One month ago, sim racing experts predicted when real racing returns, there will be several drivers who will become big-name superstars by combining virtual racing skill with real racing performance.

Kevin Bobbitt is the director of marketing at iRacing, the gaming platform that features the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge. Darren Cox is the CEO of Torque Esports, which created “The Race All Star Battle” featuring top-name drivers from all over the world competing against professional gamers.

Both gaming experts predicted that INDYCAR’s Colton Herta, Felix Rosenqvist and Formula One’s Lando Norris will be “superstars” when real racing returns. The biggest reason is all three drivers are young, understand the value of virtual gaming platforms and are blazingly fast in real-world racing. Combine each driver’s ability to understand and embrace social media platforms, and that has allowed INDYCAR and other series to tap into a new pipeline of potential fans.

“Sim racing and real racing will complement each other and maybe sim racing will have a bigger role in that, but we are not aiming to replace real-world racing,” Bobbitt said. “Everybody that works at iRacing are super race fans. We love racing. Our goal is not to replace it. We are here to work together.

“I think people look for entertainment and things like this, and ‘The Race’ introduces them to the racing world. I think that will translate to fans to see the real thing. There is also the opportunity for people to start their career on the virtual world and then move over to the real thing. But it’s more about people who are fans and want to engage. There are only so many real-world racers, anyway.

“It takes more than talent to get involved in real racing. It takes a lot of money. This offers them an opportunity.”

In Saturday’s AutoNation INDYCAR Challenge virtual contest at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) virtual race course, Norris, Rosenqvist and young Pato O’Ward were the showstopping drivers. All three of them represent a younger generation, and each of these three drivers, along with Herta and Sage Karam, take their virtual racing as serious as the real thing.

But as Rosenqvist said after Saturday’s third-place finish, it’s not easy to be fast in both.

“It's tough,” said Rosenqvist, who drives the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “We put a lot of hours into these races to prepare. I think personally I've done less preparations compared to the first two, where I spent way too many hours.

“It's interesting how everyone gets quicker and quicker every day. You can see in these open sessions what lap times people do. I remember in the beginning of the week people were doing 44.9s, and that was a really good time. Today we saw a 43.1, which is 1.7 seconds quicker. It just shows how hard everyone is pushing. That's why we have a lot of mistakes, as well.”

Norris is a 20-year-old who drives in Formula One for McLaren. The Somerset, England, native is one of the world’s best when it comes to sim racing. He began his virtual career when he was 6 years old.

That experience and ability was obvious. This week’s INDYCAR guest won the pole and was in control of the race.

But sim racing can challenge the best. Norris inexplicably spun immediately after exiting the pits for his first stop.

“I just got too eager on the throttle out of the last corner,” Norris said. “As you go over the crest, the car got a bit late. I lost it once, corrected and saved it. But then the tire temp was too high. I completely lost it.

“It was really annoying at the time because I thought I'd blown everything. I kept pushing. Our pace was really strong. Our strategy was really good compared to the others, I think.”

Norris was six seconds behind but was faster than anyone on the track. Further up front, Arrow McLaren SP’s O’Ward was out front but sensed Norris was coming in a hurry.

“Lando was an easy five or six-10ths quicker per lap, at least,” O’Ward said. “I would have put the car in the wall if I tried to push more and more and more.

“I was very, very aware. I was just trying to keep my nose clean, trying to stay as consistent as possible. But as you saw in the end it was just not quite enough. I was trying to push toward the end to try to give him a run for his money, but I wasn't quite close enough.”

Rosenqvist understands the strategy of real-world racing and how to apply that to iRacing. By using a different strategy, he was in front before he spun while leading, late in the contest.

“There was a couple of different strategies going on, and I was kind of surprised with the one Lando took,” Rosenqvist said. “We thought definitely we were on the best one. I think we were. If we had a pace that Lando and Pato and even Will Power had, I think we probably would end up with the win.

“It made it a good battle. It was really hairy there with that spinning moment. My spotter told me he was coming behind. I tried to go to the left to give him the racing line, but then he tried to avoid me to the left. It was kind of an awkward moment there.

“Then we had that drag race going into the next corner. That's what damaged my car a little bit, I hit it pretty hard. I couldn't really answer after that.”

By understanding how to drive a damaged car in a virtual race, Rosenqvist was able to finish third behind race winner Norris and second place O’Ward.

To these drivers, iRacing can be just as intense as a real race.

Nothing replaces real racing, however. That is when the total package of a race driver is on display. But for now, the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge has created greater awareness for the drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Many of them will benefit from the experience when real racing returns.

Meantime, it has helped them stay sharp and focused.

“I can't describe how hard it is to keep the thing on the track for an hour,” Rosenqvist said. “On the road courses we've been up there every time fighting for the lead. It's been good fun.

“It takes a lot of practice to get there.”