VR Off-Road Racing: Take Part In iRacing Events From Home

Go iRacing in the new Roush Off-Road Series. Roush Performance returned to hosting iRacing events in a big way for the 2021 virtual racing season. The first race of the three-event 2021 Roush Off-Road Series was held at the famous Crandon International Raceway on January 13th, 2021. It packed all the excitement and adrenaline-pumping action of live competition and featured 900-horsepower Pro4 short-course off-road race trucks flying over big-air jumps and hitting the straightaways at 100 miles per hour. The second and third virtual races are set for February 3rd, 2021 at Wild West Motorsports Park and February 24th, 2021 at Wild Horse Pass Motorsport Park.

The Roush Off-Road series can be viewed live on the Twitch platform and the Roush Performance Facebook page. Jack Roush Jr. was one of the drivers in that first event. “I’ve been participating in iRacing events for years, and it’s definitively an authentic experience,” he said. “I have used it to learn tracks I’ve never raced on and then been able to go to that track and be very competitive in a real race.”

It made perfect sense for Roush to host an off-road series with race trucks. Jack Jr. told us, “Roush Performance began with Mustangs, but got into creating high-performance trucks a few years ago. An iRacing off-road series was a natural for us, and I’ve enjoyed racing in it.”

You can go off-road racing with the pros in the new Roush Off-Road Series. The first event was held at Crandon International Raceway, but there are two more races to go. Get signed up now, space is limited!

Get Signed Up for iRacing

If you want to get a seat in one of the race trucks rather than just be a spectator, first you must register on the iRacing platform and get your iRacing ID Number. Registration costs are as low as about $8 for a month. Once registered, you get access to the downloadable iRacing software that lets you be a part of the action. Jack Jr. suggested anyone interested in the Roush Off-Road Series, “go to the ROUSH Performance Esports Facebook page and contact us. We can help with any information you need to get set up to join the action.”

You can search and register for other events including the remaining races in the 2021 Roush Off-Road Series at the Roush Performance page on MotorsportReg.com. Soon you’ll be customizing your own virtual Pro 4 race truck and be nerfing, passing, and running bumper to bumper with the pros. Don’t delay, time is running out, and only a limited number of applicants will be selected for each race.

The iRacing Roush Off-Road Series lets you drive virtual 900 horsepower Pro4 race trucks on iconic short-course off-road tracks against professional drivers.

What You Need to Play

However, you need more than a truck and an accepted application to race. Here’s what the iRacing expert in our family recommended for those who want to be a driver in the Roush iRacing Off-Road Series. First arm yourself with a gaming PC with a graphics card that can handle it and has enough power to run VR. You’ll also need the normal bits like a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. Mac users can run iRacing using Windows on Bootcamp.

A steering wheel and pedals set start at around $300. For extra control, a $100 USB handbrake can be added, which comes configured like a hydraulic E-brake. Good cockpits (seat and mounts for wheel/pedals) are not cheap, but you can spend less and get a folding version. High-end units feature force feedback and move when you’re playing. Virtual Reality (VR) begins around $300. The Oculus Quest 2 works great. This is a non-essential for racing, but it sure makes thing a lot more fun, especially in the dirt.

If you’re not sure your dusty old computer system will do the trick, you can go to iRacing and use its System Requirements link to make sure your setup is good to go.