If you’ve spent any time in the iRacing community this past week, you’ve probably heard the term “Split 22” more times than you’ve been punted in turn 1 on lap 1. What started as a routine GT endurance race descended into chaos. All because a team of drivers decided to turn a competitive sim race into a demolition derby for a few hours. I’m sure a lot of people tried to rationalize this by calling it “just a game” but in the world of Sim racing that’s a major oversimplification.
What Actually Happened?
During a major multi-split GT3 Special Event on iRacing, “Split 22” became infamous when a group of entrants began to intentionally crash, troll, and disrupt others. Seemingly this happened after their raced turned sour and lost time for whatever reason during the earlier stages of the race. This forced iRacing to act and, uncharacteristically, issue an official statement condoning the actions. The outcome of which was that the accused team members are banned “indefinitely”.
Why It’s “Not Just a Game”
So why do people take sim racing so seriously? Because for many, it’s more than a game. It’s a competitive outlet and time invested in a craft. For many it’s racing with the same intensity you’d find in real world motorsport. Whether you’re analyzing data, managing multi hour stints or just trying to hit that elusive optimal lap – you’re putting effort into it. So, when a race is destroyed deliberately it’s not just annoying. It’s disrespectful to the community and to the platform itself.
What’s At the Core Of The Frustration?
A lot has been said about the event and the subsequent statement from the “professional” team involved. To me it seemed like a copout, even by teenager standards. It boils down to this: If I was racing in real life regularly and got banned from iRacing, I doubt it would bother me much at all. It’s the sign of the times if you will, but if you have the means doing something and essentially “punching down” by ruining someone else’s moment you can expect to be grilled. Especially if you have the means to spend significant time to participate in real life races.
Why Action Matters
There have been some complaints around the protest system iRacing uses, with some feeling it is inconsistent or too lenient. Last weeks blog covered the structure of the ratings system which in some instances can skew your ranking by no fault of your own. If a platform is using such a system that scorches both the accused and accuser, it’s not petty to request that the protest system works as intended.
Protest system aside, it was also important for iRacing to act. It needs to police fair racing and chaos better than a Forza lobby – we as users pay a lot for using it. Banning players who openly ruin events isn’t dictatorial, it’s necessary. A standard is required for all to adhere to and hopefully what has transpired in Split 22 will result in cleaner, professional and more fun racing for all involved.
Iracing Masters Season 14 Draws To A Close
One of the main reasons I have enjoyed our iRacing masters league is because of the high standards of the drivers. It has improved my general approach to racing greatly and allowed me to gauge situations better resulting in less frustration and more enjoyable racing. If you are just in it for some fun or want to take your sim racing to the next level, make sure you join us for Season 15 here.