However, on 13/14th June, the initial date of our event, there will be a unique event augmenting endurance racing and its values: the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, with professional drivers and specialists esports gamers racing together. Just like the real track that has to be prepared for its big moment, we went back to the drawing board and started to rework our virtual Le Mans.

Then all that racing action probably kept you too busy to notice. For the first time, teams made up of a combination of professional racing drivers and esports champions will challenge each other in the most extreme test seen in the virtual world and it will be broadcast live on TV across the globe.The start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual will be given on 13.In the coming weeks the entry list will be revealed, as well as numerous other exciting elements which will bring this extraordinary virtual event to life.“This first edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual opens a new chapter for our discipline,” explained Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest. In addition, the WEC took care of race control and marshaling, just like in the real race! ...Ferodo Racing is part of the Federal-Mogul Corporation and specialises in the design, development and production of disc brake pads and brake fluids for motorsp...Evolution Measurement is the UK based manufacturer and distributor of pressure, temperature and electrical measurement instruments.

Our internal communication platform was full of discussions, pictures, side-by-side comparisons and a buzzing atmosphere, with everyone trying to push it even further than on the previous build. The Ferrari teams gathered in Maranello, teams used their official training simulators, and others set up big video calls with team managers, engineers and their drivers in order to really function as a team and work towards reaching the finish, preferably before any of the other teams.Most people probably think of the winners of the race when it comes to celebrating. We have been asked to provide the simulation and online infrastructure for this virtual edition. A big crew in Paris, led by Motorsport Games, worked on the actual studio broadcast with several task forces handling things such as communication, driver support and many other small bits and pieces.

The updated layout will become part of the existing Le Mans track. Go and check it out!Hans Bossenbroek, CEO of Luminis, explains:But it wasn’t just about eye candy. Thank you to all our partners, helpers, teams, drivers, engineers, admins and everyone involved in bringing to life the first ever virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans!

The feelings of that moment are hard to describe, which is why we will just share with you what happened in our internal communication tools. But without taking anything away from Rebellion Williams Esports and the GTE class winning Porsche, there was plenty more to be happy about in the Studio.The first moment we were stunned was probably the start of the broadcast and the beginning of the race.
Several test races with the participating teams of the event had helped prepare our partners and us for what was about to come: a weekend full of virtual racing at the absolute top level. A constant flow of information was exchanged to keep everyone up to date and to enable us to work to our maximum potential.Motorsport is in a unique position in terms of esports as it is one of the very few sports where the skills from esports transfer to the real world and vice versa.

A real challenge lasting 1440 minutes of pure concentration.

Until the sun went down!You might wonder “why until then” but it’s fairly simple. It was a great moment for the sim racing community, and it motivates us to keep pushing and improving rFactor 2 for many years to come!Celebrating the 24 hours of Le Mans Virtual,14.2 million people enjoyed the 24 hour show in 57 different countries worldwide.

“That highlighted to us the huge appetite among the esports community for endurance racing and access to the jewel in the crown of the discipline, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It is one thing to plan such an event, hear what it should look like, work on it to make it happen, but a completely different story to then see the labour of our love not just on online channels everywhere, but also on TV in nearly every country. Marcel Offermans, head of Studio 397: “The virtual 24 hours of Le Mans was organized in record time by ACO, FIA, Motorsport Games and Studio 397.

Keeping you ahead of the pack The real teams had been contacted and let in on the plan, while Motorsport Games worked on a distribution plan, with us concentrating on the “venue”. Its commitment to innovation enables advancements in transportation, industrial applications, medical...Aurora Bearing Company features the world’s widest range of rod end and spherical plain bearings. With the traditional Le Mans weekend left empty of motorsport due to COVID-19, the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual is an online, 24-hour race …

We’re eager to share with you part of the journey that led to this historic weekend. Several aspects of the race were run in automated test configurations and we made sure to be prepared, whatever happened.


This allowed an unprecedented number of drivers from professional racing classes, including Formula 1, Formula E and WEC, to participate in the event and be competitive.

If you already own these cars, you will of course get the skins for free. But hey, they deserved their moments of fame!The event received a lot of positive feedback from media outlets, teams and manufacturers. So we got to work. It was not enough to just call it the official virtual event, we wanted it to feel absolutely special.