRacing members have recently made news with their on-track success. Court Vernon, 16, and Sage Karam, 13, took top honors at the 12th annual Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shoot-out at Sebring International Raceway.
"We congratulate Court and Sage on having won entries in the 2009 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda series," McKee said. "The further good news is that the Skip Barber Formula 2000 they'll be racing this year is part of the iRacing inventory, as are most of the tracks where they'll be competing."
What's next for Daytona winner Iannucci? He plans to continue racing karts for the time being, and he'll race the Cobalt again with teammate Aschenbach in the Koni Sports Car Challenge race at the Homestead Miami Speedway, March 12-15, where the ST class has its own separate race.
"I'm new to the car scene and have not been to many tracks yet," Iannucci said. "iRacing is going help me out a great deal this year learning tracks so I don't have to waste the limited practice time on race weekends trying to find my way."
With nearly two months to practice in the simulator, Iannucci should know Homestead Miami Speedway like the back of his hand before he drives through the tunnel on March 12.
About iRacing.com
iRacing.com was founded in September of 2004 by Dave Kaemmer and John Henry. Kaemmer was co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, developers of award-winning racing simulations including NASCAR Racing: 2003 Season and Grand Prix Legends. Henry is principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group – the co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing – as well as an avid simracer. The iRacing team combines more than 100 years of real-world racing experience with more than 50 years of successful racing simulation development. The company has developed numerous corporate relationships in the motorsport industry, including agreements to develop track simulations with International Speedway Corporation, Speedway Motorsports, and Panoz Motor Sports Group and vehicles with General Motors, Riley Technologies, Radical Sportscars, and 600 Racing. iRacing is the official simulation partner of the Star Mazda Championship and the Skip Barber Racing School.