iRacing.com, the world’s premier sim racing game continued its Japanese expansion with the announcement today that Twin Ring Motegi, Suzuka Circuit and Tsukuba Circuit will join Okayama International Circuit on the growing global list of racing facilities available to the service’s more than 20,000 subscribers.  The announcement was made by iRacing.com’s president, Tony Gardner, in conjunction with this weekend’s running of the Japan 300 IZOD IndyCar Series race at Twin Ring Motegi.

“When we announced last spring that Okayama was joining iRacing, we promised there would be more tracks and cars of particular interest to our Japanese members,” Gardner said.  “Now we’re pleased to announce that our members in Japan, and elsewhere in the world, will be able to compete themselves with other drivers in Japan and elsewhere in the world on exact virtual versions of the tracks that are home to Japan’s two most important races, this weekend’s Japan 300 and next month’s Japanese Grand Prix, in precise digital versions of the Dallara Indy car and AT&T Williams FW 31 grand prix car.  Tsukuba Circuit is popular with Japanese drivers, who enjoy its demanding technical nature, and we believe our members world-wide will also enjoy driving on our virtual version.”

According to Gardner the AT&T Williams FW 31 will be available to iRacing.com subscribers early in November, along with the Mazda Roadster and MX-5 Cup racing cars, while the four Japanese tracks will be released during the course of the next year.  He said that laser scanning of all four tracks and related data gathering, the first steps in building the virtual versions, will take place in November.

Gardner also said that iRacing.com had recently entered into an agreement with Interush, Inc., to promote iRacing.com in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.  He noted that iRacing.com already features a Japanese-language home page (http://www.iracing.com/jp/index.html ) for the convenience of Japanese members, as well as a quick start guide and other instructional documentation.

“The iRacing service is amazing,” said Takuma Sato, a Formula One veteran who this weekend drives in the Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi for KV Racing teamed with Interush.  “I’ve been having fun driving the Dallara Indy car on many of the tracks where I’ll be racing this year, and I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the Williams FW31 when it arrives later this year.”

Gardner also noted that last year iRacing.com opened a server farm in Australia to support its members there and in East Asia as iRacing.com, the home of NASCAR-sanctioned online racing and IZOD IndyCar online racing, continues its global expansion from the company’s North American roots.