The wait is over! Digital Racing eSM 2025 is here in two weeks' time, and we're pleased to (finally) announce the sign-ups along with rules & regulations for the series. This article contains all the important information for the series itself in a neat little nutshell, plus a few extra bits for our international audience. Read more below!

 

Qualifier series

Like in previous seasons, the series be ran on iRacing.com service, using the Super Formula SF-23.

Series schedule:

Round 1: Algarve International Circuit (Grand Prix), March 29th-30th

Round 2: Silverstone Circuit (Grand Prix), April 12th-13th

Round 3: Fuji Speedway (No Chicane), May 3rd-4th

Digital Racing eSM 2025 is the official Finnish Digital Racing national championship, as recognised by Finnish Motorsport Federation AKK and Finnish Esports Federation SEUL. 2025 marks the inaugural year when the series will be contested as an open championship, allowing drivers from other FIA member nations to compete.

Qualifier series format

Each of the three race rounds will comprise of a pre-qualifying time trial on Friday and Saturday, as well as qualifier races on Saturday and Sunday. Pre-qualifying will utilise static conditions, and qualifier races themselves will utilise forecasted weather. Due to lack of rain tyres on SF-23, all races will feature dry conditions.

Please note that Finland is in Eastern European Time Zone (EET), or UTC+2. All start times referenced here are local (Finnish) time. Finland transfers to Daylight Savings Time (DST), also known as "Summer time", on Sunday 30th of March, at 03:00. From that point on, all times will be Eastern European Summer Time (EEST), or UTC+3.

Pre-qualifying is a time trial event. Each competitor may drive up to four (4) timed laps, either on Friday from 16:00 to 22:00 or on Saturday morning from 9:00 to 12:00. Top 100 drivers from pre-qualifying will advance to the next phase.

Qualifier Race heats from D (slowest) to B will commence on Saturday, starting at 15:00. Heat A for 25 fastest pre-qualifiers + Heat B winner will begin on Sunday at 15:00. Winner from each heat will advance to the next heat. Single heat consists of a warm-up (15 minutes), qualifying (3 laps, 10 minutes) and a qualifier race (approx. 200 km/120 miles). Top 80 drivers from each race weekend will be eligible for series points; see series regulations for specific chart.

 

Competitor checklist:

1. Join the official channel: #esm-announcements on FiSRA Discord server
2. Read and familiarise yourself with series rules & regulations
3. Further information and sign-up instructions will be available on the series page (English translation coming #soon, until then assistance will be provided on Discord). That is the main information hub of the series, where all the information will be collected.

Additional information for international competitors:

As mentioned in the rules, you will need a valid racing license issued by your FIA-sanctioned ASN (National Sporting Authority) to compete in the series. Unfortunately since each country has their own systems for acquiring such a license as well as different sorts of licenses, we're unable to provide a comprehensive guide for each possible nation. If you're unsure of what your local ASN is, the list of sporting authorities is available on the Members section of the FIA website. Make sure to select "Find my Sport Club" from the two options under the search tab.

International competitors who reside in Finland may also use SEUL player/esports license to participate. See the series page above for further information.

Please also note that since this is an officially sanctioned open national championship, it may seem quite rigid and overwhelming at first. While the purpose of addendums in rules document and this article is to help you sign up as well as provide the necessary information, there may be things we cannot foresee or may seem obvious to us that cause confusion. We're only human, after all. Most of us, anyway. So, if you're hesitating on signing up or have any questions, please ask away! Our staff on Discord is more than happy to help you, or you can DM your questions directly at me (Discord: Ossian Puhakka/puhis).

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