2019-2020 Update

New Racing Series!

55/65PLUS FunFellowship

I am a Christian Chaplain for Team RFC (Christian Motorsports). I am responsible for serving the iRacing motorsports community for Team RFC. I am also a Series Administrator with the Racing for Jesus Motorsports League and will serve as the League Organizer for this new series.  I am a Born-Again Evangelical Christian (with a Presbyterian-Reformed/Bible Student background). I have real life professional racing experience at high levels in SCCA (Trans-Am and Formula Cars) as well as NASCAR.  I love racing. I hate fighting. 

Team RFC's "Motto" is also mine:  

“Cars are our Passion, People are our Purpose.”

RFJ Motorsport's "Motto" is also mine as well:

“Jesus First, Racing Second"

click below to reach websites:

RFJ Motorsports Website

Team RFC Web Site

So, the new Racing Series will run as Hosted iRacing events, held once a week at 12:00 Noon Eastern (New York) Time on Tuesdays. (6:00PM Milan Time)  We will open the session 15 minutes earlier (11:45) to allow for 15 minutes of "fellowship".  This will include a Christian Prayer/Invocation. 10 minute practice will start at 12:00 followed by a two lap qualifying session. Generally the first race will start at 12:15.  Most races will be around 15 minutes.  Immediately after the end of the first race, another "Second Chance" hosted session will open, eligible for all but the top three finishers in the first race. 10 minute practice, two lap qualifying, and another (second) 15 minute race.  Points and prizes will be awarded based on the driver's best finish in either of the two races. 

The car will be the Mazda MX5 (2015 and 2016 versions) which is/are included for no extra charge in iRacing membership. Starting in 2020 S1, we will run 12 races in each season---10 road races and 2 oval tracks all on tracks included at no extra charge in iRacing Membership. We will follow the Sim Lab Production Car Challenge except for the 2 oval track races. 

Drivers that are age 65 or older will drive the 2016 Global Mazda MX5 in Division 1. Drivers that are in the age range of 55-64 will drive the MX5 Cup -2015 and will be in Division 2.  Setups will be open but a "tested baseline" will be shared by the League Organizer (Donald Strout) who will race, but will not earn points, official position, or prize money. Separate championship points standings will be maintained for each Division. The "prize pool" for the first season is $500, donated by the League Organizer. Details for how that will be distributed will be announced at a later date.

To race in this series, you will have to be invited or accepted after applying for membership in the 55/65PLUS FunFellowship League (See iRacing League Directory).  As a pre-condition, you will have to be first invited or accepted after applying for membership in the Racing for Jesus Motorsports League and/or a member in good standing in that league.

You do not need to be a born again Christian to race. You simply need to drive as fast as you can while maintaining control, and DO NO HARM TO OTHERS. You also need to control your temper and speech.  You should recognize however that "fellowship" for evangelical Christians will include open prayer (for the welfare of others) and praise testimony as well as the sharing of scripture from the Holy Bible.  Many league members will be evangelical Christians.  All participants shall be required to show respect for this type of fellowship. 

Remember the goal of this series is FUN AND FELLOWSHIP. HAVE FUN AND MAKE FRIENDS!

Background

Several years ago, soon after forming Team RFC @ iRacing, and proudly displaying the Team RFC Logo running in the Indycar Elite League, I formed a racing league named 60+ Racing Adventures.  It became quite successful and was well supported by a large group of over 60 year old drivers--racing the Pro Mazda and the FR2.0. We broadcast many of the races on RaceSpot.TV. I became a bit disappointed when the level of competition became a bit too agressive for my taste, and not IMHO, consistent with the Love Thy Neighbor message.  I turned the league over to others and it is still very successful and popular. With a couple of exceptions, all of the drivers are really nice people, just many of them are perhaps putting the importance of winning, and "battling" in front of the their love for others.  

One of the challenges of having fun in iRacing, especially for evangelical Christians, is dealing with the "worldly" view that competition is a zero sum "I Win-You Lose" game. The 60+ Racing Adventure league attempted to address this issue by limiting participants to mature, older drivers so physical abilities were more balanced and hopefully the drivers with a bit more emotional maturity. Still, it is very hard to maintain a Love Thy Neighbor as Yourself attitude when trying to steal the corner from your competitor by dive bombing and/or making contact---or by intentionally "pressuring" or distracting a driver with intimidating "head games" to force an error.  The essence of Love Thy Neighbor while racing....go as fast as you can to finish ahead of your competitor/s without doing harm to him/them. As the famous olympic champion Eric Liddell said (portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire) "I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."  God is delighted when men compete for the purpose of having fun and displaying their talent when they do so with humility while helping, not harming others. 

After leaving the 60+ Racing Adventures, I made additional attempts by forming a "Fair Chance" racing league running Time Trials and using a special split/staggered starting grid running GT cars.  Reasonably successful, but still falling short of my ideal "Fun and Fellowship" goal.  I also agreed to help out my friend, Luca Varani who was organizing the very successful iGPFun League by serving as an Admin person. Luca is dedicated to serving others, as I am, but I did not enjoy the very competitive and aggressive driving--perhaps in part because I simply could not compete with the excellent younger drivers!

I encourage all Christian Team RFC  and RFJ drivers of all ages to participate in all iRacing series--to be "Light in a Dark World"--setting a good example--showing tha world that racing can be fun, whether one wins or not, and you can Love Your Neighbor as Yourself while participating in iRacing.

But, in addition, I see Seniors over the age of 55 as prime candidates for a racing series built especially for racing enthusiasts that are Christians (or who are considering being Christians) who understand that life on earth has an end, and that how we live on earth is important as it does affect our eternal life in Heaven.  And most importantly, that the Gospel is to be proclaimed and celebrated in all our activities.  (BTW--What is the Gospel?  Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died to pay the price for mankind's rebellion against God and that He rose from the dead. Follow him by loving God and others and your spirit will be born again and you will recieive everlasting life on earth and in Heaven--and you will be changed. There is nothing in the Gospel about having to be "religious" following a lot of man made rules.)

I have driven most of the cars in iRacing since joining in 2014.  I love open wheel formula cars as well as the high horsepower GT cars. But, the little Mazda is fun to drive. Since it runs on street tires, the grip is more predictable. Since it also runs without wings and lots of downforce, finding the "limit" is easier. (Exceeding the limit still has consequences!)  It is also more forgiving of most mistakes with the exception of entering the corner too fast. It rewards the careful and punishes the too agressive driver.  An ideal car for the 65+ driver.  It usually requires use of a clutch to shift making it more interesting. (Auto Clutch is available. I use Auto Blip that allows me to left foot brake and shift without a clutch.) It is fun to drive on road courses, but is also a remarkably good performer on ovals, giving one a chance to experience Nascar type drafting. 

The 2016 Global Mazda MX5 is slightly faster (400 pounds lighter but with 15 less HP and higher gearing) than the MX5 Cup 2015. The older 65+ drivers will get the faster car. This should help to make the competition on track a bit more fair and fun The 55-64 year olds do have faster reflexes. In any case, positions and points in each Division will be more important than overall finishing position. 

Again, the goal of the new series is to have FUN AND FELLOWSHIP. HAVE FUN AND MAKE FRIENDS! Fun and fair competition for drivers beyond the age that would allow them to serve as a USAF fighter pilot or NASA astronaut, but still young enough to enjoy racing. (Don't forget that Paul Newman sat on the Pole at age 80 at a GT1 (Corvette) SCCA event.)

Important Requirements for Successful Auto Racing

We believe:

First:  The driver must first achieve proficiency in ability to maintain control of the car and stay on the track surface at all times. The driver should use best efforts to never exceed a speed on the track where he cannot demonstrate this proficiency.

Second: The driver must also achieve proficiency in ability to avoid contact with other cars--even in situations where the car in front does the unexpected. The driver should use best efforts to never exceed a speed or place his car in a position where he cannot demonstrate this proficiency. 

Third: Once the driver consistently can demonstrate the first two measurements of "minimum car control" the goal should be to use best efforts to finish the race ahead of other cars without unfairly interfering with the performance of the other cars. 

Team RFC @ iRacing (League) Description (as seen in iRacing League Tab)

Requirements for Membership:

1) Follow the (Luke 6:31) Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you”

2) Avoid all public displays of anger or foul language in Forums and Chat

3) Strict adherence to iRacing Sporting Code and the  Important Requirements for Successful Auto Racing in the previous section.

Team Rules:

A) In the event of an on-track collision, other than being hit from behind by another driver, Members agree to send a PM (Private Message) to the other driver/s saying he/she is “Sorry for their part in the incident”. This applies no matter who is more “at fault”. We believe that almost all collisions with cars that are beside or in front of us are “avoidable”.

B) Discussions regarding religion are prohibited in iRacing forums and Chat. 

C) We encourage (but do not require) all Team Members to proudly display the Team RFC logo on their Personal Statistics Profile page and in the Signature section of their Forum Profile. Logo and HTML code is available by contacting Donald Strout via iRacing PM.

D) Members who win a race agree to make a $5-15.00 contribution to a charitable organization that “Does Good”. Members are encouraged to record the wins and contributions thru Sion Alford's irace4life organization's site http://www.irace4life.org/ 
Note: Exception/s for this rule will be made for those who lack the necessary financial means.

Members will be racing in all iRacing Series. Generally, our goal is to have groups of four racers that race together in various Series. We expect the most popular Series will be Mx5, Skip Barber, Star Mazda, GT1 and GT3 Sprint for Road Racing; Street Stock, Nationals, IndyCar, NASCAR Truck, and NASCAR A and B for Ovals. 


In 2015 S4, the Team RFC Logo will be available for display as a Sponsor in the iRacing Paint Shop. Click on Racers for Christ. This Sponsorship and financial support of Team RFC @ iRacing is funded by Supporters of our program-specifically, Donald Wayne Strout through WS Wealth Managers Inc. as well as others. Logo is under License from Christian Motorsports International- http://teamrfc.org/

We are not a “religious” group, but rather a group of enthusiastic sim racers who meet the three (3) requirements and follow the rules listed above. Membership is based on behavior--setting a good example and helping others---and is not based on an individual's Faith or beliefs. Be aware that the Administrator/Sponsor and many Members are devout Christians and see being a "Christian" as not just a "belief system" but a "way of life" and personal communications might contain references to the Bible, God and Jesus Christ. (Strout maintains a separate weblog where opinion regarding Christian beliefs and racing is presented. http://followson.blogspot.com/   See next post for more about this "We are not a 'religious' group" statement.) Mocking or making fun at others' expense is considered a violation of Membership Requirement 1) above. Sponsor logos or other team affiliations that promote or infer anti-Christian, occult, or satanic images are also a violation of Membership Requirement 1) above.


Members of all skill levels are welcome. Members agree to help others improve and advance their skills and performance. We will host regular practice sessions for that purpose. Each Season, Members who display the Team RFC logo on their cars in official races will have a chance to win a Contest, with the prize being a private one hour on-line coaching session with Wyatt Gooden. http://www.wyattgooden.com/

Team Members are expected to do their best, to be competitive, displaying skill and mastery, while respecting others, and adhering to the spirit of good sportsmanship. 

The goal is to help people to reach their full potential in iRacing and in Life.

We are a RACING Team

We are not a “religious” group.  We are a racing team.  Our purpose is to promote good sportsmanship as defined in the iRacing Sporting Code.  We aim to set a good example and make friends by being "nice" to others--competing without hurting other competitors, and helping others improve their performance to reach their full potential. Our most important Requirement for Membership is that Members are required to adhere to the "Golden Rule". 

Most racing teams have sponsors that provide financial support to the team in return for display of a logo approved by the Sponsor on the car/s driven by Team Members, and in Team Communications with the public. Our Team is sponsored by Donald Wayne Strout, through his company, WS Wealth Managers, Inc. with financial support requiring the display of the Team RFC logo, licensed to Strout by Christian Motorsports International, Inc.  

Christian Motorsports International, Inc. (a not for profit established in 1971  Website) provides a service to the real life world of motorsports by providing chaplains to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of racers at drag races, road races, oval track races, motorcycle races, boat races, car shows and rodding events. The objective is to provide inspiration and encouragement to people as a whole. There are presently over 300 volunteer chaplains from 38 USA states, Canada, Kenya and Australia. A few are credentialed ministers, but the vast majority are laymen. For many years a Team RFC Chaplain has served as the Official Chaplain of the NHRA, the world's largest racing organization with more than 50,000 members.  Strout, who happens to be a Team RFC Chaplain, believes that the continued success of iRacing requires a strong global interest in real life racing, and that Team RFC Chaplains help to support many real life racers with friendship, service, encouragement, and inspiration. Permission to use the Team RFC logo is provided because Christian Motorsports International, Inc. believes : 1) That setting a good example by following the "Golden Rule" while participating in motorsports is a worthy activity, and; 2) Making fair competition, helping others, and doing one's best more the goals (rather than just the worship of "victory") is consistent with the message they promote.

Reactions to invitations to join the team placed in the iRacing forums included messages from individuals who questioned the sincerity of the statement "We are not a 'religious' group" and who obviously held the belief that somehow a racing team sponsored by a follower of Jesus Christ, displaying the Team RFC logo would discriminate against non-believers or somehow "promote" religion in a non-religious, secular area of life. Several felt the need to share their Atheism and ask "Can an Atheist join your team?".  The answer is "yes"--Non-Believers can be Members as long as they meet the stated Requirements for Membership and follow The Rules regarding BEHAVIOR. 

We are not a 'religious' group because our activity is not about religion, however many of our Members are likely to be people who have strong 'religious' beliefs which include beliefs about how to treat others. 

Here are two examples to put this "We are not a 'religious' group" statement into a proper perspective. 

Joe Gibbs Racing is a successful NASCAR Team. Joe Gibbs is a Christian. http://gameplanforlife.com/  One of the main sponsors of the team is Interstate Batteries whose stated "Purpose" on their website is "To glorify God and enrich lives as we deliver the most trustworthy source of power to the world."  Does Joe Gibbs being a Christian and the team being sponsored by an organization whose stated purpose is to "Glorify God" make Joe Gibbs Racing a 'religious' group? 

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg drive for a F1 Team, officially named Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team. From 2009-2012 the team was partially owned by Aabar Investments, an investment company controlled by the Government of Abu Dhabi, UAE whose State Religion is Islam.  Petronas, the major sponsor is a corporation owned by the nation of Malaysia, whose Official State Religion is Islam. Does that make Team Mercedes a "religious" group? 

I think you will find that Joe Gibbs Racing and the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team to be racing teams that happen to be supported by people of faith, but whose activities are all about RACING and whose members have diverse views about faith. So is it with Team RFC @ iRacing. 

Why Team RFC?

There are many teams competing in the various iRacing Series.  Most, but not all, were formed for the purpose of having a group of drivers who shared the goal of winning races and Series Championships, with members becoming friends and helping each other to achieve that goal of "Victory".  Because "Victory" is the main objective, many teams restrict membership to an elite group whose iRating is above a certain threshold and/or who the team sees as having the potential to be "superior".  This strategy of seeking "Victory" is often productive in the search for sponsors who provide financial support to the team, as the "winner" often gets more attention than those who do not come in "first".

We at Team RFC recognize that there is joy in achievement and seeking "Victory" is not a bad thing. We just feel that "Victory" is not the most important goal of racing. We feel this is particularly true in iRacing where we feel that participants are more numerous and important than spectators. We believe that 'happiness' is achieved when your reach your FULL potential--being the Best You Can Be.

We believe that every individual is given a certain set of abilities and in any competition, those that do their best, according to their ability, but do not come in "first" have achieved something of equal importance to the person who does come in "first".  This should not be confused with the misguided view that every participant should receive a trophy or award, just for participating.  We do not want to diminish the accomplishment of the person who finishes "first" as often that accomplishment is the result of hard work and continuous improvement.

In life and in racing, we believe that you can be a "Winner" by doing one's best, even if you do not finish "first".  And, doing one's "best" includes striving for: excellence; constant improvement over time, through learning, practice and competition; as well as helping others to improve, so that everyone ultimately reaches their full potential.  We believe that reaching one's "full potential"  is where the happiness, joy and satisfaction from competition comes from. It is this joy and satisfaction that assures the future of non-professional racing competition--in real life and in iRacing.

Team RFC does not have a minimum iRating. We do not discriminate against you because you have not yet won races or have not finished in the top half of the field in most of your races.  If you agree to strive for constant improvement over time, through learning, practice and competition, doing your best, as well as helping others to improve, so that everyone ultimately reaches their full potential, you are probably someone we would like to see on our team.

For example, we place a high priority on Team Members competing for their "Division Championship". iRacing has a wonderful scoring system that allows racers to compete against drivers having a fairly level of equal experience and performance as determined by their iRating.  A Team Member could finish 9th in a race, but 1st in his/her Division. 

Team RFC is not exclusive. You can continue to be member of another team.  If you support our efforts and what we stand for, you are probably someone we would like to see on our team.

We beleive actions speak louder than words.  If a Team Member collides with another drivers car, we require him/her to apologize, in writing by sending a PM to the other driver. We believe that if the front or sides of your car hit another, you are partly responsible for hurting the other person, that the collision was 'avoidable' and an apology (more than just a half hearted "sorry" chat message) is a required action that sets us apart.  We also believe that providing a token gift to a charitable organization that "does good" when you win a race, gives an indication that you desire a purpose to your racing success "higher" than just your own personal glory.

We believe that good racing requires a level of self-control and discipline. Immature temper tantrums have no place in adult competition. We therefore prohibit our Team Members from public display of anger "on the track" or via chat or forum posts.

If you think these goals are attractive and represent your "philosophy" of racing, than please join us in promoting intense but clean/fair competition and setting a good example by "doing good by racing" and by following the spirit of the Golden Rule.

How do you benefit?   First, the psychic reward for "doing the right things" and "setting a good example for others". Second, you will have the opportunity to develop close friendships with other racers that share your values. Finally, there will be other members that will share information with you such as setups and driving tips that will help you to reach your full potential.

Team Livery

 

65+ FunFellowship

60+ Racing Adventures

Donald "Wayne" Strout
Chaplain
Pennsylvania

Fausto Gomes
Gustavo Gomes (Similar)
Portugal

Dan Lee Ensch

Henrique Ebbo
Brazil

T. J. Massick

Team RFC @ iRacing Driver Development Program

PROGRAM CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST

Team RFC @ iRacing has created a new program to help participants that are new to iRacing to move from Rookie to the Class B License level. The program is FREE.

The Team will officially Invite a maximum of ten (10) Rookie applicants each Season.  Each DDP Participant will be assigned to a Team RFC Mentor, who along with other Team RFC Members will provide coaching assistance to accelerate the learning curve and hopefully make the experience of "moving up the ladder" more enjoyable.

Once reaching the D License level, the DDP Participant will compete in the Cadillac Cup Series running the CTS-V in Road Racing for a complete full season.  In addition, the DDP Participant will compete in the NASCAR National Series running the Chevy Impala on Ovals for a complete full season.

Upon satisfactory demonstration of competence, and qualifying for a C License, the DDP Participant will compete in the Star Mazda Series for a complete full season in Road Racing.  (Team RFC @ iRacing Members will provide competitive setups for the Star Mazda to the DDP Participants.) Also, the DDP Participant will complete a full season of IndyCar Fixed on Ovals. 

Upon earning the B License, the DDP Participant “graduates” and is free to compete in any Series of their choice. Team RFC is active in IndyCar Open (Winter Series) and Star Mazda and intends to compete in B and A License classes as Team Members show interest.  The Team works to build competitive setups for Team Members.

In addition to the normal rules for Team RFC @ iRacing Membership, Driver Development Program  Participants will be required to display the Team RFC @ iRacing, “Racing for Jesus” sponsor logo on their cars at all times. 

Interested drivers should apply to Donald Strout by PM, with an explanation of why they should be considered for an Invitation to the Team RFC @ iRacing Driver Development Program.  Invitations will be decided by a committee of several Team RFC 2 iRacing Members.