Laguna Seca goes virtual during the pandemic with iRacing events.

Less than two months ago, things were looking up for the 2020 racing season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Ticket sales were outstanding, as the Weekly reported on March 11, a day before California put bans on large gatherings due to Covid-19. Before everything came to a crashing halt, sales of season passes for the seven major events on the track’s schedule were up 400 percent over the same time period last year.

The opening event, the Trans Am series races set for May 1-3, was attracting sales at a pace of 200 percent over the year before.

The Trans Am races are postponed to Dec. 3-6, in real life, but they live on in the virtual world as “iRacing” on the internet, along with other racing series like the International Motor Sports Association, IndyCar and Nascar. Brandy Falconer, communications manager for WeatherTech Raceway, explains that “iRacing is a digital training and gaming platform that has intricately scanned digital versions of most race tracks around the world.

"My father who has raced his entire life was skeptical at first, but absolutely loves it now," she adds. "Sometimes it is hard to see that the cars and track aren’t real, and the racing is very real because of course racers are competitive!"

So while the real Laguna Seca will be silent at noon this Sunday, April 19, fans can watch real-life race car drivers tackle the twists and turns of a virtual Laguna Seca in the Trans Am by Pirelli Esports Championship, an eight-race simulation series. The drivers compete from their own homes using identical simulator equipment.

Fans can watch on various platforms, including the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing app—which is free—and via UMGGaming on Twitch. Livestreams are also available on Facebook at facebook.com/gotransam, and on YouTube at youtube.com/user/TheTransAmSeries.

The racers include current Trans Am winners, legends and series newcomers. They’ll be vying for actual cash and prizes—top finishers over the eight-week series will compete for a purse and prize package valued at more than $20,000.

Sunday's Trans Am race will be the second iRacing event for WeatherTech Raceway. On Thursday, 50 top IMSA drivers—including eight previous winners of Laguna Seca—competed in the virtual race. Driver Bruno Spengler claimed a second consecutive win in IMSA's iRacing Pro Series.