Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year members!

by **IFCA GTDon** Tue Dec 22, 2015 1:25 pm

Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year members!

Now that we are in the full swing of things with numerous league rated events, it’s time to review the first few months of our collective progress. With nearly 70 drivers computer rated we are slightly ahead of schedule and hope it continues.

We’ve had 13 new #1 drivers to this point which is unprecedented in the 4 years that we have kept records. And the top rating has been broken repeatedly. Our current #1, Moesavy, from the formidable “Nein Shiza” club has achieved the highest rating in the history of the IFCA with a 2755.224 rating! We can only speculate as to why this is. Some say there is a better crop of drivers now, but others say they are the same drivers, just more motivated to win. Our suspicion is that it has to do with FM6.

FM6, while not the simulation of its competitors in many ways has followed suit with a more difficult to master feel to it. What this does is creates more niche racers, or specialization. We see this in the full blown simulation of iRacing where few drivers are masters of all the forms of racing. Instead what you have are guys that focus on one or two types of racing and become very good at just those. We see this with FM6 albeit to a smaller degree.

We’ve had 14 championship rated events so far, not including our HLC events. And although he has only ever been rated and ranked #1 for one brief moment in 2015, the lion’s share of series championships have gone to home town favorite son and wheel user , AAR GTDon. He’s managed to capture 6 out of 14 different championships! Surprising since he is seldom the fastest driver. It is a good example of how series league racing is different to say hot lapping. You don’t have to be the absolute fastest to win, just the most consistent. This should bring hope to all the slower drivers on any IFCA grid.

As we begin to approach the magic 100 rated driver’s number, we have decided to bring back the popular IFCA Match Race Challenge competition. This is a great way to have some fun exciting one on one racing, especially so as people do tend to spectate these intense match races for ratings points. So not only do you have a best of 3 five lap race in identical cars, you have the added pressure of an entire audience watching you show your stuff! This is no excuse racing, just you vs. him!

This is a perfect venue for drivers who can’t commit to a series, or have lost a lot of points due to unlucky bad races, or drivers who just want to climb the ladder without doing series racing. It also helps settle some disputes as to who is faster and who should or shouldn’t really be in the top 10. Often we hear, “That guy is rated higher than me? No way! I could beat him like a red headed step child!”

Well, here’s your chance. *If you aren’t on the IFCA World Rankings List at all this is your opportunity, after you compete in at least 1 rated event, you can challenge any of the drivers within 48 points of your rating. Bear in mind that no one has to accept a challenge. Driver's who have had match races will earn a special symbol by their tag. An aster-ix (*) will be applied to their tag marking them as the brave road warriors they are.

Everyone should pay closer attention to two different IFCA events which are not series events. The IROC Championship event and the Hot Lap Challenge event. These are the only 2 events that have a payout associated with them in 2016. At the end of the year in Oct 2016 the driver with the most HLC wins will receive a $50.00 gift certificate, and for the IROC Championship the top 8 champions will be invited to a final race with the winner also getting a $50.00 gift certificate!

Current series:
IFCA Trans Am season 2 leaders: TA1 LER VisionThing #55 BMW Z4, TA2 Moesavy Honda NSX-R
IFCA GT Sports Car Cup leaders: Punkers Ferrari 250 GTO, F4H Diablo Lamborghini Miura, AAR GTDon Chevrolet Stingray Corvette 427.
Classic Clio Cup closed: Champion, AAR GTDon
Lotus Eleven Grand Prix replaces the Clio Cup. First round is Sunday Jan 10^th 7:00 EST

Thanks for your continued support of the IFCA and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

IFCA Staff