Scuderia Corsa enters Round 4 of the IMSA iRacing Pro Series Thursday, May 14, taking place on the virtual Road America with driver Alessandro Balzan and Jeff Segal representing the team in the 90-minute competition.
Scuderia Corsa has plenty of real-life experience at Road America, finding the podium in 2016 and 2018. Actual race experience, paired with the continued building of iRacing knowledge, will aid Balzan and Segal in their contest for success. The team has learned a new form of enjoyment through the virtual racing as much as it learned new frustrations drivers fight to overcome each race.
Balzan represented Scuderia Corsa in both races the team has thus far competed in while Segal last joined the team in Round 2 at WeatherTech Laguna Seca. Balzan showed spirit in Round 3 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course but contact from another competitor dashed his podium hopes. The Ferrari will rely on aid from strategy once again in an effort to lead the field through the checkered flag.
For Balzan he’s happy to continue representing Scuderia Corsa on this new platform of racing.
“I think we have made great progress in our understanding of iRacing,” Balzan said. “We’ve spent a lot of time practicing and going over data. I was frustrated after the last race because I think we had a great strategy, but an incident took away the advantage we had created. I was hoping for a little help in balancing the performance of the field, however we did not receive that this time. We will of course try our best, I’m happy to have Jeff back to compare and contrast the experience with after the race.”
For Segal he is focused on getting the most out of the Ferrari’s performance at Road America.
“I’m really happy to be back for the next IMSA esports event at Road America,” Segal said. “It’s a track that I really like in real life and likewise in the simulator. It’s really fun to drive. You can get into a good rhythm and it suits the Ferrari really well. I missed the last race but obviously still kept tabs on what happened and helped Alessandro and the team prepare as much as I could. It looked like it was an uphill battle and I expect a bit of the same at Road America.
“We’re still learning and progressing but everybody else has a head start and is not sitting still either. Hopefully we can crack the top ten or fifteen which doesn’t sound like much in a regular race but with the depth of a 50-car field and all these drivers with iRacing experience that would be accomplishment. I’m looking forward to getting back to work through the week with the Alessandro and the team to see what we can get up to and put on a good show.”
The race takes place at 6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT Thursday, May 14. The 90-minute competition is comprised of 50 drivers covering the 4.048-mile course of Road America. Before the race, a 15-minute qualifying session takes place on the live stream, which is prefaced by private practice sessions. In qualifying, each driver receives two laps to earn their starting position. Balzan will race in the No. 63 WeatherTech Ferrari and Segal will run the No. 64 Hublot Ferrari.
The sprint race will be streamed live on iRacing’s YouTube channel, Twitch, and Facebook with commentary from IMSA Radio announcer John Hindhaugh. Pre- and post-race programming is planned complimentary of The Torque Show, hosted by Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall.