Sending GT3s around some of the best tracks in the world, throwing in a mandatory pit stop over a 40-minute window? Here at Coach Dave Academy, we’d ask you to sign us up for iRacing’s VRS Sprint Series in a heartbeat. Why, you might ask? Well, let’s take a deeper dive into the Series and find out!
The Format
When you get your B license you unlock GT sprint racing, everyone’s favourite type of sim racing for the last few years. The GT VRS Sprint Series is a great series that offers lots of variety. Modelled after real-world GT3 sprint racing, this series features iRacing’s GT3 cars battling it out on some of the finest road courses in North America, Europe and Asia.
Single Class Racing
All cars compete in a single class which makes this series extremely competitive. Race lengths are typically shorter than its sister series, the VRS GT Endurance Series.
The format for this Series is deceptively simple. 40-minute races sound like an easy feat in the GT3s, but then that’s where iRacing catches you out.
BOP Plays A Part
The Series-specific Balance of Performance (BoP) reduces the size of your fuel tank, meaning that you have to pit before the end of the race for more fuel.
Strategy Can Make Or Break
This is where the strategy game opens up: do you take tyres when you pit? You can change 2 tyres in roughly the time that you take to top up your fuel tank, but if you’re looking to save a couple more seconds you can take no tyres.
If you’re looking to be aggressive on your rubber then you can take all 4 and fight back through the field. What you choose to do can make or break your race.
It’s Very Unique
The uniqueness in a strategic sense is heightened by the fact that the series blends shorter races with many strategy options – it’s not something you usually see in races, not under the team endurance umbrella.
However, it’s perfect the other way too, as 40 minutes isn’t too long in Sim Racing terms, so you can hop in and out again in no time with some good racing now under your belt.
The Cars
The GT3 class comprises six cars, representing six different manufacturers, all complying with the FIA-specified GT3 regulations. The cars have relatively high downforce, ABS and traction control, with performance being equalised by iRacing’s Balance of Performance (BOP) system.
- Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2
- BMW M4 GT3
- Lamborghini Huracán GT3
- Porsche 992 GT3 R
- Ferrari 296 GT3
- Mercedes-AMG GT3 2020
The BoP for the series makes every car competitive over the course of the season, with each track working better for one car over another.
The car that seems to be one of the more popular is the Ferrari 296 GT3. This is due to its popular one-make, fixed-setup series – the Ferrari GT Challenge, which you can race with a D license.
But lots of you are slowly falling in love with two of the newest GT3s added to iRacings rosters and those are the Porsche 992 GT3 R and the Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo.
Coach Dave Delta
We at Coach Dave Academy provide setups for all the GT3 cars that compete in the GT VRS Sprint Series too, so make sure you check out our store to get your hands on the latest setups!
The setups for this series are produced by an absolute animal of an iRacer – Mikkel Gade, with an iRating over 9,000.
The setups are created on a weekly basis for the series and with Coach Dave Delta, all you have to do is join the sessions and we take care of the rest, with our brand-new auto-install feature that gets you on track quicker with setups automatically installed for qualifying and the races every week.
What’s So Special About VRS?
What makes the VRS Sprint Series different to the others in terms of cars is that it provides longer races without being multiclass. For example, the IMSA series runs alongside LMP2 cars and the European Sprint Series has GTEs, LMP2s and LMP1s, but this series is GT3 only – no need to worry about lapped traffic here!
No Multiclass Worries
Compared to other series that feature iRacing’s GT3s, the VRS Sprint Series is a blend of the strategy battles that you see in IMSA iRacing Series, but without those pesky LMP2s that show up solely to ruin your day with a 4x and a meatball flag.
Variety Of GT3s
With the variety in cars blending old with new and various different engine layouts and locations, there’s something for everyone and each and every race requires its own set of unique know-how in setup in order to get the most out of every corner of every lap.
Of course, the VRS Sprint Series runs on the same 12-week track rotor as most other series’ in iRacing, so you can expect to test out your GT3 machinery in a huge variety of circuits; from Le Mans to Winton, which you can download setups for right now if you’ve got our iRacing setup subscription, the series provides it all.
Honourable Mentions
The VRS Sprint Series has a bigger sibling in the VRS Endurance Series. Ran on the weekends, it pits entries of 2 or more drivers against each other in a 3-hour endurance format.
Think that you’ve had enough challenges in one 40-minute race? Try keeping up that momentum over 4 and a half of them consecutively and helping your team come home as winners.
To make it to the end here is no mean feat, let alone actually winning the thing! If you want to get involved with this too, luckily we’ve got you covered and provide VRS Endurance Series setups!
