Friday, November 25, 2016

Iracing 2017 Season 1: Best value package

To all the Iracing enthusiasts around the world, Hello!
Season 1 2017 is just around the corner and I would like to share a couple thoughts on how to boost the fun for at least the first three months of the upcoming year keeping a careful eye on your wallet.

Whether you just joined the community recently or you've been racing in it for long time, you most certainly reach the point where you start feeling that the basic package of cars and tracks offered by the subscription is not enough anymore. Maybe you wanna try to take on the wheel of a new, more challenging car, maybe you would like to test your skills on that track that you really like, maybe you are tired of hoping for the best when joining a Rookie Class Race. Maybe you just feel you are ready for the next level.

If you find yourself in a situation where you don't feel comfortable buying off all the contents available at once (it comes down to a lot of money!) But you still wish to expand your playing potential, here some suggestion to you.

First thing first, allow me to list some considerations that will explain my process of thoughts in finding the best value package for this season:


  1. This package is focused on Road Racing;
  2. To be able to give the most valuable advice, I choose to plan a very affordable package of three pieces of content: two tracks and a car. Doing so I can contain the budget within the price of S37.66 before Tax, thanks also to the applicable 10% discount for purchasing three pieces of content. 
  3. I opted for only one car because, personally, I think it's more important to focus on mastering your driving skills on that specific car and then apply the speed on multiple tracks than viceversa, especially when the level of competition is expected to raise.
  4. I focused my attention on looking at the options that better cover races between Class D and Class B included, excluding for now Class A and above because, after all, I'm just planning for one season and whether you are a D, C or B driver right now, it will take a reasonable amount of time to reach Class A.
  5. As mentioned above, in building my selection I assume that I only own the basic contents that come with the subscription.
That said, after running some research, I found the best use for your buck! Here's the package that I choose and the reasons behind it.

      TRACK N.1: Watkins Glen will be hands down the most used track in Season 1 2017. It will appear in 15 out of 18 scheduled series. On top of that, if you are a Class D driver you could race it in the Gran Touring Cup, Spec Racer Ford Challenge and Global Challenge, with cars that you already own (!). C class drivers will have an additional race available in the Advance Mazda Cup Series.  


      TRACK N.2: Road Atlanta qualified second in the ranking for most used tracks in 2017 Season 1, together with Sebring and Spa-Francorchamps. However, it takes the second spot in this package because it guarantees two more racing weeks to drivers in Class B in the Gran Touring Cup and Spec Racer Ford Challenge plus an additional one for C drivers in the Advanced Mazda Cup, with cars from the basic package.

Both tracks also made this package because of their racing potential when combine with the selected car that we are going to show now.


       CAR: The RUF is the car that made the cut in this particular package. Here are some of the reasons why:
- The Ruf is driveable in all D, C and B classes;
- The addition of the Glen and Road Atlanta allows for two more weeks of racing for D drivers, one additional for C drivers and two more for B drivers.
- The acquisition of the RUF opens the doors to three new series:
Class D - Ruf GT3 Challenge: 7 out of 12 weeks of racing available with this package;
Class C - Ruf Cup: 6 out of 12 weeks of racing available with this package;
Class B - IMSA Sportscar Championship: 2 out of 12 weeks of racing available with this package.


Here's the cost breakdown......

Qty   DescriptionList Price  Your Price
110060:Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International
$14.95  $14.95
110353:Ruf RT 12R
Ruf RT 12R
$11.95  $11.95
110082:Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta
$14.95  $14.95
110392:10% off - 3-5 piece discount
PRCART3PIECES - Purchase any three to five pieces of content (cars/tracks) at once and receive 10% off the total
$0.00  $-4.19
iRacing credits:$0.00
iRacing dollars:$0.00

Taxable Amount:$37.66

.....and here's the amount of extra racing gained by purchasing this package:

Grand Touring Cup:                    +2 Racing weeks;
Spec Racers Ford Challenge:      +2 Racing weeks;
Global Challenge:                        +1 Racing week;
Ruf GT3 Challenge:                    +7 Racing weeks;
Advanced Mazda Cup:                +2 Racing weeks;
Ruf Cup:                                      +6 Racing weeks;
IMSA Sportcar Championship:   +2 Racing weeks.

For a total of 22 more weeks of racing guaranteed for the next season, plus the availability of tracks and car for the following seasons as well, for $37.66. Isn't that reasonable?

Stay tuned for more tips and suggestions and leave a comment!