janvier 2022 - Le Mans Virtual Series

The 5-round 2021-22 Le Mans Virtual Series, which was brought to a glittering conclusion last weekend with the star-studded 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, registered impressive, cumulated TV and digital audience figures of more than 81 million (Source: YouGov Sport) throughout its 5-month season.

The grand finale to the Le Mans Virtual Series on 15/16^th January brought together 50 cars with 200 drivers from 39 different countries, racing on 116 simulators worldwide in 28 countries on an extremely accurate virtual rendition of the iconic Circuit des 24 Heures in Le Mans, France. Heading a grid of famous racing names, and leading the charge in early stages was Formula One World Champion Max Verstappen, competing alongside INDYCAR Champion Alex Palou and motorsport legend Juan Pablo Montoya amongst others.

After incredible battles up and down the field between the world’s best professional and sim racing drivers representing elite esports teams, the event was won by Realteam Hydrogen Redline, with BMW Team Redline taking victory in the GTE category.

An impressive cumulative TV/OTT and digital audience of over 81 million (Source: YouGov Sport) enjoyed a slick and authoritative 25-hour TV special seen in countries across four continents on channels such as Eurosport, Motor Trend, L’Equipe Live and Motorsport.TV.

Some key facts and figures:

360,000 hours were consumed by the #LeMansVirtual audience
8 million TV/OTT audience (source: YouGov Sport)
2 million social media impressions (FIA WEC, ACO, LMVS) through the season
7 million video views (across FIA WEC, ACO and Traxion GG – Source: Hookit)
200 drivers from 39 different nations
50 cars split in two classes (29 LMP and 21 GTE)
116 simulators in 28 different countries
2 servers (1 main/1 backup) operated rFactor2 and 0 server issues
33,000 connections on the official Alkamel timing system (Source: Alkamel)
407 laps completed by the winner, #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline
Organisation team of 120 people including production, sporting, marketing, media and digital, TV, logistics

Gérard Neveu, Executive Producer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual and Motorsport Advisor to Motorsport Games: “On behalf of all of us at Le Mans Virtual Series, we want to sincerely thank all our competitors and teams who made this possible, our partners for their unwavering support, and the millions of fans who followed our events and who brought the social media sites alive with their comments of support, passion and race-enthusiasm.

“These impressive figures and the quality of the events are clear confirmation that the Le Mans Virtual Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual are now firmly established at the very top level of esports and sim racing. Let’s now get ready for next season and make it even better!”

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

www.lemansvirtual.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

The chequered flag has been shown for the 2022 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual – the grand finale to the 2021-22 Le Mans Virtual Series. The event 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.

Following a successful and impressive event which was broadcast live from Studio Gabriel in Paris on TV and digital channels across the world, the world’s biggest virtual endurance race has drawn to a conclusion.

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. Due to the ever-evolving worldwide Covid pandemic, changes in format and to driver line ups all had to be made at relatively short notice. We want to pay tribute to everyone for their energy, enthusiasm, professionalism and expertise by saying a sincere and warm thank you to…

Our competitors and this fantastic grid, without whom this would not have been possible
The millions of fans worldwide who have followed this event on TV, online and on social media
The represented manufacturers, Ferrari, Porsche, Alpine, Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Aston Martin and Corvette
Our sponsors and commercial partners, notably Rolex, Lego Technic, Goodyear, Algorand, Thrustmaster and Total Energies
Everyone involved from the ACO and the FIA WEC
The entire AMP Visual TV production crew including the commentators who talked, analysed, interviewed and entertained from start to finish
The Studio Gabriel (TV studio) for its very warm welcome and support
Our Race Direction team led by Eduardo Freitas and Ben Rossiter-Turner
Everyone at Studio 397/rFactor2 for 24 hours of green flag racing
Our official timekeepers Alkamel Systems
Mission H24 for their support of our Safety Car
The sporting team led by Lewis Edmondson
The combined marketing team
The combined media and communications team from MSG, ACO, WEC and TraxionGG
The logistics team and Bivouac Catering
And a very special congratulations to the whole of Motorsport Games for their skill, performance and execution in making the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual happen

Thank you for being part of this great chapter in esports history and for all that has been achieved together. See you in June for the real 24 Hours of Le Mans and, of course, next year 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

www.lemansvirtual.com

About Le Mans Virtual Series

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

The 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, the final round of the Le Mans Virtual Series, ended in spectacular fashion as #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline and Felipe Drugovich, Oliver Rowland, Jeffrey Rietveld and Michael Smidl topped the podium at the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe.

Renowned as the most intense and gruelling race in real world motorsport, the field for the biggest endurance esports event of the year was littered with racing stars eager to test their mettle against the famed 24-hour endurance test, including newly-crowned F1 World Champion Max Verstappen, IndyCar 2021 Champion Alex Palou and motorsport legend Juan Pablo Montoya.

The competitiveness of the field and the attritional racing of the 24 Hours took their toll on even the biggest stars, as Max Verstappen in the #123 Team Redline car crashed out in the eighth hour, while 16 other cars were forced to retire or were not classified, including Juan Pablo Montoya’s #40 LMP Cup Champion.

In second and third places were #1 Rebellion GPX Esports and #4 Floyd ByKolles-Burst, while Rudy van Buren, Lorenzo Colombo, Enzo Bonito and Kevin Siggy in the #71 BMW Team Redline took first place in the LMGTE category to make it a spectacular double win for Team Redline.

As the Le Mans Virtual Series finale, the twice-round-the-clock endurance race was also the backdrop to a championship-deciding clash between #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline and #4 Floyd ByKolles-Burst, with the former claiming the championship trophy and the coveted prize money by just half a point after earning double points at Le Mans. Some high profile entries, such as the all-female W Series line up and the official Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports LMP2, suffered from technical issues which saw them exit the race at an early stage, but their presence added immeasurably to the starting grid.

A pulse-racing contest with plenty of action throughout on the iconic endurance circuit, the event featured:

A dominant display from #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline to secure victory at Le Mans, after Jeffrey Rietveld drove a spectacular qualifying lap to pip F1 World Champion Max Verstappen in #123 Team Redline for pole position in qualifiers.
An epic three-way showdown between #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline, #1 Rebellion GPX Esports and #4 Floyd ByKolles-Burst for the Le Mans Virtual Series Championship and $250,000 prize pool, as Team Redline earned the series title by just half a point, with the Le Mans race victory earning double points.
An unprecedented result for Team Redline, which earned a double race victory, as well as claim the Series title across both LMP2 and LMGTE classifications
An attritional 24-hour battle across the field, as the gruelling endurance race saw a total of 17 cars retired or not classified
Tom Lartilleux for #14 Race Clutch Alpine securing the fastest lap at 3:21.734

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 goes into this because we spend so many hours practising and how much the real drivers, [Felipe] Drugovic, Felix [Rosenqvist] and Max [Verstappen], were putting in as well to get the result that, ultimately, we achieved.

“[This result] 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.”

We’re sharing the highlights of the race for news interest–you can see the full post-race report below. You can also watch a highlights video here, and find official imagery here.

**Le Mans Virtual Series, *24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual* – Post Race Report**

The 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, the fifth and final round of the Le Mans Virtual Series, kicked off Saturday 15th January with 200 drivers in 50 cars across the LMP2 and GTE classes taking to the start line. The drivers used 116 different simulators located in 28 different locations across the globe, including four in the Parisian studio used to live broadcast the race.
2021 F1 World Champion Max Verstappen led a star-studded driver line-up that featured names from across motorsport, including 2021 INDYCAR Champion Alex Palou, ex-F1 driver Felix Rosenqvist and former F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, racing alongside his son Sebastian Montoya.
Having led the race at the start, swiftly overtaking the #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline, and looking like the team to beat in an attritional battle for top spot, the #123 Team Redline crashed out of the race in the eighth hour, after hitting the barrier at the Ford Chicane with Verstappen at the wheel.
Conditions were clear at Circuit de la Sarthe, and all eyes on each team’s strategy for the fiercely competitive 24 Hours ahead. Naturally teams had to keep a close eye on tyre wear as the endurance race took its toll on rubber, while minimum and maximum times behind the wheel would make the order of drivers very impactful over the 24 hours, with many starting with their pro drivers. Most notably, the #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline in pole started with Brazilian Formula 2 race winner Felipe Drugovich and #123 Team Redline entered the race with F1 World Champion Max Verstappen behind the wheel to try to push their advantage in the early stages. Having fresh eyes through the night would also prove crucial, as attrition, traffic and low-light conditions took their toll on several contenders near the halfway mark.

In the LMP Classification, the race began with Felipe Drugovic in the #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline leading the grid, after Jeffrey Rietveld gave a spectacular qualifying drive, 0.002 seconds ahead of F1 World Champion Max Verstappen #123 Team Redline, to earn pole position. Verstappen and the #123 car started in second but quickly gained the race lead amid feisty opening clashes. Further down the grid the opening traffic caused some chaos, resulting the #31 Team WRT SIMTAG Esports entry hitting the barriers after contact and back onto the circuit to collide with the championship-leading #4 Floyd ByKolles-Burst. A surging James Baldwin in #28 Veloce Esports rose from fourth to second and began trading blows with Verstappen upfront, both setting fastest sector times before a strategy decision saw the Veloce pit early to swap Baldwin for Isaac Gillissen to allow Redline to extend its lead.
In the eighth hour of the race, the #123 Team Redline looked imperious up front with Max Verstappen once again behind the wheel, but disaster struck at the Ford Chicane. The LMP car appeared to lose control over the kerb and struck the tyre barriers to force the car’s retirement and hand the lead to a lightning-quick Jeffrey Rietveld in the #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline. Approaching the halfway mark as darkness descended on the Circuit de la Sarthe, Formula E race winner Oliver Rowland was now behind the wheel of the still-leading #70, while reigning champions #1 Rebellion GPX Esports were up to second. By this time the field had opened up a little, as the famously attritional race and competitive driving saw some cars falter, including the #24 Le Mans Cup Champions entry driven by Juan Pablo Montoya and his son Sebastian Montoya as well as Luca D’Amelio and Christopher Högfeldt, which was forced to retire after striking a barrier.
By the final few hours the #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline had extended its lead to a minute ahead of #1 Rebellion GPX Esports, which in turn held a significant lead over #4 Floyd ByKolles-Burst, which had risen to third after #28 Veloce Esports ran out of fuel to force an unfortunate retirement. With much focus and precision crucial amid marathon stints by several drivers, the quality and precision on the circuit was on full display as crisp driving saw the leading pack try in vain to gain on the #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline, which crossed the finish line on lap 407. The result not only secured the team its first 24 Hours of Le Mans victory, but also won the Le Mans Virtual Series title by just half a point

Over in the LMGTE Classification, a stunning qualifying lap by #111 Red Bull Racing Esports Corvette by Sebastian Job would see the team start in class pole, with Dennis Lind behind the wheel, while #91 Porsche Esports Team and #71 BMW Team Redline were second and third on the grid respectively. The lead didn’t last however, as Mitchell deJong in the #91 Porsche and Rudy van Buren in the #71 BMW Team Redline both overtook the Red Bull team in the opening laps. By the end of the opening exchanges it was familiar faces leading the LMGTE pack, with the #91 and #92 Porsche Esports Team cars leading the race and the #71 BMW Team Redline sat in third. Although the leaders had largely remained apart from the chaos further down the grid, Joshua Rogers in the #92 Porsche narrowly avoided the #44 ARC Bratislava to cause an early scare.
By the halfway point, a four-way battle was well underway and the #70 BMW Team Redline had played the long game to perfection, and taken advantage of the squad’s impressive fuel-saving ability to lead the class, after Kevin Siggy overtook Sage Karam in the #92 Porsche. The chasing pack remained extremely close, however, as pit stops regularly saw the BMW trade leads with the two Porsches, while the #51 Ferrari Driver Academy Esports 488 was still a threat in fourth place and within twenty seconds of top spot. The infamous night drive saw a big casualty in the third quarter of the race, as Tommy Østgaard in the #92 Porsche Esports Team was forced to retired after being hit by Nico Varrone in the #65 Panis Racing LMP, which was in turn given a drive through penalty.
Approaching the final stints, the #71 BMW had retained its position at the top of the grid as its fuel-saving strategy continued to give it an incredible advantage over the remaining #91 Porsche. While the BMW was winning the race for first, a hair-raising battle for third between #77 Proton Competition and #51 Ferrari finally saw a victor after Ferrari’s Nicklas Nielsen ran alongside Kevin van Dooren and slid into the barrier to force a calamitous pit for repairs, leaving the Proton clear in the podium places. Ultimately, the second-placed #91 Porsche was unable to close the 30-second gap in the final stages of the race, and #71 BMW Team Redline crossed the chequered flag after 367 laps to complete a double victory at the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as win the Le Mans Virtual Series across both classifications.

Tom Lartilleux for #14 Race Clutch Alpine recorded the fastest lap time in the LMP2 Classification, with a blistering 3:21.734 on the 117th lap, 1.5 seconds faster than the next best. In the LMGTE Classification, Sebastian Job in the #111 Red Bull Racing Esports secured the fastest lap, recording an impressive 3:47.453 on the 91st lap.
After the race, Team Redline Team Manager Atze Kerkhof said: “This feels like redemption for last year, putting in an amazing performance by the team at such an incredible event. The team pulled it off like we did throughout the season last year and now 2022 is starting really well and we’re super happy.” On securing a double win with victory in the GTE class, he added, “we pulled it off again, the guys got the maximum they could from the car and the engineers supported us all night long. [GTE driver] Rudy van Buren’s wheel broke and he had to drive three hours across Holland to our offices at 3am to race in a new sim for him, so the guys were really under pressure and held their nerve.”
Oliver Rowland, #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline driver and Formula E race champion said: “There’s everything that goes into a normal race weekend, and probably more goes into this because we spend so many hours practising and how much the real drivers, [Felipe] Drugovic, Felix [Rosenqvist] and Max [Verstappen], were putting in as well to get the result that, ultimately, we achieved. [This result] 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.”

The result means that #70 Realteam Hydrogen Redline takes home the Le Mans Virtual Series Championship, fighting off the #1 Rebellion GPX Esports and #4 Floyd ByKolles-Burst teams with just half a point between the top two and only 2.5 points splitting the top three, after an historically close season.

Images from 24 Hours of Le Mans can be found here.

If you have any questions or require more information please let me know. We can also offer interviews with the drivers–please let me know if you have any requests.

A host of major broadcasters including Motor Trend in the USA and Eurosport Pan-Europe will televise this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual (15/16 January), bringing the exhilarating combined world of motorsport and esports to millions of homes across the globe.

A special TV show covering this unique event will be produced live from Paris and will include an expert commentary team made up of FIA World Endurance Championship lead commentator Martin Haven, esports experts Chris McCarthy and Lewis McGlade, motorsport commentator Ben Constanduros plus “pitlane” reporter Hayley Edmonds. Also in the studio will be current WEC competitor, 2020 Le Mans Virtual driver and FIA F2 and F3 commentator Alex Brundle to bring a driver’s eye to proceedings.

The 200 drivers – representing 39 different nationalities – taking part in the 50 cars (4-drivers in each car in rotation over the 24 hours) will be located in 28 different countries and this is fully reflected in the digital interest from broadcasters globally. The drivers come from both real life motorsport, including F1 World Champion Max Verstappen, and sim racing and combine together to show their talents in the virtual world.

Eurosport will cover the full twice-round-the-clock race live throughout its European region on Eurosport Player, and global coverage will be on Motorsport.tv. Also airing the full 24 hours on OTT channels in Europe will be L’Equipe Live in France, Sport 10 (pay TV) and RTBF Auvio (OTT) in Belgium, Viaplay in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Sport 1 in Germany (+ Austria and Switzerland) will show a special 44 minute programme on Sunday evening on free-to-air TV with a potential reach of 72 million.

Motor Trend will cover the full virtual race live in North America on its OTT service, while Star+ will show the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual in Latin America plus Brazil. SuperSport DStv will take the broadcast live on its dedicated motorsport channel across Africa, thus extending the coverage to four continents around the world.

Finally, the ACO and FIA WEC’s official social media channels will be showing all the action live from start to finish, as will the Le Mans Virtual Series official website (www.lemansvirtual.com). The broadcast begins at 13h30 (CET / 12h30 GMT / 07h30 ET) and the famous French national flag will be dropped for the start of the biggest endurance esports event of the year at 14h00 (13h GMT/08h00 ET).

To view the full entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual – Click Here

To view the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual Spotters Guide – Click Here

The biggest endurance sim racing event of the year, the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, takes place this weekend (15/16 January) with some of motorsport’s biggest names including the F1 World Champion Max Verstappen competing alongside the crème de la crème of sim racers. The online event begins at 14h CET and 200 drivers will compete in 50 cars for 24 hours of hard virtual racing.

Leading the field away as the official “Leading Car” will be the LMPH2G, the hydrogen-electric racing car developed by H24Racing for the MissionH24 project initiated by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and GreenGT. As leading car and safety car, as was the case for the inaugural 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, the LMPH2G will head the field around the famed Circuit de la Sarthe course for the formation lap and will intervene to slow the pace during the race if necessary.

The Mission H24 project goal is a hydrogen class at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest is working with leading figures in endurance, the manufacturers and technical partners, on the creation of a category reserved for electric-hydrogen-powered prototypes. MissionH24 and their team, H24Racing, are trialling the best technical and sporting solutions to compete in this category.

The electric-hydrogen solution employed in mobility is safe, reliable, controlled, and decarbonised and is one of the keys to the ecological transition of the transport industry. It is particularly well adapted to endurance racing which demands both high power levels and substantial autonomy.

To follow the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual go to www.lemansvirtual.com or you can find it on all ACO and FIA WEC official social media channels.

Miami, FL – January 7, 2022 – The star-studded entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, scheduled to be held January 15 & 16, 2022, has today been revealed and it shows once again the fascination, charm and lure of motorsport’s greatest endurance race. The race will be held virtually and on simulators located all around the world.

A glittering roster of drivers includes newly-crowned F1 World Champion Max Verstappen, an Alpine Esports team captained by (non-driving) former F1 and FIA WEC World Champion Fernando Alonso, plus 2021 INDYCAR Champion Alex Palou. Among the entries are former CART and IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Champion and former F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, racing alongside his son Sebastian Montoya in a Le Mans Virtual Series guest car, and INDYCAR’s Felix Rosenqvist – a race winner already this season and championship title contender who will have Verstappen alongside him in the Team Redline entry.

Single-seater stars on the list comprise ex Williams F1 young driver and Formula E star Oliver Rowland, Formula E’s Sergio Sette Camara, Indy 500 racer Sage Karam, Bent Viscaal, Felipe Drugovich, Victor Martins plus the W Series entry which features pro drivers Fabienne Wohlwend and Ayla Agren and their two female sim driver teammates, Emily Jones and Lyobuv Ozeretskovskaya.

Also on the entry list from W Series is Beitske Visser who has, in 2021, started to make quite a name for herself in endurance racing. A feast of successful names from the FIA WEC, ELMS, IMSA and GT racing worldwide will be on the grid: 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual winner Louis Deletraz together with his 2021 ELMS co-champion Yifei Ye, 2021 Petit Le Mans winner Gabriel Aubry, Job Van Uitert, Dani Juncadella, Arthur Rougier, WEC GTE Am champion Nicklas Nielsen, former DTM Champion Bruno Spengler, Porsche specialists Matt Campbell and Ben Barker, and current British GT3 champion Dennis Lind.

While the focus may initially fall on the real world racing stars (listed as PRO on the entry list), internationally-renowned esports stars such as Joshua Rogers (2020 24H Virtual GTE winner), Kevin Siggy, Bono Huis, Atze Kerkhof, Michi Hoyer, Jernej Simončič and Nikodem Wisniewski are just a few of the very talented and determined sim racers who will be combining with the pros to provide a true feast of competition and entertainment.

In total, 200 drivers have signed up to take part in the event, the finale to the Le Mans Virtual Series which brings together motorsport’s real life racers with the world’s best esports squads. In addition to shining a spotlight on the famous French sports car classic and providing 24-hours of top entertainment for competitors and fans around the world, championship titles and prize money are at stake for full-season competitors.

Further details will be revealed in the coming days about individual car liveries, plus how you can follow the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual on TV, online and on social media channels around the world.

About Le Mans Virtual Series

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

Silverstone, UK – January 5, 2022. Names from Formula One and the motorsport world at large, familiar to all, are joining with some of the most successful sim racing teams in existence to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual. The finale to the 2021-22 Le Mans Virtual Series will take place online on 15/16 January, and the list of drivers will include champions from F1, IndyCar, WEC, GT Racing in Europe and the USA and many, many more well-known names. The full driver list will be released on Friday, January 7, 2022.

The event brings together the world’s best professional drivers and sim racers, teamed together for 24 hours of virtual racing around the legendary French track and the whole event will be televised live across the world via a special TV programme to be made live from Paris.

Real world interest in the virtual world

The 50-strong team entry list reveals that Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports will be making its debut in the Le Mans Virtual Series, competing against Alpine Esports and Red Bull Racing Esports – the official sim racing divisions of the F1 Grand Prix teams. Joining them will be an all-female team from the W Series, an official Prodrive Esports team, and a return to the spotlight for a famous French racing name, Pescarolo. They will line up alongside Le Mans Virtual Series full season endurance esports entries from Team WRT, JOTA, Panis Racing, Duqueine, GR Racing, Proton Competition, Team Project 1 and D’Station Racing.

The crème de la crème of sim racers will be representing such well-known esports teams as Rebellion GPX Esports, Rocket Simsport, Floyd ByKolles Burst, R8G Esports, Team Redline, Veloce Esports, Team Fordzilla and SIMMSA Esports. The list is long and exciting.

GTE’s diversity as impressive as at the real 24 Hours of Le Mans

The entries for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual are split into two categories of cars, LMP and GTE. While all LMP teams will use the ORECA 07 LMP2 model, the range and variety of GTE cars entered strongly reflects the diversity and popularity of the virtual race’s real-life heritage. Ferrari’s official FDA Esports Team will compete with a Ferrari 488 GTE, also used by SIMMSA Esports, while Porsche Esports Team leads the way for no fewer than 10 Porsche 911 RSR GTE entries.

Current GTE championship leader BMW Team Redline is one of five teams using the BMW M8 GTE – the W Series entry opting for this model for their entry to endurance racing. Two Aston Martin Vantage GTE cars, including one from Prodrive Esports, and two Corvette C8.Rs make up the extremely competitive and always entertaining GTE category

The full team list can be found HERE

The full entry list including driver line ups will be released on January 7, but in the meantime more information about Le Mans Virtual Series including press releases, visuals, official poster and a presentation can be found HERE. All information on the event can also be found on www.lemansvirtual.com.

For further media information contact Fiona Miller, Miller Media & Communications, on +44 7770 371332 or miller.media10@btinternet.com

www.lemansvirtual.com

About Le Mans Virtual Series

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

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Mois : janvier 2022

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