Virtual motors, real racing: The success story of esports | Autocar

Virtual motors, real racing: The success story of esports ... Almost as soon as the coronavirus led to racing engines around the world being ... … Newslettersignup Mobilenavigation Menumainmenu Close Finda CarreviewUsedcarforsale MakeAbarthVinfastRiversimpleACCarsACSchnitzerAiwaysAllardAlfaRomeoAlpinaAlpineArielAscariAstonMartinAudiBACBentleyBMWBorgwardBowlerBugattiBYDBytonCadillacCaparoCaterhamChanganAutoChevroletChryslerCitroenCupraDeTomasoDaciaDallaraDavidBrownDodgeDonkervoortDSDysonEagleElementalEternitiFerrariFiatFiskerFordGeelyGenesisGinettaGordonMurrayAutomotiveGreatWallGTOEngineeringGumpertHennesseyHispanoSuizaHondaHongqiHumanHorizonsHyundaiIneosInfinitiIsuzuItalDesignJaguarJannarellyJCBJeepJIAKenOkuyamaKiaKimeraKingsleyCarsKoenigseggKTMLadaLamborghiniLanciaLandRoverLexusLincolnLotusLucidLynk&CoMahindraMarcosMaseratiMaybachMazdaMcLarenMercedes-AMGMercedes-BenzMercedes-MaybachMGMotorMiniMiaMitsubishiMKSportscarsMorganMS-RTMSTMurrayNextEVNioNissanNobleOldsmobileOpelPaganiPeroduaPeugeotPininfarinaPragaPolestarPorscheProtonQorosRadfordRadicalRamRenaultRevologyRimacRodinRoeweRolls-RoyceSaabSeatSenovaShelbySinSkodaSmartSpykerSRTSsangyongSSCSubaruSuzukiTataTeslaTigerToniqTouringSuperleggeraToyotaTriumphTushekTVRVauxhallVencerVeritasVolkswagenVolvoVuhlWellsWestfieldXpengZealMotorZeekrZenosZenvoZolfeZoyte Model YouarehereCarnews›Motorsport›Virtualmotors,realracing:Thesuccessstoryofesports BACKTOALLNEWS Currentlyreading:Virtualmotors,realracing:Thesuccessstoryofesports UPNEXT EverynewPorsche911versioncomingsoon Virtualmotors,realracing:Thesuccessstoryofesports Covid-19hasgivenesportsauniqueopportunitytoshowcaseitself,withreal-lifestarscompetingalongsideprogamers.Welearnmore Opengallery RealF1driversandsimracerscompetedinequalmachinery Qualitygraphicsmakeithardtotellesportsapartfrom‘real’racing KyleLarsonwassackedforracisminanesportschannel LandoNorrisruffledIndycarfeathersduringavirtualguestouting "Esportsisoftenareflectionoftherealworldthat’snotquiteasgood,andthat’safairplacetobe" LeMansVirtualdrewin200driversfrom37countries SwitcheroolostAbthisFormulaEseat Close News byJamesAttwood 7minsread 5July2020 Follow@@Atters_J Share Almostassoonasthecoronavirusledtoracingenginesaroundtheworldbeingturnedoff,sothesimulatorswerefiredupandmotorsportwentvirtual.MuchlikeZoomvideocalls,JoeWicks,homebakingandonlineshopping,esportshasenjoyedalockdown-sizedwindowofopportunityinwhichtoshowcaseitself. Theresulthasbeenasurgeininterest,fuelledbyreal-worlddrivers,manufacturersandchampionshipsouttofillthevoiduntilrealracingcanresume.Itstartedwithestablishedesportsorganisers.AstheFormula1circusheadedhomeafterthelast-minutecancellationoftheAustralianGrandPrix,VeloceEsportsandTorqueEsportssetup‘all-star’events,bothfeaturingreal-worlddrivers,includingF1starsLandoNorrisandMaxVerstappen,andleadingsimracers.F1,FormulaE,Indycar,Nascarandothersquicklylaunchedvirtualchampionships,andsport-starvedTVbroadcastersjumpedatthechancetofilltheirschedules,givingthealreadyrapidlygrowingactivityahugeprofile. “Thelastfewmonthshavebeenreallycool,”saysJackNicholls,whocommentatesonF1forBBCRadio5LiveandFormulaEonTVbutstartedhiscareercoveringesportsandhascommentatedonseveralcurrentseries.“Esportsisbig,butithasstillonlybeenforgamers,and‘real-worldpeople’turnedtheirnoseupatittoacertaindegree. Relatedarticles Racinglines:HowarookieelbowedhiswaytoaDaytona500win MotorsportUKbansRussianlicenceholdersfromUK 2022Formula1preview:AlfaRomeorevealsfinalcontender Breaking:2022RussianFormula1GrandPrixcancelled Fromthemotorsportarchive:allsortsofdramaatDaytona “Thedriverswhohavegotintoitnowisexciting.We’rewatchingFernandoAlonsoandJensonButtonracinginesports,andtherewasahugegridforthe24HoursofLeMansVirtual.”Forchampionshipsandmanufacturers,esportshelpedthemmaintainamediapresenceduringlockdown.Nichollsestimatesanesportsracemightachieve10%oftheexposureofarealcontest–butatsignificantlylessthan10%ofthecost. FormulaEestablishedtheRaceatHomeChallenge,usingittoraisemoneyforUnicef.HannahBrown,thechampionship’sstrategyboss,says:“Weweren’tsurewhatreachwewouldachievewhenwestarted,butthetake-upfrombroadcasterswasgreat.Italsoattracteddifferentviewers,soithasbeenreallyuseful.” Advertisement LatestDrives DS9E-Tense250PerformanceLine+2022review DS9E-Tense250PerformanceLine+2022review VolkswagenT-RocR2022review VolkswagenT-RocR2022review TeslaModelYLongRange2022UKfirstdrivereview TeslaModelYLongRange2022UKfirstdrivereview DS9E-Tense4x4360Rivoli+2022review DS9E-Tense4x4360Rivoli+2022review VolkswagenT-Roc2.0TSI4MotionR-Line2022review VolkswagenT-Roc2.0TSI4MotionR-Line2022review Viewalllatestdrives Backtotop Theofficialserieshelpeddrawinstarnames.Whilesome,includingNorrisandVerstappen,regularlycompeteinesports,manywerenewtothediscipline.BrunoSpengler,whousuallyracesaworksBMWM8GTE,triedsimracingforthefirsttimeonlylastyear.Henowsaysthatit“teachesrealdrivingfeeling”,adding:“Becausetherightracinglineinthesimulatorisalsotherightracinglineontherealracetrack,Icantakemanyofmyexperiencesinthesimulatorwithmeintotherealracingcar.”Thankstotelevisioncoverage,it’snotjustdriverswhohavebeengivenfreshexposuretoesports.“Iknowacommentatorwhothoughtesportswasstupidbutcoveredoneeventandattheendsaid‘wow,thatwasaproperrace’,”saysNicholls.“Well,yeah.It’svirtualmotorracing.Themotorsarevirtual,buttheracingisreal.” Italmostlooksreal,too.Modernsim-racingsoftwaresuchasiRacing,rFactor2andF12019featuresincrediblyrealisticgraphics.WiththelikesoftheF1,FormulaE,IndycarandNascarbroadcastersusingtheirregularcommentatorsandgraphics,theresultswereimpressive.“TheF1VirtualGrandPrixserieswasthebestexample,”saysNicholls.“Whilethegameitselfisn’tthemostrealisticthereis,whenyou’rewatchingCharlesLeclercandAlexAlbonfightitoutinthecarstheyreallydrive,it’ssoclosetowatchingreality.” Esportshasalsoallowedfor‘fantasy’events.TheRaceLegendsTrophyattractedincredibleline-ups:oneIndianapolisracefeaturedFernandoAlonso,MarioAndretti,JensonButton,EmersonFittipaldiandPetterSolberg,amongothers. Advertisement Backtotop “Alotofthetime,esportsisareflectionoftherealworldthat’snotquiteasgood,whichisafairplacetobe,butsomethingliketheLegendsTrophyisthesortofthingyou’vealwayswantedtoseebutwillneverbeabletoinreallife,”addsNicholls.“Commentatingonallthosenamesreallywasacareerhighlight,whichisquitebizarrewhenyouthinkaboutit.” Esportshasalsoalloweddriverstoeasilymakeguestappearancesinotherseries.VerstappencontestedanumberofAustralianSupercarsevents,whileNorristookvictoryonanIndycaroutingatBarberMotorsportsPark.Itdidn’talwaysendwell,mindyou,withNorris’sfollow-upappearanceinavirtualIndianapolisracesparkingamajorinter-seriesrow.IndycarchampionSimonPagenaudwasangeredwhenNorrisovertookhiminamovethatwouldbedangerousinreality.HerespondedbydeliberatelytakingoutNorristopreventhimfromwinning. Therewereothertimeswhenesports’failuretototallyreflectrealitycausedissuesforviewers.Hugecrashescanbarelycauseastir,competitorsoccasionallydisappearmid-racewhentheirinternetconnectionplaysupandthehugelysuccessfulLeMansVirtualeventrequiredtworacestoppageswhilecomputerserverswerereset.Suchdiscrepanciescanjoltviewersfromreality,andthesheervisceralthrillofwatchingrealmotorsportismissing.Still,asanapproximationoftherealthing,it’sclose–andpeoplehavewatched. ThefirstofficialF1esportsevent,theVirtualBahrainGrandPrix,reportedlyattractedaglobalTVaudienceofsome1.2million(includingmorethan200,000onSkySportsintheUK)and3.2milliononlineviewers.TheeNascariRacingProInvitationalSeriesrace‘inTexas’attracted1.35millionTVviewersintheUS–anewrecordforanyesportsevent.TheFormulaERaceatHomeChallengewasshownbytheBBC.AndTorqueEsportssaysitsRaceAll-StarSeriesgained4.75millionworldwideTVviewersthroughcoverageacross71internationalnetworks,includingESPNintheUS. Suchnumbersdoneedtobetakenincontext;TVratingsdroppedasvirtualseasonswenton,withthefinaleNascareventdrawingjust688,000viewers.Andthey’redwarfedbywhatrealracingachieves;whentheNascarseasonresumedlastmonth,apeakof6.32millionwatchedthefirstrace. Advertisement Backtotop ButTVratingsalonedon’ttellthefullstory.Esportsishugelypopularononlinestreamingservices,particularlyTwitch.Attimes,Norrisattractedmorethan70,000viewerstohispersonalvideostream.“It’sreallyenjoyable,”hesays.“Beingabletospeak[withfans]andanswerquestionsisreallynice.ItallowspeopletoseemoreofwhatIdo.TheygettoseehowIdriveandhowIactandreacttospinning,doingwellinqualifyingandeverything.” Inanagewhendriversarefrequentlydismissedasdull,corporatemouthpieces,esportsplatformshaveallowedthemtoshowcasetheirfunsides.“NorriswasknownasacharacterwhenhegotintoF1,butformeLeclercwasthebigone,”saysNicholls.“AtFerrari,he’sobviouslycloselylookedafter,soseeinganF1titlefavouritewithhisguarddown,racingdressedasabanana,hasbeenquitemad.ToseebehindthescenesinaFerraridriver’shouseisarareoccurrence.” Yes,Leclercreallydidtacklearacewearingabananacostume.Dubioussartorialchoicesaside,mostoftherealdrivershavetakentheiresportsoutingsseriously–andwhentheyhaven’t,therehavebeenconsequences.JustaskDanielAbt,whodidn’tenjoysimracingandstruggledinthevirtualFormulaEracesasaresult.Heropedinaprofessionalsimracertotakehisplaceforaneventand,whentherusewasuncovered,theoutcryledtoAudisackinghimfromhisrealjob. Advertisement Backtotop Withnormalityslowlyreturning,theattentionofthemotorsportworldissuretoshiftbackfromvirtualtoreallife.Butesportsissettobenefitfromitslockdownboom.“It’sdefinitelysomethingwethinkcanbevaluableforusinthefuture,”saysFormulaE’sBrown.“We’vegivenalotofthoughtonhowtodeveloptheproduct,bymakingsureit’sauthenticandvaluabletothesystem.” Nichollsadds:“Weallstillwantrealmotorsporttocomebackand,whenitdoes,esportswillcontinuefortheguyswhoweredoingitalready,maybewithabitmoreexposurethanbefore.Ithasgivensimracingalargeamountofvalidityandshownthatit’saseriousproposition.Theattitudethat‘it’sasillygame’isgoingaway. Esportsinlockdown:thehighsandthelows Highs Crossoverstars:Withswitchingcodesassimpleasswitchingsoftware,raceswereenlivenedbyguestoutingsthatcouldn’thappeninreality.F1aceLandoNorrisbeatthebestIndycarhadtooffer,MaxVerstappenappearedinAustralianSupercarsandworldrallylegendPetterSolbergracedFernandoAlonsoandMarioAndrettiontheIndianapolisoval. Ratingsboom:With1.3millionviewers,thevirtualTexasNascarracesetaUSTVrecordforanesportsevent.TheF1VirtualBahrainGPattractedmorethan3.2millionviewersworldwideacrossTVandstreamingplatforms.AndtheFormulaEesportseventwasevenshownontheBBC. Levelplayingfield:GeorgeRussell’stalenthasbeenhiddenbyarubbishWilliamssofar,butwithallthevirtualF1carslevel,the22-year-oldBritrackedupthreestraightwinsaheadofCharlesLeclercandotherstars. Lows It'sjustnotcricket:TheF1EsportsVirtualGrandPrixeventsfeaturedsomequestionablegueststarsfromelsewhereinthesportingworld,includingcricketersStuartBroadandBenStokes,golferIanPoulterandfootballerThibautCourtois.Whiletheyaddedsomenamerecognition,itmadeithardtotaketheseriesentirelyseriously. Advertisement Backtotop Defendingtheirpatch:Notallthegueststarswereentirelywelcomed.TheIndycaresportsraceatIndianapolisendedincontroversywhenserieschampionSimonPagenauddeliberatelycrashedintoLandoNorristopreventanoutsiderfromwinning,sparkingamajortransatlanticrow. Real-worldsackings:FormulaEdriverDanielAbtwassackedbytheAuditeamafterropinginaprofessionalgamertoclandestinelyreplacehiminavirtualrace.NascarstarKyleLarsonlosthisrealride,too,forusingracistlanguageinapublicchannel. READMORE Racinglines:It'stimetotakeF1simsseriously  Virtualracingwasboomingbeforelockdown–youjustdidn'tnotice  Canvirtualracingreplacetherealthing? 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