Once again in 2017, one talented iRacer will qualify for the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout. This marks the fourth consecutive year iRacing.com has sent one of its top sim racers to the annual Mazda Road to 24 Shootout, which awards a $100,000 scholarship in support of a promising young race driver’s sports car racing career.
iRacer Glenn McGee won the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout and went on to a successful rookie season in the 2016 Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup.
Among the iRacers to participate in past Shootouts was Glenn McGee, who won the competition in 2015, and went on to enjoy an outstanding rookie campaign in the 2016 Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires. McGee recently earned the “Hard Charger Award” in the opening round of this year’s Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup.
“We’re excited that an iRacer will be participating in the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout again this year,” iRacing.com marketing director Kevin Bobbitt said. “The performances by Glenn McGee and other iRacers in past Shootouts testifies to how well they are able to hone their craft on iRacing, and we’re thrilled another skilled iRacer will be able to compete against other top grassroots racers in the 2017 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout.”
“Sim racing in general and iRacing in particular is a fertile source of top young racing talent,” Mazada Motorsports director John Doonan said. “We’ve repeatedly seen the driving skills, racecraft and focus needed to succeed in the virtual racing world transfer to the real racing environment. And we’re happy that we can continue to include iRacers in Mazda’s long term investment in the sport.”
Fierce competition has long been a hallmark of the iRacing Mazda Cup Series.Â
All active iRacers who live in or can travel to the United States are eligible to compete for a spot in the 2017 Road to 24 Shootout. Those finishing in the top 20 positions in the iRacing Mazda Cup Series running, from June through September, will be invited to submit a variety of materials (including video profile, social media posts, resumes and personal references) to an iRacing committee. The committee will then select one iRacer to participate in the 2017 Road to 24 Shootout, scheduled for late October or early November.
All photos courtesy of iRacing
