Sim Racing and Esports News for May 5, 2022-The Real Race Is On

I have a lot of great content for you this week in my Sim Racing and Esports News roundup. Lamborghini Esports launches The Real Race, SimGrid talks sportsmanship in sim racing, live sim racing events to debut in Charlotte, opportunities for disabled sim racers, Esports in Africa and much more. It is exciting to watch the world of sim racing expanding every single week.

• (Press Release) Sant’Agata Bolognese, 4 May 2022 – Lamborghini Esports is proud to present the third edition of its virtual competition, The Real Race, which returns this year with a brand-new format across the three regions, Europe/Middle East/Africa, North America/Latin America and Asia-Pacific. The competition has become an important meeting place for sim drivers from all over the world following the success of the first two editions. This year, the winner will have the opportunity to become an official member of the Lamborghini Esports team, which was launched in 2022. And like the previous two seasons, all races will take place on the Assetto Corsa Competizione game. More details can be found here.

• The SimGrid has an excellent article on sportsmanship in sim racing that can be applied to the real world as well. “Good sportsmanship is important because it makes competitive play more enjoyable for everyone. While winning might feel like the most important thing during these esport events or league races, good sportsmanship teaches competitors how to be gracious and respectful towards others. Bad sportsmanship fosters a negative environment and can take the fun out of the sim you are racing on and nobody wants that. It will look bad on you as a driver, on the community as a host and can even push other drivers away.”

• Premier eNASCAR team the Charlotte Phoenix are aiming to bring racing eSports to live audiences in North Carolina. In addition to the content creators and the eNASCAR team, the Charlotte Phoenix created what it calls the Carolina eSports Hub — a roughly 10,000-square-foot facility dedicated to hosting live eSports events. The venue features a main stage with rows of seats, projector screens, computers for gaming and, most importantly, sim racing rigs. “Our goal with [the facility] is to provide an opportunity for esports and gaming enthusiasts in the Carolinas and beyond to experience these events. Bringing together sim racers who normally compete in different corners of the country under one roof to compete is the next step for sim racing.”

• Ferrari has posted an excellent look at their esports team in Wheel To Virtual Wheel. “Open to anyone with a console, the various racing championships have enjoyed unprecedented entry numbers. Last year’s Ferrari Esports series alone saw 34,000 drivers take part in the initial Qualifier Races. Combine that with six Championships from F1 to Le Mans, and you have a sport that can no longer be considered a novelty in any capacity.”    

• For those new to sim racing, Asetek has a very helpful glossary of Sim Racing and Motorsports Terms. “There are a lot of technical terms in sim racing, and motorsports in general. In this glossary, you’ll be introduced to the most important terms, in order to better understand both sim racing and motorsports.”

• With support from the FIA Sport Grant Programme and the Home Affairs Department of the HKSAR Government, Hong Kong Automobile Association (HKAA) launched the “Digital Motorsport Youth Development Program” to give young enthusiasts an opportunity to experience motor sport and fight illegal street car racing threatening road safety.

• Disabled drivers should check out the eTeam BRITT Sim Racing Academy. The cool thing is that disabled drivers would also have the opportunity to join eTeam BRIT. “We will nurture you and with the support of your instructor and the team integrate you and have you race with us at events including the 24 hours of Le Mans on iRacing and rFactor 2.”

• While not strictly related to sim racing, check out the video above for an inspiring conversation about the sustainability of Esports in Africa.

• Jalopnik has come to the conclusion that It Sure Looks Like The Forza Motorsport Reboot Will Be Cross-Gen, Just Like GT7. “We’ve heard essentially nothing about the next Forza Motorsport since, well, this time last year when series’ creative director Chris Esaki related that beta testing was imminent. If the timing associated with this leak is true, that means Microsoft had already decided to bring the game to last-gen hardware by mid-2021 — right about when we initially caught wind Gran Turismo 7 was to release on PS4 as well as PS5.”

• Following a dearth of official BTCC gaming content over the past decade, the Toyota Corolla GR and Infiniti Q50 from the 2021 season will be made available as part of rFactor 2‘s May Q2 update according to Autosport. “Available as additional paid content, both cars will feature drivers and liveries used last year. In the Toyota that means Rory Butcher and Sam Smelt, and the Infiniti will be Aiden Moffat and Ashley Sutton.”

• Traxion reports that Forza Horizon 5’s Series 8 update will celebrate German vehicles. “The Porsche 911 GT3 ’21 is a brand new addition to Forza Horizon 5, alongside the equally fresh Audi RS 4 Avant ’18 and a Mercedes-Benz AMG GT to complete a German theme.”