Jakob Rafoss Dominates General Tire eShort Course Triple Crown Finale at Crandon
Jim Beaver eSports driver Jakob Rafoss scored his biggest win yet since joining the team by taking the checkered flag in the 2022 General Tire eShort Course Triple Crown finale on iRacing’s virtual Crandon International Raceway, which aired Thursday night on the CBS Sports Network. Rafoss, a top 10 points finisher in the 2021 iRacing Rallycross World Championship, traded in the all-wheel drive of a rallycross car for a Pro 4 truck, slipped away from the field after avoiding first-corner chaos, and led every lap of the feature to become the first Norwegian driver to win an eShort Course event.
Fellow JBeS driver Josh Edmundson was second, while Keaton Swane completed the podium. JBeS drivers took four of the top six spots, with World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series pro Felix Roy in fourth and 2020 eShort Course World Cup champion Cam Pedersen in sixth; between them was real-world NASCAR Xfinity Series driver and off-road champion Sheldon Creed. Pedersen, Zachary Drapkin, and 2022 World Cup champion Connor Barry won the three heat races, while Cody Retzlaff and Trent Dinkel took the top spots in the last chance qualifiers.
The Pro 4 leg of the eShort Course Triple Crown was the biggest race of the year for the promotion, with 50 drivers taking part; action sports legends Travis Pastrana and Jim DeChamp, NFL All-Pro Kyle Long, and eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series drivers Blake Reynolds, Michael Guest, and Cody Byus were among those to take part. They joined a season-long entry list that included numerous other top real-world racers, crossover sim racing pros, and of course, the fastest virtual off-road drivers in the world. Pastrana, competing alongside DeChamp in their home state of Maryland, also joined the commentary team of Evan Posocco, Jim Beaver, and Tiffany Stone in the commentary booth for the feature race.
Rafoss’ victory clinched the sixth and final guaranteed invitation to the 2023 General Tire eShort Course World Cup. He’ll join past World Cup champions Pedersen, Barry, and Holden Heitritter, Pro 2 Triple Crown race winner Steven Wilson, and Edmundson, whose second place points finish in the 2022 World Cup guaranteed him a berth as well. The remaining invitations for next year’s World Cup event will be given to real-world professional drivers and selected sim racing pros who impress in the iRacing Off-Road Championship Series that will take place this summer. Past eShort Course World Cup invitees have included Pastrana, NHRA champion Ron Capps, IndyCar stars Conor Daly and Alexander Rossi, NASCAR Cup Series drivers Greg Biffle, Josh Bilicki, and Landon Cassill, and Supercross legend Chad Reed, among many others.
Following the CBSSN broadcasts, races will be available for on-demand viewing on iRacing’s YouTube channel. For more information, follow Jim Beaver eSports on Facebook and Twitter, or visit the all-new www.jimbeaver15.com for more team content in the coming months.