Formula 3 Tag

T1 Club – Introducing Club Racing for Formula Cars.

Introducing club racing days, a new high-frequency race option for T1 club members driving open-wheel Formula cars. You can now request a race ON ANY T1 CLUB DAY!     

Is this for me?

Maybe you’ve been thinking about competing in the Simraceway Series but aren’t sure whether you’re ready? Or maybe you’re an existing racer who wants to drive competitively more frequently? Perhaps you’re already campaigning a professional program and want as much training and practice as you can get? If so, then YES, club races are for you.  T1 Club will offer these informal club races on any T1 weekday that 4 or more members request to race.  

What Are Club Racing Days?

Club Racing is a new opportunity for the T1 Club at Simraceway. This is a fresh new racing-oriented way for you to take advantage of your membership and give you the additional experience you need to find out if racing in a more formal series is right for you. We think you’ll love the fun, flexibility, freedom, and opportunity to develop racing experience in a welcoming environment with expert coaching that accompanies all T1 days. This new club racing program is currently open to Formula 3, Formula 4 and Formula Pro Mazda drivers. If successful as an offering, we will expand it to other classes and types of vehicles. 

This is an informal weekday racing program that doesn’t have the points, prestige, pressure or pricing of our main championship series. We encourage you to organize your own races with other T1 Club drivers. A minimum of four drivers are required. 

You can book informal club races with other T1 Club Formula car drivers on any one of the T1 days through the summer. All you need is three other drivers in order to schedule a race.

How Do I arrange a T1 Club Race?

We strongly encourage self organization, so please feel free to get your own group of racers together for a given date. We can book the race with as little as 72hrs notice (assuming your vehicle is prepped and ready to race) and subject to ALS availability. Though we recommend at least a week’s notice.  

Whether you’re a Formula 3, Formula 4  or a Pro Mazda driver, you can have an amazing time and gain experience competing on the track with fellow T1 club drivers without the pressure of a formal weekend of qualifying and racing. If you have a group of four or more, put your heads together, pick a date, and email or call us to make final arrangements. If you have three drivers, please contact us. We may have ideas for another driver who could make up the field for your race.

Costs?

Whilst your T1 days are included in your membership, there is a small surcharge for us to operate the race:  $495 per driver. This covers ALS and corner workers. Please be aware, this does not include timed scoring or data analysis. Though those are available through the addition of a private coach to the day. Consumables, support and coaching are charged in the normal manner.

Latest F3 customer livery design completed

The latest Tim Holmes Design Simraceway livery is ready for the upcoming racing season. This livery, created for the owner of Santa Cruz Bicycles , embodies the aesthetics of the SRW Lola F3 and enhances it with Santa Cruz style to dramatic effect. To see this new livery in person check out the upcoming F3 races in Simraceway Series!

Find upcoming races on the Simraceway events calendar!

2015 Simraceway F3 Summer Series – Race 2

Another day, another race in the battle for the Simraceway Championship crown!

Building on his great run to the top of the podium in race 1, Peter Ludwig secured his first pole position of the 14-race season with an impressive series of only three timed laps, leaving the rest of the field to try and chase down his benchmark time.

Brian Frank came closest, but still fell 0.17 seconds shy, meaning he would line up on the outside of row 1. Next up was Doug Tuttle, John Jastremski, and John Schauerman, with Argentine Roy Block’s improved pace seeing him in P6. Another driver showing great progress was Russian driver Anatoly Pogorelov, who lined up in 8th.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and finishing positions.

2015 Simraceway F3 Summer Series – Race 1

The sun shone as the clock ticked down to the first race of the newly-renamed 2015 Simraceway F3 Summer Series, with a full field of old and new competitors looking to make some early gains for the run to the Simraceway Championship.

Qualifying saw former race winner John Jastremski on pole, with experienced new boy Peter Ludwig showing some fantastic pace to line up alongside him at the front of the grid. On the second row, 2014-15 Winter Series champ Brian Frank claimed the inside with John “don’t squeeze” Schauerman outside him.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and finishing positions.

The Simraceway F3 Summer Series is Back, Bigger and Better

After a brief break from racing following the climax of the inaugural F3 Winter Series, April 18 sees the newly-renamed Simraceway F3 Summer Series get under way. What’s more, the prestigious event, reintroduced last year after a long hiatus, will feature more races and visit more tracks than ever before.

After the successful expansion of the Winter Series to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, this summer’s championship will be revisiting the storied Monterey circuit for two rounds in May, as well as taking two races to Southern California’s Buttonwillow Raceway Park in July. With our home base of Sonoma Raceway retaining its allocation of ten events, that adds up to  a total of 14 rounds–four more than last summer’s series–for the contestants to look forward to.

But how will it all go down this time around? Will the “Texan Tornado” Chase Murray, beaten to the Winter Series drivers’ title on the last weekend of the season, get back to winning ways and retain his Summer Series crown? Will the ever-consistent Brian Frank need to make even more room on his mantelpiece after beating Murray to the Winter title? Or will another of the series’ full field of drivers push themselves into the limelight?

We’re looking forward to watching the six month-long battle, with the first shots fired at Sonoma Raceway on April 18. Stay tuned to follow the series’ progress.

Click here to find out more about the 2015 Simraceway F3 Summer Series.

Watch: Racing at Laguna Seca Rocks!

When asked to consider the many challenges laid down by the 11-turn Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, most racers would immediately point to the infamous Corkscrew.

For GoPro cameras strapped to the cockpits of our super-advanced Lola SRW Formula 3 cars, however, it appears every yard of the 2.24-mile circuit is fraught with danger. View the action below to find out how one particular GoPro case met its end.

Rest in pieces, old friend!

Watch: Jim Russell F3 Winter Series Action

With the Jim Russell F3 Series action taking a break until April, here’s a look back at one of the most entertaining battles from the 2014-15 Winter Series.

After two of Race 2’s top three qualifiers spun off the track on the first lap at Sonoma Raceway, their chances of winning the race were all-but-over. However it didn’t stop them giving it a damn good try. Read an extract from the Race 2 report below, or watch the video as Simraceway‘s Liam Jenkins take you through the action.

“The eminently watchable recovery runs of Jastremski and Frank would add yet more sparkle to an engrossing race. In the end, Jastremski was able to reel the pack in, finishing a creditable tenth. Frank, meanwhile, pulled off the “pass of the weekend” as he closed on the dog-fighting Roy Block and Jim McGuire into turn 9. McGuire had Block all set up for a pass but as both were pinching on the right-side of the road, the charging Frank saw a gap on the outside. After passing McGuire, he made a move on Block as they turned in for the tight chicane. The pass didn’t materialize, however, and despite coming out of the chicane with good momentum, two further stabs at the Argentinean saw Frank come up just short on the finish line.“

Read the full report.

Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway – Race 6

Round 6—the final race of the Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway—saw Kevin Woods claim his second pole position on the trot.With fellow front-runner Chase Murray unable to attend the second race of the weekend, top Championship contender Brian Frank got to see an open track ahead for the green flag in P2.

The battle for third on the grid was very close. Third spot was changing hands every lap with six different drivers in the frame. Ultimately Pat Daly put together a great session and threw down a 1:27.272 on lap 9 of qualifying—his fastest of the weekend. John Schauerman finished fourth with a time of 1:27.449, while Gus Doppes (1:27.661) would start fifth, Bill Sheilds (1:27.788) sixth, Jim McGuire (1:27.816) seventh and Doug Tuttle (1:28.229) in eighth.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.

Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway – Race 5

The final two rounds of the Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway were greeted by more beautiful weather in Monterrey. Many lessons had been learned since the previous month’s visit to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the multitude of upgrades developed by the Simraceway technical staff, allied with the drivers’ increased familiarity with the famous old track, brought a significant drop in times from January’s rounds.

Lining up in first place was Kevin Woods, whose mighty effort in the Lola SRW F3 saw him post a time of 1:24.128—a new lap record for the car by a margin of over 3.5 seconds! Alongside him at the front of the grid was Championship leader and winner of the previous two rounds held at Laguna Seca, Chase Murray. The next six drivers qualified within a second of each other, with Brian Frank—a strong finisher in the last round—inside row two.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.

Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway – Race 3

The third race in the Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway saw a very different landscape as this was the inaugural “away” race for the Lola F3 cars and the first in many years for a Jim Russell Championship. A glorious weekend greeted racers and Simraceway crew alike at the world famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. From Zanardi to Andretti Laguna Seca and it’s infamous corkscrew has been a haven for many an epic open wheel battle and now the Jim Russell F3 series drivers would get a taste of it for themselves.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.

Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway – Race 2

Race 2 of the Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway saw a whole different side of mother nature as the drivers were treated to a clear and dry (well, dry-ish!) Sonoma Raceway.

Another tight qualifying battle saw the top two, John Jastremski and Chase Murray, fight it out for the entire session–both risking taking the edge of their Pirelli slicks for the race but seeing that P1 start as an important part of standing taller on the podium at the end of the day. Unfortunately an error at turn 2 late in practice meant that Roy Strandberg could not finish off his weekend, but some good strides in competitiveness will give him something positive to build from as the Winter Series continues at Laguna Seca in the New Year.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.

Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway – Race 1

When sign-ups for the Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway opened up and were sold out in three days, we knew this was going to be an exciting “off-season”–and so it was!

A new influx of drivers was met by the northern California “storm of the decade” in the week leading up to the race weekend, making it difficult to become acquainted with the Simraceway F3 Lola. The tech team was kept busy fixing a couple of missteps by the rookies but all cars were present, shiny and accounted for on the morning of race 1.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.

Lap of Champions in the Lola SRW F3

Our online simulation’s popular Hot Lap Hump Day YouTube series had a very special addition recently. Usually featuring in-game footage, this special episode took a lap with a driver from our Jim Russell F3 Series Race of Champions, held last month. Featuring the dulcet tones of our up-and-coming commentator, Liam Jenkins, the footage provides a unique perspective on what it feels like to turn a lap of Sonoma Raceway in our industry-leading Formula 3 car.

If you want to take this awesome open-wheeler through the twists and turns of Sonoma Raceway, check out our F3 courses and experiences–there’s bound to be one for you!

Race of Champions: Images from the Day

The 2014 Jim Russell F3 Racing Series “Race of Champions” took place at the weekend. Check out our Facebook page for a series of photos from what turned out to be an eventful day. And remember, you can still register for next year’s Jim Russell F3 Racing Series, for ultra-affordable open-wheel racing!

Jim Russell F3 Race of Champions

With the 2014 Jim Russell F3 Racing Series over for 2014, this weekend sees the prestigious “Race of Champions” take place around Sonoma Raceway. To stand a chance of tasting the champagne next season, find out how to register for the 2015 series by heading to our dedicated page!

IndyCar Lights Up Sonoma

The 10th GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma took place at our home track of Sonoma Raceway last weekend, with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon securing his first win at the venue since 2007, following a chaotic climax to the race. As life gets back to normal here in beautiful Wine Country, the IndyCar Series season marches on to its conclusion on Saturday at Auto Club Speedway. We wish the best of luck to all drivers.

Ever wondered how it feels to pilot an open-wheel racer? Check out our range of courses featuring our industry-leading Lola SRW F3 car, or find out about our low-cost Formula 3 series, where you can race for as little as $1,295!

Jim Russell F3 Racing Series – Race 10

It was Round 10–the curtain call for the 2014 Jim Russell F3 Racing Series–and, once again, Chase Murray starred in qualifying with Kevin Woods close behind. The rest of the field was stacked up even more tightly, with an extremely small margin from front to back.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.

Jim Russell F3 Racing Series – Race 9

Another hot, sunny Californian day greeted the penultimate round of the 2014 Jim Russell F3 Racing Series at Simraceway Performance Driving Center’s home base of Sonoma Raceway. A full grid was raring to go with arguably the fastest two drivers of the series, Kevin Woods and Chase Murray, ready to go toe-to-toe for top spot.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.

Jim Russell F3 Racing Series – Race 8

To say race 8 of the Jim Russell F3 Racing Series was exciting may be an understatement, so let’s go with barnstormer! In fact the buzz was high before the race as an extremely tight qualifying session had everyone ready for an action packed event. On the front row were Doug “Ninja” Tuttle and race debutant, and Hammer Nutrition guru, Brian Frank.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.

Jim Russell F3 Racing Series – Race 7

A little something old and new greeted Race 7 of the Jim Russell F3 Racing Series as a new group of racers were enticed to sample the best damn series on the West Coast! After an intense training session the day before, everyone was raring to go for Saturday’s race. Cooler temperatures than we’ve seen of late saw Chase Murray back on pole with a dip into the 1.38’s, followed by fellow front runner Doug Tuttle, who was hoping to get some points on the table after being taken out of the running last race weekend.

Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.