Elvis Rankin went from sim racing to becoming a real-world champion and this week I have the video that explains how he did it and how you can follow in his footsteps.
It is not all positive as I also bring news on how the 2022 DTM Esports champion has lost his real-world racing prize for winning the championship following ADAC’s takeover of the DTM.
Finally, I also explain why Max Verstappen is so positive on sim racing and how it helps him in F1, the latest updates on the new Rennsport ESL R1 sim racing championship, a guide to strategy in iRacing, the latest sim racing tech news and much more in this week’s Sim Racing and Esports News Roundup.
From Sim Racing to the Real Thing
As I mentioned in a recent column, American race driver Elvis Rankin has used esports as a springboard to real world racing success. The video above from iRacing looks at how he did it and how you can follow in his footsteps. “15 year old iRacer Elvis Rankin competes for the championship in the 2022 Formula Race Series, after earning scholarship through the Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series. Learn about how to enter and qualify for the series which will return in 2023!“
The winner of the 2022 DTM Esports championship was set to earn a full real-world season in the GT4-based DTM Trophy series this year. But following the ITR’s dissolution, his prize drive looks to have been rescinded. Autosport explains why an Esports champion’s DTM prize drive is in peril for 2023. “The email I received explained the ITR and DTM scenario, and the change of ownership. It ended with: ‘The developments lead to the fact that without enrolling the DTM Trophy and without the ITR as a promoter, the programme you’re talking about does not exist anymore, and is stopped entirely. I’m sorry to give you this feedback, but we’d like to thank you for your participation. For the future, we wish you all the best.’
Despite his meltdown at the recent Le Mans 24 Hours Virtual, Max Verstappen is still a huge proponent of sim racing as a way to hone your real world racing skills. Racing News 365 explains how he feels sim racing benefits him in F1. “Another key difference is there is a certain physicality to real racing – you need to be fit and well trained. On a simulator, even if you don’t have that, you can still manage to be really quick.”
And does he ever like his sim racing. He has converted his private plane so that he can fit a race simulator inside the aircraft, according to Dr Helmut Marko.
Competitive Sim Racing News
Esports tournament organizer ESL FaceIt Group and new virtual racing platform Rennsport are creating a racing league dubbed ESL R1, and they have already secured participation from some of the biggest names in esports and motorsports, reports SBJ’s Kevin Hitt. The league will have a collective prize pool of $500,000. The roster for the first season includes eight partner teams and four wild card teams. Esports organizations like FaZe Clan and Furia — who have previously competed in ESL-organized esports competitions — will compete in R1 alongside the likes of F1 teams Williams Racing and Mercedes-AMG Petronas. Other brands participating include BMW and Porsche.
Here is a roundup of coverage on the new sim racing series.
- ESL R1 puts FaZe Clan, Mercedes, & Redline on the Rennsport grid for huge prize pool
- ESL FACEIT Group launches €500,000 sim racing series
- ESL, Rennsport tap big esports teams, auto brands for new sim racing league
- ESL partners with RENNSPORT for $500,000 R1 Esport Series circuit
- ESL R1 €500,000 virtual racing circuit announced, Williams says traditional esports orgs entering sim racing will offer ‘massive potential’
- ESL R1 – the new esports sim racing league with €500k prize pool
- Everything you need to know about ESL R1, the €500k sim racing competition
- Porsche Coanda Esports announces inaugural ESL R1 lineup
- MOUZ reveals world-beating lineup for its sim racing entry
- Apex Racing Team announces inaugural ESL R1 lineup
- BMW M Team BS+Competition announces ESL R1 lineup, DTM champ manager
- Mercedes-AMG Petronas announces ESL R1 lineup, including Baldwin and Huis
- Porsche Esports works team confirms participation in the new ESL R1 Series
- How Rennsport’s ESL R1 Series could shake up racing esports, forever
- ESL R1: Competitors are able to drive other racing events
iRacing has released a statement saying that the 2023 iRacing VCO Daytona 24 was a massive success. “When all was said and done with the 2023 edition, 16,651 declared drivers and 4,191 teams took part in the event across four time slots and 85 splits, turning 2.25 million laps and running nearly 8.6 million miles. Racers were connected to iRacing servers, which transmitted nearly 16 terabytes of data, for a total time of nearly 26 years during the event. The largest time slot, launching at 12:00 GMT Saturday, featured 42 splits, welcoming users of all skill levels from around the world and giving everybody on the iRacing platform a chance to compete. For the highest-rated iRacers, Racespot broadcast all 24 hours of the top split in the largest time slot.”
Speaking of the 2023 iRacing VCO Daytona 24, Williams Esports and Apex Racing Team won this first leg of the VCO Grand Slam.
Despite their winning form, William eSports has been accused of unsportsmanlike behavior with Jensen Button weighing in. “Button defended the sim racing team, saying that if the same were to happen in real life racing (cutting a corner), they’d lose a lap in qualifying, not get banned.”
After a season of adversity, Porsche Coanda Esports proved that persistence and consistency is key to winning the Le Mans Virtual Series. “That’s the thing I think I love about this team. We have the ‘Never Give Up’ attitude no matter what. We could be a lap or two laps down, but we will still go for everything.”
James Baldwin, 2022 Autosport Esports Driver of the Year, Le Mans Virtual Series race winner and multiple SRO Esports champion, has joined the AMG outfit on a full-time basis. Reigning Autosport Esports Driver of the Year James Baldwin has announced that he’s both leaving Veloce Esports and staying with the Brackley-based AMG Petronas Esports team for 2023.
Sim Racing Tips & Techniques
The Coach Dave Academy has produced the Ultimate Guide to Strategy in iRacing. “iRacing is made up of a huge number of cars raced across multiple different series types over a large range of race distances. Races can be as short as 20 minutes or as long as 24 hours. Strategy isn’t essential in short race 20-minute races, but it can decide if you win or lose when it comes to longer races.”
Sim Racing Tech Roundup
Here is a roundup of the latest sim racing tech news and reviews from around the world.
- Praga’s Simulator is Up for Sale
- You Don’t Know the Power of a Modern Simulator Until You Try One
- Best gaming laptop for iRacing : Can you play iRacing on a laptop?
- Logitech’s G Pro Direct Drive Wheel and Load Cell Pedals Are the Real Deal, And Really Pricey
- The GT Omega PRIME Lite is a compact sim racing cockpit
- Best GPU for Sim Racing
- An In-Depth Look at Moza Racing
- Ngasa Pedals
General Sim Racing News
- The Praga Cup UK goes virtual with new RaceRoom Drivers Pack
- Max Verstappen loses virtual Le Mans to lag – is the sport ready for prime time?
- iRacing.com Announces the Addition of Ford Race Cars to its Virtual Fleet
- ‘Simrace’ innovation catches fire worldwide
- Spa-Francorchamps and AMG-GT3 confirmed for Rennsport
- Your Top 10 Racing Games of All Time
- Brabus G900 Goes Flat Out on the Virtual Autobahn, Tops Out at 230 MPH
- ICYMI: This week in racing games – 13 January 2023
- ICYMI: This week in racing games – 20 January 2023
- Almost All of Gran Turismo 7 Will be Playable in VR
- Eight American tracks we’d like to see in sim racing
- FaZe Clan and Porsche to team up in sim racing esports venture
- Raw Thrills: Industry legend Eugene Jarvis on what makes a great arcade racer
Check in with Turn 10 Studios and Forza Motorsport in the video above as the development team reveals how they’re building cars, tracks and audio that take full advantage of the Xbox Series X|S.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
