The HyperX Clubsport Series is set to get underway on Saturday with IVRA’s first ever race at Fuji Speedway. 4200km of racing is ahead of a huge field of cars, in what could be the best season yet.
It’s the second year in a row that the opener has been held in Japan, and this season is bookended by Japanese races with a finale at Suzuka in late April. Only two rounds will be held in 2022, with Interlagos to come later this year, but the calendar is much more congested on the other side of New Year.
Imola will mark the first and only European round of this season in very early January, followed by two American rounds in the second half of the season. Mid-Ohio returns with a 700km race, up from the 400km edition last season, followed by Barber Motorsports Park and that finale at Suzuka.
Every race this season is 700km, but aside from that this Clubsport season looks very familiar from the last. The biggest difference being the possibility for the Top 2 in all three classes to gain an entry into 24H SERIES ESPORTS next season, putting even more on the line.
Only two of the champions from last season will be returning, as Cup winners Puresims Esports pursue goals elsewhere, leaving the floor open to other teams who pushed them close last time out. After the six rounds of last season, only 16 points separated the top three. Geodesic will be one of the teams competing this season, alongside Asetek Simports Visceral with two cars after their off-season name change.
They won’t be unchallenged this season, though. Maniti Racing will look to expand their IVRA dominance to the HyperX Clubsport Series, alongside the likes of Impulse Racing who always have a strong lineup. Skip Barber ace Phillip Hammer will be driving for WS Racing eSports, and the all Norwegian squad of RPC eSports are returning off the back of their 5th place finish last season.
In Sport, it’ll be hard to look past Fiercely Forward. They clinched last season’s championship by 167 points, more than double of the next biggest winning margin. Also, they have cleverly selected two manufacturers for their two entries, a Porsche and one of four new cars added for this season, a Mercedes.
Hugh Jass finished second last season and will be a force to be reckoned with as they hire the services of veteran Sven Deml for 2022/23. 5Star Motorsport have joined the HyperX Clubsport Series ranks this season too, recruiting strong drivers from their GT Sprint Series effort last season in the form of Maximilian Fritz and Rune Janssens, among others.
Overall, the Sport category will feel like more of a GT4 race, as arguably the tracks suit them better, but far more importantly, there are now four manufacturers to choose from.
There is also an increase in TCR manufacturers, up to three from the all-Audi affair seen last season. And there certainly has been a reluctance to choose the Audi after teams were forced to last season – only two have made it to the grid this time around. One of those teams is Olympus eSports, however, and they won’t make things easy.
Reigning champions Team Heusinkveld have gone for a Hyundai, which was by far the most popular choice. Impulse Racing ran them very close last season, and they have stepped up the level again with their driver lineup with the likes of Chris T Shorter and Martijn Asschert leading the team.
Full Send Racing also had a strong 2021/22 season, and they have two entries once again, although they have only entered two drivers for both of those cars, putting a fair amount of pressure on the team. It’s a maximum capacity of 55 cars on the HyperX Clubsport Series grid, and anticipation is building for the opener.
The new season starts this Saturday on Racespot TV, with IVRA’s first ever race at Fuji. It won’t be one to be missed.