ROAR-ing into The New Year: A Preview Of January 2024 on iRacing

I won't lie, 2023 hasn't quite ended the way I expected, with some unfortunate recent results, ending up with exactly the same amount of iRating as I had a year ago.

With just 3 days left of 2023, I'm looking ahead to the new year with great fondness.

Wednesday 3rd January, 2023 FalkenTyre SportsCar Challenge

With Week 3 done and dusted, Week 4 (S1, 2024) starts in the new year - kicking off ROAR Preparations as the FalkenTyre SportsCar Challenge heads to Daytona.

Saturday 6th - Sunday 7th January, 2023

IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge

Practice continues into the weekend as it's the 2hrs 40 minutes IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Initially called the "MOAR Endurance Series" (portmanteau of "More" and ROAR") in Season 2, 2022, this eventually became the slightly more formal sounding "IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge" - but the recipe is the same.

Saturday 13th - Sunday 14th January 2023

2024 iRacing ROAR BEFORE THE 24! After three weeks of AI/Solo practice/test sessions, FalkenTyre (FTSC), Michelin Pilot (IMPC) and ROAR Before The 24 sessions, the weekend of the 13th - 14th January is finally the time to put all the practice into action.

ROAR Predictions

Aside from being HUGELY superstitious about jinxing/cursing myself, the only way one can predict what can happen, is by looking at prior events.

2022: "The Golden Age"

Heading into ROAR's debut with just 987 iRating, I was put in the bottom split of 25.

Worse still, I had only begun to practice with less than 48 hours before the race-start - testing each and every one of the cars available - the McLaren being the only one whom talked to me - I was going to need a miracle to pull this one off.

And a miracle I had - I'd eventually start the race 5th to come home an impressive 4th place, gaining a very healthy +73 iRating.

The only annoying part of the race was having to pit/drive through the pit-lane because a cone got stuck underneath my car and was losing me heaps of time.

In Season 4, 2022, thanks to the success of ROAR, I'd race the McLaren in the GT4 Challenge, being gifted with copious amounts of understeer all season.

In half-term (April) 2022, the Aston was released, and it was love at first lap.

2023: "An Unbelievable Comeback"

After an impressive year, I managed to end 2022 on a high - and in a really good place to start 2023.

I'd kick 2023 off with a bang, making my debut race of 2023 ROAR - once again only starting to practice less than 48 hours before the race start - this time, at least I knew which car I would be racing.

Come 2023, I'd be entering the event with 1431 iRating - a world away from the 900's of yesteryear.

I knew I would be up against it - especially as my car number was #43 in a 48 strong field.

I won't lie, the 2023 ROAR Before The 24 was infuriating - on Lap 3, I got too close to the car ahead after the first turn and plummeted from 24th to 41st. From the 4th-highest Aston, to the last place Aston.

I knew I had a looooong day ahead of me.

By the end of my first stint, I had managed to salvage 19th...but there was a problem...I missed my pit-crew. Big Uh Ho.

Somehow, I managed to make the remaining drops in the tank last an entire lap and crawl back into the pit-lane to find my (rather frustrated-looking) pit-crew.

For obvious reasons, it wasn't a lap at full racing speed, and I eventually emerged from the sh*t-stop in 29th - it was time to floor it.

I had a miraculous stint to finish an "eventful" ROAR Before The 24 in a THOROUGHLY impressive 16th - from 41st after my spin in less than 3 hours was more than a miracle - especially considering I had to practically get out and push my car for half a lap.

Just like in 2022, when a cone got lodged underneath my car - the curiosity played on my mind of "what could have been had I not spun to 41st - had pitted on my first attempt" and I only had one answer:

2024. Lessons Learned, a fire sparked. 2023

After a hectic year with a busy schedule (bar S1), I eventually returned to the service properly in Season 3, 2023 (besides doing sporadic races in S2, 2023).

This was incredibly good timing as iRacing launched the "FalkenTyre Sports-Car Challenge" - 30 minutes of LMP3 VS GT4 Madness.

As soon as the GT4 pack settles down, a long comes a pack of LMP3's to rile the pack up again - great multiclass fun! Season 1, 2024 will mark my third consecutive year in the series.

2024: The Redemption Year.

History in the making.

As much as it stung - both the cone, the spin and the pit-stop - the best way to learn is through making mistakes.

I've already started practicing for the ROAR Before The 24 - about a month or so before I started practicing for 2022 or 2023's attempts.

This year I'll be eagle-eyed looking out for my pit-crew..and maybe have a bit more patience in the opening laps (I kind of grazed the back of the car ahead on the exit of T1 and was put into a passenger spin)