Battle between world-class racers to start on Friday - Trogen one of the invitees
The Subaru iRX All-Star Invitational presented by Yokohama will kick off this Friday, bringing together world-class racers battling for USD 10 000 purse for charity. One of the invited drivers is experienced iRacing driver Sami-Matti Trogen who is not startled by his star rivals.
Sami-Matti Trogen, 17, is one of the drivers invited to join the Subaru iRX All-Star Invitational presented by the Yokohama series launched this Friday, April 10th. It’s a six-race series that features world-class racers such as four-time US Rallycross Champion Scott Speed, World Rallycross stars Andreas Bakkerud and Tanner Foust, and IndyCar Champion Alexander Rossi. Trogen is the only Finn on the list.
At the same time of being a competition it's also a charity campaign, in which the driver with the most points at the end of the season – The Champion – gets to donate USD 10,000 to charity on their behalf.
- I’m flattered I got invited to the series. Awesome to get to drive with the world’s top drivers; drivers who have been my role models throughout my career. Now suddenly I get to be on the same start line with them all, Trogen describes his feelings.
Although big names are battling against Trogen in the series, Trogen has got his confidence as he has achieved some great milestones in digital motorsports already: a win of the 2019 iRacing World Rallycross Championship and a place on the Williams Esport team.
- Although there are big names on the entry list, I believe that my strength is a strong experience in iRacing. At the moment my driving hours with the simulator accumulate closer to 20 weekly. The first race will certainly show the level and where I will stand at, but I won't give up an inch – would be great to win though, Trogen speculates.
All the events of the series will take place on Fridays beginning between 10:00 pm and 02:00 am Finnish local time (6 pm ET/3 pm PT). The series will start with a visit to Hell Lankebanen in Norway, iRacing’s newest rallycross track, before continuing and visiting its most popular layouts. At the end of the season, the series returns to Hell to have its season finale.
Race calendar:
- April 10th – Hell Lankebanen
- April 17th – Daytona International Speedway
- April 24th – Sonoma Raceway
- May 1st – Lucas Oil Raceway
- May 8th – Atlanta Motor Speedway
- May 15th – Hell Lankebanen
Subaru iRX All-Star Invitational presented by Yokohama races will be streamed across iRacing’s social media platforms.
The full list of invitees:
Chris Atkinson, Nitro Rallycross
Andreas Bakkerud, FIA World Rallycross
Cabot Bigham, Nitro Rallycross
Christian Brooks, US rallycross Lites and Formula 4
Ron Capps, NHRA
Conor Daly, IndyCar
Mitchell deJong, US rallycross
Tanner Foust, Nitro Rallycross
Vaughn Gittin Jr., Formula Drift and Ultra 4
Colton Herta, IndyCar
James Hinchcliffe, IndyCar
Parker Kligerman, NASCAR
Justin Lofton, Trophy Truck
Conner Martell, US rallycross Lites
Tyler Menninga, Monster Jam
Travis Pastrana, Nitro Rallycross, Nitro Circus, and American Rally Association
Travis PeCoy, US rallycross
Chad Reed, Supercross
Alexander Rossi, IndyCar
Patrik Sandell, Nitro Rallycross
Brandon Semenuk, American Rally Association
Scott Speed, Nitro Rallycross
Sami-Matti Trogen, FIA World Rallycross RX2
Ryan Truex, NASCAR
Blake “Bilko” Williams, Nitro Circus and US rallycross