Sim Racing and Esports News for April 7, 2022

This week in Sim Racing and Esports News I bring you details of the brand-new Lamborghini esports team, a list of Porsche cars you can race in Gran Turismo 7, the debate over which is a better training ground, karts or sim racing and another driver making the transition from sim racing to the real thing. And much more!

• Here is the complete list of Porsche cars available to race in Gran Turismo 7. “As well as your favourite classic Porsche sportscars being present and correct, you also get the chance race innovative concept vehicles, like the 917 Living Legend – which pays homage to the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning racecar – with its glorious V8 bi-turbo engine. And you can take control of the exclusive Porsche Vision Gran Turismo concept car – the first-ever Porsche developed purely for the digital world – that’s only accessible to GT7 gamers.”

• The 2022 Mobileye GT World Challenge Europe Esports Championship kicked off on Wednesday (6 April) with a one-hour Assetto Corsa Competizione race at Misano, launching the first of three continental Sprint Series set to run in 2022. More details can be found at the series website here.

• Lamborghini has launched its first ever Esports Team for virtual racing as well as announcing their three official sim drivers. “Lamborghini decided to create its own official team to build on the valuable experience gained with The Real Race, the virtual one-make championship that debuted in 2020. The Esports Team represents a further opportunity to expand the brand’s presence in a sector that is constantly developing, highly competitive, and offers the chance to experience emotions comparable to those of a real race.” Dan Wells was also announced as the Team Principal and Coach. If that name sounds familiar it is because he wrote 8 Top Tips for Investing in a Driving Simulator for Motorsport Prospects last Fall.

• Safe is Fast asks the question “Has Sim Racing now become the best way to break into motorsport?” In their latest video (see above), top iRacer and Team USA Scholarship winner Max Esterson explains why he thinks so. And a group of top drivers including IndyCar’s Pato O’Ward and Le Mans winner Loic Duval express their doubts.

• Speaking of Max Esterson, appropriately enough he has renewed his partnership with iRacing.

• I have mentioned this on numerous occasions but here is yet another example. In Driven by dreams: from the virtual to the real, Porsche highlights the journey of Jeff Giassi from sim racer to real world competitor. “Jeff Giassi has realised a universal dream for gamers the world over. At the age of 24, the Brazilian sim racer has turned the virtual into the physical, rising from star of esports to real-life champion, and all of it behind the wheel of a Porsche.”

• The World of Outlaws will make its long-awaited return to PlayStation and Xbox in the fall of 2022 thanks to a partnership between the series, iRacing, and its studio Monster Games, the parties announced today. The game will be iRacing’s first official step into the world of console gaming after acquiring the Monster Games and Orontes Games studios in the winter of 2021 to expand its product offerings beyond its core PC simulation product.

• RaceFans.net presents a compelling argument as to why the Gran Turismo 7 backlash should make EA think twice about microtransactions in F1 2022. “As EA Sports – pioneers of the lucrative Ultimate Team mode – prepare to unveil Codemasters’ F1 2022 to the world, there’s been no indication yet that the new game could feature more microtransactions than before. So will the furore over GT7 act as a cautionary tale for EA, given the gaming giant’s love of building their other major sports games around buying in-game currency with real life cash?“

• RaceFans.net also has a review of “Assetto Corsa Competizione” on the PS5 and Xbox Series S|X. “There are a lot of things about Competitzione as a racing game that others on the market do much better than it, but when it comes to the core racing experience and handling model on offer here, there is simply nothing that is as complex, rewarding or realistic. With the graphical enhancements of this current-gen upgrade and the fact it’s free for last-gen owners, there’s possibly not a more accessible and affordable entry into the world of hardcore simulation racing than Assetto Corsa Competizione.”

• Official Formula 1 NFT (non-fungible token) game F1 Delta Time has closed after its publishers, Animoca Brands, said their licence had not been renewed. “Animoca operates the REVV Motorsport platform which includes Formula E and Moto GP NFT collectibles among others. The company said owners of F1 Delta Time car, driver and other assets are being offered exchanges for their purchases of comparable levels of rarity and performance via REVV.”

• Reiza Studios have teased the latest addition to Automobilista 2 on Twitter. The images appear to show a 2022 Formula One car, there’s no mistaking the shape of the rear wing, or flares above the front wheels – this is a ground effect Formula One car.

• Finally, the Coach Dave Academy has a tutorial on how to use Motec Data in Assetto Corsa Competizione. “MoTeC is a tool used by a number of real-life race teams to set up their race cars to have the optimum setup and extract the final few tenths of pace from their car. The software at the root of it is a data collection tool that collates and displays information in a readable and understandable format. The information collected from the car, such as brake pressure, throttle application, or damper rebound, is translated to visual interpretations of data such as line graphs or histograms. Race engineers then use this information to turn data and numbers into real-life setup changes that tailor the car to a driver’s preferences.”