INDYCAR: Strong start for IndyCar iRacing league

The official IndyCar sim racing season got off to a strong start on Tuesday, with several thousand viewers tuning in for the live broadcast of the opening round at Phoenix.

The 16th Street Racing League - a collaboration between IndyCar, iRacing and RACER - attracted a 34-strong grid for the race, including Team Penske IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud.

While the Frenchman was the best-credentialed driver in the real world, he had a difficult outing in the virtual one. A poor qualifying session left him near the back of the grid, and his progress through the field was thwarted when he spun at Turn 4 and lopped off his front wing on lap 66. He eventually finished seven laps down in 21st.

It was a less dramatic outing for defending series champion Tim Holgate, who recovered from a middling qualifying performance to charge through the field and capitalize on lapped traffic to take the lead from pole-sitter Christian Steele with a three-wide move through Turn 1 on lap 17.

From there, Holgate pressed on to secure a comfortable win, with Brandon Traino the only other driver still on the lead lap at the end. Brandon Trost rounded out the podium, while Steele faded out of the top 10.