The iRacing FF1600 Festival returns on 30 and 31 October 2026. It copies the real Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch: short heat races, a last-chance race and a final.
You race the Ray FF1600 on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. The track is short, the car has no wings and the grid is full. A good qualifying lap helps, but racecraft in the heats matters more. This guide covers how the format works, what the car needs and how to reach the final.
When is the iRacing FF1600 Festival?
- Dates: Friday 30 to Saturday 31 October 2026, as listed on iRacing’s special events calendar.
- Name: this year it’s the iRacing CONSPIT FF1600 Festival.
- Car and track: the Ray FF1600 at Brands Hatch, Indy layout.
- Time slots: check the event page in iRacing for this year’s session times before you register.
How the heat format works
iRacing says the Festival uses the same heat racing format as the real event. You qualify, race a heat, and the best finishers go straight to the final. Everyone else gets one more chance in a last-chance qualifier (LCQ).
In 2025 the races were short sprints: two 10-lap heats, a 10-lap LCQ and a 20-lap final, with standing starts and fast repairs turned off. Check the event page for this year’s numbers, licence requirement and incident limit.
The car: Ray FF1600
The Ray FF1600 is a light, wingless single-seater with a 1.6-litre engine and narrow tyres. All its grip comes from the chassis, so how you drive it matters more than raw speed. Read our full Formula Ford FF1600 iRacing guide for more.
- Brake late and trail the brake to help the car rotate into the corner.
- Let it slide a little. It understeers if you’re too tidy, but too much brake or throttle swings the rear round.
- Carry speed. With so little power, you can’t make up for a slow apex.
- Be patient on the throttle. Too early after the apex and the front washes wide.
- Respect the kerbs. High inside kerbs can throw the car off line.
- Professional Sports & Formula iRacing Setups
- Telemetry Data - Brake, Throttle & Racing Lines
- AI Coaching To Gain Seconds in Lap Time
- Pro Reference Laps & Fixed Data Packs
The track: Brands Hatch Indy
The Indy layout is a short, fast lap with six corners: Paddock Hill Bend, Druids, Graham Hill Bend, Surtees, McLaren and Clearways.
- Paddock Hill Bend is a fast, downhill right-hander over a blind crest. Commit, but don’t overdrive the entry. It’s the biggest risk on lap one.
- Druids, the hairpin at the top of the hill, is the main overtaking spot. Brake in a straight line, then trail the brake into it.
- Graham Hill Bend leads onto the Cooper Straight. A good exit sets up a run into Surtees.
- Surtees, McLaren and Clearways bring you back onto the start-finish straight. A clean exit from Clearways gives you a tow down to Paddock.
On a short lap with little power, the slipstream matters. Stay close on the straights and set up your moves for Druids.
Strategy for the heats and the final
There’s no pit strategy in a sprint. Your strategy is about risk:
- Qualifying: get a clean lap in first, then push.
- Heats: you need a qualifying spot, not a win. Don’t throw it away at Paddock on lap one.
- LCQ: only a few cars go through, so you can take more risk here.
- Incidents: with fast repairs off, damage early in a race usually ends it.
- Final: the longest race of the weekend. Stay in the draft and look for late moves at Druids.
Get ready with Delta
We cover the FF1600 in Delta, including the Formula 1600 Trophy. Practise at Brands Hatch with Delta running, and Auto Insights shows you the corners where you lose the most time and what to change before the Festival. See our iRacing setups for what’s covered this season.
Setup IQ, AI Coaching, Telemetry Data, Leaderboards, Never Lift and Video Analysis - all in Delta for Le Mans Ultimate, iRacing, ACC and AC Evo. Everything you need to win and get faster as a driver in one subscription.
Summary
- 30 to 31 October 2026, Brands Hatch Indy, Ray FF1600.
- Qualify, race your heat, and use the LCQ if you need it to reach the final.
- Keep it clean on lap one. Druids is where you pass.
New to the series? Start with our guide to the Formula Ford 1600 Series in iRacing, and see our iRacing special event directory for the rest of the season.
