An incredible performance at a star-studded 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual last weekend saw Team Redline emerge victorious across both LMP and GTE classifications, as well as take home the coveted Le Mans Virtual Series title plus more than US$ 60,000 in prize money (monies won by both LMP and GTE Redline teams).
The #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline, driven by Felipe Drugovich, Oliver Rowland, Jeffrey Rietveld and Michael Smidl topped the LMP podium at the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe, while sister team #71 BMW Team Redline raced to victory in the LMGTE category.
With double points on offer for the 24 Hour of Le Mans virtual, as the biggest and most important race of the Le Mans Virtual Series, the double podium finish saw the two Team Redline entries soar to the top of the Series rankings. The Realteam Hydrogen Redline team scooped the LMP Series title with two victories (Monza and Le Mans) but by just half a point after an excruciatingly close season battling rivals Rebellion GPX Esports and Floyd ByKolles-Burst. In GTE, BMW Team Redline rounded off a stellar season of three victories (Spa, Sebring and Le Mans) to edge out its Porsche Esports Team rivals by 26.5 points to secure a dominant Series victory.
As the backdrop for a decisive season-defining event, the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual brought together 200 top line professional drivers, including F1 World Champion Max Verstappen, INDYCAR Champion Alex Palou and motorsport legend Juan Pablo Montoya, and the world’s best sim racers from 39 different countries, racing on 116 different simulators in 50 cars on the legendary French track.
The endurance race was packed with action, and the early stages saw F1 World Champion Max Verstappen leading the field and performing strongly although he ultimately fell foul of the 14km street/circuit layout of the Circuit de la Sarthe after hitting a barrier which saw his car’s exit from the race. Alongside racing royalty, the likes of YouTube star and endurance racer Jimmy Broadbent also had multiple stints behind the wheel at the race to make the twice-round-the-clock race an unforgettable one.
After the race, #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline driver, and Formula E race champion Oliver Rowland said: “There’s everything that goes into a normal race weekend and probably more into this because we spend so many hours practising. It was amazing to see how much the real drivers, [Felipe] Drugovich, Felix [Rosenqvist] and Max [Verstappen], were putting in as well to get the result that, ultimately, we achieved. This win shows that anything can happen; I wasn’t the fastest in the world, but it’s a 24-hour race and we kept our heads and didn’t make any mistakes.”
Gérard Neveu, Executive Director of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual commented: “This has once again been a huge team effort with so many people involved in multiple areas. Many congratulations to our winners of the 24 Hours Virtual, and of the whole Le Mans Virtual Series, and to all our competitors and partners – this would not have been possible without them. We want to pay tribute to everyone for their energy, enthusiasm, professionalism and expertise, and we hope to see you for the coming Le Mans Virtual Series and, of course, for the third edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual.”
For further media information contact Fiona Miller, Miller Media & Communications, on +44 7770 371332 or miller.media10@btinternet.com
About Le Mans Virtual Series
Le Mans Virtual Series is a global, elite esports series made up of 5 rounds which bring together endurance racing and sim racing’s top teams to compete on some of the world’s most famous racetracks. International FIA-licensed real-world drivers are teamed up with leading esports protagonists to take on endurance classics for a total prize fund of US$250,000, culminating in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual which will take place live and televised at the Autosport Show International in Birmingham, UK. The Le Mans Virtual Series is a joint venture between leading racing game developer, publisher and esports ecosystem provider of official motorsport racing series throughout the world, Motorsport Games, and ACO-the creator and organizer of the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans and promoter of the FIA WEC. www.lemansvirtual.com
Round 1 4 Hours of Monza, Italy September 25, 2021
Round 2 6 Hours of Spa, Belgium October 16, 2021
Round 3 8 Hours of Nürburgring, Germany November 13, 2021
Round 4 4 Hours of Sebring, USA December 18, 2021
Round 5 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual January 15/16, 2022
About Motorsport Games
Motorsport Games, a Motorsport Network company, combines innovative and engaging video games with exciting esports competitions and content for racing fans and gamers around the globe. The Company is the officially licensed video game developer and publisher for iconic motorsport racing series, including NASCAR, INDYCAR, 24 Hours of Le Mans, KartKraft, rFactor 2 and the British Touring Car Championship (“BTCC”), across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, the Nintendo Switch and mobile. Motorsport Games is an award-winning esports partner of choice for 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula E, BTCC, the FIA World Rallycross Championship and the eNASCAR Heat Pro League, among others. For more information about Motorsport Games, visit www.motorsportgames.com
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