Harley Haughton, Sebastian Wheldon Split Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series Opener at Lime Rock

Harley Haughton’s experience in the Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series from last year paid off with a win and the points lead in Thursday night’s opening round from Lime Rock Park. After finishing fourth and second in last year’s opening round from the Connecticut circuit, Haughton went first and second this year to begin his quest for a seat in the real-world Skip Barber Formula Race Series.

But it was the other winning name—that of Sebastian Wheldon—that might perk up the ears of open-wheel racers and fans alike. Wheldon’s father Dan was one of the sport’s most revered personalities, winning two Indianapolis 500s and a championship, and even taking the 2006 Rolex 24 at Daytona. His son proved to have some of that same family talent, clawing his way up from 11th to third in the first race and getting around Haughton to lead the final two laps and win the second. He also posted the fastest laps in both races.

Defending Porsche TAG Heuer Esports Supercup champion Diogo Pinto completed the podium in both races, finishing second and third to establish himself at third in points behind Haughton and Wheldon. He wasn’t the only iRacing pro to trade in their normal ride for the iRacing Formula iR-04 on the night, though: other pro veterans included Josh Thompson, Przemyslaw Marek Lemanek, and 2022 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series playoff driver Matt Bussa, who finished seventh in series points last year. Top qualifier Michael Janney, another veteran of last year’s campaign, scored two top-fives on the night as he looks to improve on a top-five points finish last year.

Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series race one results from Lime Rock Park were as follows:

Fin.

St.

No.

Driver

Laps

Interval

Led

Best

Pts.

1216Harley Haughton171354.37435
2318Diogo C. Pinto17-1.505054.27032
3114Sebastian Wheldon17-1.543054.18230
419Michael Janney17-3.828454.42228
562Matt J Caruana17-3.837054.29626
658Brandon Hawkin17-4.262054.36625
7145Josh Thompson17-5.052054.40624
8126Jordan Johnson517-9.298054.45423
91712Jack G Harrison17-9.687054.32822
10410Matt Bussa17-10.313054.74421
111513Przemyslaw Marek Lemanek17-14.164054.74120
12717Simone Passoni17-15.661054.77919
13819Oscar Mangan17-18.886054.60718
14914Josh Poulain17-29.914054.26917
15101William Chadwick17-30.146054.94416
161315Jakub Maciejewski16-1 L054.91915
17163Ryan Micallef0-17 L014
18187Matthew Zeis0-17 L013

 

Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series race two results from Lime Rock Park were as follows:

Fin.

St.

No.

Driver

Laps

Interval

Led

Best

Pts.

134Sebastian Wheldon17254.04135
2116Harley Haughton17-0.2021554.26632
3218Diogo C. Pinto17-0.437054.15830
468Brandon Hawkin17-1.289054.31428
549Michael Janney17-3.246054.23526
675Josh Thompson17-3.705054.13025
71414Josh Poulain17-5.001054.12524
81217Simone Passoni17-5.282054.36623
986Jordan Johnson517-7.778054.21022
10151William Chadwick17-9.260054.23521
11173Ryan Micallef17-10.952054.18720
12187Matthew Zeis17-11.267054.37119
131010Matt Bussa17-37.734056.18118
141319Oscar Mangan9-8 L054.78417
15912Jack G Harrison8-9 L055.51316
1652Matt J Caruana7-10 L054.20315
171113Przemyslaw Marek Lemanek1-16 L014
181615Jakub Maciejewski0-17 L013

 

Qualifying for next week’s Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series race from Road Atlanta begins today, while registration is open now for the following race at Circuit of the Americas. All broadcasts will begin at 8PM ET across iRacing social media channels. To sign up to compete, click here.

For more information on the Skip Barber Racing School, visit www.skipbarber.com. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.