Images via Justin Melillo
In a standoff with SET Esports’ Jonne Ollikainen, it was Subaru Motorsports USA’s Jon Robertson who would make good on last year’s stellar form by locking up the 2021 iRacing Rallycross World Championship presented by Yokohama in the Yokohama iRX Season Finale at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Robertson would cross the line third in the feature, as Elliott Sadler eSports’ Vicente Salas scored the first win of his iRX career by leading every lap, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rookie Kevin Ellis Jr. followed him across the line in second.
With Ellis making his way around him for the win in Heat 1, Ollikainen would have to battle from the fifth spot on the grid, having to face off with not only Robertson but also his teammate, defending iRX champion Yohann Harth. That battle ended with Harth spinning off in the dirt in the early stages of the race. Ollikainen would keep fighting, but would end up finishing fourth to at least lock up second place in the standings. Tommi Hallman completed the top five, and at third in points, locked up the teams’ championship for SET.
Yokohama Pole Award: Ollikainen’s hopes of taking the title were first bolstered by winning his second Yokohama Pole Award of the season and first since Daytona. Robertson locked up the season-long award with five poles on the year.
DirtFish Rookie of the Year: Ellis Jr.’s second place finish enabled him to lock up the 2021 DirtFish Rookie of the Year Award as the top rookie finisher in series standings. He will receive a complimentary Three Day course from DirtFish, the Official Rallying School of iRacing Rallycross. To sign up and get behind the wheel yourself, visit drive.dirtfish.com.
Most Improved Driver: With 14 positions gained in the standings from 2020, Salas won the Most Improved Driver award for 2021. His season ended at sixth in the championship with 116 points, a win, and five top-five finishes.
Hard Charger Award: With 54 positions gained on the season, Loenbro Motorsports’ Tommi Nukarinen and Team Yokohama’s Thomas Wangen tied atop the Hard Charger standings; both drivers had a best race of +14, so Nukarinen’s second-best score, a +12, broke the tie.
iRX All-Star Invitational: The iRX All-Star Invitational crowned an eighth different winner in nine races in its final round, as Logitech G Altus Esports team leader Simon Feigl brought the special #NoSocialHate livery to victory in the season finale. Feigl led Best in the Desert driver Luke Knupp and Team Fordzilla’s Pablo “GoProLopez” Lopez across the line, in a result that turned out to ultimately decide the series’ informal championship. Knupp scored 90 points in his best five starts to Lopez’s 89, with ARCA Menards Series driver and eNASCAR hopeful Parker Retzlaff third with 84.
This year’s All-Star races also welcomed real-world drivers from the all three of NASCAR’s national touring series, plus the NTT IndyCar Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, and Nitro Rallycross. Top sim racers crossing over into rallycross for the first time included standouts from the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup, Cash Converters Supercars eSeries, and many of the most popular iRacing streamers on Twitch.
iRX World Championship presented by Yokohama feature results from Charlotte Motor Speedway were as follows:
Fin. |
St. |
No. |
Name |
Manufacturer |
Laps |
Interval |
Led |
Best |
Pts |
| 1 | 2 | 55 | Vicente Salas | Subaru | 10 | 10 | 41.456 | 28 | |
| 2 | 1 | 30 | Kevin Ellis Jr | Subaru | 10 | -0.627 | 0 | 41.575 | 22 |
| 3 | 4 | 86 | Jon Robertson | Subaru | 10 | -2.179 | 0 | 41.661 | 21 |
| 4 | 5 | 44 | Jonne Ollikainen | Subaru | 10 | -3.836 | 0 | 41.562 | 21 |
| 5 | 7 | 87 | Tommi Hallman | Subaru | 10 | -5.379 | 0 | 41.765 | 17 |
| 6 | 8 | 52 | Jarno Leskinen | Subaru | 10 | -9.442 | 0 | 42.030 | 12 |
| 7 | 3 | 90 | Yohann Harth | Subaru | 10 | -10.235 | 0 | 41.988 | 12 |
| 8 | 6 | 45 | Jake Robertson | Subaru | 10 | -11.689 | 0 | 41.985 | 10 |
| 9 | 10 | 18 | Killian Dallolmo | Subaru | 10 | -12.154 | 0 | 41.749 | 9 |
| 10 | 9 | 06 | Beau Albert | Subaru | 2 | -8 L | 0 | 7 |
iRX World Championship presented by Yokohama final driver standings are as follows:
- Jon Robertson, 201
- Jonne Ollikainen, 195
- Tommi Hallman, 179
- Yohann Harth, 132
- Kevin Ellis Jr., 121
- Vicente Salas, 116
- Killian Dall’olmo, 96
- Jarno Leskinen, 89
- Jakob Rafoss, 69
- Jake Robertson, 68
iRX World Championship presented by Yokohama final team standings are as follows:
- SET Esports, 374
- Subaru Motorsports USA, 333
- Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 189
- Elliott Sadler eSports, 163
- SET Esports Team GRX, 152
- Hansen Williams Esports, 144
- Logitech G Altus Esports, 103
- Vermont SportsCar, 100
- Jim Beaver eSports, 91
- Nitro Circus, 91
Click here for full driver and team standings.
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