Ryan Stringer crowned European Radical Champion in official Radical series
A season of determination, resilience and consistently strong performances came to a spectacular conclusion for Scorpio RaceGen's Ryan Stringer, who secured the 2026 European Radical Championship AM title, finishing ten points clear of his closest rival after a commanding final-round performance at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The European Championship 2026 is one of the major competitions organised by Radical SimRacing, bringing together drivers from across Europe and beyond for a ten-round championship contested in the Radical SR10 on iRacing. Running from March 23 to October 11, the series features two races at each event, with a 45-minute heat followed by a 20-minute race, using fixed setups to place greater emphasis on driver ability, consistency and racecraft.
The championship features separate PRO and AM driver classifications, alongside a team competition in which two drivers can combine their results. All events are broadcast live by Racespot TV, giving the championship an additional professional dimension and providing competitors with an opportunity to race in front of a wider audience.
There is also plenty at stake beyond the championship titles. The top seven drivers in each class earn direct qualification for the 2026 World Finals, while positions eight to fourteen secure a place in an additional qualification event. The AM champion receives six months of iRacing membership and free entry into the 2027 championship, while the runner-up also receives free entry for the following season and World Finals qualification. Drivers finishing third to seventh qualify directly for the World Finals as well. The team champions receive an iRacing track for each driver and free entry into the 2027 season.
For Ryan, however, the most important prize was the championship itself, and after a season spent fighting at the front of the AM field, he had every intention of bringing it home.
Mosport: A frustrating weekend
The eighth round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, commonly known as Mosport, was an opportunity for Ryan to achieve something he had been chasing throughout the season: a double victory.
The pace was there, but the results did not quite follow. In the opening race, contact at Turn 2 sent Ryan off track and cost him more than ten seconds to the leading group, leaving him to recover to fifth in class.
Race two offered little relief. Another incident developed at Turn 2, this time involving a major collision ahead of him, leaving Ryan with nowhere to go and resulting in damage that compromised his ability to fight for the win. He nevertheless managed to recover to second in class and seventh overall, salvaging valuable championship points from a weekend that could have been considerably better.
Barcelona: Fighting back
The ninth round at Barcelona began much more promisingly, with a strong qualifying performance putting Ryan second on the AM grid. He was immediately involved in a close battle with championship contenders, including Gabriel Berger, but his race took an unfortunate turn when a PRO-class driver left him with insufficient room, resulting in a spin.
Rather than allowing the incident to define his race, Ryan regrouped and fought his way back to claim victory in the AM class.
The second race proved equally frustrating, although for entirely different reasons. Leading the AM group into Turn 4, Ryan was caught up in an incident caused by a PRO driver ahead, which he was unable to avoid. The resulting damage compromised the car's aerodynamic performance, making it particularly difficult to maintain the pace needed to fight for another victory.
He eventually finished third in class, leaving Barcelona with a win and a third-place finish, but also with the knowledge that another potential double victory had slipped away.
With one round remaining, the championship was still very much alive. Ryan entered the finale at Charlotte Motor Speedway just three points behind Berger, knowing that the title would be decided over the final two races.
Charlotte Roval: Delivering when it mattered
There was very little room for error at Charlotte. After two rounds in which incidents had repeatedly prevented him from converting his pace into maximum results, Ryan needed a strong weekend, and his qualifying performance immediately suggested he was ready for the challenge.
He outqualified every other AM competitor, setting a banker lap that was half a second quicker than the fastest flying lap of his class rivals. It was an emphatic statement of intent ahead of the most important races of his season.
Race one, however, was never going to be straightforward. Ryan needed to outscore Berger, and despite finding himself down in sixth position after the opening lap, he settled into a competitive rhythm, remaining close to the strongest drivers in the field.
For much of the 45-minute race, he was involved in an entertaining battle with two PRO-class drivers, maintaining his position while building a significant gap over the AM competition. Berger, meanwhile, was running tenth overall, approximately twelve seconds behind the AM leader.
By the chequered flag, Ryan had achieved exactly what he needed, establishing a four-position advantage over his championship rival heading into the final race. The mathematics were now simple: finish ahead of Berger, and the European AM Championship would be his.
The final race was a very different affair. With the title within reach, there was little reason to take unnecessary risks, and Ryan concentrated on keeping the car on the track and bringing the championship home safely.
He finished seventh, while Berger crossed the line in thirteenth, confirming Ryan as the 2026 European Radical AM Champion with a ten-point advantage.
But there was one more reason to celebrate.
To put the finishing touch on an already remarkable weekend, Ryan achieved his first complete clean-sweep performance, recording the fastest practice and qualifying laps, leading every lap of the race and setting the fastest race lap. Having spent much of the previous two rounds fighting against circumstances beyond his control, there could hardly have been a more satisfying way to finish the season.
Ten points, one championship
The official championship standings confirm Ryan's achievement, with the Scorpio eSports driver finishing first in the AM classification on 172 points, ahead of Gabriel Berger on 162. Lars-Erik Frydenlund completed the top three.
What makes the result particularly satisfying is the way Ryan secured it. Rather than enjoying a trouble-free run to the title, he completely missed the first three rounds; he also had to repeatedly recover from incidents, damage and lost opportunities, while maintaining the consistency, when given the opportunity, which is required to remain in championship contention.
- Ivan Taranov, Scorpio RaceGen Team Principal
The final two rounds demonstrated precisely that combination of speed and composure. A victory at Barcelona, followed by a decisive performance at Charlotte, ultimately proved enough to turn a three-point deficit into a ten-point championship-winning margin.
For Scorpio eSports & RaceGen, this is another significant result on the international iRacing stage, and a testament to Ryan's development and determination throughout the season.
The European Radical AM Champion is Ryan Stringer. And after that final weekend, he certainly did not leave anyone wondering who deserved the trophy.
Official standings: https://radicalsimracing.com/championship-standings/ Championship information: https://radicalsimracing.com/product/european-championship-2026/
Photos and livery by Ryan Stringer
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